Pakistan

Already homeless, IDPs asked to leave Jalozai camp

Govt to withdraw most facilities, IDPs demand payment of promised compensation.

Islamuddin Sajid May 18, 2011

PESHAWAR:

Already working with a shoestring budget to cater to the needs of the internally-displaced persons (IDPs) from Bajaur and Mohmand Agency for over three years, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Government has fixed June 7 as the final deadline for their return, officials told The Express Tribune.

The decision was taken at a high level meeting of the Return Task Force (RTF) held here on Tuesday. The meeting also decided to stop registration of IDPs living outside Jalozai camp near Pabbi in Nowshehra District, and wanted them to return to their villages, sources said. They added that in first phase all IDPs living in the camps will return.

More than 95,000 IDPs are living in Jalozai Camp, among them 65,000 from Bajaur Agency, 11,000 from Mohmand Agency, while the remaining are from Khyber Agency. More than 16,000 IDPs went back from the Jalozai camp since April 11 when the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) announced Bajaur and Mohmand Agency IDPs return plan, said PDMA Spokesman Adnan Khan. He added that all IDPs will go home by the first week of June 2011.

Last month, IDPs from Bajaur and Mohmand Agency refused to return when the provincial government announced their return plan, demanding that they first be paid compensation because most of the IDPs’ home in their villages had been destroyed. “During the military operation, security forces demolished our houses in Mamond [Tehsil of Bajaur Agency], so where should go now?” asked 55-year-old Haji Khatab Khan who has lived in Jalozai camp for the last two years. “We never refused to return and only request that the government first pay us home compensation to re-build our houses,” Khatab explained.

A total of 9,521 houses were partially or completely damaged in different parts of Bajaur and Mohmand agencies, 8,455 in Bajaur Agency and 1,066 house in Mohmand Agency from August 2008 to date, Adnan Khan informed.

“We will pay compensation to all 9,521 homeowners, Rs400,000 to those whose houses were completely destroyed and Rs160,000 for partially damaged houses,” he added.

FATA Disaster Management Authority has already established two centers in Khar, Bajaur and Ghalani area of Mohmand Agency, where special food packages will also be provided only to the affected people returning from Jalozai camp, an official told The Express Tribune.

He further said that most of the areas in Bajaur and Mohamnd agencies have been declared safe and have been cleared of militants and now the government plans to start reconstruction and rehabilitation in the affected areas, but without the return of these people, reconstruction and rehabilitation cannot take place.

“Therefore, the government has decided to set the last week of June as the deadline and no free transport or other facilities will be provided to IDPs who stay back in the camp after June 7, 2011,” Adnan concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (8)

waseem Ahmad Shah | 12 years ago | Reply Very naive comments on part of Mr Faraz. May I ask when Malakand operation could be completed within three month how the operations in Bajaur, Khyber and Mohmand could not be completed with in three years.Unfortunately, the inhabitants of FATA have been treated as inferior citizens to that of rest of the country. Even when IDPs were streaming out from Swat and other parts of Malakand the media persons including the DSNGs of all the television channels always remained present in different camps. Same was the case with the humanitarian organisations as well as the government. But same attention has not been given to tribal people.They continued to suffer by the hands of both military and militants. Their houses were bulldozed, sources of livelihood were snatched and barbaric savages in the shape of militants were let loose on them. Do you know that only in 2004 around 200 tribal notables and elders fell to target killings in Waziristan. Please don't be so callous. You might not have seen the way these IDPs have been passing their days in these camps. Nobody would leave his or her home for the sake of a bag of flour, a packet of cooking oil and small quantity of pulses.

Sana | 12 years ago | Reply @faraz naeem: Wow. Seriously, wow. Your comment is ignorant, self-serving and just plain mean. I worked extensively with displaced people from Bajaur, Mohmand and other areas and they deserve to be compensated and more. These are women and children, men with multiple dependents to support, and who are often injured as well. They've been terrorized by Taliban in their areas, they've been attacked by government forces (who tell these people to vacate mere hours before bombing begins) and many of these families have been affected by drone strikes as well. They've been forced to live out harsh winters in tents, waiting for handouts, and knowing that they have nothing to go back to. Their livelihoods and homes have been destroyed and they're struggling to survive. Also, they have every right to blame the Pakistani government for the mess they're in. I'd like to see you be that forgiving if your home was bombed and you were forced to live on the mercy of aid organizations.