Centre, KP trade blame over Tirah evacuation as CM Afridi says people were 'forced'

• Centre denies ordering evacuation from Tirah Valley.
• KP govt urged to clarify stance on militants.
• KP govt did not evacuate Tirah residents: CM Afridi.

PESHAWAR: After hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes due to heavy snowfall and a planned operation against terrorists in the tribal district, the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments traded barbs as Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said people were “forced” to leave their homes.

Speaking on Geo News programme "Naya Pakistan", Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal questioned why residents were being displaced from Tirah, saying the provincial government must explain the circumstances.

He categorically said that the federal government had not issued any directive or appeal for evacuation from the area.

Referring to the statement issued late Saturday night, Iqbal stressed that the Ministry of Information had already denied reports suggesting a large-scale military operation in Tirah, adding that linking the displacement to the armed forces amounted to deliberate misinformation.

He said law and order fell squarely under the provincial government’s jurisdiction, slamming the KP administration for failing in its responsibility.

“The KP government must decide whether it stands with terrorists or with the people of Pakistan,” Iqbal said, adding that the PTI-led provincial government was continuously running campaigns against state institutions and appeared sympathetic to extremist elements.

Echoing these remarks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the federal government had taken serious notice of what he described as false propaganda surrounding Tirah. He reiterated that associating the evacuation with the military was misleading and factually incorrect.

The response comes amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Tirah, where families fleeing the Maidan area have been stranded on snow-covered roads due to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures.

The evacuation from the area began on January 9 ahead of a planned operation expected to conclude within two months, with rehabilitation and return scheduled to start from April 5.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the Miraban–Tirah Valley Road was blocked following heavy snowfall, while multiple routes across KP — including Kaghan-Naran, Battal and the Lowari Tunnel — were also closed, leaving locals and tourists stranded.

Snow accumulation has further affected roads in Buner, Swat, Chitral, Lower Dir and Kolai-Palas, with clearance efforts underway using heavy machinery.

Rescue 1122 officials said emergency operations were ongoing in Tirah, involving 103 personnel deployed from Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera and Khyber districts. So far, more than 25 vehicles carrying 65 stranded individuals have been rescued, with the scope of the operation continuing to expand.

'Forced to leave'

Meanwhile, KP CM Afridi said that residents of the Tirah Valley were "forced to leave", stressing that the provincial government did not evacuate them.

Addressing party workers in Chakdara, Afridi said the people of Tirah were facing severe hardship and warned that if the ongoing operation was not halted within the next two to three days, the provincial government would formulate its own strategy.

The chief minister clarified that his party was neither hostile to the armed forces nor to state institutions, but opposed those who, he said, interfere in politics.

Separately, KP government spokesperson Shafi Jan dismissed the federal government’s claim regarding the release of Rs4 billion for families displaced from Tirah as “highly ridiculous”.

He said the provincial government had released funds in a timely manner to provide relief to the displaced families, adding that residents of Tirah were being compelled to leave their homes due to an operation.

Jan further accused the federal government of making a failed attempt to shift responsibility for the operation onto the KP government.