Pakistan rejects claims of military operation in northwest valley amid displacement row

Pakistan’s defence minister denied on Tuesday that any military operation was underway in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the movement of residents was a routine seasonal migration and not linked to army action.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif made the remarks during a press conference in Islamabad, accompanied by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan.

The briefing came after the federal and provincial governments traded accusations over who authorized the evacuation of hundreds of residents ahead of an alleged security operation.

Authorities say the displacement was part of an arrangement agreed by local elders, the provincial government and the military. But the evacuation has drawn criticism after many displaced families were left exposed to cold weather and said they were stranded without adequate support.

At the presser today, Asif said around 400 to 500 members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were living in the valley with their families. He said the army had no role in the migration, which he said was organized under an agreement between a local jirga and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

Asif added that seasonal migration from border valleys has been customary since the British era, with residents typically moving to lower areas in winter and returning in summer. He said a 26-member jirga negotiated with the TTP and the provincial government to facilitate the depopulation, after which the KP government allocated 4 billion rupees and issued a formal notification.

The defense minister said the military had previously conducted operations in the area but had decided to rely on intelligence-based actions to avoid civilian casualties. He stressed that a large-scale military operation was no longer under consideration.

Asif also criticized the provincial government’s performance, saying it had failed to provide basic services such as education and healthcare, and blamed it for the lack of civilian law enforcement in the region.

He accused the provincial leadership of creating controversy to conceal its shortcomings and said the federal government was prepared to provide support to assist displaced families.

Ikhtiar Wali Khan described the migration as voluntary, as mentioned in the KP government notification, and questioned why funds were allocated if the displacement was voluntary. He suggested the project may have been used to generate money and accused the PTI-led provincial government of politicizing the issue ahead of planned protests. He reiterated that neither the federal government nor the military had any role in the movement.

KP chief minister rejects claims of voluntary migration

In a separate statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned what he described as a renewed security operation in Tirah Valley, saying harsh conditions had been imposed and accusing authorities of making decisions in closed-door meetings.

Afridi claimed militants had returned to the region after the removal of Imran Khan’s government, and said he had held jirgas and peace conferences to warn against the resurgence of terrorism. He said areas that rejected such decisions remained peaceful, while those that ignored warnings were again facing unrest.

He questioned the logic of launching a new operation, saying more than 14,000 intelligence-based operations had already failed to end violence. Afridi said a 24-member committee led by the corps commander and IG FC forced tribal elders to evacuate their homes during heavy snowfall.

Afridi criticized a press release claiming the displacement was voluntary, calling it dangerous and a move that could undermine trust between the province and federal authorities. He announced a jirga in Jamrud to determine whether people were forced to leave and said his government had released PKR 4 billion to support affected families.

He vowed to defend the rights of the local population and warned that failure to resist would lead to continued loss of life.