PESHAWAR: Tribal elders from Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency on Sunday demanded of the government to start immediate repatriation of the displaced Sipah tribesmen and to announce a special package for their rehabilitation.

They made the demand at a jirga which was also attended by local leaders of all political parties of Khyber Agency.

Speaking on the occasion, MNA Nasir Khan Afridi said the displaced people had been facing financial problems as they couldn’t afford living in rented houses.

Shah Faisal Afridi of Jamaat-i-Islami said the government should extend financial assistance to the displaced Sipah tribesmen and to wave off the Rs1.2 million penalty imposed on them after unknown miscreants attacked security forces in Bara area during the Khyber One operation.

Former state minister Malik Waris Khan Afridi said they were peaceful people and wanted peace in the country, especially in Fata. He said the Sipah tribe issue should be resolved through dialogue.

Latif Afridi Advocate said the government was not announcing the date for return of the Sipah tribesmen to their native areas which was injustice with them.

The jirga participants appealed to the government to reopen the Bara Bazaar.—APP

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2015

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