November 30, 2025
By Kaleem Ullah
The security administration of Bannu district in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has ordered the Mamashkhel and Khadri Mamandkhel tribes—located along the Bannu–Miranshah Road—to immediately cut down all orchards within one kilometre of the road due to the deteriorating security situation. They have also been instructed to demolish all double-storey buildings within the same radius.
The administration has warned that failure to comply will result in the suspension of electricity and water supplies to the area, and the residents will be forcibly relocated, followed by a military operation.
This directive was issued after militants opened fire on the District Police Officer (DPO) of North Waziristan on the 3rd of this month in the same area, injuring six police personnel, in which one police man succumbed to injuries today. Following the attack, security forces conducted several search operations in the region and claimed to have killed multiple armed militants.
Masoom Wazir, chairman from the Mamandkhel tribe and a member of the negotiating jirga, told Voicepk that on Friday, tribal elders from Mamashkhel and Mamandkhel met with Brigadier Bannu Umair Niazi and Deputy Commissioner Bannu Muhammad Faheem to discuss the government’s decision. The meeting covered four key points, including the losses people would face if their orchards were cut down.
He added that the tribal jirga and the authorities tentatively agreed that on the days when curfew is imposed for the passage of military convoys to North Waziristan, security forces would set up their perimeter away from the main road, where white flags would be placed. Nobody would be allowed beyond that point. In case of any household emergency, residents would contact the designated officials, and full cooperation would be ensured. Meanwhile, the elders of the Mamandkhel tribe promised to play their full role in maintaining peace.
It is worth mentioning that curfews are routinely imposed on Saturdays and Sundays for military convoys travelling from Bannu to North Waziristan. At Saidgai check post—approximately 20 km from Bannu—the road is completely closed for civilian traffic. Previously to this directive, although curfews extended from the Bannu Cantonment in Bannu to North Waziristan, daily activities of the population living along the main road were not severely affected. However, according to locals, the new order has created serious difficulties for them.
Shakir Wazir, a resident of the Mamashkhel tribe, said that although his family is involved in the timber business in Islamabad, they also own several orchards in the area, growing guavas, grapes, and other fruits—all of which fall within the marked zone and will have to be cut down. “People here are extremely poor, and their families survive entirely on the income from these orchards,” he said. “Therefore, the tribe has unanimously rejected this order in front of the administration, telling them that we will not cut our orchards under any circumstances, nor will we allow anyone else to do so. But if the state uses force to destroy them, we will close the Bannu–Miranshah Road for all kinds of traffic in protest.”
He further said that the administration had also hinted that local residents should form an armed peace militia to deal with militants, but both the Mamashkhel and Mamandkhel tribes completely rejected the proposal. “It is the responsibility of the state to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property. We cannot confront either of the armed parties—the state or the Taliban,” he stated. The tribes also refused to evacuate the area in the event of an operation.
Shakir Wazir, citing the example of North Waziristan, said, “We have the example of North Waziristan before us, where people were displaced due to Operation Zarb-e-Azb and spent years living in IDP camps. Yet despite all the destruction of homes and markets, peace has still not returned there. That is why the tribe has clearly rejected this decision,” he said, adding that in their view, if the state truly wanted to, it could eliminate all militants and restore peace within a week.
Regarding this directive, the spokesperson for Bannu district police told Voicepk that since the matter is directly related to the security forces, the police cannot comment extensively. However, he stated that the measure has been taken in the interest of maintaining law and order, as over the past month, several attacks have been carried out against the district police officer and security forces in the area.