By Staff Reporter
PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s security forces are poised to restart a military operation against the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in northwestern Bajaur district following the breakdown of peace talks, officials said, prompting some local families to flee their homes in Lowi Mamund tehsil.
The negotiations, intended to convince militant commanders, many of them Afghan citizens, to withdraw peacefully, hit a deadlock on Saturday, ending a ceasefire that had paused ‘Operation Sarbakaf’ in Lowi Mamund tehsil to allow for dialogue.
“The collapse of negotiations between the Bajaur Amn Jirga and militant leaders, aimed at convincing them to leave peacefully, has left no option but to resume Operation Sarbakaf to neutralise militants who threaten peace and lives,” security sources said.
Local reports indicated families from 16 areas of Lowi Mamund tehsil began moving to safer parts of the district on Saturday, with more expected to depart on Sunday as the situation remains unresolved.
Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, head of the 50-member Bajaur Amn Jirga, told reporters late Friday that the seventh round of talks ended without results due to a “serious deadlock over key issues necessary to resolve the conflict peacefully.”
“We tried our best with sincerity to make the talks a success by convincing them to return to Afghanistan… but unfortunately, we couldn’t succeed due to a serious deadlock,” Rashid said after separate meetings with militant leaders and senior officials. He declined to detail the issues.
Accompanied by jirga members, including local PTI lawmaker Dr Hamidur Rehman and former parliamentarian Gul Zafar Khan, Rashid said further talks were on hold until the impasse was resolved.
He appealed to security forces and militants to exercise restraint, noting the hardship any fighting would impose on residents. Both sides assured the jirga that civilians and their properties would be spared in potential clashes, Rashid added.
The jirga will remain operational to develop contingency plans with locals and plans to meet Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in Peshawar to advance Bajaur’s interests.
Security sources outlined options for tribal jirgas: militants must leave Bajaur, or tribes evacuate temporarily to facilitate an operation against the TTP, referred to as “khawarij.” They ruled out government-level discussions until militants fully submit to the state, accusing them of exploiting talks to prepare for conflict while integrating with the population and carrying out terrorist and criminal acts.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, including Chief Minister Gandapur and security officials, presented three points to tribes: expel the khawarij; if unable, vacate the area for one or two days to enable action; or, if neither feasible, operations will proceed with maximum civilian protections.
The jirga was termed a practical step for public safety ahead of any offensive. “No compromise is possible with terrorists, enemies of Islam and the state,” sources stated, emphasising the state’s exclusive authority for armed actions.
They cited 600 terrorist attacks in Pakistan last year, with financial and operational backing from the Afghan Taliban. The Bajaur developments occur against a rise in terror incidents since 2021, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
A report from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies documented 78 attacks nationwide in June, resulting in at least 100 deaths: 53 security personnel, 39 civilians, six militants, and two peace committee members. Injuries numbered 189, including 126 among security forces and 63 civilians.The month’s total fatalities from violence and operations reached 175: 55 security personnel, 77 militants, 41 civilians, and two peace committee members.
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