The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has opposed the ongoing military operation “Sarbakaf” launched in Bajaur without provincial consultation and announced plans to lift the three-day curfew imposed across 16 areas in the district.
Backed by gunship helicopters and artillery, the operation in Lowi Mamund tehsil reportedly killed at least four militants, wounded 12, and captured around 10. However, local sources said two civilians, including a child, were killed and eight others injured in the clashes.
During a late-night PTI parliamentary meeting in Peshawar, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the operation for being launched without taking the provincial government into confidence. He criticized the resulting civilian casualties and warned that such actions were eroding public trust in the military.
Gandapur announced that no curfews would be imposed henceforth without the KP Home Department’s approval, and the power to impose Section 144 would now rest solely with the department. He also pledged to revoke the KP Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Ordinance 2019 and bring new legislation to that effect in the upcoming assembly session.
The CM said he would soon meet Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir to discuss the law and order situation and vowed to hold a series of jirgas in terrorism-affected areas, culminating in a grand tribal jirga to reassess current counterterrorism policies.
PTI MPA Anwar Zeb Khan shared images of ongoing protests in Bajaur against the operation. Other lawmakers and political leaders, including Jamaat-e-Islami’s Mushtaq Ahmed and the Awami National Party, condemned the military action, citing constitutional violations under Article 245.
Gandapur also chaired a security meeting, announcing Rs10 million in compensation for the families of slain civilians and soldiers, and Rs2.5 million for the injured.
The unrest in Bajaur follows recent violence in Tirah Valley, where seven protesters were shot dead and 16 wounded. While PM Shehbaz Sharif blamed the banned TTP, locals accused security forces of opening fire.
