KHYBER: Tense calm prevailed in Tirah valley here on Monday as guns fell silent late on Sunday, with gunship helicopters hovering overhead by midday and the residents preferring to stay indoors.

Residents told Dawn that though the actual intensity of the gun battle between security forces and militants was unclear as they remained inside their homes, they heard artillery shelling, helicopter bombardment and gunfire throughout Monday.

They said that a heavy object similar to larger drones was spotted on Monday evening, while light drones were seen flying in the air on Monday.

“The presence of drones in the air has scared most of us as the recent quadcopter attack, which injured over a dozen children in Peer Mela, is still fresh in our minds,” a terrified resident said.

Elected representatives voice concern over ‘deteriorating’ law and order situation

He pointed out that Bagh Markaz in Malakdinkhel and Doonga in Shalobar area witnessed “fierce” gunfight on Monday with both security forces and banned militant groups Lashkar-i-Islam and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan silent on any damage to public life and property.

A paramedic in the Malakdinkhel area said that at least three residents with mortar shell shrapnel injuries were brought to his health centre for treatment but they’re discharged after being given first aid.

He said that a number of the injured were also taken to the bordering Mishti area in Orakzai tribal district, with most of them being hit by mortar shell shrapnel that fell on their houses.

The paramedic, however, confirmed the reopening of the Bagh Markaz Market by midday on Monday.

He said that the fire caused by a mortar shell destroyed a flour shop, two cosmetic shops, a shoe shop, and a clinic in the market on Monday evening.

The Pakistan Army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, has yet to confirm any clashes between security forces and militants in Tirah valley.

However, elected representatives and politicians in Bara expressed grave concern over the “deteriorating” law and order situation in Tirah valley and urged the federal government to reconsider its policy of launching military operations in areas where peace was effectively restored by the security forces in 2016.

MNA Iqbal Afridi alleged that the ongoing “so-called intelligence-based military operations” had caused more damage to civilians than eliminating militants from the valley.

He said that law-enforcement agencies were struggling to protect public life and property as militants had resurfaced in Tirah despite official claims of demilitarising the valley after the fencing of the Afghan border.

The lawmaker demanded of the federal government to specify the rationale for military operations, saying residents fear another mass displacement.

MPA Abdul Ghani complained about the rising insecurity and a surge in terrorist activities in Tirah and insisted that state institutions were bound by the Constitution to provide security to all citizens.

“The repeated targeting of public life and property during the ongoing operations is lamentable. I will raise this issue on the floor of the provincial assembly,” he said.

Former parliamentarian from the region and federal minister Hamidullah Jan Afridi said that the peace-loving residents of Tirah were “punished for the invaluable sacrifices rendered by them for restoring peace in their valley.”

He said that most residents wondered how militants entered their region despite claims of the successful culmination of a military operation in 2014-15.

Mr Afridi held the sitting MNA and MPA responsible for the current situation in most parts of the tribal district and urged them to effectively convey the concerns of Tirah residents to the prime minister and the chief minister.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2024