All IDPs to be sent back to native areas

PESHAWAR: Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan said on Tuesday steps were being taken to send back all the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to native areas.
Speaking at the Multi-Donor’s Trust Conference here, he said rehabilitation and reconstruction in tribal areas was the priority of the government for the return of displaced persons.
He said that rehabilitation of IDPs and reconstruction of tribal region was a challenging task and the government was using all resources to successfully complete the task.
The governor urged the international community to play its role in rehabilitation of tribespeople and development of Fata.
He said that return process had been started simultaneously for five tribal regions, including Khyber, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Kurram and Orakzai agencies.
The governor said more than 10,000 tribesmen have been provided technical trainings in different trades. He maintained that the government wanted to improve the economic condition of tribespeople to eradicate militancy from the tribal areas.
He stated that soft loan schemes would be introduced in Fata to provide better socio-economic opportunities to the tribespeople.
Sardar Mahtab said the government was aware of the problems and difficulties and enormous challenges that the displaced people of Fata were faced with. “It is our responsibility. This is a job that needs to be accomplished and keeping in view the importance of this responsibility the international community’s support is required,” he added.
The governor said the government was committed to rooting out militancy from Fata and expressed the government’s resolve to redress the grievances of the tribespeople. He said a comprehensive strategy of rehabilitation and reconstruction of tribal areas had been framed.
Head of operations for
the United Nations Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), John Ging, appreciated the efforts of the government for the repatriation process in tribal areas and said that his organisation would continue assistance to ensure implementation of rehabilitation and reconstruction strategy for tribal region.