Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has opposed any military operation in the Tirah Valley, stating that issues should be resolved through dialogue to achieve lasting peace. He said the Afridi tribe did not agree with committee members but were forced to leave their homes during the harsh winter, adding that people of Tirah Valley are once again facing severe hardships.
Afridi recalled that after a regime change, when terrorists attempted to resettle in the region, peace jirgas and marches were held across Khyber, Hazara, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan, and Waziristan. He warned that the lives of Pashtun people are being risked with terrorism being reimposed.
Afridi criticized the then PDM government for accusing his tribe of spreading false propaganda and questioned the effectiveness of another military operation after 22 major operations and over 14,000 intelligence-based operations failed to bring peace. He stated that it is unclear what positive outcome could be expected from yet another one.