Khawaja Asif, Attaullah Tarar and Ikhtiar Wali Khan address press conference . PHOTO: SCREENGRAB
ISLAMABAD/
PAKISTAN:
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that the current displacement in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tiral Valley was part of “routine” seasonal migration and added that there was no question of a military operation in the area amid a raging controversy over situation betweent he federal and provincial governments.
Following a surge in unrest and escalating security concerns, large-scale displacement is underway in Tirah Valley, with thousands of families leaving their homes for safer areas, including Bara and Peshawar.
The situation has caused the federal and provincial government to be at loggerheads with the former rubbishing the notion of planned or forced displacement while the latter has rejected as “misleading and factually incorrect” the federal government’s claim that displacement of the residents of the Tirah valley of Khyber district is voluntary in nature.
Addressing a press conference on the matter in Islamabad, flanked by Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar and Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Information for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Asif dismissed reports of forced displacement in Tirah Valley as a “misrepresentation” of what he said was “routine” seasonal migration.
“This [issue] which has been characterised as a crisis is actually no crisis. This is routine.”
Speaking about the controversy, he said residents of six to seven valleys in the area migrated for four to six months when snowfall began, moving to areas with less severe cold while leaving one or two people behind for security.
“This is not a crisis but a routine practice that has been ongoing for years and can be verified.”
Asif said that a jirga was held on December 11 with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group present, which included 24 to 36 points regarding the migration. He said the TTP negotiated with the provincial government for a Rs4 billion migration package that was subsequently approved.
The minister emphasised that the army, which was present in the area for defence purposes, had no connection with this arrangement, clarifying that the package was strictly between the jirga and the provincial government.
He further explained that years ago, it was strategically decided that intelligence-based operations (IBOs) would be more effective than full-scale operations in the area to minimise collateral damage and civilian casualties.
“The army has abandoned operations in the favour of IBOs for a long time … There is no question of a operation there [in Tirah Valley]. The migration there is routine,” Asif reiterated.
Criticising the provincial government’s performance in the area, the defence minister pointed out the complete absence of hospitals, schools, police stations, and civilian law enforcement in the region despite promises.
He said the federal government had begun a process to reverse this by building schools and hospitals so citizens could benefit from the profits, while suggesting that the provincial government’s interests are connected with the TTP in jointly exploiting this resource.
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More to follow
