LANDI KOTAL: Hundreds of traders and shopkeepers on Monday observed September 1 as a black day on completion of five years of military operation in Bara, Khyber Agency.

The traders expressed grave concern and displeasure over the closure of Bara Bazaar since the launch of military operation in Biya Daraghlam area on September 1, 2009.

Speaking on the occasion Bara Tajir Ettehad (BTE) leader Maqbali Khan said that local traders suffered losses to the tune of millions of rupees owing to prolonged closure of the bazaar and other business centres in Bara.

He said that they approached almost all the authorities concerned and requested them to reopen Bara Bazaar but to no avail.

“The political administration, security officials and public representatives made promises of reopening Bara Bazaar but they all failed to keep their word,” Mr Khan said.

BTE general secretary Said Ayaz said that a good number of local traders shifted their businesses to other parts of the country taking along all their capital while many lost their entire capital and were leading a miserable life.

Demand of authorities to reopen local bazaar, business centres

He said that although security forces reopened some roads leading to Bara from Peshawar and Jamrud, yet they did not help them in resumption of business activity in the militancy-hit Bara tehsil.

Mr Ayaz said that the local political administration in collaboration with Fata Secretariat had some time ago conducted a survey about the financial loses incurred by Bara traders and promised to pay due compensation to them but so far not a single trader had been compensated.

Maqbali Khan and Said Ayaz demanded of the political administration and security officials to restore peace at Bara Bazaar and reopen all the business centres. Meanwhile, the council of internally displaced persons from Bara, residing in Jalozai camp, also demanded of the authorities concerned to the pave way for their immediate return.

Haji Imran, a member of the council, said that more than 5,000 displaced families of Bara were still languishing at Jalozai camp as the attention of officials was focused on IDPs from North Waziristan Agency.

He said that IDPs from Bajaur and Mohmand agencies, residing with them at Jalozai camp, had long been repatriated to their respective localities but they were still waiting for their return.

He said that they were promised several times that they would be sent back soon to their home towns but to no avail.

Mr Imran said that almost all the displaced families were desperate to return to their homes as the five-year long military operation failed to achieve its objectives.

“We want to go back and resume our life in Bara with forming local peace committees,” he said.

Gulabat Khan, another member of the council, said that they wanted the administration to reopen all closed government schools so that their children could education when they returned.

He also demanded of the security forces to ensure safety of all important roads and reduce duration of curfew to enable the returning IDPs to move freely.

Meanwhile, MNA Mohammad Nasir Khan, in a statement issued on completion of five years of Bara operation, said that he was hopeful that peace would be restored soon and all the displaced families would be brought back to the homes.

He said that negotiations were held with various stakeholders of the Bara conflict and he was quite optimistic that Bara Bazaar and all the government schools would be reopened soon.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd , 2014