PESHAWAR, Nov 6: Families sheltered at the Jalozai camp after displacement from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas will celebrate Eidul Azha in distress due to absence of additional help from the government and aid agencies.
Some families have already left the place to celebrate the festival with relatives.
“We will observe Eid with other homeless people in the camp since I cannot afford to visit my friends and relatives,” said Akhtar Mohammad, a Malik Din Khel tribesman from Bara, Khyber Agency who, along with his family, has been living in the camp for over two years.
Some 6,300 families displaced by military actions in different parts of Fata, including Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber agencies, have been provided temporary shelters at the Jalozai camp, some 20 kilometres east of Peshawar.
So far, only two social welfare organisations have announced special handouts for the Jalozai’s homeless people on Eid falling today (Monday).
So far, neither the federal government nor the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has come forward to offer extra help or ‘Eid Package’ for thousands of families living in poverty at the camp.
“I used to sacrifice a lamb every year but this year, I am looking forward to get the sacrificial animals’ meat from others,” Mr Akhtar said. He said he used to raise many lambs before sacrificing one every year before being forced out of Bara two years ago.
Adnan Khan, spokesman for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority supervising Jalozai camp, told Dawn that on Eidul Fitr in September this year, international aid agencies distributed special ‘Eid Package’ among IDP families.
“This time, aid agencies have no plans to offer extra help due to time constraint,” he said, adding that the Eidul Fitr special package included toys for children and clothes for women sheltered at the camp.
Mr Khan said Al-Khidmat Foundation and Umah Welfare Trust had planned to distribute sacrificial animals’ meat and food among the homeless families at the Jalozai camp, adding that the former would distribute 10 to 15 cows among IDPs.
When contacted, Dr. Iqbal Khalil, the foundation’s head in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said 10 cows would be slaughtered at the Jalozai camp before distribution of their meat among those staying there.
According to him, Al-Khidmat Foundation will also distribute meat at an Afghan refugees’ camp at Shamshatu and other places with people affected by flashfloods.
An internally displaced person, who is also a member of the 50-men Shura (council) set up by PDMA to assist in managing the IDPs affairs in a section of the Jalozai camp, said until Saturday evening, around 200 homeless families had registered their names with the Shura for receiving the meat on Monday (Eid day).
“The number of such families is very high but no one has done anything for us,” said the displaced man from Bara, adding that Al-Khidmat Foundation had sent some cows for distributing meat on the Eid day.
A spokesman for PDMA said some local non-governmental organisations were likely to come forward for help of IDPs.Similarly, well-to-do people are also expected to distribute meat among the displaced persons.
He said some IDPs staying at the Jalozai camp had headed to other places to celebrate the Eid with their relatives.
“The number of such families has not been calculated, but there are some families that have left for other places,” said Mr. Khan.
IDP Athar said those who could afford the transportation cost, they had gone to spend the Eid with their relatives, adding that some had even gone to their respective areas, he added, where peace had partially improved.
Among the 6,300 displaced families living at the camp, some 1,000 families have recently come from Khyber Agency where the military launched a fresh operation on October 19, last to weed out militants.
The other 5,300 families are those who left their homes for personal security after the military conducted actions against militants in the restive Mohmand, Bajaur, and Khyber agencies over a period of last two years.