Away from home: Political agent assures tribesmen of early repatriation

Separately, elders demand govt to register Bara IDPs.

PESHAWAR:

Tribesmen, mostly from the Malik Din Khel clan of Afridi tribe, participated at a jirga at Khyber House, Peshawar. They discussed their problems with Shah, saying the government should announce a schedule for their repatriation as the area has been cleared of militants as a result of military operation Khyber-I which is still under way.

Tribal elders assured Shah they would fulfil their territorial responsibilities after their repatriation. They, however, urged the government to let jirga members handle tribal matters in accordance with their traditions.

Shah appreciated the cooperation of tribesmen, saying they contributed greatly to making the operation a success by abandoning their homes and migrating to other areas.



He hoped jirga members would play an effective role in maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in the area, adding the government wants to repatriate the displaced people at its earliest and is working on finalising modalities in this respect.

Meanwhile, tribal elders of Khyber Agency have demanded the federal government to immediately start registration of displaced persons of Bara and treat them at par with the internally displaced persons (IDP) of North Waziristan Agency (NWA).

Addressing a news conference on Thursday at Peshawar Press Club, Khyber Welfare Committee (KWC) President and tribal elder Haji Daud Khan Afridi said Bara has seen an exodus of around 35,000 people in the wake of the ongoing military operation, adding the IDPs are dispersed in different areas of the country. Afridi said these people have left everything behind for the sake of their lives and the larger interest of the country and are in dire need of support.

Afridi claimed these displaced persons have not been registered as yet, hence facilitation and provision of commodities is out of the question. He maintained the number of IDPs is increasing by the day and the government has done little to accommodate them.

He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Khan to recognise the sacrifices of the people of Bara. Other members of the committee including Malik Haji Hukam Khan Afridi, Malik Sultan Muhammad Afridi and others also attended the news conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2014.