Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said the winter migration of tribes from Khyber District is a long-established practice, rejecting claims that the movement is unusual or forced.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad alongside Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Tarar said tribes from the Tirah Valley traditionally move to lower areas during winter and return in the summer. He said the practice affects communities such as the Afridi and Aka Khel tribes and has been followed for generations.

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Tarar said historical records support this pattern, citing 19th-century documentation that described seasonal migration in the region as a routine way of life. He added that international and colonial-era literature had also recorded the movement as a regular response to harsh winter conditions.

Addressing questions about the timing of the current migration, the minister said climate change has altered seasonal cycles in the region. He said snowfall, which historically began earlier in the winter, now occurs later, shifting the traditional migration calendar.

The information minister also referred to a notification issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which described the movement as voluntary. He urged provincial authorities to avoid politicising what he described as a centuries-old social and cultural practice.