PESHAWAR, Sept 3: The French government has provided relief goods to 12,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Bajaur Agency, who fled the area for the camps setup in Lower Dir, Malakand and Mardan after security forces operation against the militants.

The IDPs have been provided with food including dates for Iftar, blankets and other items such as soap and washing powder for clothes.

A ceremony to this effect was held in a camp in Mardan, attended by the District Coordination Officer, Mubashir Hussain, on Wednesday.

France rushed to deliver a relief package to the people of Bajaur who fled the area for the camps set up in Lower Dir, Malakand and Mardan, said a spokesperson of the French Embassy, while talking to APP. France is currently considering options to provide a major development package in the field of health to Fata, he concluded.

The French government decided to focus on food assistance, through an NGO already work in the area that also distributed cooking utensils to the families in need, the spokesperson added.

The relief packages have been distributed in camps in Lower Dir, Mardan and Malakand to families stranded in camps for the holy month of Ramzan, because their houses were destroyed or because they cannot afford to go back home.

Over 1,000 families are now able to cook their own food and stop relying on daily distributions in the camps, he maintained.

Bibi Jamali, a 35-year-old housewife and mother of six children said how difficult it was to leave Bajaur when the fighting started; “My whole family rushed out of the house with nothing with us and no means of transportation. I had to walk several kilometres pushing my small children along. Now that we are in a camp, I am just living to look after my kids who are hungry and suffering from diarrhoea. After almost 20 days, I am finally able to cook food for my children. I felt good when I saw the smiles on my children’s faces after their first home-cooked meal. I don’t know how to thank those who provided my family this support during our time of hardship,” she said.— APP