PESHAWAR: The internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Bajaur and Mohmand tribal agencies have been bearing the sweltering heat in different relief camps without provision of electricity and sufficient water.

The issues of the IDPs from Malakand region have almost eclipsed the problems being faced by the displaced persons from Bajaur and Mohmand agencies. The IDPs from these two agencies complained that they were facing discriminations for being tribal.

‘The entire focus of the media and the government agencies is on Malakand whereas we have been suffering with no hope of returning back to our areas in near future,’ said Rizwanullah Khan, an inhabitant of Bajaur staying at the Katcha Garhi relief camp in Peshawar.

He questioned that how could they stay in the camps without provision of electricity. ‘Women have to suffer most as the male family members could sleep outside their tents at night but the females could not,’ he added.

Malakand region, they said, was in the NWFP, therefore, due to political considerations the provincial as well as federal governments continued to give them importance as compared to the displaced persons from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

‘Three of our children have been suffering from Malaria and diarrhoea, but there is no proper medical treatment available in the camp,’ said Abdul Manan, belonging to Bajaur and presently staying at the Jalozai relief camp in Nowshera. He added that the children had been crying due to severe heat.

He regretted that they had been living in the camp since last year and the displaced persons from Malakand took shelter in a nearby new camp set up for them in May last, but still electricity was provided to the latter and they had been deprived of that facility.

Moreover, he said, for the last many days they had been facing problem of water supply. ‘The tubewell in the camp is operational for a very short time which could not cope with the extreme hot weather,’ Manan said.

Rizwanullah, who belongs to Charmang area of Bajaur, said that he recently returned back from his village where his house had been damaged during the military operation against the Taliban. He added that they had no place to return back.

‘Looking at the pace of the operation in Bajaur, it appears that its completion will take many months and till then we have to stay here,’ said Toora Khan, another IDP from Bajaur at Katcha Garhi Camp. He added that they did not know why they had not been treating at par with the displaced persons from Malakand.

Prolonging of the military operation in the tribal areas has forced scores of IDPs in the Katcha Garhi Camp to raise mud-walls around their tents. The non-provision of fuel for cooking food continues to be another major problem affecting the routine lives of these people.

Children in large number have turned into scavengers and it has now become their routine to go out and search for items which could be used as fuel.