The home stretch: NWA IDPs begin registering for return

BANNU:

As part of the long-awaited repatriation process, authorities in Bannu have started registering displaced people, yearning to return to their homeland in North Waziristan.

On day one of the process on Wednesday, three clans from Spin Wam tehsil were registered at the camp office of the assistant political agent of Mirali, North Waziristan. The registration was being completed by officials from the FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA).

Officials said 142 families from Shah Meeri, Shashi Khel and Mirali registered themselves for repatriation. The first phase is under way according to a government decision which declared March 31 as the first day the repatriation process would begin. Initially, around 20,000 families from Mirali Subdivision would be repatriated to their homeland.

Displaced people and officials said only elders of the family had the authority to register themselves along with their children and other family members. On these grounds, many people or families were denied registration.

Mirali Assistant Political Agent Zaheeruddin Babar supervised the process and termed it successful.  He urged tribal elders to ask all displaced families to ensure timely registration as those who miss out would be sent back home in the final phase. The repatriation package provides each family with Rs25,000 to purchase basic commodities, while Rs10,000 is being given for transportation costs.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2015.