Jirga, administration reach agreement for Tirah valley ‘evacuation’ by Jan 25

• Written agreement reached between 24-member Jirga, administration and security officials after protracted deliberations
• Complete relocation agreed to avert collateral damage during much anticipated military operation
• Rs3m, Rs1m compensation set for damaged houses; families to get Rs250,000 after biometric verification while monthly Rs50,000 stipend till April 2026 promised

PESHAWAR: A 24-member jirga comprising tribal elders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s restive Tirah valley has finally reached a written agreement with security and district administration officials under which the entire Tirah valley will be vacated by January 25, 2026, paving the way for what is being described as a long-anticipated military operation against all proscribed militant groups currently holed up in the area.

The written agreement was reached after weeks of protracted and hectic deliberations between the tribal elders and security and administration officials. Under the agreement, the jirga members have agreed to begin vacating their homes from January 10, ahead of the planned operation against militants.

A deadlock had persisted between the valley’s tribal elders and government officials over both the launch of a military operation in Tirah and the relocation of families to prevent collateral damage. According to sources among the 24-member jirga, which negotiated the displacement process with the district administration, the complete evacuation of the valley by January 25, 2026, would clear the way for a decisive operation against all outlawed militant groups entrenched in the region.

Spelling out the terms and conditions of the agreement, jirga members said the district administration had agreed to pay Rs3 million to families whose houses were completely damaged and Rs1 million to those whose houses were partially damaged during the military operation, which will commence once the evacuation is completed.

They said the jirga was also assured that each family would receive Rs250,000 through JazzCash or Easypaisa upon biometric verification at the time of registration at the Bagh Markaz and Paindi Cheena registration centres.

In addition, every displaced family would be provided with a monthly stipend of Rs50,000 until April 5, 2026, when the return process would begin following the completion of the military operation, the sources added.

The district administration also agreed to arrange free transportation for the departing families and to ensure the provision of free health services during their journey to their next destination.

It was further decided during the deliberations, held at Khyber House, that families who had already left their homes would also be included in the survey of newly displaced families. The head of each family will be required to report to either the Bagh Markaz or Paindi Cheena registration centre for biometric verification before January 25, 2026.

A representative jirga of Tirah elders had earlier presented a list of demands to security and administrative officials, seeking Rs8 million and Rs4 million as compensation for fully and partially damaged houses, respectively, along with Rs500,000 for every departing family.

However, the demands were later toned down to limits mutually agreed upon by security officials, the district administration and the jirga members, with Tirah elders left with no option but to accept the written agreement as time was running out for the launch of the planned military operation.

According to sources privy to the development, jirga members repeatedly raised concerns about collateral damage caused by indiscriminate artillery shelling of suspected militant hideouts and quadcopter attacks, which they said posed serious risks to civilians. Security officials, on the other hand, maintained that the presence of militants in congested residential areas was a major obstacle to conducting effective intelligence-based operations (IBOs).

They said the forceful occupation of private houses by militant groups and their frequent movement between locations had caused continuous hardship, with security officials insisting that complete relocation of residents was essential to enable a decisive push against all proscribed militant groups.

Security officials, in consultation with local elders, had earlier agreed on limited internal displacement during IBOs, with families temporarily shifted from suspected localities to nearby safer areas. However, this arrangement failed to ease the suffering of residents, while security forces were compelled to conduct repeated IBOs whenever militants re-entered areas previously declared cleared.

According to a member of the Jirga, “It’s imperative that we leave the entire valley at the disposal of the security forces after our complete relocation to safer locations, far from the heat of the military operations in Tirah.” He, however, insisted that there should be no further displacement once the anticipated operation is completed and sought firm assurances that no future IBOs would be carried out in cleared areas.

PTI MNA Iqbal Afridi and MPA Abdul Ghani, along with members of the Bara Siyasi Ittehad, who had opposed forced displacement and military operations in Tirah, were not included in the deliberations. MNA Afridi has maintained that military operations in the merged districts had failed to achieve lasting results and instead caused prolonged displacement and destruction.

Last month, at least five terrorists affiliated with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in an IBO in Tirah valley. In September, at least two dozen residents of Tirah, including women and children, lost their lives in blasts, which officials said were caused by terrorists storing and manufacturing explosive devices inside houses.