BANNU: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said Monday that Rs7,000 was handed out per displaced family as a token from the Punjab government, DawnNews reported.

He was speaking to media representatives after visiting the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Bannu.

During a visit to the Brigade Headquarters Bannu, Shahbaz said additional hospitals and colleges would be constructed in the district.

Shahbaz also announced that Rs1bn would be raised for the IDPs.

He also said that the arrival of IDPs in Punjab had not stopped and also underscored that the country was in dire need of unity.

A military operation is under way in North Waziristan to rid the tribal region of local and foreign militants. Hundreds of thousands of families have been displaced in the wake of the operation.