Funds for food: Rs16 billion needed to feed 2.5 million IDPs, says minister

Qadir Baloch urges provinces to come forward to help the people in need


Peer Muhammad December 05, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch on Thursday said that Rs16 billion in extra funding is needed to feed the 2.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who have been settled in Bannu camps and other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkha (K-P) due to the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation.

At a special meeting on the IDPs issue in Islamabad, the minister said around 2.5 million people have been displaced from North Waziristan and Rs3.8 billion have been spent on their upkeep so far, adding that an additional amount of Rs6 billion is needed to meet their expenses.



He stated that in the initial 14 days, 1.4 million IDPs had been displaced and moved to IDPs camps against the estimated figure of 0.7 million.

He mentioned that the federal government has provided Rs3.8 billion whereas K-P contributed Rs69.9 million and Punjab Rs78 million. He urged other provinces to come forward and contribute.

The committee was briefed that the United Nations food organisations have provided 150,000 tonnes of foodstuff in addition to 37,000 metric tonnes given by the UAE government.

The minister said that to facilitate the displaced children, the authorities have arranged schools for 23,000 children. A hospital has also been established in Bannu manned by 50 doctors and allied medical staff.

The minister said that in the next NA session at least two days will be devoted to a debate on IDPs issues.

Talking about the role of parliamentarians from Fata in the development of their area, Baloch said that constitutionally these MNAs and senators have neither any role in making legislation for the area nor any administrative role for serving for their people. He proposed that there should be a separate assembly for Fata by amending  the Constitution so that the voices of these people could be raised properly.



MNA Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao suggested that lawmakers from Fata should be empowered and given the mandate to serve their people.

An MNA belonging to PML-N from Fata Ghalib Khan observed that the PPP government had given much importance to the Fata parliamentarians in the development works and other services, but his government has completely ignored the local representatives. “People in our areas question about our mandate and role, but we have no answer for them”, he noted.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2014.

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