IDPs repatriation to Orakzai begins

22 families leave for native areas on first day

KALAYA: The families displaced from Orakzai Agency on Saturday started going back to their native areas after eight years as the civil and military officials said that peace had been restored to the tribal region.

Talking to reporters at the checkpoint at Shahukhel area in Hangu district, Political Agent Mohammad Zubair Khan and Brigadier Imran Sherazi said that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) were being sent to their native areas through Shahukhel.

They said that initially 22 displaced families left for their homes on the first day of the repatriation.

The officials said that the returning families that were registered with the authorities would be provided Rs10,000 for transportation and a food package worth 25,000.

The unregistered families, they said, would be provided financial assistance for resettlement only.

The officials said that Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) would be assisted in the rehabilitation and the repatriation of the 2,800 displaced families.

Meanwhile, the members of the returning families were overjoyed at the return to their homes and thanked the government for purging Orakzai Agency of the militants and restoring peace.