January 9, 2025
By Islam Gul Afridi
KHYBER
The process of relocating local residents from the remote Tirah Valley in Khyber district has begun as part of efforts to restore peace and security in the area. However, mounting problems in the displacement and registration of homeless families have sparked a protest by political and social activists at Khyber’s main commercial center, disrupting traffic flow on the Pak-Afghan highway.
Allegations of bribery and preferential registration
Addressing the protest, Zahidullah Afridi , an active member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf provincial party, said, “In the name of establishing peace, people are being evicted from their areas for the second time, while district authorities have failed to make proper arrangements for their registration and other facilities.”
He levelled serious allegations, stating, “Some government officials are taking identity cards from members of the Afridi tribe residing in other areas and registering them on a preferential basis in exchange for bribes. This is an extremely regrettable action.”
Afridi further explained that “due to poor arrangements by the district administration and inadequate facilities, the registration process for displaced families has slowed to a crawl. As a result, people are forced to spend nights on roadsides in severe cold weather.” He added, “On one hand, there is the emergency evacuation of people, and on the other, the lack of facilities has multiplied their problems many times over.”
The tragedy of repeated displacement
Zahir Shah Afridi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said, “People from Tirah Valley were evicted from their areas in the name of peace before as well. Despite prolonged hardships, they rebuilt their lives in the area through their own efforts, but now they have been forced to relocate once again.”
He demanded that the government remove obstacles hindering the registration process for displaced families.
Local leaders from other political parties stated that “in the harsh winter, people from Tirah Valley are moving to other areas in a state of utter destitution, leaving behind their homes and possessions. This has created severe difficulties for women, children, and elderly persons.”
According to them, the government had promised to provide all possible facilities to relocating families, but the current situation is completely different.
Registration procedure
According to sources, a procedure has been agreed upon between district authorities and security forces to expedite the registration process and reduce people’s problems. Under this arrangement, three hundred families per day will be allowed to travel from the valley to the registration center.
Sources indicate that long queues of vehicles carrying displaced families are lined up at various locations. Meanwhile, a curfew is expected to be imposed in the valley tomorrow to temporarily slow the outflow of more people from their homes.
District officials stated that the registration process is ongoing. However, for those from areas identified by the government for operations and whose identity cards do not list an address, a registration procedure is being developed. Officials said a committee of local elders will be established to verify these individuals.
Families relocating from Tirah Valley are issued tokens at Dutoai. From there, they travel a few kilometers ahead to the registration center at Painda China, where the first stage involves biometric verification by NADRA, obtaining a SIM card, mobile SIM and account, and in the final stage, vehicle fare is paid in cash.
5000 families issued registration tokens
District authorities have issued tokens to five thousand families since November 10, though very few of this number have been formally registered.
During the displacement from Tirah Valley, three people have died and two have been injured in two separate traffic accidents.
A victim’s story
Zabit Khan is a pickup truck driver. Last night, he was traveling to Tirah to transport household goods and family members of a relative to Bara when his moving vehicle caught fire at Dutoai. In the accident, not only was the vehicle completely destroyed, but his hands and various parts of his body were severely burned.
Zabit Khan shared that “this vehicle was the sole means of supporting my family and my two brothers’ families.” He explained that “when my elder brother’s kidneys failed, my younger brother donated his kidney. The ongoing medication costs for my sick brother and the household expenses of both brothers were all met from the earnings of this vehicle.”
The loss of the vehicle has now left all three families without any source of income, compounding the tragedy of displacement with economic devastation.
The administrative challenge
The displacement from Tirah Valley represents one of the largest internal movements of people in the region in recent years. While authorities maintain that security operations necessitate the temporary relocation, the inadequate preparation and alleged corruption have transformed what should have been a managed evacuation into a humanitarian crisis.
The protests on the Pak-Afghan highway reflect growing frustration among the Afridi tribe members, who feel abandoned by a system that has failed to deliver on its promises. As winter deepens and more families join the queues for registration, the pressure on both authorities and displaced persons continues to mount.