THE protest demonstration by the displaced persons of Bajaur Agency, who are presently housed in the Jalozai camp, on Wednesday underscores their misery. Unfortunately, the police overreacted by firing on a peaceful crowd that led to the death of a person and injuring many others. To think that the war affectees would get hushed up through highhandedness of the sort will be fallacious. They are eager to return to their homes, but have asked the government to compensate them for the losses they suffered during the counter-insurgency operations in the area. Above all, they want an assurance from the government that there will be peace and safety in the area. Reportedly, 3000 people from Bajaur have been killed and more than 25,000 houses destroyed. Many children lost contact with parents during the mass exodus from the restive region. Worse still, the IDPs now find themselves between a rock and a hard place as the squalid conditions in the makeshifts camps have worsened their plight. There is little humanitarian assistance available. According to the WHO, a majority of the people suffers from respiratory and other diseases. Children, where they have been deprived of education, also suffer from malnutrition. The military operation in Bajaur Agency had gone on for months till it was announced this month that the writ of the state has been established. There is, therefore, an urgent need to initiate reconstruction and rehabilitation works with emphasis on socio-economic uplift in the areas so that displaced persons can go back to their homes. The protest on Wednesday was an expression of dissatisfaction at the government's failure to fulfil its obligations to provide relief to these people and rehabilitate them. The authorities should ensure that their legitimate demands are met.