PESHAWAR: Traders from Mirali subdivision of North Waziristan tribal district have demanded compensation for damages caused by militancy to help revive business activities in the newly-merged tribal district.

President of North Waziristan Anjuman-i-Tajaran’s Mirali chapter Zaheerullah Wazir told a presser here on Friday that the traders had suffered huge losses during the military operation against militants as their shops and markets were destroyed.

Urging the government to fulfil its promises without delay, he said many traders had shut down their workplaces for lacking finances.

Mr Zaheerullah said such traders continued to await the payment of compensation.

He said the affected traders had launched a protest campaign to seek payment of compensation and even staged a sit-in in Islamabad for five days, which was called off after the government promised to meet their all genuine demands.

Accompanied by other office-bearers of the traders’ body, including Arfaqullah Malik, Mohammad Saeed, Mohammad Sherkhel, Mohammad Feroz, Asadullah, Saeed Amir and others, Mr Zaheerullah said more than 3,706 shops had been damaged in Mirali with the owners suffering a loss of Rs8.63 billion.

He said the traders had shared the data of losses with the government without delay to seek support for early revival of businesses in the tribal district but the announcement of compensation package for them was being delayed.

The trader leader said the affected traders had requested to meet the chief minister but his adviser on merged districts Ajmal Wazir declined the request saying the matter was related to the federal government and that the province was not in a position to pay such huge amount as compensation to them.

He appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to step in for the relief of traders in question.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2019