Malikdinkhel tribesmen demand non-food items for IDPs

PESHAWAR: The elders of Malikdinkhel Afridi tribe in Khyber Agency on Monday expressed concern over the non-provision of non-food items (NFIs) to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of the tribe and threatened to protest if the demand was not fulfilled.

Speaking at a news conference here, Daud Khan said that of the seven tribes of Khyber Agency, only Malikdinkhel had been kept deprived of the non-food items. He added that the kits of NFIs contained essential household stuff, including blankets and tents. He said the package was worth Rs12,000.

Mughal Baaz, Daulat Khan, Shan Akbar, Muhammad Akbar, Lal Mast Khan, Ghairat Khan and others were present. Daud Khan said the IDPs had returned to their areas in 2015 but the kits had not been given them. He said: "We are in contact with the local political administration, the Fata Disaster Management Authority and UNHCR, but to no avail."

The elder said that 17,800 deserving people were anxiously waiting for government's response to implement the commitment it had made with the people during repatriation of the IDPs in 2015. The elders asked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra to help resolve the issue and warned to launch protest if the demand was not met.