Tirah Operation: People Forced to Leave Homes During Snowfall, Says CM Suhail Afridi

**Islamabad (Qudrat Daily):** Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Suhail Afridi has strongly opposed the ongoing military operation in Tirah Valley, alleging that local residents were forced to vacate their homes during the harsh winter snowfall despite their objections.

In a statement on the Tirah Valley situation, the chief minister said that extremely difficult conditions have once again been imposed on the area. He claimed that the Afridi tribe did not agree with the decisions of the committee formed for the operation, yet they were compelled to evacuate their homes during the peak of the winter season.

Suhail Afridi recalled that after the removal of the elected government of Imran Khan through what he termed a “regime change operation,” efforts were made to restore peace through jirgas and peace marches across Khyber, Hazara, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan and Waziristan when militants began to resettle. He said warnings were issued at the time that terrorism was being reimposed on the Pashtun regions, but these concerns were dismissed by the then PDM government as propaganda.

He stated that districts where people collectively rejected closed-door decisions continue to enjoy relative peace, while areas where such decisions were not challenged are once again facing instability. According to the chief minister, secret decisions led not only to renewed insecurity but also to economic decline, forcing investors and youth to look for opportunities abroad.

The chief minister said he had raised his voice when similar closed-door decisions were being taken regarding Tirah Valley. He questioned the effectiveness of another operation, noting that more than 22 major and over 14,000 intelligence-based operations had failed to eliminate militancy in the past.

He further said that a grand jirga comprising all schools of thought and political parties of the province, held under the roof of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, unanimously approved a 15-point agenda rejecting military operations as a solution to terrorism and calling for dialogue-based approaches to ensure lasting peace.

Suhail Afridi alleged that despite this consensus, a decision was taken behind closed doors to impose another operation in Tirah Valley. He said a 24-member committee headed by the Corps Commander and Inspector General Frontier Corps was formed, which asked Afridi elders to evacuate their homes, claiming militants were using them to launch attacks.

He maintained that the Afridi elders did not accept the committee’s stance but were nevertheless forced to migrate during snowfall. He added that in areas where operations are being conducted, even animals struggle to survive due to extreme weather, and images of displaced elderly people, women and children are being witnessed worldwide, while snowfall has also hampered the operation itself.