2,900 displaced families repatriated to Tirah

FATA FDMA in-charge said the IDPs were informed on Friday evening that they would be repatriated next morning.

PARACHINAR:

Nearly 2,900 families displaced from Tirah Valley last year have been repatriated from the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Kurram Agency over the past two days.

Addressing journalists on Sunday, FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) in-charge at the New Durrani Camp in Kurram, Mujahid Ali said the IDPs were informed on Friday evening that they would be repatriated next morning.

He added the families began loading their belongings on trucks and departed for Tirah around 10am Saturday.

According to Ali, each family was given Rs25,000 in cash along with packets of non-food items. The FDMA authorities also provided them transportation back to their villages, he said, adding most of the families belong to Bar Kambar Khel area of Tirah Valley.

“The polio vaccine was administered to all the children in the camp. Free medicine kits were also given to the families,” said Ali.

The FDMA official added the returning IDPs were informed that each family will be given six months ration.

Gulab Din Barkambar Khel, who had been living in the camp, expressed joy at finally being able to return home. He said the families were provided basic facilities throughout the duration they were in the camp, while cash was given to them at the time of departure and six months ration has also been promised.

“The first thing we will do upon our return is to rebuild our destroyed houses and make our lands arable once again,” he added.

On March 16, 2013, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants from Swat district, and Mohmand, Bajaur, Khyber, Orakzai and South Waziristan agencies infiltrated the strategic Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency and drove away the local population.

After several days of bloody clashes, the valley fell to the Taliban on March 21, 2013. The displaced tribesmen then moved into camps for IDPs established in Kurram, Kohat and Nowshera.

In August, security forces launched an operation against TTP and on September 4, 2013 claimed to have regained control from the militants. Following this, the displaced tribesmen living in the camps began demanding the government to repatriate them, however, due to lack of funds the decision remained in limbo.

In early March this year, the federal government released Rs100 million to be distributed among 12,000 registered displaced families from Tirah after which the repatriation was expedited.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2014.