ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday directed the government to immediately release Rs500 million from the Baitul Mal fund to meet the basic requirements of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in camps in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
The grant announced by the president is in addition to a Rs500 million fund earlier announced by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani for the IDPs. ‘President Zardari issued the order in view of the complaints lodged by parliamentarians from Malakand regarding problems of IDPs and after meeting a team of Pakistan American Congress on the issue of relief and rehabilitation of the people living in camps on Saturday,’ presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar told Dawn. The spokesman said the delegations had apprised the president that although the government had promised Rs25,000 for each displaced family, the IDPs were still deprived of basic needs.
President Zardari, he said, was deeply concerned about the people living in the camps and asked the government to step up the relief work with emphasis on transparency, monitoring and accountability.
‘Relief and rehabilitation of the displaced persons is central to this fight,’ the President said, adding ‘It is a fight that will be pursued to its logical conclusion and internally displaced persons were the heroes of the war against militancy.’ The President directed that the district committees set up during his visit to camps in Shah Mansoor near Swabi on Friday should begin working immediately and that its members should be available to the people round the clock to redress their problems.
‘Each and every internally displaced family and person will be rehabilitated in their homes with honour and dignity.’
‘The displaced people will not stay in the camps indefinitely and will return to their homes sooner than later and their properties damaged or destroyed by the militants will be repaired and rebuilt by the government,’ the President assured.
The President said the campaign for seeking international assistance will be boosted during his forthcoming visit to Brussels to ask the EU summit for massive assistance in the relief and rehabilitation operations.
He said the government will continued to be guided by its police of three Ds namely Dialogue, Deterrence and Development as guiding principles in waging war against militancy. This was a policy that had also been endorsed by the national parliament, he said.
The President reiterated the government’s commitment to not allow the militants impose their obscurantist agenda on the people through use of force, bullets and guns.
Apart from setting up five district committees, the President has already appointed an Additional Secretary to the President, Mohammad Shehzad Arbab, as focal/contact person in the President’s Secretariat to deal with all IDPs matters in the presidency.
The grant announced by the president is in addition to a Rs500 million fund earlier announced by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani for the IDPs. ‘President Zardari issued the order in view of the complaints lodged by parliamentarians from Malakand regarding problems of IDPs and after meeting a team of Pakistan American Congress on the issue of relief and rehabilitation of the people living in camps on Saturday,’ presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar told Dawn. The spokesman said the delegations had apprised the president that although the government had promised Rs25,000 for each displaced family, the IDPs were still deprived of basic needs.
President Zardari, he said, was deeply concerned about the people living in the camps and asked the government to step up the relief work with emphasis on transparency, monitoring and accountability.
‘Relief and rehabilitation of the displaced persons is central to this fight,’ the President said, adding ‘It is a fight that will be pursued to its logical conclusion and internally displaced persons were the heroes of the war against militancy.’ The President directed that the district committees set up during his visit to camps in Shah Mansoor near Swabi on Friday should begin working immediately and that its members should be available to the people round the clock to redress their problems.
‘Each and every internally displaced family and person will be rehabilitated in their homes with honour and dignity.’
‘The displaced people will not stay in the camps indefinitely and will return to their homes sooner than later and their properties damaged or destroyed by the militants will be repaired and rebuilt by the government,’ the President assured.
The President said the campaign for seeking international assistance will be boosted during his forthcoming visit to Brussels to ask the EU summit for massive assistance in the relief and rehabilitation operations.
He said the government will continued to be guided by its police of three Ds namely Dialogue, Deterrence and Development as guiding principles in waging war against militancy. This was a policy that had also been endorsed by the national parliament, he said.
The President reiterated the government’s commitment to not allow the militants impose their obscurantist agenda on the people through use of force, bullets and guns.
Apart from setting up five district committees, the President has already appointed an Additional Secretary to the President, Mohammad Shehzad Arbab, as focal/contact person in the President’s Secretariat to deal with all IDPs matters in the presidency.
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