At least 10 make-shift cottages of displaced people seeking shelter in Gomel area of Tank crumbled to ashes when a fire broke out on Sunday.
The incident took place in Sara Taka on Gomel-Zam Road, which links DI Khan to South Waziristan, a police officer said. At first, an IDP called Muhammad’s cottage caught fire and then the inferno quickly spread to the adjacent makeshift shelters.
Taj Muhamamd, Shamir Khan and wife of the late Khan Muhammad struggled valiantly to extinguish the leaping flames, witnesses said. Unfortunately, livestock such as goats and cows perished in the fire. Household goods and important documents like CNICs and ration cards were also reduced to ashes.
“This is as much damage as I could possibly suffer,” said Taj Muhammad. “As it is we are facing difficulties, but now we are also deprived of our shelter.” The IDPs belong to the Mehsud tribe of South Waziristan and were displaced by military operation Rah-e-Nijat in 2000. These individuals have been settled in Tank ever since.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2015.
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