PESHAWAR – The displaced Mehsuds are reluctant to return to their towns and villages for the government has yet to fulfill its promises made to the 170 families that have recently returned to South Waziristan, sources told Pakistan Today on Friday. The tribal sources involved in the repatriation process of Mehsuds from Dera Ismail Khan and Tank said there was no schedule for the departure of the second convoy to South Waziristan as the displaced families wanted the government to meet the earlier promises of providing financial assistance for restarting their lives back in their respective native areas.
“The families that had been in South Waziristan under the government repatriation programme are facing a number challenges and awaiting the financial assistance to rebuild their houses,” a Mehsud elder said and added the security situation was also unfavourable, chilly weather, rains and snowfalls had further added to the miseries of the displaced people and it was hard to face all these challenges even living in tents. If the government wanted to make the repatriation process a success, it should solve the problems of the people, he observed.
Another tribal elder stated that some displaced Mehsuds were ready to go back without keeping in view the environment, but they just wanted to get the assistance. He said a serious row between the political administration and pro-government Ahmadzai Wazir tribe in the Wazir area of South Waziristan over a security issue had also sent shocking signals to the returning Mehsuds. The government punished the tribe over a blast in a school and imposed some restrictions on the tribe under the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR), which was a worrisome development.
The administration had completely blocked the area of Ahmadzai Wazir in Wana and did not allow food, medicines and other daily-use goods to the area, he revealed. “We are thinking if an act of militancy takes place in our area, we will be facing similar situation and it is a matter of concern for us,” he remarked. He said Mehsuds were ready to support the government, but it should first take some decisions and implement it in letter and spirit.
The administration should keep its promises, provide the assistance and ensure complete security arrangements for the returning people, he concluded.
