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.
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.
Asif stated that there was “no queston” for a military operation in the erstwhile tribal valley, now merged into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the constitutional amendment.
Last week, the information minister issued a statement rejecting claims that the federal government or the armed forces have issued directives to depopulate Tirah Valley.
The statement called the allegations “baseless” and “misleading.”
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.
“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,” the statement said.
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.
“It was strategically decided then that intelligence-based operations (IBO) are way more effective than operations”, the defense minister added stating that “the collateral damage is way less.”
The minister stated that the armed forces have stopped the operation since years now “in favor of the IBOs.”
“There are approximately 500 TTP-related individuals present in the population, the military focuses on "weeding them out" through targeted intelligence rather than clearing out entire populations, ” Asif added.
Taliban arrival
The defense minister stated that since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan, terrorism in Pakistan has increased "many folds."
He added that despite the five attempts made for negotiation, no guarantees have been secured, partly due to “internal rifts between the Taliban factions in Kabul and Kandahar.”
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 “January migration a logical response to the current weather patterns”
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