Conference on the rights of Tirah victims held at Bara Bazaar on January 31 under the auspices of the Khyber National Jirga. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB
KHYBER:
A jirga convened on Saturday by Bara Siyasi Ittehad, an alliance of different political parties of Bara, on Saturday demanded immediate implementation of its unanimously adopted declaration, calling for the restoration of full peace in Tirah and a clear guarantee of sustainable peace in the future.
The alliance deliberated on the Tirah crisis as tribal elders and community leaders decried the ongoing situation in the valley.
The jirga was held in Bara at the request of tribal elders and representatives from Tirah, where participants discussed the deteriorating situation caused by administrative failures and agreed on a future course of action.
According to the declaration, all forms of violence by the Khawarij, including firing, shelling, mortar attacks on homes and the downing of quadcopters, must stop immediately, as these actions are spreading fear among civilians.
The alliance also demanded that the dignified return of all displaced families be ensured and that every promise and agreement made with them be formally recognised and practically implemented.
The declaration called for impartial investigations into political interference, nepotism, administrative failures and corruption in the registration of Tirah victims, and demanded action against those responsible.
It also sought full registration of all residents who own homes or property in Tirah, granting them IDP status and including them in the relief package.
The jirga warned that the law and order situation in Upper Bara and the Bara plains had become alarming and must be controlled on an emergency basis.
The alliance announced the launch of a peace movement in Bara from today to help restore security and provide a safe environment for the public.
It also urged the provincial government to fulfil its constitutional duty by eliminating kidnapping for ransom, extortion threats and fear among citizens.
Reaffirming its commitment, the Bara Political Alliance said it would continue to stand with the displaced people of Tirah on every platform and would persist in its struggle until their rights are fully secured.
Earlier, speakers at the jirga blasted the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government over “incompetence, mismanagement and corruption” in relief efforts.
They vehemently denounced the provincial government for alleged political interference and corruption in the distribution of the Rs4 billion compensation package for affected families, calling the process flawed and unjust.
While paying tribute to the security forces for their role in maintaining peace, jirga participants accused the government of failing to deliver effective governance.
The agenda of the jirga was presented by the alliance’s chairman Haji Shireen Afridi, who also announced full solidarity, sympathy and support for all families displaced from Tirah.
The alliance demanded that the provincial government ensure complete care, protection and arrangements for all displaced persons.
Former chairman Haji Shireen Afridi said that the alliance had held jirgas twice with the Khawarij, after which the responsibility was handed over to the provincial government and tribal elders of Tirah, but both efforts failed.
Other leaders of the Bara Political Alliance said the suffering of Tirah’s displaced people was not limited to any single tribe or area, but had become a collective national issue that could no longer be ignored.
Ministers
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry termed the Khyber National Jirga a “charge sheet” against the K-P government, alleging poor governance and calling on the provincial authorities to apologise for what he described as the construction of a false narrative.
Speaking to a private television channel, Tarar said the jirga had not only demanded the restoration of peace but had also levelled serious allegations against the KP government. He said the jirga had concluded that the provincial authorities were guilty of mismanagement and corruption and had failed to deliver for the people.
Talking to a private television channel, Talal Chaudhry said the jirga’s findings left “no room” for the version presented by the K-P government. He said it had been established that decisions regarding Tirah were taken by local residents after assessing the ground realities, and that they vacated the area under an agreement reached between the people of Tirah and the provincial government.
“These people (the jirga) have, in a very clear manner, explained all those things which the federal government was, in one way or another, trying to convey to the public,” he said.
Thousands flee
Tens of thousands of people have fled a remote mountainous region in recent weeks, residents said, after warnings broadcast from mosques urged families to evacuate ahead of a possible military action against terrorists.
Residents of the Tirah Valley said they have moved out of the area into nearby towns despite heavy snowfall and cold winter temperatures because of the announcements to avoid the possible fighting.
“The announcements were made in ?the mosque that everyone should leave, so everyone was leaving. We left too,” said Gul Afridi, a shopkeeper who fled with his family to the town of Bara located 71 km (44 miles) east of the Tirah Valley.
Local officials in the region, who asked to remain unidentified, said thousands of families have fled and are being registered for assistance in nearby towns.
The government has not announced the evacuation nor any planned military operation. On Tuesday, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif denied any operation was planned or underway in Tirah, calling the movement a routine seasonal migration driven by harsh winter conditions.
However, a military source with knowledge of the matter said the relocation followed months of consultations involving tribal elders, ?district officials and security authorities over the presence of terrorists in Tirah, who they said were operating among civilian populations and pressuring residents.
The source asked to remain unidentified as they are not authorized to speak to the media. The source said civilians were encouraged to temporarily leave to reduce the risk of harm as “targeted intelligence-based operations” continued, adding there had been no build-up for a large-scale offensive due to the area’s mountainous terrain and winter conditions.
The Inter-Services Public Relations, the interior ministry, and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government did not respond to requests for comment made on Friday.
Not the Cold
Residents rejected suggestions that winter alone drove the movement. “No one left because of the cold,” said Abdur Rahim, who said he left his village for Bara earlier this month after hearing evacuation announcements. “It has been snowing for years. We have lived there all our lives. People left because of the announcements.”
Gul Afridi described a perilous journey through snowbound roads along with food shortages that made the evacuation an ordeal that took his family nearly a week. “Here I have no home, no support for business. I don’t know what is destined for us,” he said at a government school in Bara where hundreds of displaced people lined up to register for assistance, complaining of slow processes and uncertainty over how long they would remain displaced.
Abdul Azeem, another displaced resident, said families were stranded for days and that children died along the way. “There were a lot of difficulties. People were stuck because of the snow,” he said.
With additional input from Reuters
