A jirga was held at Bara Bazaar on Saturday to discuss the plight of families displaced from Tirah Valley. The meeting was organized under the Khyber National Jirga. Tribal elders and political leaders from across parties attended.
Leaders from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) participated. They called for immediate relief and a rehabilitation plan. They also demanded transparency in the relief fund.
Tribal elder Malik Mujeeb Khan said the evacuation of Tirah Valley followed consultations with the Chief Minister, Corps Commander Peshawar, and IG Frontier Corps. He said the valley was cleared to remove terrorist threats. Shah Faisal, District President of JI, added that the relocation was forced and that the displaced families are living in difficult conditions.
Syed Kabeer, General Secretary of JUI-F, said the Chief Minister must take responsibility for the welfare of the displaced. He said, “Thousands of families are living in poor conditions. The relief fund must be monitored to prevent corruption.”
PTI leader Abid Khan Afridi said the provincial government must ensure all basic facilities for the victims. He emphasized unity and called for proper management of the relocation process.
Former PTI MPA Shafiq Afridi urged the federal government to take immediate action. He demanded a concrete plan for returning and rehabilitating the displaced families. He criticized federal ministers for allegedly downplaying the suffering of Tirah residents.
PML-N District President Asghar Khan said both provincial and federal governments share responsibility for the current situation. He stressed that acknowledgment of mistakes by the provincial authorities is needed for proper action.
Tensions continue between the federal and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governments. The federal government maintains that only small-scale, intelligence-based operations are ongoing. It claims no mass evacuation was required. The provincial government, however, insists that large-scale relocations were necessary.
Thousands of families remain displaced amid worsening security and heavy snowfall. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the evacuation began on January 10. Over 11,400 families have been registered so far. More than 10,000 families have been relocated to safer areas, including Bara and Peshawar.
