By Staff Reporter
PESHAWAR: The government on Sunday denied issuing any orders for the forced evacuation of residents from the restive Tirah Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, amid mounting tensions over a planned military operation against militant groups that has prompted thousands to flee their homes in the grip of a harsh winter.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in a statement posted on the social media platform X, dismissed circulating claims of a military-directed “depopulation” as “baseless, malicious, and driven by ulterior motives aimed at creating alarm among the public.” It said that “no directive has been issued for the depopulation of Tirah by the federal government and the armed forces.”
The denial comes as families from the valley, nestled in the rugged borderlands near Afghanistan, continue to stream out ahead of an anticipated offensive against proscribed terrorist organisations, including those the state refers to as “khawarij.” Officials insist that law enforcement agencies are conducting only “targeted, intelligence-based operations, strictly against terrorist elements, with full care to avoid disruption to civilian life, for which no migration is needed or being undertaken.”
Yet the exodus in heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures, stranding scores of displaced families on treacherous roads and prompting warnings from human rights groups of an impending humanitarian crisis. The Khyber district administration earlier this week suspended the evacuation process temporarily, urging families to hold off on traveling to safer areas like Bara until conditions improved, but the weather has only compounded the hardships.
The ministry’s statement showed growing local unease over the militants’ presence, saying that “the local population is increasingly concerned over the presence of khawarij and desire peace and stability in Tirah.” It pointed to a notification from the provincial government’s Relief, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Department, dated Dec. 26, 2025, which authorized the release of roughly Rs4 billion to support what it described as the “anticipated temporary and voluntary movement of population from certain localities of Tirah (Bagh).”
According to the ministry, the funds were earmarked for “advance preparedness and relief-related arrangements, including transportation, food support, cash assistance, and establishment and management of transit and registration points.” The notification, as quoted, further explained that the deputy commissioner of Khyber had conveyed that “the proposed voluntary movement reflects the views and preferences of the local population, articulated through a representative jirga convened at the district level, taking into account seasonal, logistical and contextual considerations, as well as a on-camp based modality.”
The federal authorities lambasted any suggestions linking the military to the displacement, calling such assertions “false and fabricated, given with mala fide intent to gain political capital and, unfortunately, malign security institutions and, therefore, highly regrettable.” Though the ministry did not name specific critics, the rebuke appeared aimed at officials in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government, which has sought to distance itself from the developments.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, speaking to reporters in Kot Momin later Sunday, said the residents “relocate voluntarily” each year as winter harshens. Stressing that any military actions are “intelligence-based and area-specific,” Tarar added that “those elements giving the impression that it is a forced evacuation are giving a wrong impression and spreading misinformation”.
When pressed on objections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister Sohail Afridi, Tarar advised him to “pay attention to the public’s issues.” “Establish Safe City [project], CTD force and forensic labs, make people’s lives easier, improve law and order, counter terrorism,” the minister said. “Put all resources to use is my advice to him.”
Chief Minister Afridi has repeatedly voiced opposition to military operations decided “behind closed doors,” singling out Tirah in a Jan. 15 post on X where he alleged that the “operation in Tirah and forced displacement of people was taken behind closed doors.” He further charged that “terrorism has been foisted on us” and that “people are being forcibly displaced due to a military operation, the decision for which was taken behind closed doors.”
In response to Sunday’s federal statement, Afridi, addressing a rally in the province’s Barikot area, warned that it would foster “conflict between the provincial government and institutions and the Centre.” He lamented that “whatever little trust among ourselves is no more,” and directed his administration to conduct all future correspondence with federal or institutional entities in writing, preserving evidence to prevent denials. “They impose decisions taken behind closed doors and walk back when the damage is done.” He announced plans for a jirga of the Afridi tribe on the coming Sunday to ascertain whether residents left willingly or were compelled. “And if it emerges that the [ministry’s statement] is a lie, I will personally take my people back to Tirah,” he said.
The PTI’s provincial chapter, in its own X post, derided the federal claim of voluntary relocation as “ridiculous,” questioning, “Who would leave their home willingly while taking into account the weather conditions, extreme cold and snowfall?” It alleged that security and government officials had convened a jirga of tribal elders, which resolved that residents should relocate to avert collateral damage during the operation. “Some people left willingly, and those who stayed back were expelled forcefully,” the party claimed.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Sunday urged both federal and provincial authorities to address the “ongoing situation facing families displaced from Tirah Valley ahead of a military operation,” which it said “risks escalating into a humanitarian crisis.” “Thousands have been reportedly stranded for days in sub-zero temperatures, with children, women, elderly persons and the sick exposed to severe cold without adequate shelter, food, water or medical assistance,” the commission stated in an X post. It called for intensified rescue operations to “evacuate vulnerable groups, clear access routes and deliver winterised relief.”
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