Deteriorating law and order: Tribesmen start evacuating Miramshah, surrounding areas

Around 1,000 tribesmen, along with their families, flee their homes.

MIRAMSHAH:

Scores of tribesmen started evacuating their houses and fleeing North Waziristan starting Saturday morning amid fears of worsening law and order.

Earlier on Friday, Shura Mujahideen North Waziristan, led by Commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, issued a pamphlet in the agency asking the tribesmen living in Darpakhel area – where the drone attack killed Hakimullah Mehsud – along with Miramshah, Dattakhel, Tol Khel, Tabbi, Danday and Machis.

According to the pamphlet, the families have been asked to leave because of the deteriorating law and order situation after skirmishes took place between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and security forces few days ago.

The pamphlet warned the people to evacuate the areas within a week, however, it read that the peace accord between the shura and the government would remain intact.

According to an official of the political administration, around 1,000 tribesmen left the agency along with their families from the areas mentioned in the pamphlet. He said that the tribesmen were trying to flee to Mirali, Bannu, and Peshawar, while a few also crossed the border and went to the Khost province of Afghanistan.

The official added that the fare of the vehicles leading to Bannu, Mirali and Afghanistan were doubled due to the increasing number of tribesmen leaving the area. Earlier, vehicle owners would charge Rs3,000 to transport a family to Bannu, but on Saturday, they charged Rs8,000 till Bannu and parts of Mirali.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2013.