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Operation Rah-e-Rast (Swat)

Rawalpindi - July 15, 2009:

1. During last 24 hours, search and clearance operations were conducted in Swat and Malakand.

2. Swat.

a. Security forces conducted search operation at Peochar and killed most wanted terrorist leader of Peochar Abu Laith.

b. A terrorist commander Ismail, resident of village Goal Sakhra voluntarily surrendered himself to security forces through local nazim.

c. Locals of village Sandoka near Thana apprehended 3 out of 5 terrorists and later handed them over to security forces.

d. Security forces conducted search operation at Reema and killed 3 terrorists.

c. Security forces apprehended a wanted terrorist Shah Naseer from Satala, Madyan.

d. Security forces conducted a search operation at Aghal area, Chuprial and recovered 7 machine guns with 2 magazines including ammunition, 4 rifles and 1 pistol; 1 terrorist was killed during the operation.

e. Security forces carried out search operation at Akhund Kalle near Kabbal and killed 8 terrorists including 2 foreigners. 1 soldier embraced shahadat and 3 soldiers including an officer were injured during exchange of fire.

3. Darra Adam Khel.

Terrorists fire raided a security forces check post near Kohat tunnel with mortars and rockets, which was effectively responded. Security forces apprehended 11 terrorists including local commander Rafi ud Din and recovered 82 millimeter mortar, RPG-7 and a machine gun alongwith ammunition.

4. Mohmand.

Exchange of fire took place between Laskhar and terrorists at Amber, resultantly 15 terrorists were killed.

5. Relief Activities / IDPs Return.

a. 15, 0969 cash cards have been distributed amongst the IDPs of Malakand.

b. 677 vehicles carried 2296 families and 122 trucks moved to Malakand.

c. 30 civil trucks were provided by security forces to civil fruit vendors for transportation of fruits from Khawazakhela.

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KIT Over n Out :victory::pakistan::sniper::guns:
 
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CND (if i may be allowed to initialise your call sign) - you are doing a great job with updates!:enjoy::pakistan:
 
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Patriot:
A strong, unified and committed multi-national anti-extremist agenda does not in any way help the Pushtinistan cause. Pushtinistan bogey has died its natural death a long time ago, nobody even talks about it.
USA, Afghnistan, India and Pakistan all have a common interest to defeat the Taliban, which derives its trength from the Pushtoon heartland. Once Taliban are on the run any remaining aspirations for Pustunistan too will be rooted out. Once Pak Army is relieved of the task of defending the Eastern border, it will be operate with a much greater freedom of action in FATA.
 
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^^^ at 53-54 sec you can see a soldier carrying a .50 cal sniper rifle/AMR ( the one on the right side of a soldier carrying MG-3).

Picture( my photobucket was not working properly):

Pic 1l.JPG - 0.06MB
 
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@ Fatman17: Hi, thanks for the compliment but hate to disappoint you: this stuff is exclusively off Elmo’s piggins and not off SWJ and WAB! :)


@ Blain 2:
I am not sure if I saw the Malakand div. reference earlier. I think there is nothing "unfortunate" about the current operations. Things go on in phases. We have discussed Kinetic and non-Kinetic operations. Initially the military has to push in, build its presence and along with it public affairs and economic uplift happens. Currently what we see is that PA is right in the middle of this transition in most of Swat and adjoining areas and we will see the developmental activity pick up pace as well.

Well the thread was on Swat so I stuck to the region and found the suggestion about reviving the tribal system out of context. The unfortunate in my statement had referred to the major chunk of our overall strategy: while the military elements is being dispensed of right now there are no short-term or long-term socio-politic-economic elements figuring in the strategy. What developmental activities will be picking up pace once the military has a significant presence… besides the building of the cantonment and the induction of policemen (both of which come under the security aspect, the latter too is only for two years), the government has failed to even initiate planning on development. Promises abound nevertheless.

I do not think so. The tribal framework exists as it was before. Surely tribal leaders have been martyred, however there are others willing to take over the leadership. The tribal culture has existed there for centuries. It cannot just disappear because some leaders have been murdered over the past few years…. However once the pressure builds on the militants, you can and will find allies in the tribes willing to get this militancy problem sorted out as their tribes are losing out. The PA system has to be done away with. With what has to be seen. You have to revive it because you do not have anything better currently (eventually the FATA has to be integrated into the federation, but that cannot be done overnight).

I digress with the contention that the tribal framework exists. To my knowledge, the central government works with the political agent who works with the maliks and the khasadars serving as the police force. The maliks have been murdered, most political agents stay within the agency headquarters rarely venturing out or are based outside in the provincial headquarters while the khasadars are too scared to resist the Taliban. The FC has been unable to contain the Taliban and so has the army — when this militancy will be done away with is anyone’s guess. There is no “system” like this in place right now — it’s a clean slate to work on.




Secondly, currently no one may want to challenge the militants in the absence of the military.

“Absence of military” is factually incorrect. The military went in 2003 and has gone in many times. It is in there as of now!


Also while this term "Draconian" is always used with FCR, you should realize that its the tribes that agree to the punishment. They do the same to each other within the tribes to keep things straight. FCR is not something that has been "imposed" on them without their input. Its a regulation that is enforced by the tribes on their own first and if not then Khassadars/FC etc. take action.


Even if the tribes agree to the punishments, no way does it justify the kind of punishments given under it. So it stays “draconian”. Agreed, the FCR has not been imposed but was based by the British on the tribal structure in vogue till a century back, but there have been calls for change from the tribal regions only.

As for why the FCR was introduced in the first place and it’s implications, here is what The News columnist Asad Jamal wrote: However, what is puzzling is the opposition and criticism to the policy announcement made by Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani regarding the abolition of FCR, 1901. One pretext for the opposition is that any change in the law will leave vacuum and make things more difficult. FCR is also defended on the ground that tribal areas are special geographical regions with peculiar customs and traditions and have to be dealt with special laws.
The critics have either not read the law and considered its implications for the people subjected to the law or are acting in cahoots with the retrogressive institutions and forces moulded in the colonial mindset. Even a plain reading of the draconian law lays bare the methodology the British colonialists adopted to rein in the 'wild horses.'

FCR in its original form was first enacted in 1848, then re-enacted with modifications in 1873 and again in 1876 and lastly in 1901. We inherited the FCR, 1901 and have retained it with some modifications. The preamble to the Frontier Crimes Regulation, 1901, states: "Whereas it is expedient further to provide for the suppression of crime in certain frontier districts. It is hereby enacted as follows". The original object of the enactment may, therefore, have been taken as suppression of crime in certain 'frontier districts.' The third schedule to FCR mentions the areas where it is to be applied, which include tribal areas.
Several provisions of the FCR are violative of several articles of the constitution including Article 8 of the constitution, which provides that any law or custom or usage having the force of law, in so far as it is inconsistent with fundamental rights shall be void; and Article 4 (the right of an individual to be dealt with in accordance with the law), Article 9 (security of person), Article 10 (safeguards as to arrest and detention), Article 13 (protection against double jeopardy, self-incrimination), Article 14 (inviolability of the dignity of man, prohibition of torture for the purpose of extracting evidence) Article 24 (protection of property rights) and Article 25 (equality of citizens).
Justice A. R. Cornelius -- in a judgment as far back as in 1954 (entitled Sumunder versus the State and cited as PLD 1954 FC 228) -- has referred to proceedings under FCR as "...obnoxious to all recognised modern principles governing the dispensation of justice."
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On the one hand this clearly discriminates against Pathans and Baloch populations, on the other it gives blanket authority to the executive to decide inclusion or exclusion of any group of people as a class. This provision is violative of the equality-before-law clause (Article 25) of the constitution which provides that: "All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law."
This provision was first assailed as far back as in 1957 in a case entitled Malik Toti Khan versus The State [PLD 1957 (WP) Q 1] in which it was held that the discrimination was "...based principally on racial or tribal considerations, and to the extent that there is provision for other classes being added to the Pathans or Baluchs for attracting the provisions of the Regulation, the classification may be wholly arbitrary and capricious at the sweet will of the executive. These provisions are, therefore, ex facie discriminatory and do not rest on any classification such as could take the enactment out of the mischief of Article 5 [Article 25 of the Constitution of 1973] of the Constitution [of 1956]."
On the face of it, the law was enacted to incorporate and accommodate the customs and usage of the tribal people but in fact it was meant to control the people of tribal areas while using the facade of tribal culture and custom. Under sections 8 and 11 of FCR the hearing or trial is supposed to take place before a Jirga (Council of Elders) but the selection of jirga members and the power of final decision is vested the executive authority. The jirga envisaged under the FCR is therefore a mere advisory body, and since the executive authority does not have the case presented before him through counsel, his decision can be nothing but wholly arbitrary.”
By the way, there is more to tribal culture than law and order. Sindhi, Punjabi or Baloch culture hasn’t changed over the years.

Agreed. However lets be practical instead of idealistic. It takes time to do such things. This will require the tribes to agree, the parliament to pass a bill, constitution amended etc. etc., garrisoning of law enforcement agencies etc. (issues which may not be palatable to the locals).

Change is rarely palatable but that is no reason to not go for it.


Not really. There is quite a bit of other work being done which is under the category of Public affairs works. There is road work going on, the Army is facilitating the return of refugees, the Army is providing security to the homes of the people, helping with crops, bringing medical relief and food supplies to the locals etc. etc.


That above examples are of relocation and rehabilitation for the displaced not development work which will improve the economic conditions in the long-term.

Although I have no idea about your age, but given the statement you make, I think you need to simply look at some of the older archives of Pakistani newspapers. From the time of Ayub Khan, promises have been made by the government to uplift the areas that comprise FATA. The Political Agent’s sole ace card used to be the federal funding which he would use at his discretion to reward certain tribes and build wells or kacchi road, or a dispensary near by. The fact that we want to preserves the tribal traditions does not mean the GoP has no responsibility. The FATA are Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The question is what sort of administration has been provided to the FATA in the past by the various administrations in Islamabad?

I am nearly a quarter of a century old and doubt if I can lay hands on archives from Ayub Khan’s era. The promises are being made by this government and were made by the last government as well — that’s just politician-speak. In fact, in a 2004 interview, General Musharraf had extensively talked about “development” work his government is initiating in the region. The three Ds mantra (Dialogue, Deterrence and Development) has turned out to be nothing but rhetoric.

Secondly, the political agent is merely a bureaucrat and last checked the equivalent of a deputy commissioner. He has no political support base whatsoever and so if he failed to deliver, the tribes could not ask or vote for his removal. He was federally appointed. What needs to be done is that the Political Parties Act needs to be implemented in its entirety and not parts of it whereby “independent” MNAs are elected.
What tribal traditions do you want to preserve, please elaborate.

You are hearing this for the first time because you may be getting all of your information from the western media or may have never been to the area. I was there in 94 (last time I visited) and the FWO and Army were working overtime to put in roads and basic infrastructure in. The only problem is the scale. That area requires a much bigger effort.

Yeah I have never been there but my sources of information are actually the local media — what they say about the region. As for the scale, come on we can develop Punjab, lay down a road network all the way from the north of the province to the south, develop Gwadar, but are unable to deliver in FATA, where the population is sparse in any case.
Just wondering, were you in the army, a Scout officer?


Yes but the Brig is talking about when we first went into Waziristan back in 2002. Quite a lot has changed in terms of tactics and even the training being provided to the regular infantry now. Secondly, SF like the SSG cannot maintain presence in these areas. You have to put regular infantry and local constabulary to do this job. Even now the SSG is operating at the spears edge being pushed out to Peochar valley etc. so the militants can be paid back in coin. Eventually the regular infantry will be deployed to maintain presence in the area which eventually will become FC responsibility in the tribal areas.
I thought you were talking about the army’s failure in 2002 when you mentioned remoteness and vastness so added on that with the brigadier’s analysis. Nevertheless, what has always struck one as odd is that why didn’t the military apply these strategies before. Why were they not able to gauge what was happening on ground… it’s not the first time the Pakistan Army was quelling an insurgency.

However the hard terrain is nothing unusual for the Army and especially for the SSG.
Again the SSG were not on the front lines earlier…


I never said the entire Army. All I said was that the operation is large enough to require infantry bns from other formations which would potentially include those that are part of the FCNA. I know for a fact that NLI elements have been active in these operations.

Patriot’s original quote was “PA Units stationed at Kashmir side are certainly not trained to fight in Plain Areas so i am sure they have considerable exp in Mountain Warfare.”… my point to counter his was that the entire army is not in Kashmir etc etc… I know you weren't referring to the entire army.
 
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i smell a Phishing attempt on this thread somewhere..
 
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Swat humanitarian crisis very well handled: Mullen
Thursday, 16 Jul, 2009 | 08:11 PM PST |

ISLAMABAD: The United States’ top military officer on Thursday praised Pakistan’s handling of the humanitarian crisis resulting from an assault on Taliban strongholds in the northwest.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited one of several camps set up to provide shelter for families among the two million people who fled their homes after fighting broke out in the Swat and Buner valleys last April.

‘There had been great speculation that this was going to be a massive problem that couldn’t be handled,’ Mullen told reporters at the sprawling Jalozai camp in the northwest city of Mardan, where some 116,000 people have taken refuge.

‘It seemed to be very well handled,’ said Mullen, whose visit came days after authorities began to let families go home.

Pakistan’s Western allies were relieved when the army swung into action in April as concern mounted over the stability of the nuclear-armed Muslim state.

The army is now in the final stages of the Swat operation, and has orders to mount a campaign against Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud in the remote, mountainous Waziristan tribal region that borders Afghanistan.

Having met army chief General Ashfaq Kayani earlier on Thursday, Mullen said he didn’t believe Pakistani forces risked becoming over-stretched and said the approach to Waziristan appeared ‘very orderly’.

Air strikes and medium range artillery have been used to soften up Mehsud’s defences, and US drones also have begun targeting Mehsud territory more frequently in recent weeks.

Mullen saw Mehsud coming under mounting pressure. —Reuters
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Swat humanitarian crisis very well handled: Mullen
 
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Secondly, currently no one may want to challenge the militants in the absence of the military.

“Absence of military” is factually incorrect. The military went in 2003 and has gone in many times. It is in there as of now!



The military went in however all of those operations were conducted at or less than brigade level. To ensure control, you need to have a much larger presence and that too for a very long time. Neither of those considerations were in place because the political atmosphere for large scale Army action was not conducive.


Even if the tribes agree to the punishments, no way does it justify the kind of punishments given under it. So it stays “draconian”. Agreed, the FCR has not been imposed but was based by the British on the tribal structure in vogue till a century back, but there have been calls for change from the tribal regions only.

FCR is a fact of life just like many other issues. I am not for it or against it but believe that it is mentioned with excessive negativity whereas the tribes have condoned it and abide by it.

Change is rarely palatable but that is no reason to not go for it.

You need to take that up with the elected representatives. All I am saying is that suggesting it needs to be replaced is very different from actually doing so and it takes time. Once again on this count too, I am not objecting to it, merely stating that one has to be realistic about when such can be changed.


Not really. There is quite a bit of other work being done which is under the category of Public affairs works. There is road work going on, the Army is facilitating the return of refugees, the Army is providing security to the homes of the people, helping with crops, bringing medical relief and food supplies to the locals etc. etc.


That above examples are of relocation and rehabilitation for the displaced not development work which will improve the economic conditions in the long-term.

Maybe you need to have a better understanding of public affairs work done by the military. All of the above falls under the realm of Public Affairs work by the Army (it allows the Army to interface with the locals in a capacity different from that of IS and Kinetic operations). Economic development is another tool that can and will be used as normalcy returns and refugees come back to their homes.

I am nearly a quarter of a century old and doubt if I can lay hands on archives from Ayub Khan’s era. The promises are being made by this government and were made by the last government as well — that’s just politician-speak. In fact, in a 2004 interview, General Musharraf had extensively talked about “development” work his government is initiating in the region. The three Ds mantra (Dialogue, Deterrence and Development) has turned out to be nothing but rhetoric.

Well the time line goes much beyond the last two governments. I simply suggested looking up archives so you can see for yourself what the past governments were claiming to do for the Federally Administered areas.

Secondly, the political agent is merely a bureaucrat and last checked the equivalent of a deputy commissioner. He has no political support base whatsoever and so if he failed to deliver, the tribes could not ask or vote for his removal. He was federally appointed. What needs to be done is that the Political Parties Act needs to be implemented in its entirety and not parts of it whereby “independent” MNAs are elected. What tribal traditions do you want to preserve, please elaborate.

All of the above is not a problem for me. I simply asserted that you need to have some way to go from the current system to an integrated tribal area. As to what approach is taken, that is up for Pakistanis to decide because the current system can only work for the short term. As far as preserving tribal traditions, that is something to be asked of the tribes. Here, all I said was to bring the tribal leadership back into the picture so they can assert the tribal leadership over the one being demonstrated by the militant commanders. The tribal leadership hierarchy is needed to ensure that the militants do not dominate the tribes and the region.
Yeah I have never been there but my sources of information are actually the local media — what they say about the region. As for the scale, come on we can develop Punjab, lay down a road network all the way from the north of the province to the south, develop Gwadar, but are unable to deliver in FATA, where the population is sparse in any case.

I am actually questioning the deeds of the GoP myself. They have done nothing for the tribal areas. Its time to put the money where their mouths are and deliver.

Yes but the Brig is talking about when we first went into Waziristan back in 2002. Quite a lot has changed in terms of tactics and even the training being provided to the regular infantry now. Secondly, SF like the SSG cannot maintain presence in these areas. You have to put regular infantry and local constabulary to do this job. Even now the SSG is operating at the spears edge being pushed out to Peochar valley etc. so the militants can be paid back in coin. Eventually the regular infantry will be deployed to maintain presence in the area which eventually will become FC responsibility in the tribal areas.
I thought you were talking about the army’s failure in 2002 when you mentioned remoteness and vastness so added on that with the brigadier’s analysis. Nevertheless, what has always struck one as odd is that why didn’t the military apply these strategies before. Why were they not able to gauge what was happening on ground… it’s not the first time the Pakistan Army was quelling an insurgency.

Army has operated in that region many times over and each time the solution simply has been to tire out the other side as you simply cannot destroy all of the opposition. Secondly, all of the operations prior to the ones starting recently have been small scale operations. The public support was simply not in place for the Army to go after its own people at such a large scale. Secondly, there was complacency at the governmental level.
However the hard terrain is nothing unusual for the Army and especially for the SSG.
Again the SSG were not on the front lines earlier…

SSG is at the front lines even before the FC/Army move. ;) SSG were reconnoitering the entire tribal area in the 50s and without a shadow of doubt did the same for the higher command to make decisions about where to put the troops in and where to put the pressure on the militants. However the problem is a bit more complex than one that can be fixed by just throwing special forces at it. SSG can go in, conduct recce, take action and then leave. What happens after that? Who stays behind? How would the tribals respond to your presence? How do you maintain effective and timely communication with the remotely deployed troops given the paucity of air transport? How long do you stay there?
 
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@ Fatman17: Hi, thanks for the compliment but hate to disappoint you: this stuff is exclusively off Elmo’s piggins and not off SWJ and WAB!

in that case - damn impressive!:yahoo:
 
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Rawalpindi - July 16, 2009:

1. During last 24 hours, search and clearance operations were conducted in Swat and Malakand.

2. Swat.

Security forces conducted search operation in area around Loe Namal and Pansarat and killed 8 terrorists including local commander Bilal. During operation 20 terrorists hide outs were destroyed and recovered 8 machine guns, a rifle and huge quantity of various caliber ammunition.

Security forces conducted search operation at Gwalerai and destroyed 6 hide outs and also recovered 10 rifles along with ammunition and 1 double cabin.

Security forces conducted search operation at Kalagai and destroyed 2 tunnels each 20 feet long and demolished 4 bunkers.
Security forces conducted search and sweep operation at Tahirabad and Aman kot and recovered 3 rifles, 4 pistols alongwith ammunition and a vehicle.

Security forces conducted search operation in areas of Gamkot and Nimogram and apprehended 4 suspected terrorists, recovered 1 machine gun and 2 pistols.

Security forces conducted search operation at Ningolai and Bara Banda and recovered 45 rifles and 12 pistols.

Security forces carried out search operation at Tutan Banda and demolished 10 hide outs.

Security forces conducted search operation at Kabal and recovered 2 rifles, 1 pistol and 2 machine guns.

3. Darra Adam Khel.

Security forces during routine search, apprehended 11 suspects and recovered explosives bags, 16 boxes of machine gun ammunition, 38 mortars bombs, 2 rockets, 1 RPG 7 along with 25 shells, 2 mines, one 82 mortar, two 12.7 guns with 2 spare barrels, 1 machine gun and 3 grenades.

4. Bunnu.
Security forces apprehended 4 terrorists and recovered 2 rifles and 1 pistol during routine search.

An IED blasted near, Police Van at Bakakhel, while 2 Frontier Constabulary soldiers embraced shahadat and 7 soldiers including 6 policemen were injured.

5. Relief Activities.

155,348 cash cards have been distributed amongst the IDPs of Malakand.

Visit. Mr Abdul Sattar Edhi and UN team visited Circuit House Mingora on Wednesday. They were briefed about the security and administrative arrangements for the return of dislocated personnel.

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KIT Over n Out :victory::pakistan::sniper::guns:
 
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^^^ at 53-54 sec you can see a soldier carrying a .50 cal sniper rifle/AMR ( the one on the right side of a soldier carrying MG-3).

Picture( my photobucket was not working properly):

Pic 1l.JPG - 0.06MB


Mian Asad,

Thx for pointing this gun out, as this was the last of the sniper rifles with PA which hadnt been seen in pics or had been mentioned so far. I had mentioned it in the sniper for PA thread but no one believed as wanted pics to prove, but thx to u now this sniper rifle is also documented, by the way its the RPA Rangemaster 0.50 calibre AMR.
 
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^^^ Yes i have mentioned it in the picture( still capture from the video).
 
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First convoy of displaced Hindus, Sikhs returns to Swat

First convoy of displaced Hindus, Sikhs returns to Swat

Pakistan News.Net
Friday 17th July, 2009 (ANI)

Islamabad, July 17 : After spending numerous arduous days in refugee camps, people belonging to Hindu and Sikh communities have started returning to their homes in the Swat Valley.

According to The Daily Times, the first convoy of refugees consisting of several Hindus and Sikhs, left for Swat from Hassanabdal on Thursday.

Addressing a ceremony at the Panja Sahib Gurdwara in Hassanabdal, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETBP) chairman Syed Asif Hashmi vowed to protect the rights of minorities.

"Today, I am very happy to see the Hindu and Sikh Pakistanis displaced by the operation in the Malakand Division returning to their homes," said Hashmi.

He added that all possible facilities would be provided to Sikh pilgrims in accordance with the President and the Prime Minister's instructions.
 
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Pakistan: Rights of the displaced key concern as return gains momentum

17 Jul 2009 11:16:48 GMT

Source: World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe/ Central Asia office
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.

As the return of some 2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Pakistan's northwest gains momentum, World Vision is underscoring both the right of the displaced to return voluntarily and the need for sustained security and safety in areas of return.

The protection and assistance required by children, especially unaccompanied minors, expectant mothers, mothers with young children, female heads of household, persons with disabilities and elderly persons, is a particular concern for World Vision and other members of the Protection Cluster, which is working with the government to ensure that the rights and needs of the displaced are met.

Conflict between government forces and Taliban militants not only caused an unprecedented people movement – half of whom are children, but also destroyed homes, infrastructure and livelihoods when households had to abandon their fields during harvest, thus losing their produce.

Many people do not know the condition of their village or homes, yet the desire and willingness to return home is strong, depending on where people are from, says Edward Kibirige, World Vision Response Manager for the IDP crisis.


'There has been reported nervousness regarding security from the IDPs going back to Swat. Some families have sent one or two male members to first scout out the situation in terms of security before making a decision to send the entire family', he explains. People are keen to secure their properties and assets, such as livestock, and escape the scorching heat of the lower plains.

In areas like Buner, however, it is believed that about 70% of the IDPs had already started making their way back by the time the government started its return process on 13 July.

'The government stresses that all returns are voluntary which has been one of the key issues for the humanitarian community', says Kibirige. The UN High Commission for Refugees reportedly signed an agreement with the government of the North West Frontier Province to ensure that the willingness of the voluntary return is maintained and that people are well informed about what the conditions are in the areas of return.

Based on a schedule of return drafted by the government, buses and trucks with escorted security vehicles are transporting families back to their mountain villages from both camps established for the displaced and from host communities, where the majority of IDPs sought refuge.

World Vision has focused its resources on meeting the needs of IDPs in host communities, which have borne the burden of caring for thousands of people, often strangers. The organisation has provided family kits, water purifiers and six-month cash support to particularly vulnerable families and is also providing psychosocial support for children through two Child Friendly Spaces in Buner.

World Vision is now assessing the need to redirect activities in areas of return to ensure the immediate needs of families, particularly children, are met, as well as to address the longer-term issue of livelihood recovery.

-Ends-

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
 
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