PESHAWAR/BANNU: With families continuously streaming out of North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan expressed disappointment on Sunday over the Sindh and Balochistan governments’ decision to ban the entry of displaced people into the two provinces.

“Decision of Sindh and Punjab governments about banning entry of IDPs is regrettable,” he said while talking to reporters after visiting a helpline centre for internally displaced persons in Peshawar.

He said that people of North Waziristan had vacated their homes for the security and stability of Pakistan and the entire nation should help them.

He said efforts were being made to contain the movement of fresh IDPs within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But if some people wanted to settle in other provinces, he said, banning their entry was regrettable.

He said that role of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was positive and it was helping the IDPs.

As evacuation of people from the troubled tribal area continued, the Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) said 404, 819 people had so far been registered.

Officials said the curfew rela­xation had been exten­ded till Monday because more people were coming out from the area. Guns also remained silent in the region.

IDPs queued up at the Saidgai checkpoint in extremely hot weather to get clearance and receive cash assistance from the authorities.

In Bannu, meanwhile, a group of IDPs held a demonstration in protest against lack of facilities and demanded easing of curfew in North Waziristan.

They complained that a large number of stranded people was finding it difficult to get transport to leave the affected areas.

Many families were facing problems to get accommodation and local people were not allowing them to take shelter in schools. And many schools where IDPs have been living for the past few days are without electricity.

Owners of private schools have refused to accommodate the displaced people.

Sardar Mahtab said transport had been arranged to get the remaining civilians out of North Waziristan and distribution of cash relief among the IDPs on the spot had been streamlined.

According to ISPR, camps for displaced people have been set up by the army at the COD, DHA Golf Club and Malir Cantonment gate in Karachi, Fortress Stadium, Masjid Chowk in DHA Phase I, Beacon House School in DHA Phase 3 and Wateen Chowk in DHA Phase 5, Lahore, and also in Hyderabad and Pano Akil.

Meanwhile, our correspondent adds from Ladah, a group of militants in North Waziristan has agreed not to attack troops carrying out operation in the region till the 10th day after Eidul Fitr and consented to continuation of talks between elders of the Uthmanzai tribe and the government.

According to sources, the shura of North Waziristan militants headed by Hafiz Gul Bahadur told a jirga of Uthmanzai elders headed by Haji Sher Muhammad that it had taken the decision in the interest of local people.

After the meeting, the jirga requested the government to conclude the military action as soon as possible.

Gul Bahadur’s spokesman had earlier accused the government of violating an agreement reached in 2006.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2014