IDPs’ number exceeds two million, says NWFP govt

[Naveed Yaseen]

PESHAWAR: The NWFP government has said that it is hosting over two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the province at the moment.

Addressing his routine media briefing here on Thursday, NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the number of fresh IDPs was 1.5 million. He said that nearly one million people were still stranded in Madian, Behrain, Kalam and other areas of Swat.

Those people wanted to flee their areas but could not do so because of curfew and threat from militants. The minister said that many people had arrived at safer locations from Malakand on Thursday and they were expecting arrival of more people in the days ahead. He said around 0.5 million displaced persons were awaiting registration at 20 camps of IDPs.

The minister said those stranded in different areas of Swat were running out of food, water and other facilities of life. He said the provincial government had sent 100 buses to the troubled areas to assist the people’s safe exit as well as provide them easy and cheap transportation service.

He said militants would be flushed out from Buner within 15 days. He said the Taliban were on the defensive now and the militants were retreating. Mian Iftikhar asked the political rivals not to use the occasion for scoring points but work selflessly to facilitate the homeless people from Malakand. The minister said schools and colleges would be closed before the summer vacations to accommodate the IDPs so that to save them from the scorching heat.

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