Peshawar valley hosts 0.7m IDPs

[Naveed Yaseen]

Khalid Kheshgi
PESHAWAR: In the wake of ongoing clashes between security forces and militants in tribal areas and some districts of the NWFP, the Peshawar valley is hosting more than 0.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The IDPs are living in and outside the camps in five districts of the province. The NWFP government is expecting about half million IDPs from Swat valley because of another operation against Fazlullah-led Taliban in Swat, which would mount the number of IDPs to 1.2 million in these districts.

According to the UNHCR and NWFP Social Welfare Department, about 550,000 IDPs from Bajaur and Mohmand agencies and Swat district had been registered in the province, majority of whom had settled in Peshawar valley, including Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda and Swabi districts.

The fresh offensives in Dir Lower and Buner districts had led to displacement of more than 10,000 families or about 150,000 individuals. Some 75,000 IDPs had been registered in 12 camps, assisted by the UNHCR and other donor agencies, while about 450,000 IDPs from Swat and Bajaur Agency were living outside the official camps.

NWFP Minister for Social Welfare Sitara Ayaz said majority of the IDPs from Buner were reluctant to live or register themselves in the official camps. She said that some 45 families from Buner had been registered in Yar Hussain camp in Swabi while only 17 IDP families were registered in the camp set up in Jalala, Mardan. “We have also increased the number of registration points from three to eight for Buner IDPs,” she added.

Provincial Relief Commissioner Jamil Amjad told the media persons that the NWFP government was expecting some 0.5 million more IDPs from Swat in case fresh offensive was launched in the restive valley. He said that about 3,000 families from Buner and the same number from Dir Lower had abandoned their houses till date whereas Swabi and Mardan districts had received more than 0.1 million IDPs from Buner and Dir Lower. “However, only 20 per cent of these IDPs were living in the official camps while the rest were either living with their relatives or in rented houses,” he added.

Jamil said Shah Mansoor Township and Hund in Swabi district had been selected for establishment of relief camps where fresh IDPs from Swat, Buner and Dir Lower districts would be accommodated.

Two additional camps in Sheikh Shehzad Town and Jalala in Mardan and one in Yar Hussain in Swabi district have already been setup and these facilities were fully operational. As an urgent measure, he said Rs5 million were released to each DCOs of Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Dir Lower, Dir Upper, Buner, Swat, while one million rupees would be provided to the DCO Shangla to help the affected population.

The NWFP government has also diverted Rs140 millions from the Earthquake Relief Fund to the IDPs. According to the data available with Social Welfare Department, 33,838 families or 203,028 individuals from Swat and Bajaur Agency had been registered in Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Nowshera and Swabi districts.

In Mardan some 8,441 families or 50,640 individuals; in Peshawar 6,857 families or 41,142 individuals; in Charsadda some 6,037 families or 36,222 individuals; in Swabi some 4,236 families or 25,416 individuals and in Nowshera some 2,709 families or 16,254 individuals had been registered, who belonged to Bajaur and Mohmand agencies and Swat district living outside the camps.

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