Displaced people loot UN supplies

PESHAWAR - NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said Saturday that resuming fresh military operation against militants in Swat and Buner would certainly increase the number of internally displaced persons which could cross the figure of 1.5 million.However, in Mardan, desperate internally displaced people looted UN supplies at a camp.“We alone, at this stage, are unable to provide shelter to such a mass of displaced people because the NWFP is comparatively a poor province,” he explained urging the international community to assist them financially by releasing huge funds for the purpose at this critical juncture. He held the Taliban responsible for the bloodshed of civilians for no sin in war on terror because the militants did not honour the peace agreement struck with the government after fulfilling all their demands, which were the implementation of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation and setting up of Darul Qaza in Malakand Division. “No more talks, all doors have been shut”, he said, adding that the security forces would trace militants till their complete elimination because all rounds of talks had failed. Informing the media persons about the actual figure of the IDPs, he said that the government had expected that the number of displaced people could cross the figure of 1.5 millions. Majority of the migrants took shelter with their relatives in hitherto peaceful districts of NWFP while some of the affectees resorted to go to cities in Punjab and Sindh, he said.To a question he said that 1.5 millions included the IDPs who had shifted to the safer places in the beginning, adding that among the early IDPs 15,000 families had been placed into camps, while 78,000 families were scattered and either they had taken shelter with their relatives or were residing in rented houses. Due to re-launching of military offensive, 113,000 people were registered with the government in different camps while about 25,000 fresh IDPs were out of the government’s established camps.