August 17, 2008	Sunday	Sha'aban 14, 1429

TIMERGARA, Aug 16: The displaced persons (DPs) of Bajaur have been facing problems while the federal and provincial governments had been silent spectators, victims of the ongoing clashes between the military and militants in the region complained on Saturday.

Mazrof Khan, during a visit to a camp, set up for the displaced persons in Munda, Lower Dir, said that most of their residential areas had been come under bombardment during the past weeks.

He accused the forces of attacking even those people who were leaving the area and pointed out that six people were killed a few days back when their vehicle was targeted.

“One of my daughters and a son got killed when a rocket hit my house during a severe air strike and we left their bodies there as we did not want more deaths in the house,” said Rahmanullah. He termed the operation a form of terrorism which had forced them to migrate from the area.

Karimullah, a local, said all government schools, union council offices and guest houses (hujras) in Munda, Samar Bagh and Mayar had been filled with displaced persons of Bajaur.

He said the mass exodus continued and thousands of people were coming in the area on daily basis. He pointed out that transporters were overcharging the affected people, but there was no authority to stop them from fleecing the poor.

Rahmatullah, a resident of Bajaur, said that his ten-member family had to travel for eight hours to reach Munda as they had no fare to pay the transporters. Abdullah said people had left their cattle at homes without any person to look after them.

Asmatullah said though they were provided with food at the camp but sometimes most of them were left without food as the population at the camps was increasing.

Izazul Mulk said that the previous night two women gave birth to two children in the nearby maize fields as there was no privacy at the camps. The government should provide medical facilities at the camps so that the inmates could take benefit of it, he added.

The people of Jandol and other areas of Lower Dir were trying their level best to serve the displaced persons but according to local political leaders, they could support them for ten to fifteen days only.

They demanded of the government to end the Bajaur military operation immediately so that the displaced people could be sent back to their homes.