LANDI KOTAL: The displaced Sipah tribesmen are required to get special permission from Khyber district administration to travel to Tirah valley despite official announcement about their return in June this year, according to sources.

They said that Sipah tribesmen, currently residing in Bara-Kajorai localities of Speen Qabar, Gharreeza, Alamgudar, Mandi Kas, Gandaw and Yousaf Talab, were stopped from entering Tirah at the entry points on the pretext that their return to areas in the valley was not yet completed.

The tribesmen told Dawn on condition of anonymity that they were asked by the security personnel posted at the checkposts to get special permission from Bara assistant commissioner before entering Tirah.

Official says security agencies have reservations about their free movement

They said that they showed their CNICs and voluntary return forms (VRF) as proof of their being genuine residents of Bara but they were denied permission. “Tirah has become a foreign land for us as we are required to get special ‘visa’ for travelling to the valley where we have relatives and joint businesses with members of other tribes,” they added.

Bara Assistant Commissioner Asmatullah Wazir acknowledged ban on entry of Sipah and Akkakhel tribesmen to Tirah and said that security agencies still had reservations over their “free mobility” in the region prior to their complete return.

Fata Disaster Management Authority announced in June this year return of nearly 7000 displaced families of the different tribes of Bara including Sipah and Akkakhel to their respective region as part of their last plan to relocate all the remaining families to their homes.

Sources in Bara said that about 3,000 Sipah families had fled their homes in Sandana, Speen Drand, Narai Baba, Dray Naghari, Sanda Pal, Nangrosa, Ghaibi Neeka and Lakarr Baba areas of Tirah valley.

Residents of these areas along with those, who have homes in Bara-Kajorai, are not allowed to go to Bagh-Maidan, the only business centre in Tirah and its surrounding areas despite start of their return since June.

Sources, however, said that the return process too was slow owing to lack of basic facilities in the militancy-affected areas. They said that the authorities concerned were yet to initiate survey of their damaged houses while they also were faced with acute shortage of drinking water and electricity besides no school or a health unit was so far reopened in their areas.

Sipah was the last of the seven tribes, whose return was announced in June as the areas the tribe belonged to were not denotified by the security agencies till then.

The tribes also faced the wrath of the local administration as the leader of banned militant group Lashkar-i-Islam belonged to the same tribe and the group had most of its strong bases in Sipah localities.

Official perks and privileges of Sipah tribe also remained suspended for many years as punishment for attacks on security convoys during the 2014 military operations in Bara. The restrictions were lifted recently after local elders gave a firm assurance about their good conduct and complete dissociation from LI.

Meanwhile, security forces gave a go-ahead for the much awaited return of about 1,100 Qambarkhel families that were displaced from Jutt Dara, Eego Mela, Taju and Wouch Naw localities situated on the border with Kurram tribal district.

Officials said that return to Jutt Dara would take place on September 25 and 26 while families belonging to Taju and Wouch Naw would be sent back from September 27 to 30. The last batch of families from Eego Mela will go back to their homes on October 1 and 2.

These families had to vacate their homes in 2013 when Taliban occupied the region. Since then they had been residing in different localities of Kurram, Kohat and Peshawar.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2018