Displacement continues amid harsh weather

KHYBER:

Thousands of families remain displaced from Tirah Valley in Khyber district as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government oversees their relocation amid worsening security and heavy snowfall.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the evacuation began on January 10. So far, 11,400 families have been registered, with more than 10,000 relocated to safer areas, including Bara and Peshawar.

On Wednesday alone, 1,719 families were registered at five centres in Bara. Each family is being provided Rs22,000 to Rs44,000 for transport, along with a monthly housing allowance of Rs50,000.

Heavy snowfall three days ago trapped hundreds of families in trucks, triggering large-scale rescue operations. Authorities said at least 2,200 people have been rescued so far.

Mohammad Khan, a resident of Maidan in Tirah, said he was moving to Peshawar after receiving assistance. "I have received a token and Rs22,000 for transport. I'm relocating to Zang Gully in Peshawar. The security situation was bad because of the Taliban, and we came here for peace. Our demands are for a good package and assistance for the people," he told The Express Tribune.

Another displaced resident said, "We have relocated due to the worsening security situation and are now in Bara."

Kamal-ud-Din, head of a 24-member negotiation committee from Tirah, told a private news channel that the provincial government had accepted 31 demands put forward by residents. He said relocation would be completed by the end of January, with each family receiving Rs250,000 in advance and a monthly stipend of Rs50,000.

He added that families whose homes were destroyed during the operation would receive Rs3 million in compensation, while those with partially damaged houses would be given Rs1 million. He said the military operation was expected to end within two months, after which residents would be allowed to return.