Deep in Pakistan’s northwest, Tirah Valley grapples with renewed terror: Mass evacuations grip Khyber tribal district as anti-TTP strikes loom, thrusting civilians into uncertainty.
History repeats cruelly. Since 2004, a dozen ops across former FATA and Malakand chased Taliban ghosts, only to spawn fiercer variants. Tirah’s people, enduring the fallout, voice weary despair.
Blame-shifting defines the response. Federal-provincial rifts leave locals homeless in harsh winters, betrayed by hollow rehab pledges.
Parallel crisis: Media-fueled Pashtun phobia undermines merger gains, with accusations of state-sponsored vilification to obscure policy flops.
Residents push back against Tirah’s bad rep as crime central, framing ops as elite power plays over public safety.
Legality clouds the jirga’s deadline, post-merger rules sidelined amid dueling claims of pressure tactics.
Pakistan must break this loop. Counter-terror wins ring empty without economic revival and trust-building. Tirah’s displacement isn’t just a local story – it’s a national litmus test for resolving militancy’s roots.