K & P

Aftershocks: World Food Programme halts food distribution at Jalozai camp

Thursday’s blast has prompted a security overview.

Noorwali Shah March 23, 2013

He added the WFP would aim for a plan where the IDPs could get their food and officials deliver services without any security risks. PHOTO: FILE

PESHAWAR:

The World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended food distribution at Jalozai camp for an indefinite period. Food ration will possibly be resumed after a comprehensive security plan is devised for both the camp and aid workers.

The decision to halt supplies was taken in the aftermath of Thursday’s car-bomb explosion which killed 17 people, including NGO workers.

“We are not working for three days (till Sunday) to show solidarity with the bereaved families and our food distribution will remain suspended till we have a concrete security plan with support from the district administration,” WFP spokesperson Amjad Jamal told The Express Tribune.

He added the WFP would aim for a plan where the IDPs could get their food and officials deliver services without any security risks.

The WFP has also said it wants more policemen at all entry and exit points in Jalozai camp. Jamal said there were 12,500 registered families in the camp; 11,500 families had been given food for March, while the remaining families would be given food packages once distribution is resumed.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has also communicated its concerns to the district administration. It has asked for heightened security across the camp and for an increased number of police personnel.

“Our food distribution will resume on Monday and we are planning to devise a plan which is favourable for the entire staff. The district police visited the camp today to work on the security plan,” said PDMA spokesperson Adnan Khan.

Khan said the PDMA has hired the services of approximately 90 security personnel from the IDPs to keep food distribution fair.

In a statement on Thursday, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shaukatullah Khan asked Khyber Agency Political Agent Mutahir Zeb to determine the losses incurred by the victims of the terrorist attack and to ensure timely release of financial assistance to them. “They (the victims) are not alone; the nation stands with them,” the statement read.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2013.