IDPs rehabilitation to begin in Feb, will cost Rs100bn: Safron minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Lt- Gen (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch on Wednesday said that phase wise rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their native areas would be started in mid February.

Addressing at a press conference here, he said the process will be started in 2nd or 3rd week of next month and will take around one year.

Baloch said rehabilitation of around 2 million IDPs would cost Rs100 billion and all out efforts were being made to raise funds for the process.

The minister said, “Unfortunately the plight of IDPs could not be highlighted in effective manner besides mobilising the people to help them due to sit-ins”.

He said the reconstruction phase would also need billions of rupees and it was not an easy task. He urged philanthropists and people to join hands to rebuilt hospitals schools and other facilities in tribal areas.

Abdul Qadir Baloch said that the Peshawar school massacre has united the nation and all political parties were on the same page to root out menace of terrorism from the country.

Regarding Afghan refugees, the minister said that efforts were being made to repatriate them by the year end, adding that modalities were also being finalised with all stakeholders including UNHCR and Afghan government for their honorable return.