PESHAWAR: The elders of North Waziristan Agency have warned that they will march on Islamabad and observe a protest sit-in outside parliament if they are forced to vacate school buildings before Aug 30 according to the government’s decision.

North Waziristan Agency Peace Committee chief Haji Sher Mohammad told a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday that about one million people had been displaced due to military operation in the tribal agency, but the federal government had failed to provide them adequate shelter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Flanked by other members of the peace body, including Malik Noor Rahman Dawar, Fazal Khan Wazir, Saad Shah and Fazal Ghafar Wazir, the tribal elder said that they could not believe in the hollow claims of the government and would protest for provision of basic facilities and proper shelter if they were forced to vacate school buildings in parts of Bannu and other districts.

“The government claims to have cleared 80 per cent area from the militants but it is still reluctant to send us back to our homes which is a matter of concern for the internally displaced persons,” he lamented. He warned that if the government failed to meet their demands they would march on Islamabad and observe a sit-in protest outside parliament anytime.

Peace body says govt has failed to provide shelter to displaced families

The peace committee chief said that of the total 10 tehsils of North Waziristan Agency five had been cleared and it was duty of the government to allow the people to return to their localities. He said that IDPs would happily vacate schools only when they would be given the return plan.

Malik Noor Rehman said that almost 25,000 displaced families had been accommodated in various government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but now they had received a notice to vacate the schools before Aug 30. He said that it was a great injustice with IDPs and they could not tolerate it.

He said that Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) had set up a helpline to solve the problems being faced by IDPs, but there was no one to respond to the callers.

He said that the package announced by FDMA was insufficient because there were 70 to 80 persons in each of the families and such small packages could not meet their needs. “The government should review its decision and increase the size and quantity of therelief package,” he maintained.

“Those IDPs, who have double address in their computerised national identity card (CNIC), are not given any kind of facilities and they are even deprived of registration,” he said, adding that only 200,000 displaced tribesmen had got the relief amount of the federal and provincial government while 0.9 million people still awaited assistance.

The peace committee member also demanded of the government to ensure provision of ration and other necessities of life to the tribesmen besieged in North Waziristan.

He also demanded of the government to immediately register the deprived IDPs and provide them all relief items. He said that the government should open all the educational institutions and hospitals and provide all utilities to IDPs on return to their homes.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014