PESHAWAR (MNN); After weeks of prolonged negotiations with security and civil administration officials, tribal elders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s volatile Tirah valley have agreed to begin vacating their homes from January 10 under a written agreement signed with the district administration, paving the way for a major military operation against militant groups.
Sources said the agreement ended a deadlock over the proposed operation and the relocation of civilians to avoid collateral damage. Members of the 24-member jirga, which negotiated the terms, said the entire Tirah valley would be vacated by January 25, 2026, clearing the path for a long-planned operation against all proscribed militant outfits entrenched in the area.
Under the agreement, the district administration will provide Rs3 million as compensation for fully damaged houses and Rs1 million for partially damaged homes during the operation. Each displaced family will also receive Rs250,000 through JazzCash or Easypaisa after biometric verification at registration centres established at Bagh Markaz and Paindi Cheena.
In addition, families will be given a monthly stipend of Rs50,000 until April 5, 2026, when the repatriation process is expected to begin after the completion of the military operation. Free transportation and health facilities during relocation have also been assured.
Families that have already left the valley will be included in the displacement survey, with heads of households required to complete biometric verification by January 25, 2026. Earlier demands by the jirga, including higher compensation and cash grants, were scaled down following negotiations, with elders agreeing due to the urgency of the operation.
Security officials maintained that the presence of militants in densely populated areas hindered intelligence-based operations, while jirga members stressed that indiscriminate shelling and drone strikes posed serious risks to civilians. Last month, at least five TTP militants were killed in an operation in Tirah, while deadly blasts in September claimed the lives of several residents, including women and children.
