Flood relief: Refugees demand alternate shelter

PESHAWAR: Refugees in Azakhel camp staged a demonstration on Saturday demanding alternative land for their camp to protect them from the severe cold. Led by Mohammad Ibrahim, protesting refugees carried placards and banners inscribed with slogans and demands, particularly the reconstruction of Azakhel refugee camp. They said that the camp had been swept away in the floods, forcing them to live on both sides of the GT Road under the open sky in chilly weather.

They said that six months later, neither the provincial government nor UNHCR had provided financial assistance to rehabilitate and reconstruct their devastated houses. The protesting refugees demanded for provision of alternative residential facilities and immediate initiation of construction work on the camp.

“The situation had deprived children of their education,” said Maulvi Jalauddin a protestor, while calling for provision of education facilities for their children to save their precious time and future. He said they carried out a peaceful protest to highlight their problems and they do not want to indulge in disruptive acts to force a resolution.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2011.