PESHAWAR, Dec 12: A bench of Peshawar High Court was informed on Wednesday that UN agencies were facing funding problems for continuing with relief activities in 2013 for the internally displayed persons (IDPs).

A two-member bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth was told by the chief coordinator of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Faiz Mohammad Khan, that the UN relief agencies conveyed to them that they were facing restraint from donors while going into the year 2013.

He stated that they had approached the donors that situation was still volatile in several regions and they needed further assistance.

The bench observed that as the relief agencies had cautioned them in advance, therefore, the federal government should take up the issue with donors and should apprise them about the exact security situation there.

The bench summoned the provincial election commissioner over the issue of facilitating displaced persons to cast votes in their respective camps. The bench directed that the provincial election commissioner should appear and appraise the court about what steps it had so far taken to ensure that all IDPs would be eligible to vote in the next general elections. The bench fixed Jan 22 for next hearing of the case.

The PHC chief justice had taken suo moto notice of the issue in April this year and had issued several directives to PDMA and subsequently to Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) to provide all the required facilities to IDPs at Jalozai camp till their return to their area of origin.

The Jalozai camp is presently housing around 13,772 registered displaced families.

On Wednesday the PHC chief justice inquired about the provision of important vaccines including anti-snake bite and anti-rabies in the camp. Mr Faiz and the chief of FDMA, Asghar Ali, said that proper health facilities including vaccines were available to the IDPs.

They said that the government had also taken care of provision of education facilities to the displaced children.  They said that presently the activities of the relief agencies were in progress.

Mr Faiz said that the federal government had provided 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to World Food Programme for the food support to IDPs few months ago and for the year 2013 the WFP had asked the government for provision of 150,000 metric tonnes of wheat.

About the issue of future general elections the PHC chief justice observed that participation in the voting process was the basic right of IDPs and as there was unrest in their respective areas they should be provided opportunity of voting here.