Former DIG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police Muhammad Idrees Khan has said, on Thursday, that no regular military operation is taking place in Tirah Valley.
He said only intelligence-based operations (IBOs) are being carried out, which are deliberately being presented as a full operation.
He claimed that the provincial government is involved in propaganda warfare against its own institutions and is creating a narrative to justify the spending of Rs4 billion in funds.
He said that PTI leaders are now adopting the role of PTM. He added that full-scale operations had taken place in Swat and Hangu, but in Tirah, there is neither heavy movement of the army nor any situation that resembles a major operation.
He said seasonal migration is being linked with internally displaced persons (IDPs), and the issue is being given an ethnic colour.
According to him, this entire narrative is an attempt to hide the provincial government’s failure in governance and corruption, which could be dangerous for the state.
Speaking in the programme “Azaad Siyasat”, Muhammad Idrees Khan said that proper and full operations were conducted in Swat and Hangu.
However, the action being described as an operation in Tirah is not an operation but an IBO, and calling it an operation is part of an organised propaganda campaign.
He said that the provincial government is deliberately calling the limited actions in Tirah an operation.
He claimed that the real purpose behind this is to hide corruption and justify the use of specific funds.
He added that the provincial government is engaged in propaganda warfare against its own institutions, which he termed highly unfortunate.
The former DIG claimed that the Deputy Commissioner of Khyber wrote a letter on October 28, and later on November 14, Rs4 billion was placed on the cabinet agenda.
He said the action, now being called an operation, is meant to justify the release and spending of these Rs4 billion, whereas in reality, these are only IBOs and not a full military operation.
He said that if there had been a real large-scale operation, there would have been clear and heavy movement of the army, which is not visible in Tirah.
He added that the issues of IDPs and migration are being deliberately mixed.
He said that in Swat and Hangu, operations were conducted after mutual consultation between the local administration and the army.
According to Muhammad Idrees Khan, every year, especially in December and January after snowfall, seasonal migration takes place in Tirah, and local people temporarily move to Bara.
He said it is incorrect to present this migration as displacement caused by an operation.
He said the real issue is the alleged misuse of Rs4 billion, on which the provincial government should clarify its position.
