TANK: Hundreds of people whose houses were damaged during militancy in the Mehsud area of South Waziristan tribal district staged a demonstration in front of the deputy commissioner’s camp office in Tank here on Wednesday to protest delay in payment of compensation to them.

The protesters also blocked the road outside the camp office for several hours. The affected people came to Tank in vehicular processions from different areas of South Waziristan, Dera Ismail Khan and other areas of the province.

The protesters complained the people affected by the operation Rah-i-Nijat had not been paid compensation despite a survey of the damaged houses had been conducted in 2017.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl MPA from South Waziristan Maulana Essamuddin and other elders of Mehsud tribe led the protesters.

Mr Essamuddin said the government had set up committees for conducting survey of damaged houses, but the surveyors charged Rs100,000 per household.

He alleged despite issuance of tokens to affected people compensation was not paid to them.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2021