Compensation payments begin for remaining Tirah displaced families

PESHAWAR: Compensation payments to the remaining displaced families from Tirah have started, while a mechanism for their return is expected to be worked out in the second week of next month, government and security officials told a 24-member jirga from the valley on Friday.

The jirga met Frontier Corps Inspector General Rao Imran Sartaj, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsud and other security and administrative officials at Bala Hisar Fort in Peshawar.

According to participants, the jirga voiced concern over delays in compensation and uncertainty surrounding the return of families recently displaced from Tirah. They said the issue remained unresolved as no military operation against militants in the valley was in sight.

The meeting followed an earlier session held at the same venue on Tuesday, in which representatives of Bara Siyasi Ittehad were also present. However, the BSI delegation was not invited to Friday’s meeting.

Return plan to be discussed on June 10

Participants said the IG Frontier Corps informed the jirga that another meeting would be held on June 10 to decide a final date for the return of internally displaced persons. They added that the chief secretary told the delegation that 1,400 displaced families had received the promised cash grant on Thursday through the Khyber district administration.

Those attending the meeting said both the IGFC and the chief secretary were told that people from Tirah were unhappy over what they described as an unnecessary delay in their return home. They also said many affected families had been denied compensation on what were termed flimsy grounds.

Officials asked jirga members to prepare a list of genuine displaced families so that compensation could be released to them at an early stage, according to participants.

Development schemes and offices discussed

The chief secretary also told the jirga that development projects were being carried out in Tirah valley alongside an official plan to relocate all relevant government departments to the area in response to long-standing demands of local residents.

The jirga was informed that while the construction of departmental offices and their transfer to Tirah would take time, some urgently needed offices would be set up in temporary facilities to provide relief to the population.

BSI chief criticises exclusion from meeting

Separately, Bara Siyasi Ittehad president Hashim Khan expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of his delegation from the Friday jirga. He alleged that relevant officials had misled them after promising a similar meeting following Eidul Azha.

He also criticised the 24-member jirga of Tirah elders and said they had failed to raise the genuine issues of the people of Tirah, alleging instead that they were seeking official benefits for themselves.

In his remarks, Hashim Khan referred to the jirga members as

so-called