The return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Tera in Khyber has ignited renewed tensions as the Pak Army intensifies its campaign to destabilize the Pashtun population. This renewed military action is part of a larger, systematic strategy to destroy the lives of Pashtuns, particularly those from Tera and Kuki Khel.
Over a decade ago, the Pak Army displaced the Kuki Khel people, forcing them to abandon their homes in the name of counterterrorism operations. Despite years of protests and continued demands for justice, the Kuki Khel community has been left in limbo, wandering as refugees without a place to call home. This year, after prolonged advocacy, the process for their return finally began—only to be interrupted once again by another operation in Tera. The cruelty faced by the Mohmands, as well as the dire situation in Kurram, further illustrates the depth of this ongoing war on the Pashtun people.
The Pak Army’s tactics have been far from helpful. When local leader Malik Naseer Kuki Khel and the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) campaigned for the Kuki Khel community’s right to return to their homeland, the Army initially opposed the move, only relenting under immense pressure. But even then, it didn’t stop its harassment. The military has been using terror tactics to displace them once again, including sporadic firing on local homes and most recently, a fatal mortar attack on schoolchildren—an act of cold-blooded intimidation aimed at disrupting their resettlement.
For weeks, the Kuki Khel people have endured the brutality of Pak Army-backed forces, with reports of continued mortar shelling and deliberate harassment. The fatal attack on children in a school is just the latest example of the military’s heartless tactics. These attacks have one clear goal: to frighten the displaced community back into displacement, shattering their hopes for a return to their ancestral lands.