LANDI KOTAL: Health authorities in Khyber Agency claimed on Friday to have vaccinated for the first time children under age five against polio during a recent anti-polio campaign in Takhtaki hill station of Tirah valley.

They said that 67 children belonging to 49 Kamarkhel families who had only recently returned to the area were administered polio vaccine. “It was for the first time that the health teams reached the Thor Lagad area of Takhtaki area in Tirah valley and carried out anti-polio campaign,” the officials said.

Inhabited by Kamarkhel tribe, the hilly terrain of Takhtaki was vacated by its residents in early 2013 when armed activists of banned Lashkar-i-Islam attacked the area after locals refused to align themselves with it. Some families of Thor Lagad village have recently returned to their homes while hundreds more are awaiting their return plan to be announced by the agency’s administration and Fata Disaster Management Authority.

A 40-member delegation of Kamarkhel tribe from Takhtaki also met the security officials stationed at Bagh Markaz in Tirah and apprised them of the delay in their return. It was learnt that the elders apprised the security officials that most of the displaced families were already issued Voluntary Return Forms and hence their monthly ration was also suspended, but they were yet to be sent back to their homes.

Sources said that the officials assured the Kamarkhel elders that their genuine concerns would be conveyed to the political administration and FDMA so that an immediate plan of their return could be devised.

The delegation also demanded construction of a road to their area, schools, hospitals and water supply schemes. They also demanded survey of their damaged properties and a speedy disbursement of compensation to the affected families.

Meanwhile, some 2,500 displaced families of Kukikhel tribe also deman-ded registration and resumption of their monthly ration.

Haji Shah Khan, a representative of Kukikhel IDPs, told Dawn that none of them had so far acquired the Voluntary Return Form as their area was not yet de-notified by the security forces, but the political administration had suspended their monthly ration three months ago.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2016