PESHAWAR: The displaced families of Kurram have rejected the procedure of their rehabilitation and warned of moving court and staging a sit-in outside the parliament house if the government does not release funds for reconstruction of their destroyed houses and shops.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, a group of elders led by Haji Rohullah said at least 1,000 families of Parachinar had been out of their villages for last 11 years, but the federal government had never paid serious attention towards their misery.

He said after the Fata-KP merger the tribal people had access to the courts and they would use their right if their demands were not met.

“The government is forcibly sending the families to their villages and those not willing are threatened with blockage of their CNICs and passports and confiscation of their land properties,” said Rohullah, describing the policy as injustice with the displaced people.

He revealed that when the people returned to their hometowns they found their houses razed, but the government was not ready to release funds for reconstruction of the buildings.

Besides, he alleged that some elders of the area were hand in glove with the administration and forcing the people to return to their hometowns so as to show their performance in media, saying that the displaced families were unable to reconstruct their houses on their own.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2018