BARA: Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been facing a host of problems during evacuation for the past two days due to heavy snowfall in the Tirah Valley.
Sources said several villages and hamlets in the valley, including Dorbikhel Killay, Haider Kandao, Adamkhel, and Zangi Killay in Barqambarkhel and Malikdinkhel, remained covered under thick layers of snow.
All relief activities were suspended due to harsh weather conditions, while people who were unable to relocate were facing an acute shortage of food supplies inside their homes.
Residents said they remained confined to houses as heavy snowfall accumulated on major roads, completely disrupting transportation. Local markets and shops have also remained closed and deserted due to displacement.
They feared human losses in the area if essential food items were not provided to the affected population on an emergency basis.
Meanwhile, on the directives of Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, a team led by Member Provincial Assembly Abdul Ghani Afridi, along with Minister Meena Khan and Special Assistant on Information Shafiullah Jan, reached Tirah Valley late at night on an emergency visit after learning about the woes of people stranded due to severe snowfall to help provide relief.
Rescue teams, district administration officials, and personnel from other relevant departments from various districts accompanied them.
The teams not only supervised rescue operations throughout the night but also actively took part in relief efforts on the ground.
Later, while talking to journalists, MPA Abdul Ghani Afridi said that due to heavy snowfall, roads beyond Painda Cheena, including Nari Baba, Nigrosa, Sandana, and Dawatoi, had been blocked, leaving a large number of vehicles stranded in snow.
He explained that the top priority of the rescue operation was to safely evacuate children, women, and elderly people trapped in vehicles and shift them to secure locations. He added that hundreds of affected families were successfully rescued.
The MPA said extreme cold weather, slippery roads, unusual traffic congestion, and harsh conditions created serious challenges not only for stranded people but also for rescue personnel.
“Despite these difficulties, efforts to recover vehicles and restore roads continued throughout the night,” he maintained.
He said the district administration had been directed to temporarily restrict the entry of non-essential vehicles from Bara to Tirah to reduce traffic pressure in the valley.
Reaffirming the provincial government’s commitment, Abdul Ghani Afridi said the government would not abandon the public in difficult times.
“We will stand by our people in every hardship,” he said, urging the public to cooperate with the affected residents of Tirah during this challenging period.
