BANNU: Internally displaced persons (IDPs) belong to Madakhel and Saidgi tribes of North Waziristan staged a protest at Fazal Qadir Shaheed Park in Bannu, demanding immediate restoration of their suspended financial assistance.

The protesters warned that if their legitimate demands were not met by Tuesday, they would march to Peshawar and stage an indefinite sit-in outside the CM House.

Addressing the gathering, former candidate for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly from North Waziristan, Malik Rahmat Ghulam Khan, said that financial assistance for many displaced families from Madakhel and Saidgi tribes had been suspended without justification for the past two to three years.

He said that the affected families had undergone verification several times in the presence of the district administration officials and other relevant authorities, confirming they had not yet returned to their native areas and were eligible for the assistance.

Malik Rahmat Ghulam Khan stated that these families were forced to leave their homes during military operations in the interest of peace and national security. Despite years of displacement, neither has their safe return been ensured nor has their financial support been restored. He added that the displaced families had repeatedly staged protests and sit-ins demanding their return, only receiving assurances from the authorities.

He further said that the displaced families have no permanent source of income, and the monthly financial assistance of Rs20,000 was their only mean of survival.

He warned that if the issue was not resolved by Tuesday, the affected families would travel from Bannu to Peshawar and stage a full-scale indefinite sit-in outside the CM House until their demands were accepted.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2026