PESHAWAR, Aug 21: The NWFP government has allowed five international relief organisations, including the United Nation’s bodies, to provide relief to the Bajaur displaced persons (DPs).

The Provincial Relief Commissioner (PRC) has issued non-objection certificates (NOCs) to the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), World Health Organisation (WHO), Medicine Sans Frontier (MSF) and the ActionAid. All these relief organisations have been allowed to carry out their relief operations in 17 relief camps locating in Peshawar, Malakand, Lower Dir and Nowshera districts.

“But these organisations will not be allowed to establish separate camps, as they will provide relief goods to the government,” said Jameel Amjad of the PRC, when approached by the Dawn.

The provincial government, he said, had its own distribution mechanism and these organisations had agreed to support the relief efforts in terms of providing goods, as was the case in recent flood relief operations. The UNHCR and World Food Programme provided relief goods for the flood affected people, which were distributed among them by the provincial government through its distribution network, he maintained.

The PRC in a press conference on Aug 16 had said that the federal government was not issuing NOCs to international relief organisations because of security reasons despite the fact they had approached the provincial government.

He said that the National Disaster Management Authority of the federal government used to issue NOCs for relief organisations, but some two days back, the provincial government had been authorised to issue the same on its own.

Mr Amjad said currently the provincial government was authorised to issue NOCs, but it had also been advised by the centre to avoid placing international organisations in sensitive areas like Dir.

According to him, the procedure for obtaining NOCs was very simple and it could be processed in one day. He said following the five big organisation, the provincial government was also in contact with the United Nation’s Office for Humanitarian Assistance (UNOHA), an umbrella body of different organisations. The UNOHA has agreed to provide assistance for the IDPs of Bajaur Agency.

The ongoing military action in Bajaur region had displaced more than 300,000 people out of them the number of registered IDPs was 248,000 (39,100 families). More than 220,000 IDPs had migrated to Lower Dir via Tore Ghundai check post and the rest of the displaced families had moved to Malakand and Peshawar.

Our correspondent adds from Mardan: A donors’ conference was held here on Thursday to coordinate relief efforts for the victims of the Bajaur military operation.

Organised by the district government, the conference was attended by representatives of various NGOs and welfare organisations, including NRSP, AKRSP, Unicef, SCN, Al-Khidmat Foundation, IRSP, HRDO, Khwaendo Kor, Khyber Medical College, Lakson Medical Trust, WSFD and Noor Education Trust. Nazim Himayatullah Mayar represented the district government.

The participants assured to provide food, clean drinking water, toilets and clothes to the displaced persons in the relief camps.

The conference was told that the affected persons took refuge in deserted and under-construction buildings, schools and at the houses of relatives. It was claimed that 1,260 families had been accommodated at the Governmental High School-1 and some 996 persons were living at the Sheikh Yasin Town. A large number of families settled at Gujjar Garhi, Guli Bagh and other adjacent areas in the district.

District Coordination Officer Syed Mubasshir Hassan told the participants that the displaced people would also be settled in other areas, including Jalala. He said with the help of the Unicef more than 50 latrines would be established and power would be provided at the camps in Mardan.

Mayar thanked the participants and hoped that the relief operation would be accelerated after the collecting data of the victims.

Meanwhile, the health department has constituted special teams to administer polio vaccine to the children and distribute medicines among the affected people in the camps and other areas.