PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Abbasi unveiled on Saturday a programme for the return of internally displaced persons of three tribal agencies. The programme will be implemented from Monday.

Briefing reporters about the return process, he said in the first phase 40,500 families would go back to South Waziristan, Khyber and North Waziristan agencies. The government would pay Rs 25,000 in cash and Rs 10,000 as transportation cost to each household.

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Corps Commander of Peshawar Lt Gen Hidayat ur Rehman was present in the briefing.

The governor said payment of cash grant to over 300,000 displaced families and compensation for damaged houses required Rs 80 billion, adding that some foreign donors had shown willingness to contribute in this regard.

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However, he said, the real issue was management of the return process, not provision of resources.

“Successful completion of the first phase of return of IDPs will shape the process of the return of remaining IDPs to Fata,” the governor said.

However, he said, the tribesmen would have to take steps to ensure that “such terrible situation is not repeated”.

“Tribal people should be very careful and should not allow people in their areas to put them in a nasty situation again,” he said.

Also read: Bara IDPs hesitant to return home

Sardar Mehtab termed the dislocation of a large number of people from Fata “a great human tragedy.”

According to the breakdown, 2,500 families will return to Serwakai and Saraogha tehsils of South Waziristan, 20,000 to Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency and 18,000 to Mirali tehsil of North Waziristan Agency.

Repatriation to South Waziristan will start on Monday, to Khyber on March 20 and to North Waziristan on 31st.

Villages and tehsils where displaced families would return have been identified.

The governor said 29 such villages in Mirali and Akakhel tribe- dominated area in Bara tehsil had been identified for the return process.

The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has verified 310,729 displaced families from Fata.

After the launch of the Zarb-i-Azb military operation against terrorists, 101,788 families had left North Waziristan and 86,107 had shifted from Khyber Agency last year. As many as 66,978 families had moved from South Waziristan in 2009 and since then they are waiting for return to their homes.

In reply to a question, the governor said around 125,000 people of North Waziristan had taken refuge in Afghanistan but most of them had returned to Pakistan via Kurram Agency. The authorities are facilitating tribal people coming back from Afghanistan.

INFRASTRUCTURE: He said infrastructure was being reconstructed in the affected areas. The government will pay Rs 400,000 to every household for a destroyed house and Rs 160,000 for a partially damaged house.

In reply to a question about the existence of the self-styled Islamic State in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata, the corps commander said: “We don’t need to worry about it as we are already dealing with Taliban... They are the same people and are only changing their names. This does not make any difference.”

“This is a fact that we are facing the threat of terrorism, but at the same time we are also fighting back. IS or Daesh is not a threat for Pakistan,” said Gen Hidayat.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2015

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