Thousands of people have fled their homes in restive North Waziristan in recent days due to fear of a military offensive after Pakistan Army jets and gunship helicopters pounded militants’ hideouts in various parts of agency, locals and officials said.
The exodus began last week when army jets bombarded the area following a series of militant attacks and suicide bombing on security forces and civilians.
Residents say some 2,000 families left their villages around the towns of Mir Ali and Miranshah in North Waziristan to migrate to relatively safer areas outside the tribal areas in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar.
The NWA Political Administration has confirmed that people were leaving the area due to the fear of a military operation.
“Hundreds of families have so far left their homes,” Saifur Rehman, a government official in Miran Shah.
Sources said that several aid organisations’ had prepared a report for setting up internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in adjacent areas in case of a military operation. According to sources, aid organisations will set up three camps for which the area identified included- District Bannu town- Domail area of FR Bannu and Serai Naurang tehsil of Lakki Marwat district- for thousands of expected operation affectees.
Nearly 90,000 are expected to flee lawless North Waziristan, considered a stronghold of the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda operatives, if Pakistan Army is to carry out a military offensive against militants, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Locals and International aid organisations UNHCR, World Food Organisation and UNICEF were preparing how to manage and facilitate the people of NWA if a military operation is launched, sources said.
Sources in FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) said there is no immediate such plan of setting up relief camps. However, after recent bombing by the army and migrations of the locals to neighbouring areas, they said, they sent their monitoring teams to Bannu to judge the ongoing situation. If the situation is worsening, such measures will have to be taken to facilitate the families, they added.
Families from various parts including Saidgi, Bangi Dar, Mada Khel, Kucha Mada Khel, Mezar and Manzar Khel areas of Ghulam Khan Shawal tehsils, Khushalai Tori Khel, Edak and Haider Khel of Mir Ali teshils have migrated to other areas, locals say.
Abdullah Mehsud, living in Mir Ali, said that families were trying to shift to other areas due to the deteriorating law and order situation.
“We are thinking to shift Dera Ismail Khan due to the worst law and order situation,” said Sherzaman Wazir, a resident of Qutab Khel area Miranshah, who lost six members of his family in target killing days earlier.
“The killing of TTP leader Asmatullah Shaheen and his colleagues will further complicate situation in area,” Kashif, who migrated to Peshawar with his family, said.
The former interim ameer of TTP Asmatullah Shaheen was killed along with three others colleagues by unknown armed men near Dargah Mandi of Miran Shah.
People were fleeing along with their children and women, leaving behind a member of family to take care of valuables in their homes, Ghulam Mehsud remarked.
“I don’t know anyone here, if I had someplace to go, we would shift,” Sulman, a student of Mass Communication in Peshawar University, told Pakistan Today.
“People are unable to find houses to go to in Bannu and Lakki Marwat; Many women, children and old men are lying out in the open. Many others have gone to Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan to find some shelter,” he said.
Some of the families have shifting to Khost, Paktia and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan close to Pakistan border.
However, security sources said that recent bombing by the army in the tribal belt was just reaction to the recent Taliban attacks and brutal beheading of 23 captive personnel of FC, and the government was yet to go for formal military action against the TTP and its allies.
