Multi-party meeting: Parties demand relief for K-P in federal taxes

Appeal to donor agencies, NGOs to help the province assist the IDPs.

PESHAWAR:

Political blocs assembled under the umbrella of an all parties’ conference (APC) demanded relief for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) in all federal taxes on Saturday in view of the massive displacement of people from North Waziristan Agency triggered by the ongoing military operation.

The APC – organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf- led K-P government on internally displaced peoples (IDPs) issue in the Chief Minister House Peshawar –issued an 18-point declaration as it appealed to national and international donor agencies and NGOs to help the K-P in the welfare of the IDPs.

The conference, chaired by the K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and attended by all the major political and religious parties of the province, demanded formation of an active relief coordination committee, comprising lawmakers from Fata and the K-P.

“The provincial government may make a finance bridge on emergency basis, to issue funds, which may be reclaimed later from the federal government,” the declaration said, adding that the K-P be declared a ‘hard area’.



The APC noted that Rs20, 000 per IDP family was not a sufficient amount and recommended that it should be raised to Rs50, 000 per family.

The participants also demand that transportation facilities be provided to the IDPs and food be provided also to the 1.5 million livestock accompanying the migrating people.

“The relief camp must be established in covered buildings, which should be exempted from load-shedding,” the APC demanded.

The participants said the federal government stared the N Waziristan operation without taking the provincial government and political parties into confidence – a fact which had created huge problems for the K-P govt. The APC questioned the operation’s timeframe and demanded that it must be winded up as soon as possible.

They also expressed concern over the migration of some IDPs to Afghanistan. The declaration stated that it was the most tragic issue of the operation as the IDPs might fall into the enemy’s hands.

The APC also voiced its concern over the banning of IDPs movement to other part of the countries and demanded that government should also ensure the lives and well-being of the people.

The communiqué added that transport should be arranged for those trapped inside North Waziristan Agency so that they might be brought into the settled districts.

The declaration said that due to the so-called war on terror, the KP and Fata people had suffered a lot while the province’s infrastructure had greatly destroyed.

Earlier, the K-P CM Pervaiz Khattak said the IDPs are ‘our guests and will be hosted in the best manner to revive the Islamic traditions of Ansar-e-Madina’.

He said besides increasing the number of relief camps, his govt in collaboration with centre and Pakistan Army would be accommodated in all the IDPs in schools, colleges, hospitals and other public buildings.

“Besides providing all basic facilities, including food and water, the IDPs will also be given maximum cash assistance to enable them to cater their needs according to their own wishes,” he added.

Khattak said the support and cooperation of all the political and religious parties of the province had increased the courage and spirit of provincial government while a positive message of political cohesion was disseminated at national and international level.

Representatives of PLM-N,  JUI-F, Jamaat-e-Islami, PPP,  Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami, Qaumi Watan Party and others took part in the APC.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2014.