PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan has said that efforts are being made to send back all internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes by the end of next year.

He said that safe and dignified return of the displaced persons, and rehabilitation and reconstruction in tribal areas was the top priority of the incumbent government.

The governor said that the tribesmen had rendered great sacrifices for restoration of peace in the entire region and urged the international community to come forward in the reciprocation of their sacrifices and play its due role in the rehabilitation of tribesmen and the development of this marginalised region.

He said that the menace of terrorism had been controlled due to comprehensive strategy of the military and political leadership, adding that repatriation process of IDPs had been started simultaneously from five tribal agencies, including Khyber, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Kurram and Orakzai agencies, and it was going on successfully.

Governor says efforts on to repatriate all IDPs by end of 2016

The governor said this while addressing the Multi Donor’s Trust Conference here on Tuesday. Besides head of operations of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), John Ging, ambassadors of different countries, heads of international organisations, additional chief secretary Fata Mohammad Aslam Kamboh, DG project Fata, DG FDMA and other relevant officials were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the conference, the governor said that over 10,000 tribesmen had been given technical training in different sectors. He said that the government was determined to reduce poverty and get rid of backwardness as it was inevitable for the eradication of militancy in the tribal areas.

The governor stated that interest-free loan schemes would be introduced in Fata soon to improve the livelihood conditions and provide better opportunities of socio-economic uplift to the tribal people.

He said that peace of the whole region was linked with the peace and stability in tribal areas. He said that rehabilitation of IDPs and reconstruction of tribal region was a challenging task and the government was using its full potential in this regard.

He said that the tribesmen and security forces had rendered great sacrifices for peace of the entire region. “The tribesmen should be given due honour and their sacrifices for the peace and stability of the whole region should be recognised by the world community,” he added.

The governor said that the incumbent government was well aware of the problems and enormous challenges that the displaced people of Fata were faced with. He said that the displaced people had been supported by the humanitarian community. He stated that the government wanted to give an environment to the displaced people where they had their own livelihood, where safety was established and there was no chance of militancy. “It is our responsibility as a government. This is a job that needs to be accomplished, and keeping in view the importance of this responsibility the international community’s support is required,” he said.

Sardar Mahtab said that the incumbent government was committed to rooting out militancy once and for all and expressed the resolve to redress the grief of the tribesmen. He said that for this purpose steps had been taken and comprehensive strategy of rehabilitation and reconstruction of tribal areas was being framed. He said that repatriation and rehabilitation of all IDPs was the top priority of the government. He said that the reforms process in Fata would be completed with the consent of tribal people.

Addressing the conference, UNOCHA director operations appreciated the efforts of the government, especially the governor, for the successful ongoing repatriation process in tribal areas and said that they would continue assistance to ensure the implementation of rehabilitation and reconstruction strategy for tribal region.

“The governor has been extremely honest, open and transparent about the challenge that he has faced and has provided, in my view, exemplary leadership. He is prioritising from his own resources to support the return, to capture momentum and support it. It’s about supporting people in a practical way,” he added. Praising the role of UNOCHA, the governor said that its role had been exemplary in the repatriation process and rehabilitation of IDPs.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2015

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