PESHAWAR: The All Parties Political Alliance North Waziristan Agency on Tuesday complained the destruction of shops and markets in the tribal agency during the military offensive against militants and demanded that the federal government form a committee to assess financial losses and approve a comprehensive compensation package for the affected businessmen.
President of the alliance Hafiz Farhad Ali told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club said at least 21,000 shops were destroyed in the agency during the operation against militants but their owners had yet to be compensated for it.
He said such shops were located in Mir Ali, Miramshah, Patisi Adda, Degan and adjacent areas, where business activities had come to a standstill due to the destruction of markets.
Mr. Ali said the local businessmen and traders had suffered billions of rupees worth of losses due to the destruction of markets.
APPA calls a multiparty conference on issue
“We have convened a multiparty conference at Al-Markaz-i-Islami Peshawar on Oct 28, where representatives of media and civil society will also show up. The participants will form a committee to contact military officials, preferably President Mamnoon Hussain and army chief General Raheel Sharif, for help in securing compensation for those affected by the military operation,” he said.
The alliance’s president said separate invitations had been sent to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and KP Speaker Asad Qaiser to attend the event.
“If the (multi-party) conference fails, the people of the agency will take the matter to the United Nations,” he said.
Mr. Ali said the rest of the political parties’ representatives rejected the version of the federal government on the construction of markets and start of development schemes in North Waziristan Agency.
Zahidin Khan of PTI, Abdul Khalil of ANP, Malik Dilbar Khan of Qaumi Watan Party, Shamsur Rehman of PPP, Naseem Dawar and Ashfaq Dawar of Students Groups (Youth) and representatives of local traders were also present on the occasion.
Abdul Khalil said the government should send media teams to the tribal region to know the ground situation.
He said on return to homes, the internally displaced families faced serious problems like healthcare and educational facilities.
The ANP leader said the people’s movement had become very difficult due to several security checkpoints.
He alleged that the federal government had embezzled funds collected in the name of displaced families.
Abdul Khalil also claimed a piece of land measuring five thousands of kanals in Datakhel area had been occupied by the political administration.
He urged the government to give the land’s possession to owners for use for agricultural purpose.
Published in Dawn October 26th, 2016
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