Mahsud, Bhittani tribesmen seek compensation for losses

WANA: The members of Mahsud and Bhittani tribes on Monday staged protests against the non-payment of compensation for the damaged houses and shops at Jandola bazaar during the military operation Rah-e-Nijat.

They had gathered outside the offices of the deputy commissioners of South Waziristan and Tank districts, saying they would not end the protest until the compensation was paid to them. The offices of the deputy commissioners of South Waziristan and Tank are located at the Tank-Wana Road in Tank.

Holding banners and placards, the protesters chanted slogans urging the government to compensate them for losses as soon as possible. Addressing the protesters, Shah Faisal, Nadim Mahsud and others said the military operation was launched in South Waziristan in 2009, but they were yet to be compensated for the losses they suffered despite the passage of over 10 years.

They said that the protesting tribesman would stay put outside the offices of the deputy commissioners until they received compensation for the destroyed houses and other properties. The protesters said that over 7,000 shops owned by the Bhittani tribesmen in Jandola were destroyed during the military operation.

They asked the government to release the compensation amount from the money it received from the World Bank or else they would stage a sit-in outside the Banigala residence of Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad.