Repatriation continues: Another 196 families leave for NWA

BANNU: Repatriation of North Waziristan Agency displaced tribespeople from Bannu to their hometown in Eidak continued for the third consecutive day on Friday. An additional 196 families left Baran Camp for their native villages. Officials said 910 people – 252 men, 309 women and 349 children – left for Eidak on Friday. Their buses and trucks were escorted by security officials as they reached the Mirzael check post in NWA. Besides being provided with edible and non-edible items, cash worth Rs35,000 was given to every family as part of the standard aid package. As many as 400 families returned home over the past three days. However, due to a lack of communication facilities , the situation in Eidak cannot be ascertained. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited landlines and mobile phones do not function in the area.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2015.