At a jirga in Bagh-e-Naran, Hayatabad on Wednesday, tribal elders from North and South Waziristan asked the government to allow repatriation of internally displaced persons (IDP) whose areas have been cleared by the army.
The jirga included members from the Dawar, Wazir and Mehsud tribes along with retired and serving government officers. The tribesmen said around a million people have been displaced from their native villages, losing their homes and businesses, while some have also lost their lives. The elders said the government should give permission to return to those IDPs whose areas have been cleared of militants.
On the occasion, Malik Khan Marjan, a tribal elder, said tribesmen have lost millions of rupees as a result of the current insurgency. Businesses have suffered due to curfews in the area, he added.
Marjan said around 83,000 children have been deprived of education as their educational institutes have been closed for a long time now. He said the people should be sent back to their areas so that their children can continue with their studies.
He also demanded the government announce some package for the reconstruction of shops and houses demolished in the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan.
Another tribal elder, Gul Alam, said the IDPs are living in miserable conditions in different parts of the country. Due to the sit-ins of protesting political parties in Islamabad, the federal and provincial governments’ concentration has been diverted from IDPs and the ones in settled areas are facing great difficulties, said Alam.
K-P Chief Secretary Ghulam Qadir Khan, who also hails from North Waziristan, said the government should chalk out a clear agenda for these displaced people and make plans according to that agenda.
The jirga elders informed that their next grand jirga will be held on October 10 in Bannu in which they will decide the next plan of action for the repatriation of displaced persons. They also threatened to start a sit-in in Islamabad if the government does not pay attention to their grievances.
On the other hand, pro-government tribal elder Malik Ghulam told The Express Tribune that the IDPs will not be repatriated until the areas are declared cleared by the army. He blamed some tribal elders for holding jirgas for their personal interest rather than for the interests of IDPs.
Deadline for repatriation
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) provincial ameer Professor Ibrahim Khan has asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to ensure the immediate return of IDPs to North Waziristan Agency (NWA). “If ISPR has said 80% of NWA has been cleared, then why isn’t the government announcing their (displaced families) return?” questioned Ibrahim.
At a press briefing at the JI headquarters in the city on Wednesday, Ibrahim said four months have lapsed since the start of operation Zarb-e-Azb, which, according to him, displaced nearly one million people. IDPs have been living under a cloud of uncertainty since September when they were asked to vacate schools where they were given temporary residence, added Ibrahim.
“The federal government has to announce a deadline by which IDPs have to be repatriated,” he said. “Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar’s statement about the government assisting the repatriation of IDPs is on the record.”
This is the second Eid the IDPs have spent outside their homes, he said. He added the JI has invited NWA elders on Thursday (today) to discuss their plight.
The party’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) general secretary, Shabbir Ahmed Khan, information secretary Israrullah Khan and its deputy general secretary in the tribal areas, Shah Faisal, were present at the briefing.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2014.
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I second his request!