LAKKI MARWAT - The local chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has decided to set up a camp for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of North Waziristan Agency in the district.
The decision was taken at a meeting held here on Sunday, which was presided over by district chief Malik Meer Shah. It was told in the meeting that the humanitarian wing of party Alkhidmat Foundation would establish the camp where displaced families would be settled, besides providing them basic amenities of life. It was further told that the site for the camp would be selected by the local AKF office holders in the next couple of days.
The JI leaders asked the federal government to fulfil its responsibilities and assist the provincial government to tackle the IDPs related issues effectively. “Besides accommodating hundreds of thousands of displaced tribal people the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province will face the brunt of military operation, therefore the federal government should lend a helping hand in this regard,” they maintained. They also asked the government to put in place practical measures for providing relief and assistance to the affected families. “Though schools and government buildings have been made available for displaced tribal people, so far there are no signs of provision of food and financial assistance to them by the government,” they said.
They said that Jamaat-e-Islami and its sister organisation AKF would motivate local people to take care of the needs of IDPs and leave no stone unturned in their hospitality. They also expressed concern over fleecing of displaced tribal families by transporters and owners of houses and asked the local administration and higher quarters concerned to take notice of the matter.
“The administration and other quarters concerned should not keep a mum over sudden increase in transport fares and rent of houses,” they added, calling upon the relevant authorities to provide relief to the internally displaced tribal families.
Meanwhile, JUI-F tehsil Naurang chapter held a relief camp in Naurang Bazaar on Sunday to distribute aid items among IDPs of North Waziristan Agency. The JUI-F activists welcomed the internally displaced families coming to the town and offered them cold water, juices, medicines and other essentialities. Local party leaders and area elders also remained present in the camp and supervised the relief and aid distribution activities.
The district elementary and secondary education department has issued fresh instructions to the heads of public sector schools for accommodating internally displaced tribal families in the schools. “The schools’ heads will now take prior permission from ESED focal persons including Muhammad Ummar for Lakki tehsil and Sifatullah Khan for Naurang tehsil or officials of district administration before allowing IDPs to stay at schools,” said ADO Sharifullah Khan.
He said that the principals and headmasters of government schools would also collect data of IDPs and would communicate it to the concerned focal persons. Sharifullah said that authorities would inspect schools to check the presence of heads along with their staff members.