TANK: Around 160 families of the temporarily displaced persons returned to their hometowns in South Waziristan Agency as the third phase of their repatriation began on Monday.

A convey of 160 families, including 1,200 people, left Khargai Transit Camp in FR Tank for their destinations in South Waziristan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra is personally supervising the repatriation process, says a statement issued by the Governor’s House.

According to it, all arrangements for the return of the temporarily displaced persons to South Waziristan have been completed and initially, 30,000 displaced families from 39 villages of Makeen, Ladha, Sararogha, Sarwakai and Tiarza areas in South Waziristan have begun their return to homes.

The exercise will be completed until May 14.

To facilitate the returning women, two separate desks have been established for their smooth registration.

Each verified family will receive Rs35,000 compensation package as cash assistance, including Rs10,000 as transportation grant and food package for six months.

The governor directed the relevant officials to make all-out efforts for the immediate return and rehabilitation of the TDPs to their native homes, according to the statement.

He asked the officials of the FDMA that problems of TDPs be resolved on priority basis and that provision of basic facilities to the displaced persons be ensured at any cost.

Meanwhile, the repatriation of the TDPs from Kurram, Orakzai and North Waziristan agencies will begin simultaneously in the third week of April.

A total of 50,553 displaced families will be sent back to native towns.

Talking to reporters, South Waziristan political agent Zafarul Islam Khattak said 71,000 families were displaced when the ‘Rahi Nijat’ military operation was launched against militants in the region.

He said the repatriation of TDPs had begun in 2010 and that in the previous two phases, 27,000 families had returned to their native areas.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2016