A three-day curfew has been imposed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, with authorities locking down 27 areas in Mamund tehsil and blocking roads to conduct a targeted security operation. The curfew will be in effect from 11 am on August 11 until 11 am on August 14, according to an official notification issued by the K-P government.
All residents in the affected areas have been instructed to stay indoors, with authorities warning that anyone violating the curfew will do so at their own risk. Ahead of the curfew, hundreds of families fled the area seeking safety in other parts of Bajaur and neighboring districts.
To accommodate displaced families, district officials have vacated 107 public schools and colleges and set up a camp with 450 tents at the Bajaur Sports Complex. Additionally, maize crops planted within 100 meters of roadside areas were ordered to be harvested within three days for security reasons.
The curfew comes amid heightened tensions in the region, where peace negotiations between tribal elders and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remain deadlocked after the seventh round of the Bajaur Peace Jirga. Both sides disagreed over a key clause, resulting in a stalemate. Sahibzada Haroonur Rasheed, a member of the Jirga, urged patience and restraint while assuring that civilians will not be harmed in any potential conflict.
Security incidents in Bajaur have escalated in recent months, with attacks causing civilian casualties and raising concerns among locals. In February, a policeman protecting a polio team was killed in an attack, while in June, the minister of state for tribal affairs, Mubarak Zeb Khan, survived a rocket attack on his home—the second such incident in months.
In May, an improvised explosive device destroyed the main gate of his residence. More recently, a bomb blast on Nawagai road killed five people, including government officials, and injured several others. Among the victims was Assistant Commissioner Nawagai Faisal Ismail and others who succumbed to injuries despite emergency treatment efforts.
Days later, Maulana Khan Zeb, a former ANP National Assembly candidate from Bajaur, and two associates were shot dead near Khar Tehsil headquarters, highlighting ongoing security challenges in the district.
