PESHAWAR: The elders of North Waziristan Agency have voiced concern over the launch of military operation in their region fearing the continuous curfew will lead to the death of many stranded tribesmen due to shortage of food, suspension of power, and lack of water and medicines.

During a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, North Waziristan Qaumi Jirga chief Malik Gul Naeem said military operation had been launched in North Waziristan all of a sudden to the misery of local residents, who didn’t get ample time to move to safer places.

Accompanied by other elders including Maulvi Gul Yousaf, Maulvi Khalid Ahmad and Abdul Malik, Malik Gul said the government was bound to take tribesmen of North Waziristan, especially their leaders, into confidence before the launch of the operation to help them shift to safer places at appropriate time along with necessary items.

He said the curfew had cut off around 80 percent of the agency’s population from the rest of the world for four days besides suspending communication system to the misery of their relatives living in other parts of the country.

Say restriction blocking supplies which may lead to deaths

The elder said students of North Waziristan enrolled in Peshawar’s different educational institutions were worried about the safety of their families back home after the launch of operation as there had been no contact between them for some days.

“Under the current circumstances, we can say the launch of the military operation is sheer violation of the local residents’ basic rights and blatant injustice to them. Around 8,000 people have already shifted to safer places,” he said.Malik Gul said many North Waziristan families had moved to Afghanistan for fear of their life, while the rest would follow them if the operation didn’t stop forthwith.

“The supply of basic necessary like electricity, food and medicines has been suspended in the area, where people, especially women and children, are stranded. No one is unwilling to attend to their complaints,” he said.

The elder said the people didn’t know why they were punished in the name of military action though they were patriotic citizens and had rendered tremendous sacrifices for the country.

He urged the human rights organisations, political leaders and journalists to influence the federal government to stop military operation and ensure provision of necessary items to the affected people.

Malik Gul said security forces should help the stranded people move to safer places, while the government should allow tribesmen to take shelter in its vacant buildings. He demanded establishment of camps for displaced persons and provision of health and educational facilities to them.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2014