KHYBER: A persistent delay in damage assessment survey coupled with fear of displacement is adding to the misery of hundreds of Upper Bara families in Tirah area here as their houses were damaged due to militancy and military operation prior to their return in 2022.

Residents of Rashakai, Spin Drand, Nangrosa, Dray Wandi, Kotkai, Mulano Kalay, Landikhel, Baghdadkhel, Shiekhmali and Kandaw Jumaat had returned to their homes, mostly not fit for living, in 2022 after peace was restored in the region.

The government had then set a criterion for giving Rs400,000 as compensation against a fully destroyed house. Owners of partially damaged homes were entitled to Rs160,000 compensation following a thorough damage assessment survey by official teams nominated by the district administration and Provincial Disaster Management Authority while duly assisted by local elders.

The affected families were also required to wait for the conclusion of the survey and were refrained from any repair which could alter the damage structure of their house prior to the survey as any such activity could jeopardise their claim for compensation.

Seventy-five-year-old Juma Baz of Speen Drand village told Dawn that he had to dismantle two storeys of his three story house as he had to arrange a shelter for his family while impatiently waiting for the survey since his return in 2022.

He said that the damage to his decades old house was a huge financial loss to him and a mere Rs400,000 was no compensation to his ‘palatial’ family house.

“I had to skip the survey procedure as they could not wait any further while his family was waiting in distress with no official assistance in sight in near future,” he said.

Meeras Khan, another Upper Bara resident, said he was yet to rebuild the dilapidated structure of his house as he feared loss of compensation.

He said that the continuous delay in conducting survey and harsh weather conditions had caused further damage to the two-storey house while some of his family members were compelled to stay back in Bara due to limited livable space in his damaged house.

Zarlal, another Upper Bara resident, was more apprehensive about the security situation in the region. He said that alongside a painful delay in completion of survey, he along with most of the area’s residents could not rebuild their homes at their own expense as they fear a fresh displacement due to the precarious law and order situation.

He said that only recently, the residents of the nearby Sokh, Kamarkhel area were ordered to leave their houses and pave the way for a limited scale military operation.

“We fear that the same could happen to us and if we rebuild our houses, these will be again targeted during the military operations,” he said.

Khalilullah, a social activist in Upper Bara, said life could only return to normal once the damage assessment survey was transparently completed without further delay.

He said the affected families were allowed to rebuild and repair their damaged houses after prompt payment of compensation amount.

“There are still a large number of Upper Bara residents who are reluctant to return to their homes as those are mostly damaged,” he said.

The activist also complained that the area lacked roads, bridges, irrigation channels, electricity, mobile phone connectivity and above all livelihood opportunities for youth.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2026