Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi addresses a jirga in Peshawar on Monday. SCREENGRAB
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday vowed that the provincial government would not abandon families displaced from Tirah due to military operations, saying tribal people had made immense sacrifices for the country.
Addressing a jirga of elders and notables from Khyber district in Peshawar, Afridi said there was an organised mindset that did not want Pashtuns, particularly tribal communities, to become part of the national mainstream. “The mindset that has been formed against us for 75 years does not recognise our existence,” he said.
The chief minister said that soon after his election, what he described as misleading and negative propaganda was launched against him. Calling such actions regrettable against an elected chief minister, Afridi said public support had helped him defeat “every negative narrative”.
“I have promised my people to give them the pen instead of the gun,” he said. “We will stand in the front line for the defence of the country and will not hesitate to make any sacrifice. When my nation is in a difficult time, I stand with them like a rock.”
Afridi credited incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan with creating political awareness among the people, saying he had helped the public distinguish between truth and hypocrisy. He added that the entire nation was united to support those displaced from Tirah.
Read: Tirah operation driven by politics: Afridi
The chief minister said there was consensus among political parties and schools of thought in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that military operations were not a solution. “We want the elimination of terrorism. We are peace-loving people and want the restoration of peace,” he said. “After 22 major and 14,000 small operations, what guarantee is there now that peace can be established?”
Afridi said decisions taken behind closed doors and imposed on Tirah would not yield results. “Decisions are being made without taking the provincial government into confidence. Had we been consulted, the nation would have been taken into confidence and work would have been done through consensus,” he said, alleging that the operation was launched through force, coercion and hooliganism.
During the jirga, elders discussed the law and order situation in Khyber district and the difficulties faced by displaced families. They presented suggestions for restoring peace and ensuring the dignified resettlement of Tirah affectees. The chief minister directed officials to provide all possible facilities to the displaced families.
Read More: Thousands displaced as Tirah crisis deepens
On Saturday, Afridi had criticised the Tirah operation in a message on X, formerly Twitter, alleging that the military action and forced displacement were the result of “closed-door decisions” aimed at serving political interests rather than eliminating terrorism.
“Tirah is my home. Its people are my own,” he said, adding that the current actions were a failed attempt to distance the local population from him because of his firm stance on the issue.
