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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Defense Minister Khwaja Asif on Tuesday emphasized that the army is not conducting large-scale operations in Tirah Valley and has no role in the migration, during a media briefing in Islamabad.&nbsp;The defense minister was holding the briefing along with the Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Information Ikhtiar Wali.&nbsp;Asif stated that there was &ldquo;no queston&rdquo; for a military operation in the erstwhile tribal valley, now merged into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the constitutional amendment.&nbsp;Last week, the information minister issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/no-directive-issued-for-depopulation-of-tirah-valley-pakistan-information-ministry" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">statement rejecting claims</a>&nbsp;that the federal government or the armed forces have issued directives to depopulate Tirah Valley.&nbsp;The statement called the allegations &ldquo;baseless&rdquo; and &ldquo;misleading.&rdquo; The ministry said it had taken notice of reports and social media claims alleging that residents of the valley were being forced to leave the area on the orders of the military.&nbsp;&ldquo;These assertions are baseless, malicious, and driven by ulterior motives aimed at creating alarm among the public, spreading disinformation against security institutions, and furthering vested political interests,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;The clarification comes amid reports that residents of Tirah Valley tehsil in Khyber district had begun leaving their homes in anticipation of a possible security operation in the volatile border region near Afghanistan, which has experienced a surge in militant activity in recent months.&nbsp;&ldquo;It was strategically decided then that intelligence-based operations (IBO) are way more effective than operations&rdquo;, the defense minister added stating that &ldquo;the collateral damage is way less.&rdquo;&nbsp; The minister stated that the armed forces have stopped the operation since years now &ldquo;in favor of the IBOs.&rdquo; &ldquo;There are approximately 500 TTP-related individuals present in the population, the military focuses on &quot;weeding them out&quot; through targeted intelligence rather than clearing out entire populations, &rdquo; Asif added. Taliban arrivalThe defense minister stated that since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan, terrorism in Pakistan has increased &quot;many folds.&quot; He added that despite the five attempts made for negotiation, no guarantees have been secured, partly due to &ldquo;internal rifts between the Taliban factions in Kabul and Kandahar.&rdquo; Responding to a question of migration, the minister added that seasonal shifts have moved the onset of heavy snowfall and winters further into the year, making &ldquo;January migration a logical response to the current weather patterns&rdquo;

Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Khawaja Asif, Attaullah Tarar at a press conference on Tuesday January 27, 2026 (PTV Live)

Security

Defense Minister Khwaja Asif denies any large-scale military operation or forced displacement in Tirah Valley, saying intelligence-based actions continue, migration is seasonal, and rising terrorism since the Taliban takeover has complicated security efforts, nationwide stability.

Pakistan not conducting 'military operation' in Tirah Valley: Defense minister

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected claims that the federal government or the armed forces have issued directives to depopulate the Tirah Valley, calling the allegations &ldquo;baseless&rdquo; and &ldquo;misleading,&rdquo; according to a statement released by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Sunday.&nbsp;The ministry said it had taken notice of reports and social media claims alleging that residents of Tirah were being forced to leave the area on the orders of the military.&nbsp;&ldquo;These assertions are baseless, malicious, and driven by ulterior motives aimed at creating alarm among the public, spreading disinformation against security institutions, and furthering vested political interests,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;The clarification comes amid reports that residents of Tirah tehsil in Khyber district had begun leaving their homes in anticipation of a possible security operation in the volatile border region near Afghanistan, which has experienced a surge in militant activity in recent months.&nbsp;The information ministry stressed that no directive for the depopulation of Tirah had been issued by either the federal government or the armed forces.&nbsp;It said law enforcement agencies were conducting &ldquo;targeted, intelligence-based operations strictly against terrorist elements,&rdquo; adding that these actions were being carried out with &ldquo;full care to avoid disruption&rdquo; to civilian life.&nbsp;&ldquo;No depopulation or migration is needed or being undertaken,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;&ldquo;It may be noted that the local population is increasingly concerned over the presence of Khwarij and desires peace and stability in Tirah,&rdquo; the ministry added, using the government&rsquo;s term for militant groups.&nbsp;Referring to an earlier notification, the ministry said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government&rsquo;s Relief, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Department had issued a notice on December 26, 2025, reportedly involving Rs4 billion, to facilitate &ldquo;anticipated temporary and voluntary movement of population from certain localities of Tirah (Bagh).&rdquo;&nbsp;According to the statement, the notification called for advance preparedness and relief arrangements, including transportation, food support, cash assistance, and the establishment of transit and registration points.&nbsp;The ministry said the provincial government had clarified that the proposed movement was voluntary and reflected the views of the local population, as conveyed through a representative jirga convened at the district level.&nbsp;It added that the decision took into account seasonal, logistical and contextual considerations and followed a non-camp-based approach.&nbsp;&ldquo;Hence, any stated position of the provincial government or its officials conveyed to the media suggesting that the said migration has anything to do with the armed forces is false and fabricated,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;The ministry added that such claims were being made with &ldquo;malafide intent to gain political capital&rdquo; and to &ldquo;malign security institutions,&rdquo; describing them as &ldquo;highly regrettable.&rdquo;

File Photo - (Associated Press of Pakistan)

Information ministry denies forced depopulation of Tirah Valley, says civilian movement is voluntary, amid reports of displacement linked to anticipated security operations near Afghanistan border region

Articles tagged with "Tirah Valley"

Pakistan not conducting 'military operation' in Tirah Valley: Defense minister

Pakistan rejects depopulation allegations amid reports of Tirah displacement