LANDI KOTAL: The Fata Disaster Management Authority has extended the last date for return of Kukikhel families for another 10 days owing to lukewarm response from the displaced people.

FDMA spokesman Ehsan Dawar told Dawn that the return process was not up to expectations as the displaced families were not showing interest in going back to their homes.

Rejected the allegations of Kukikhel elders about suspension of official assistance to the returning families, he said that even unregistered families were provided with food and non-food items at the time of their return.

Mr Dawar said that initially October 16 was fixed as last date for return of Kukikhels that was extended to October 26 to facilitate maximum number of displaced families.

Official says displaced families not interested in going back

The Kukikhel families had earlier announced boycott of the official return plan. They said that they were not able to reconstruct their damaged houses as the areas around Rajgal were in the grip of severe cold. They said that FDMA had pledged to provide tents to them but tents could not protect them from the harsh winter.

Malak Naseer Ahmad, a Kukikhel elder, said that they would not go back till the government conducted complete survey of their damaged properties and paid them adequate compensation.

The extension in last date for return of Kukikhels also deferred the repatriation of Sipah, Kamarkhel and Malakdinkhel tribes of Bara till the end on the month. Officials said that return of Bara tribes would be started after the repatriation of Kukikhels.

MERGER: Fata Siyasi Ettehad (FSE) has termed the merger of tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa only change in the names of official designations.

In a meeting held at the residence of MNA Iqbal Afridi, the FSE leaders said that no concrete steps were taken to improve the standard of life of tribal people.

The meeting was attended by ANP leader Shah Hussain Shinwari, PPP leader Jangraiz Khan Mohmand, QWP leader Asad Afridi, JI leader Shah Jehan Afridi and Olasi Tehreek leader Rahim Shah.

Through a resolution, they demanded immediate repeal of Fata Interim Governance Regulation (FIGR) and extension of all the regular laws of the country to tribal districts.

They said that innocent tribesmen were jailed while a number of them were missing as they could not move a court in the presence of FIGR. “Fata Tribunal too had been abolished and tribal people have no access to justice,” they added.

The FSE leaders said that judicial powers of deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners in tribal districts should be assigned to civil and judicial magistrates.

They also demanded representation for tribal districts in provincial assembly and early holding of local bodies’ elections in the region.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2018