BARA:
The large-scale displacement from Tirah Valley in Khyber district is approaching its final stages, with authorities reporting that approximately 95 per cent of the evacuation process has been completed.
According to local administration officials, more than 26,000 affected households have now been registered, marking a significant milestone in what has become a major humanitarian and administrative operation in the region bordering Afghanistan.
Assistant Commissioner Bara Talha Rafiq told The Express Tribune that a total of 26,962 families have been registered across multiple points established in Bara. These include Painda China with 11,472 families, Malakdin Khel’s Nawi with 5,079, Qambarabad with 2,412, Al-Haj Market with 4,120, and Takia Center Qambar Khel with 3,879. The process involves biometric verification by NADRA and SIM issuance through private companies to ensure accuracy and prevent fraud.
Financial assistance for transportation has already been provided to registered families, with further payments expected to begin soon. A verification committee is actively reviewing registrations to identify and exclude any non-genuine claimants, those not permanent residents of Tirah Valley who may have registered improperly. Officials emphasize that the priority remains delivering timely and fair aid to genuine victims, with no tolerance for irregularities.
The evacuation, which intensified in recent weeks amid security concerns in the rugged Tirah Valley, has drawn widespread attention. A national jirga convened under former federal minister Hamidullah Jan Afridi brought together political and social figures to address the crisis. The gathering endorsed the agreements reached with a 24-member Tirah committee, calling on both provincial and federal governments to swiftly resolve registration, rehabilitation, and related issues. Participants warned that if commitments, including a promised return date, are not honored, the Afridi tribes would organize their own return.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the displacement of the Aka Khel tribe from areas including Sere Kandao to Shadalay, with over 4,000 people expected to relocate this week. Registration points for this phase are being finalized, according to Bara Tehsil Chairman Mufti Kafil Afridi.
Criticism has mounted from political quarters and affected communities. Awami National Party (ANP) district president Abdul Razzaq Afridi accused the provincial government of inefficiencies, claiming that a committee at Khyber House is canceling nearly 50 per cent of registrations during verification, a move he described as unjust. He highlighted that the current system relies heavily on polio campaign records, potentially excluding legitimate resident families without children or incomplete data, thus depriving them of aid. The Tirah Victims Movement has emerged as a unified platform, with representatives from political parties, social figures, traders, doctors, and others setting up a protest camp outside Bara Press Club. Activists complain of delays due to insufficient staff at registration points and called for increased manpower and counters to expedite the process.
