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Friday March 29, 2024

North Waziristan IDPs start going home

MIRANSHAH: The government on Tuesday started phase-wise repatriation of the displaced tribesmen from the North Waziristan Agency to their homes and villages.According to the Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA), around 127,000 families (1,200,000 tribesmen approximately) were displaced from different parts of North Waziristan when the government launched a much-publicised military

By our correspondents
April 01, 2015
MIRANSHAH: The government on Tuesday started phase-wise repatriation of the displaced tribesmen from the North Waziristan Agency to their homes and villages.
According to the Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA), around 127,000 families (1,200,000 tribesmen approximately) were displaced from different parts of North Waziristan when the government launched a much-publicised military offensive against the local and foreign militants there on June 15, 2014.
In the first phase, 62 families belonging to Shahmiri, Shashikhel Bobal, and Mirali villages of Spinwam Tehsil were sent back to their homes.The Pakistan Army troops escorted the returning tribesmen from the Bakakhel IDPs camp in the Frontier Region Bannu till their villages in Spinwam.
Besides providing one-month ration, the government has paid each family Rs10,000 cash for transportation and Rs25,000 for other expenses.According to officials of the FDMA, 1,286 families from 24 villages of Spinwam Tehsil had been registered for their scheduled repatriation.
They said the repatriation process of these families will conclude by July.A senior military officer, Maj-Gen Nauman and other civil and military officials, supervised the return process.Speaking on the occasion, Maj-Gen Nauman assured the returning tribesmen that Pakistan Army and other law-enforcement agencies would utilise all available resources to protect their lives and properties in their native villages and towns in North Waziristan.
He said as per the promise of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif, the concerned authorities had made arrangements for installing solar system in their homes, providing them clean drinking water and reconstruction of mosques in their villages.
Maj-Gen Nauman told the tribespeople that restoration of peace and maintaining order in the tribal region was responsibility of all of them.Another senior military official, Maj-Gen Akhtar Jamil Rao also spoke to the returning tribespeople and wished them a peaceful stay in their hometowns.
He said the relevant departments had been engaged in restoring all basic facilities in the areas where the tribespeople are being sent back.The official said they were particularly working with relevant departments to restore electricity and provide health and education facilities to the tribespeople in the affected areas.
The repatriation process of the displaced people has sent a wave of happiness among rest of the tribal people displaced from other places such as Mir Ali, Miranshah, Dattakhel and other areas of North Waziristan.
The government has not yet finalised the return process of the people of these residential areas.Most of the displaced people had asked the government to send them to native villages after military authorities a few months ago announced that the tribal region had been cleared of the terrorists and writ of the state restored.
However, it was reported later that it would take some time the government to send back the people of Mir Ali and Miranshah.Some government officials in Bannu are of the view that after the repatriation process of the people of 24 villages is concluded, they may start phase-wise repatriation of the people of Mir Ali and Miranshah.