Tirah'tan göç eden aileler hükümetin taahhütlerine şüpheyle yaklaşıyor

Displaced Tirah residents express reservations over government's commitment, October return plan

KHYBER: Thousands of families displaced from Tirah Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district have expressed serious reservations over the government’s fulfilment of commitments made following their displacement earlier this year, as well as the recently announced plan to facilitate their return in October. In December 2025, tribal elders from Tirah had agreed to vacate their homes to facilitate a military operation against terrorists. They also signed a written agreement with the district administration after talks with security and administrative officials. Under the agreement, the district administration had committed to paying Rs3 million for each destroyed house and Rs1 million for each damaged house, along with Rs250,000 to every displaced family through digital wallets upon registration at the Bagh Markaz and Paindi Cheena centres. Talking to Dawn in Bara, where the majority of the displaced families are currently residing, Tehrik Mutasereen Tirah chairman Rehmat Shah Afridi said they had little faith left in the promises made by government officials, as thousands of affected families were still awaiting registration and financial assistance more than eight months after they were forced to leave their homes. He said only 21,000 of the officially recorded 34,000 displaced families had so far been verified, adding that the registration and verification process was progressing painfully slowly. “The assignment of the registration and verification process to a 24-member Tirah Committee is clear evidence of the authorities’ inefficiency and lack of interest in fulfilling their commitments and responsibilities,” he alleged. Hailing from Dunga village of Tirah, Shah further stated that a considerable number of the displaced families were still awaiting their transport fare, Rs50,000 monthly stipend and additional grant of Rs250,000 upon their arrival in Bara in December 2025 and early 2026. He alleged that a number of displaced families had been robbed by fraudsters impersonating members of the Tirah Committee, while the police and district administration had failed to take action against those responsible. Mihaj Lala, a resident of Mashri Chowk in Tirah and a member of Tehrik Mutasereen Tirah, said that, besides ordinary internally displaced persons (IDPs), thousands of traders and shopkeepers from Tirah had lost much of their merchandise during their forced displacement and were still awaiting an assessment of their financial losses. He added that most were also struggling to find even a modest source of income. He said most members of Tirah’s trading community had either settled in Bara or moved to Peshawar, Mardan and Nowshera in search of business opportunities. Mostly registered with Anjuman Tirah Tajeran, the traders also included women who had established small businesses in their homes after returning to the valley in 2025-26. “The women who had established businesses in their homes were either widows or had husbands with physical disabilities, leaving them with no option but to earn a dignified livelihood. That source of income has now been lost,” he said, while explaining the plight of the affected women. He said Tirah’s trading community also faced uncertainty, as many could not risk investing elsewhere while still awaiting a confirmed timeline for their return. Responding to the official announcement that the return of Tirah’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) would begin in October, he said the plan was ill-conceived, as it would be extremely difficult for most families to rebuild their lives during the harsh winter months. He said they would face conditions similar to those they had endured at the time of their displacement. “We also have little faith in the official promises, and it remains doubtful that the October 10 deadline for our return will actually be met,” he said, demanding that the return plan be brought forward to September so that displaced families could reach their homes before the onset of winter in the valley. Suhbat Khan, spokesman for the IDPs committee, told Dawn that a majority of the IDPs had their houses in Tirah damaged either due to mortar shelling or excessive rains during the current monsoon. He said the damage to homes had further added to the financial woes of the IDPs, as they would require additional funds to repair their houses and rehabilitate their farmlands upon their return. Suhbat further said that, with no proper healthcare facilities available to the IDPs in Bara, many of them — particularly women, children and the elderly — were suffering from various illnesses, while some had died due to a lack of medical treatment. He also alleged that natural forests had been indiscriminately cut down by an organised timber mafia, while valuable land had been occupied for so-called development schemes without consulting the original owners or compensating them. He also criticised Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, along with representatives of various political parties, trade and welfare organisations, and civil society activists, for failing to strongly advocate for the rights of Tirah’s IDPs.