HIGH in the mountains of Tirah Valley in District Khyber of KP, where the air is thin and snow blankets the valleys like a heavy, unyielding shroud, life is a daily struggle for survival.

For centuries, the people here have adapted to harsh winters, migrating to the plains of Peshawar, Kohat and Hangu whenever snow renders their villages inaccessible. Today, however, the challenge they face is no longer only nature, it is the chronic failure of governance.

For the past 13 years, the same political party has been ruling Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Promises of progress, security and effective governance have filled every campaign speech, yet time and again, the people of Tirah Valley are left exposed. When militants killed several soldiers in these rugged highlands, the victims’ bodies had to be carried down on mules, a grim reminder that state presence is largely symbolic here. Local Jirgas, convening dozens of times in the past year, have been forced to negotiate with insurgents because the government cannot enforce law and order.

The provincial government’s attempts to address displacement reveal the same pattern: procedural paperwork, notifications and press statements, but no meaningful preparedness. A notification dated 26 December 2025 claimed that displaced locals were being assisted with four billion rupees allocated for relief. Yet, when severe snowstorms struck, residents endured extreme hardship without adequate shelters, transportation or........

© Pakistan Observer