ISLAMABAD, July 8: Saudi Arabia will build over 1,000 houses at a cost of $8 million for families displaced by militant attacks in tribal areas of the country. The project will be completed by the end of year.

The Saudi Fund Development (SFD) will finance the project and an agreement to this effect was signed on Monday which was attended by Chief Engineer Abdullah M. Al Shoaibi, Deputy Ambassador at Saudi Embassy Muhammad Nafa Al Madani and a representative of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Neil Wright.

The SFD official said at the ceremony that some 325 houses would be built in South Waziristan where around 45,000 families had been dislocated since the beginning of the security operations in 2008.

The Minister for States and Frontier Regions, retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch, was expected to attend the ceremony but he did not come.

The houses, it is learnt, will be given to returnees unable to rebuild their homes. The houses will be built in tribal areas of Kurram, Bajaur, South Waziristan and Mohmand agencies.

Mr Wright, speaking on the occasion, said: “People’s lives in tribal areas have been severely disrupted by security operations and they need help to rebuild and re-establish their normal lives.”

“The needs of returnees are considerable, especially at a time when donor support is shrinking due to evolving emergencies across the globe. At such a critical juncture, the SFD funding is highly appreciated. It will make a huge difference in providing solutions to the problems of returnees,” he added.

Mr Shoaibi said that the custodian of the two holy mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, was very concerned about the welfare of people in Pakistan during disasters and conflicts.

Commenting on the selection of beneficiaries, the SFD official said the houses were being constructed for all families, especially those without a male guardian.

Various need assessment surveys conducted by the UN and other humanitarian agencies indicate the conflict has had an adverse effect on shelters and communal infrastructure at villages in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

According to the UNHCR, 85 per cent of the houses have been destroyed in areas where people displaced by the conflict are now returning, while communal infrastructure such as basic health units, water sanitation and drainage system, schools and bridges remain in a highly dilapidated state.

APP adds: The UNCHR is helping the government in the return process of the displaced population to areas that had now been declared safe.