In the lurch: Vendors take to streets of Bannu

BANNU: Vendors and traders who were displaced from North Waziristan after Operation Zarb-e-Azb took to the streets of Bannu on Wednesday over the government’s failure to address their needs. Protesters gathered outside Bannu Press Club and shouted slogans. During the protest, a large number of traders said their businesses in NWA had been closed for nearly 14 months. “We don’t know what the condition of our markets will be once we are repatriated,” a trader said. During the demonstration, protesters urged the government to take an initiative to restore their markets and businesses in their native land. Meanwhile, IDP families who are living in a government school in Bannu have urged the government to provide them with an alternative residence. According to insiders, the school authorities have asked the displaced families to vacate the premises.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2015.