SWA repatriation: Registration of tribespeople continues
North Waziristan IDPs demand payment of monthly stipend.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TANK/BANNU:
The registration of South Waziristan Agency’s displaced tribespeople continued on the second consecutive day in Tank on Friday.
Speaking to journalists, FATA Disaster Management Authority Coordinator Said Umar Mehsud maintained as many as 772 families were registered on the first day. They included 285 from Tiarza tehsil, 300 from Sararogha and 187 from Sarwaiki.
In response to a question, Umar said the government intends to repatriate as many as 14,000 families in the second phase that will start in mid-August.
“He said the process will continue day and night without pause,” he said.
The camp has been set up at Zam Public School. Separate booths have not been set up for women which could cause problems to those who do not have male members in the family. A large number of tribespeople have reached Tank from all parts of the country, including DI Khan, Karachi and Lahore.
The IDPs had abandoned their homes when the armed forces launched Operation Rah-e-Nijat against militants in the Mehsud tribe dominated areas of SWA back in 2009. Besides settling in different areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a large number of displaced families moved to SWA headquarters Wana and North Waziristan Agency’s Razmak tehsil.
Monthly stipend
NWA elder Malik Ghulam Khan has urged the government to release the monthly stipends of Speen, Wam, Razmak and Shewa tribespeople. Speaking to journalists in Bannu on Friday, Ghulam said the funds had not been received. He said if the stipends are not paid by August 10, the tribespeople will be compelled to take to the streets.
The elder said the government needs to expedite repatriation efforts as the tribespeople are living in the most miserable conditions in Bannu and its surrounding areas. He said the displaced families are also worried about the condition of infrastructure back home and the resumption of economic activities.
Meanwhile, over 180 tribespeople from 20 different families living in Government Girls High School Kotla Zabta Khan demanded the FDMA to provide them with alternative living accommodation as the school management and police are forcing them to vacate the facility. They also demanded reimbursement of the amount which they spent from their own pockets for repairing the school boundary wall.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 8th, 2015.
The registration of South Waziristan Agency’s displaced tribespeople continued on the second consecutive day in Tank on Friday.
Speaking to journalists, FATA Disaster Management Authority Coordinator Said Umar Mehsud maintained as many as 772 families were registered on the first day. They included 285 from Tiarza tehsil, 300 from Sararogha and 187 from Sarwaiki.
In response to a question, Umar said the government intends to repatriate as many as 14,000 families in the second phase that will start in mid-August.
“He said the process will continue day and night without pause,” he said.
The camp has been set up at Zam Public School. Separate booths have not been set up for women which could cause problems to those who do not have male members in the family. A large number of tribespeople have reached Tank from all parts of the country, including DI Khan, Karachi and Lahore.
The IDPs had abandoned their homes when the armed forces launched Operation Rah-e-Nijat against militants in the Mehsud tribe dominated areas of SWA back in 2009. Besides settling in different areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a large number of displaced families moved to SWA headquarters Wana and North Waziristan Agency’s Razmak tehsil.
Monthly stipend
NWA elder Malik Ghulam Khan has urged the government to release the monthly stipends of Speen, Wam, Razmak and Shewa tribespeople. Speaking to journalists in Bannu on Friday, Ghulam said the funds had not been received. He said if the stipends are not paid by August 10, the tribespeople will be compelled to take to the streets.
The elder said the government needs to expedite repatriation efforts as the tribespeople are living in the most miserable conditions in Bannu and its surrounding areas. He said the displaced families are also worried about the condition of infrastructure back home and the resumption of economic activities.
Meanwhile, over 180 tribespeople from 20 different families living in Government Girls High School Kotla Zabta Khan demanded the FDMA to provide them with alternative living accommodation as the school management and police are forcing them to vacate the facility. They also demanded reimbursement of the amount which they spent from their own pockets for repairing the school boundary wall.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 8th, 2015.