August 9, 2025
By Kaleem Ullah
LAHORE
Loader rickshaw driver Asmat Ullah had been preparing for his day when he heard that a curfew had been imposed. A resident of Land Syed Abad village in Tehsil Dattakhel of North Waziristan, he had planned to carry out several goods deliveries, including shifting dowry-related items from the Miranshah market.
“I don’t know why they have imposed it, especially on a Monday, but I do know that it completely wasted my entire day,” he said. “This curfew had to be announced because usually the security forces impose it on Saturday and Sunday.”
Such is routine life in almost all of former tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where curfews are enforced whenever security forces move in order to avoid militant attacks. Residents of the southern districts, particularly the former tribal areas, live in constant fear and uncertainty, witnessing violence and terrorism almost daily.
Many families have already started evacuating, like in Bajaur, where the government has recently imposed a three-day curfew to launch a fresh military offensive named Operation Surbakaf against militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State of Khorasaan (ISKP), displacing at least 1,250 families, according to the Al Khidmat Foundation. The operation later stopped because of the involvement of local Jirga who initiated talks with the Taliban present there in Bajaur.
Escalating violence across KP
The operation comes amid a sharp increase in militant violence. Over the past two years, insecurity has risen across the province, with armed groups targeting police, security personnel, government employees, politicians, religious scholars, community elders, and activists. Notable incidents include the killing of Maulana Khanzeb of the Awami National Party in Bajaur, who had been mobilizing locals against terrorism through Ulaasi Pason (local gatherings), and last month’s IED attack that killed the Assistant Commissioner of Bajaur.
The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 ranks Pakistan as the world’s second most terrorism-affected country, after Burkina Faso. The report states that terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan surged by 45% in 2024, reaching 1,081, while the number of attacks more than doubled, rising from 517 to 1,099.
On Thursday, August 7, an explosion in Wana, the headquarters of Lower South Waziristan, killed at least two civilians and injured 22 others, including a police officer. In the last three days alone, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed at least seven terrorism-related incidents, claiming eleven lives, including four civilians and several law enforcement personnel.
On August 6, militants killed three Frontier Corps personnel and their driver in Karak when they targeted a vehicle belonging to an oil company in the Gurgurai area. A day earlier, a police officer and his two companions were shot dead in Peshawar, while in Tehsil Shewa, North Waziristan, militants clashed with security forces in Alam Khel Market. Locals reported that security forces later flew drones and dropped mortars, injuring three civilians and damaging cattle and solar panels. No group has claimed responsibility for these incidents. Two other drone attacks in North Waziristan killed a minor girl and injured a boy.
Responses by political circles and tribal leaders
Member of ruling party in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Asif Khan Mehsud, attributed the recent spike in militancy to the summer season, during which militants traditionally step up activities.
He said “Many militants had crossed the porous border from Afghanistan, while those dormant after Operation Zarb-e-Azb had reassembled, becoming stronger and better equipped, partly due to access to advanced weapons left behind by U.S. forces in their shameful hasty exodus from Afghanistan. He added that “the militants’ advantage in guerrilla warfare was proving demoralizing for the military because of its unanticipated attacks”.
In an attempt to address the crisis, the provincial government announced the convening of jirgas from the most affected districts, which will culminate in a grand jirga to discuss policies and plans with stakeholders. The third round, held on August 6, saw participation from North and South Waziristan. Participants unanimously rejected launching a new military operation and mass displacement, deciding instead to form a new grand jirga to meet all stakeholders, including security officials. However, many criticized the process, saying only traditional maliks — accused of prioritizing personal interests such as reversing the FATA merger and restoring the Frontier Crimes Regulation — were included, while political workers and youth were excluded. Abdul Khalil Wazir of North Waziristan argued that this raised doubts about the government’s intentions.
Meanwhile, a local jirga of elders and political representatives in the merged districts began mediating between the TTP and the state. Haroon Rashid, former MNA from Bajaur, said they had asked TTP commanders to either leave the area or avoid using civilian-populated zones for warfare. In Tirah Valley, elders of the Bar Qambar Khel tribe reached an agreement with the TTP Rahbari Shura, under which the group pledged not to use private houses as shelters or bunkers, not to collect Ushr or Zakat, to prohibit abductions and torture, and to investigate alleged abuses under Sharia if evidence was provided by elders.
Doubts over long-term solutions
Nisar Baaz Khan, another member of the provincial assembly from the Awami National Party, dismissed these developments regarding the convening of Jirga and termed it as a temporary measure. He insisted that “a permanent solution required which is either eliminating militant groups or forcing them to disarm and reintegrate as citizens.”
This, he said, “It is only possible if the government and establishment abandoned their decades-long policy of appeasing such groups and fully implemented the National Action Plan”. He criticized both federal and provincial authorities for lacking seriousness, noting that protests against militancy in these districts were ignored by state and national media.
Moreover, Asif Khan Mehsud also added that “The provincial government lacked the capacity to control the situation, as the merger of FATA had been rushed without fulfilling commitments on administration, police training, development, and mainstreaming”. While he welcomed jirga initiatives, he warned that without including real stakeholders, especially youth — many of whom are on Schedule Four watchlists — such efforts would fail.
The federal and military leadership have not issued official statements on peace talks, but the federal government has warned KP government to fulfill their responsibilities in combating terrorism. Responding to PTI’s Asad Qaiser, who opposed potential military operations, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry ruled out a new operation but said action under the National Action Plan would continue, while accusing PTI of facilitating the resettlement of TTP militants.
As political blame games continue and jirgas negotiate, residents of the southern districts bear the brunt of daily violence. Today on Friday, a 10-year-old girl was killed in Tappi village, North Waziristan, when a quadcopter drone dropped a bomb marked “TTP,” which did not explode but struck her head, killing her instantly. Mufti Baitullah, spokesperson of the Utmanzai Qaumi Jirga, said “we had offered to use the body for a protest to demand accountability from both the Taliban and security forces, but the family chose to bury her immediately to preserve the sanctity of her remains”.