Kamran Ali
Correspondent Nukta
Kamran Ali, a seasoned journalist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, has a decade of experience covering terrorism, human rights, politics, economy, climate change, culture, and sports. With an MS in Media Studies, he has worked across print, radio, TV, and digital media, producing investigative reports and co-hosting shows that highlight critical issues.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur expressed sorrow over the deaths reported in Tirah Valley and assured tribal elders he would secure a meeting with the inspector general of the Frontier Corps and the Peshawar corps commander.
Courtesy: KP government
Protests in Pakistan’s Khyber district over alleged civilian deaths in airstrikes on Tirah Valley may soon end after the provincial chief executive pledged to arrange a meeting between tribal elders and top military officials.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday visited Bara Bazaar, where demonstrators have been staging a sit-in since the Sept. 22 incident.
Gandapur expressed sorrow over the deaths reported in Tirah Valley and assured tribal elders he would secure a meeting with the inspector general of the Frontier Corps and the Peshawar corps commander.
“We will fight your case together,” Gandapur told the protesters, pledging to present their concerns in the upcoming meeting with the military leadership.
Hashim Khan Afridi, who is leading the sit-in, said Gandapur’s assurance was under discussion and a decision on whether to end the protest would be made soon. “We have no other demand — we only seek the right to live,” Afridi said.
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Afridi warned that while the sit-in might be called off, protesters would resume their agitation and march toward the corps commander’s house in Peshawar if their demands remain unmet after the meeting.
Protesters’ demands
Organizers said the protesters want an end to military operations in Tirah Valley and concrete measures to stop targeted killings. They also seek limits on the military’s powers in the region and the recovery of missing persons.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur talking to the protesters in Khyber district on September 24, 2025. Nukta
Abdul Ghani, a lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party representing the demonstrators, demanded the registration of a criminal case against the Frontier Corps inspector general, the Peshawar corps commander and the local brigade commander over the incident. He also sought a written assurance that similar events would not happen again.
What caused the unrest?
At least 21 people were killed in an overnight blast in Tirah Valley on Sept. 22. Eyewitnesses and tribal elders alleged that Pakistani military jets carried out strikes in the Aka Khel area, destroying five houses and killing members of three families.
The military rejected reports of airstrikes, calling them “propaganda” aimed at maligning the armed forces.
In a statement, the Frontier Corps said the explosion occurred inside a militant-run improvised explosive device facility, which caught fire and spread to nearby houses. The statement said 12 to 14 militants died, along with eight to 10 civilians from families allegedly being used as human shields.
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