The PTM, which is popular in North and South Waziristan, had clinched both National Assembly seats for the two districts in the 2018 elections. Together with North Waziristan, Khyber was one of the tribal areas where the army had launched a large-scale onslaught in 2014 to eliminate TTP and its affiliates. Hafizullah Wazir, a local journalist from Wana – the capital of South Waziristan district – shares a similar view. Army had also launched an operation in South Waziristan – the founding headquarters of the TTP – in 2009, which pushed the militants towards North Waziristan and other tribal regions. The series of military operations had displaced over 1.5 million tribesmen, mainly from North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Khyber.

Source: The Express Tribune July 19, 2019 11:48 UTC