Giving ultimatums: Khyber IDPs threaten long march to Islamabad

The tribesmen have been protesting for over two months, demanding basic facilities at Jalozai camp

PESHAWAR:

Tribesmen displaced from Khyber Agency have threatened to start a long march to Parliament House in Islamabad and join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek sit-ins if their demands are not met within two days.

For more than two months, scores of Khyber Agency IDPs have been holding a protest camp outside the Peshawar Press Club against the government’s apathy towards solving their problems and providing basic facilities at the Jalozai camp for IDPs. On Saturday, the protest entered its 78th consecutive day.

According to Tehreek-e-Mutasireen-e-Khyber Agency (TMKA) Chairman Haji Muhammad Iqbal, the central government is not giving compensation to people displaced from the agency due to military operations. “We have been protesting for 78 days and Governor Sardar Mehtab Khan Abbasi has ignored us,” claimed Iqbal.

Over 7,000 families at Jalozai camp are facing numerous problems as the camp lacks basic facilities such as water, food, healthcare and electricity, he added. Only 950 families have been registered while the rest are still waiting to be registered and receive the government’s assistance, the chairman said.

Protester Khyal Jan, 55, told The Express Tribune the government has not paid any heed to them even though they have been protesting for over two months.

Another IDP, Gulab Khan, said they have spent 58 days outside the press club and 20 days outside the Governor House, but no government official or representative of the governor has visited them.

The demonstrators threatened to join PTI and PAT sit-ins in Islamabad if their demands are not met by Tuesday.

Several displaced families from Qamar Khel and Bara have been living at Jalozai camp for the past five years.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2014.