LANDI KOTAL: The Fata Disaster Management Authority has extended the second phase of the return of internally displaced persons to Tirah valley until June 27, saying it will facilitate the repatriation of over 18,000 unregistered families.

However, the FDMA said the unregistered families would not be entitled to free transport and non-food items.

They said 12 additional desks would be established at the Jarma exit point near Kohat for issuance of verification forms to the unregistered displaced families for repatriation.

The officials said around 18,220 unregistered families recommended by the Khyber Agency political administration for return to homes would be given permission letters and that 1,000 families got such letters at Jarma daily.

FDMA says unregistered families to benefit from decision

They said FDMA had earlier announced repatriation of around 7,500 registered families until June 7 and that all returning families were provided with free transportation, a kit of non-food items, mineral water, hygiene kit and cooked food on return to their homes.

“Except for food, no other facility could be provided to these families to be sent back after the final date,” an official said.

According to the revised plan, 7,000 unregistered Zakhakhel families will be repatriated between June 2 and June 10.

As many as 1,700 Adamkhel and 2,028 Shalbourne families will be sent to their homes from June 11 to June 17, while 7,500 Malikdinkhel families will be seen off from Jarma from June 18 to June 27.

Meanwhile, the FDMA officials said 4,674 registered families of different Tirah tribes had been sent back to Bagh Mardan from Durrani Camp in Kurram Agency and Jarma near Kohat.

They said the returned families included 13,000 male and 10,974 female IDPs.

The second phase of Tirah IDPs’ return began on May 5 and the FDMA had planned to send back 7,500 families. In the first phase, which was conducted in November last year, 14,500 families had returned to Tirah.

FIVE KILLED IN ACCIDENT: Two children and three women were killed when a van carrying them back to Tirah valley fell in a deep ravine on Friday.

The family of Shahzad Khan had left Jarma exit point near Kohat for Bagh-Maidan area of Tirah valley in a van.

The van was stopped at a security checkpost at Arhanga Pass but it veered off the road into a ravine when the driver and some of his family members were busy showing their identity cards to the army personnel.

Eleven people of the family were on board at that time.

The accident left wife and daughter of Shahzad Khan, his two sisters-in-law and a niece dead and three men, two women and a minor girl injured.

The army personnel pulled the dead and the injured out of the ravine and shifted them to a hospital in Kohat.

Published in Dawn, May 31th, 2014