A convoy of internally displaced personnel (IDP) from Dera Bugti, led by the late Nawab Akbar Bugti’s grandson Gohram Bugti, returned to its hometown on Thursday after eight years.
According to media reports, The IDPs left Islamabad for Dera Bugti on July 24 amidst news of the Bugti fort being vacated by the security forces. The 25-vehicle convoy was not stopped as it entered the district.
The federal and provincial governments had assured the displaced tribesmen of their support but the convoy was not received by any political leader at the Quetta airport.
An estimated 170,000 tribesmen migrated from Dera Bugti and its adjoining districts after the government’s military operation in Balochistan in 2006-2007. Later, they were kept from resettling in their homes and according to Gohram over 200,000 tribesmen were homeless since 2005.
The tribesmen complained that the previous government made zero efforts to facilitate these displaced families and moreover, arrested them in 2010 and later released them.
Earlier this year, the tribes had tried to enter Dera Bugti on two occasions but were stopped both times by law enforcement agencies at the Dolo checkpoint, where the tribesmen were asked to present their entry passes. They currently reside in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Hyderabad, Rohri, Sukkur, Khairpur and Karachi.
Around 2,000 tribesmen had been protesting outside the parliament for the last few months.