(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Pakistan Army announcement that repatriation of the internally displaced people (IDPs) will begin from February may have come as a relief to many of the displaced families from tribal areas but the Mahsud tribesmen from South Waziristan are not sure where they will return to as most of them will be finding destroyed houses in their native areas.
Among the first of those displaced from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) due to a military operation against the Taliban militants in 2009, the Mahsud tribesmen have been living in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank towns neighbouring South Waziristan - and other parts of the country such as Karachi for seven years now.
"I want to return to South Waziristan but my home was completely destroyed during the military operation," said Fateh Khan, 63, a resident of Ladha in South Waziristan. Khan said if the government rebuilt his home, he would consider going back to "live with dignity".
Umer, FATA Disaster Management Authority's coordinator for South Waziristan, said "A survey by FDMA in South Waziristan Agency to assess damages of the houses and public property during the military operation has revealed that 27,107 houses have been completely or partially destroyed whereas 80 per cent of the houses were badly damaged."
The military had cleared the Mahsud dominated areas of South Waziristan after a year of the operation that started in 2009.
Umer said that the repatriation process of the people displaced by the operation started on December 4, 2010. About 11,924 families have repatriated till date but several thousands have yet to return.
"Due to the military operation in the neighbouring North Waziristan, the repatriation process was stopped but it will start again in the first week of February after a registration process", said Nawab Safi, Assistant Political Officer South Waziristan Agency.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.