PNN: KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Wednesday blamed statements by the PTI-led provincial government for the recent evacuation of residents from Tirah Valley in Khyber district.
The federal and provincial governments have recently traded barbs over who authorised the evacuation process after hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes ahead of a planned military action against terrorists.
Speaking to reporters in Khyber’s Bara tehsil where families displaced from Tirah have arrived Kundi noted that while there was typically around 20 per cent “migration” during winters, it was between 50 to 60pc this year.
“It is 50 to 60pc this time because statements were repeatedly made that perhaps an operation will be conducted in Tirah, so people vacated [their homes].”
“In my opinion, people are suffering today due to the failure and weakness of our province’s government,” he said.
The governor noted that the KP government had issued a “barrage of statements and compelled these people to leave the area,” adding that the residents realised the situation was different when they reached Bara.
He noted that, usually, people do not live in “tent villages” after evacuating during the winter, but stay in the homes of host families.
Kundi stressed that whenever a military operation was planned, official statements were issued and necessary preparations were made.
Speaking to reporters alongside Kundi, KP Opposition Leader Ibadullah Khan, who had accompanied the governor to Bara, said their visit aimed to meet the people who had come from Tirah and “see the ground situation” and the issues faced by the area residents.
This is our duty, these are our people,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the person who has government in this province is playing politics on everything,” the PML-N MPA said, referring to KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
He stressed that “certain topics” should not be politicised.
‘Come, let’s sit with Centre’
Kundi also extended an offer to CM Afridi for dialogue with the federal government to resolve various issues.
Noting that the PPP was an ally of the PML-N-led ruling coalition in the Centre, Kundi said: “Therefore, we have always suggested to them that if they have any issue with the Centre, they should make a committee or a jirga and we are ready to accompany you.”
The governor lamented that the PTI was willing to “hold jirgas with militants but was not ready to convene a jirga or sit with Punjab or the Centre”.
“They are ready to work with the country’s enemies but not those who work for the country’s stability.
“If there is anything under the Centre’s responsibility, we are ready to play our role, but the provincial government should bring forth its case.”
The governor noted that the law and order situation in Dera Ismail Khan, as well as the southern and merged districts of KP, was “not that good,” adding that security personnel and residents were making sacrifices.
“Come, let’s sit with Centre, with security agencies to bring peace in the province, as well as development and prosperity,” the governor reiterated.
Noting that the KP CM hailed from the merged districts, the governor said he should “provide a solution for the injustices that he says people there have faced in the past”.
“I will again ask my province’s government to come to its senses. Leave aside Qaidi No.804 he will come out of jail after facing punishment for his acts,” he said, an apparent reference to former prime minister Imran Khan.
Kundi went on to quip that the PTI had the option to “form two parties”, one for its “Tehreek-i-Intishaar” (incitement movement) and the other to run KP. He also noted CM Afridi’s frequent visits outside the province, including to Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi.
“If you have a mandate however you got it you should work for your province’s development,” the governor said, adding that people often requested facilitation for their medical treatment in Sindh and other places.
He noted that Ibadullah and other opposition lawmakers informed CM Afridi of various issues “daily, but he remains unmoved”.
Kundi asked the chief minister to fix KP’s governance and take steps for peace in the province.
PTI concocting narrative to hide its corruption in Tirah funds: Tallal Chaudhry
Separately, in a televised statement, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry claimed that the PTI-led KP government was concocting a false narrative to “hide its corruption” in the reported Rs4 billion approved for the Tirah residents’ temporary relocation.
“The army’s name is being taken to hide their performance, incompetence, lack of capibility and their corruption in the Rs4bn dedicated for Tirah Valley,” Chaudhry said.
Echoing the Centre’s clarifications issued in the past few days, the state minister asserted that no document or notification issued in the matter mentioned the federal government or the armed forces.
“As soon as people were relocated to other places from Tirah, and they (KP govt) were paid Rs4bn, due to which there was noise, and it was found out that their own people had retained more than half of the money for some other purpose, so a baseless narrative was created after that to hide it.”
Chaudhry asserted: “Whenever an operation is planned, we will issue a notification and conduct it after informing everyone. We will take everyone onboard.
“Any kind of new operation or any operation is not taking place in Tirah Valley currently.”
However, the interior official added, “If any action is underway in the entire country, from Quetta to Gilgit and Gilgit to Karachi, it is under the National Action Plan (NAP).
Highlighting that the current NAP was revised in 2021 under the PTI government, Chaudhry said the KP government was “fully a part of it”.
“Each action, each IB (intelligence-based) operation or other action the KP government is a full participant and onboard with each action taken in KP or any process carried out under the National Action Plan,” he asserted.
The PML-N leader remarked that the “issue is they want to do it but they are scared”. “You want to do it and even attempt to, are fully onboard the National Action Plan, but are also scared and hide.”
The state minister contended that the KP government was “concocting a narrative based on lies” to create a political narrative, collect votes, hide its corruption and divert attention from its performance.
Noting that Rs14bn were recovered from a “truck driver’s account” in the Kohistan graft case, Chaudhry alleged there was a “similar scandal in Tirah” involving the Rs4bn allocated.
The interior ministry official declared that the “routine” intelligence-based operations (IBOs) will continue under the NAP, and they were taking place with the “cooperation” of the KP government and its chief minister.
“But to make themselves appear good in the public’s eyes and make the army bad, lies are told,” he remarked, noting that military operations had previously been carried out after proper announcements.
“Whenever there is such a need, we do not need to hide. We will do it openly,” Chaudhry said.
“But repeatedly making false accusations against the army cannot hide your lack of capability, incompetence, or corruption, or the Rs4bn that went in your pockets in Tirah Valley,” he added.
The minister highlighted that the KP government was responsible for distributing the allocated funds, adding that the deputy commissioner who was involved in the December agreement with the tribal elders was also under the provincial administration.
“The action for which you are fully responsible, not just a participant, you pin the blame for it on someone else,” Chaudhry quipped.