PESHAWAR: Despite years of displacement of civilians from different parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), the authorities are mulling a uniform relief package for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) instead of repatriating them to their hometowns.

The Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) recently asked the federal government to make the relief package to IDPs of other tribal agencies consistent with what was paid to those from North Waziristan Agency.

However, a parliamentarian from Fata said that the government instead of spending billions of rupees on relief operation should send IDPs back to their homes and divert the money to rehabilitation activities in tribal area.

“The government should allow dislocated people to go back to their areas as soon as possible to rebuild their homes,” said Senator Saleh Shah, who represents South Waziristan Agency in the Upper House.

Senator says the govt should spend money on rehabilitation activities in Fata

Official sources said that additional chief secretary, Fata, Mohammad Azam Khan had suggested to the federal ministry of states and frontier regions (Safron) to sanction cash assistance of Rs12,000 each for IDPs of other tribal agencies verified by the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) in addition to the North Waziristan Agency.

Nadra has verified total 160,805 dislocated families from Kurram, South Waziristan, Khyber and Orakzai agencies and Frontier Region, Tank, who have been residing in and off camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata. Nadra’s verified number of dislocated families from North Waziristan Agency is 69,021 families.

“The monthly financial implication of 160,805 families will come to Rs1.92 billion,” said an official letter addressed to the Safron ministry. Monthly bill of IDPs will cross Rs2 billion figure if the federal government entertains the FDMA request.

Area-wise breakup of IDPs is 68,746 families from Khyber, 29,051 Orakzai, 25,865 Kurram, 36,767 South Waziristan, 69,021 North Waziristan and 376 Frontier Region Tank.

FDMA had registered total 102,047 dislocated families from North Waziristan Agency after launch of operation Zarb-e-Azb in June this year. After scrutiny process Nadra verified 69,021 families who have been declared eligible for receiving relief assistance.

The federal government is paying cash assistance per month to all verified IDPs (Rs 12,000 each household) of North Waziristan. Besides the monthly cash assistance the government had paid one-time cash assistance of Rs5,000 for non food items and one-time Ramazan package of Rs20,000.

The Punjab government is also paying Rs7,000 to IDPs of North Waziristan. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had also announced Rs8,000 one-time cash assistance and Rs3,000 monthly assistance for these IDPs.

Financial implications have been increasing due to delay in the return process of the IDPs to their homes. Apart from this, the World Food Programme is also distributing tons of food items among IDPs. The UN agency spokesman Amjad Jamal said that over 20,000 tons of food items were distributed among IDPs in October. He said that 63,000 dislocated families of North Waziristan had received 6,065 tons of food last month.

Population from Mehsud area of South Waziristan was dislocated in Oct 2009 when the security forces launched operation Rah-i-Nijat against proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban. Army combat operation was completed in the same year, but no time-frame has been fixed for the repatriation of dislocated Mehsuds.

Of total 45,178 Nadra verified dislocated families only 8,411 had been sent back to South Waziristan, but majority of them have evacuated again due to uncertainty and threat to their lives.

An official dealing with security affairs in Fata said that areas like Sara Rogha, Kotkai, Chegmalai and Spinkai Raghzai adjacent to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were comparatively safe and the rest of Mehsud territory was still unsafe. He said that the temporarily dislocated persons (TDPs) – an official term for the displaced people usually referred to as IDPs – had been sent to these small pockets.

“Despite presence of troops Makeen is still the centre of gravity and in current situation TDPs are not allowed to go back to their homes,” the official said, adding that same was the situation in Kurram, Orakzai and Khyber.

Another official linked return of Mehsud DPs with successful completion of Zarb-e-Azb being conducted against militants in North Waziristan. He said that Mehsuds would return to their area when security forces achieved their objectives in North Waziristan.

“The TDPs will go back to their homes in Fata when security forces give green signal to FDMA and other agencies,” he said. Like Mehsuds, fate of the IDPs from other tribal agencies is still hanging in the balance and the government has yet to finalise plan for their return.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2014