The Tirah Jirga Under Attack: When KP’s PTI Government Chooses Commissions Over Conscience

The recent smear campaign against the Tirah Jirga is not an accident, nor is it an isolated outburst of political rhetoric. It is a calculated move by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government under Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to silence resistance against corruption, nepotism, and political point scoring at the cost of displaced and suffering citizens of Tirah.

When Iqbal Afridi went on national television and casually branded the centuries old Tirah Jirga as “touts,” he did more than insult a group of elders. He attacked the very fabric of tribal representation. The Tirah Jirga is not a political pressure group created for convenience. It is a generational institution that has represented the collective will of the tribes long before PTI or its current leadership ever held power. Such language reflects not confidence, but desperation.

Who Is Iqbal Afridi and Why the Attack

Iqbal Afridi is not a neutral commentator. He is a politically aligned figure closely associated with PTI’s provincial power structure and part of a broader network often referred to locally as the Afridi lobby. This group including names like Sohail Afridi and Ghani Afridi has been repeatedly accused by locals of exerting undue influence over relief and registration mechanisms meant for internally displaced persons from Tirah.

The problem for the provincial government began when the Tirah Jirga refused to play along.

The Real Conflict Registration Relief and a PKR 4 Billion Question

At the heart of this controversy lies the IDP registration process and a relief package reportedly worth PKR 4 billion. The Tirah Jirga demanded transparency, verification, and fairness ensuring that aid reached genuine displaced families rather than ghost beneficiaries and politically connected names. That insistence became an inconvenience.

Instead of fixing loopholes, the KP government chose confrontation. Instead of addressing allegations of fake registrations and possible commissions, PTI figures launched a character assassination campaign against the elders who stood in their way. The Jirga’s refusal to rubber stamp a flawed process exposed the system and that exposure is what the provincial government cannot tolerate.

Political Point Scoring Over Human Suffering

The Chief Minister of KP and his cabinet bear direct responsibility for this chaos. Governance is not about television statements, selective outrage, or sacrificing local institutions to protect political allies. Yet this is precisely what the PTI government appears to be doing manufacturing controversies, amplifying minus narratives, and distracting the public while people in Tirah continue to live without security, shelter, or dignity.

The irony is painful. A government that rose to power promising transparency now treats transparency as rebellion. Nepotism has replaced merit. Loyalty has replaced service. And political optics have replaced humanitarian responsibility.

The Jirga Was Part of the Solution PTI Made It the Problem

The Tirah Jirga was not obstructing governance. It was participating in it. It engaged in the process, highlighted flaws, and demanded corrections. Any sincere government would have welcomed such involvement. But the KP administration chose to see the Jirga as a threat because it could not be controlled, bought, or silenced. This is not reform. This is intimidation.

Tirah Has Seen Through the Deception

The people of Tirah are not confused. They know who stood with them in displacement and who appeared only when funds arrived. They can distinguish between elders who defend collective rights and politicians who defend personal interests.

No amount of media manipulation or insulting language will erase the truth. The Tirah Jirga represents its people with legitimacy, while the KP government is failing them with arrogance.

If the PTI leadership in KP believes that dismantling tribal institutions will cover up administrative failure and alleged corruption, it is gravely mistaken. History in these regions is long and it remembers.

The question is no longer whether the Tirah Jirga should be respected.
The question is whether the KP government is willing to govern or only to profit.