ISLAMABAD - Around Rs90 billion would be needed to rehabilitate the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in three tribal areas besides constructing the houses, commercial markets and civic infrastructure damaged due to the military operation.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, during his meeting with lawmakers from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), informed them that the government has assessed initial estimates worth Rs90 billion for rehabilitation of IDPs and reconstruction of three tribal agencies -Orakzai, North Waziristan and South Waziristan.
MNA Ghazi Gulab Jamal representing Orakzai Agency, who is also parliamentary leader of FATA lawmakers in the National Assembly, told The Nation on Saturday that financial estimates had been prepared for launching reconstruction phase in the militancy-hit three tribal areas. He said estimates for Khyber Agency, where the military offensive against militants was still on, had not yet been prepared adding the reconstruction of FATA would require a big amount.
MNA Jamaluddin from South Waziristan told this reporter that 60,000 houses in his constituency had been damaged including 16 commercial bazaars. “People have lost tens of thousands of domestic animals,” he said adding the damages are huge.
He regretted that FATA Secretariat in Peshawar under the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was making a feasibility study for proposed projects in FATA without consulting elected members adding that novel rules were made for execution of the projects. The lawmaker revealed that under a new law, all development projects in tribal areas would be undertaken by lone contractor other than people of the native areas. “Is there no contractor from the entire tribal areas? We will oppose this rule and will discuss it in the upcoming joint session of Parliament,” he said.
Similarly, Khyber Agency and Orakzai agencies are also among the affected areas where Khyber-I and Khyber-II military operations are under way resulting in massive displacement of people.
Shah Ji Gul Afridi, representing Khyber Agency in National Assembly, told this reporter that the rehabilitation of displaced people would be a big challenge in future as more than 60 percent of houses in his area were damaged due to the military operation.
“The rehabilitation and reconstruction phase would need big money than the amount proposed by federal government. Even schools have been damaged badly due to the operation,” he informed.
The National Action Plan announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in consultation with other political forces asks for the rehabilitation of IDPs to be the top priority of the government. “I don’t know when exactly would the IDPs be informed about returning to their native areas. Our people have been waiting for the day since years. How can you ask an IDP to return to his area where he would find no place to take shelter,” MNA Jamaluddin said.
However, a government official in Ministry of States and Frontier Region (SAFRON) said that an ambitious plan was in the offing to rehabilitate the displaced people in a dignified manner besides reconstructing the damaged houses and other infrastructure. He said that feasibility was being carried out for rehabilitation of the IDPs that included an option to send the displaced people back to their areas and give them money for reconstruction of their houses on their own.
The official said another option was to hand over refurbished houses to the owners before asking them to return to their areas. “We have been holding meetings after each 10 days discussing options about rehabilitation of the IDPs,” Tariq Hayat, focal person for IDPs at SAFRON said.