PESHAWAR: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has started distribution of relief items among internally displaced persons from North Waziristan Agency on the request of federal government.

Officials said that the UN agency distributed non-food items among displaced families residing in Bannu and other adjacent districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Distribution process was kicked off on Monday.

An official said that 2,500 kits of non-food items were distributed among IDPs and the process would continue. Tents have not been included in the package because displaced are living off-camps.

Federal government had earlier announced that UN and other humanitarian organisations would not be requested for help as it would fulfil all the requirements of IDPs including food and non-food items from its own resources.

The government had to revoke its decision of not seeking assistance from outside in the wake of large scale mass exoduses and ultimately sent a formal request to resident coordinator of the United Nations in Islamabad to assist IDPs from North Waziristan Agency.

Federal Ministry of States and Frontier Regions in a letter to the UN coordinator said that government was assisting IDPs through cash disbursement. However, there was a need for relief items such as tents, non-food items, food security, assistance in the health care and other related matters owing to displacement.

“It is therefore requested that the UN may extend and replicate its operations for assistance of IDPs of North Waziristan in addition to their current assistance for uprooted populations of Khyber, Kurram and South Waziristan agencies,” the letter said.

However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government seems unaware of the federal government’s letter as it became evident from a handout issued on Tuesday. It said that international non-governmental organisations and UN agencies were not involved in relief activities as per decision of the federal and provincial governments.

An official dealing with the relief operation in Bannu said that provincial government was in a ‘slumber.’ He said that all international agencies of the UN and their partners were invited to assist the IDPs.

The official said that UN had released $7.7 million for IDPs of North Waziristan Agency. World Food Programme (WFP) has already started distribution of food items among IDPs in Bannu and five distribution points have been established for the purpose.

Officials said that more than 460,000 IDPs were registered at Saidgi checkpost in Frontier Region of Bannu. A relief camp has been established in Bakakhel area but IDPs are reluctant to stay in tents.

Officials said that the camp was likely to be closed because IDPs were not ready to stay there.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2014