Rawalpindi: Displaced tribal children in trouble

[Naveed Yaseen]

Khalid Iqbal
Thousands of displaced families from Bajaur, Mohmand, Waziristan and Swat areas are leading a miserable life in parts of Rawalpindi City.

The innocent people, especially children, living under the open sky seen warming their hands with firewood. They have no proper access to food, shelter, water and warm clothes. Many families are living in Kallar Syedan, Chaman Zar Colony, Misriyal Road, Pirwadahi, Adiala Road, Rawat, Sihala and some other areas.

Dozens of children are suffering from severe cold for the last many days as they don’t have any facility. They collect woods the whole day for heating themselves in the night. There are dozens of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), but they failed to provide any relief to the displaced families.

The children said that they used to collect firewood to keep them warm and some time they could not collect enough woods for fire.

Touqir Khan, aged 11, from Bajaur said that he lives in a dilapidated tent under open sky and could not sleep at night due to severe cold. He said that he has no warm clothes while his younger brother suffered from fever for the last two days, he said.

Manan Khan, another boy from Mohmand said that his parents ask him to collect woods for heating in severe cold.

Mohsan Khan, another boy from Waziristan said that they face great hardships in rain as they could not find woods in rain. “I see towards sky and pray for peace in the area so as I could go back to my hometown,” he added.

“The children express pleasure while heating them with the firewood and even some start dancing but these happy moments end with the finishing of wood stock,” Wazir Ahmed Khan from Mohmand, said.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=155342