Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor reviews arrangements for Bara IDPs

Governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barrister, Masood Kausar, on Monday has reviewed the arrangements made for IDPs from Bara Khyber Agency and unanimously pledged to make co-ordinated efforts to facilitate the IDPs to the maximum extent. In this purpose, a meeting held at Governor's House which was attended by the representatives of UNHCR and Unicef including Neill Wright and Ahmad Warsame, Mrs Asma Alamgir MNA and Hamidullah Jan MNA.
Secretary Law and Order Fata through a presentation updated the meeting on the current status of Bara IDPs and the services delivery mechanism to facilitate the temporary stay of these IDPs in Jalozai camp and elsewhere. The meeting was told that 45,764 families had been registered up to 12 April including 212,183 individuals with 9,495 in-camp and 36,269 off camp families.
The services being provided to the IDPs included monthly food ration, tents, NFIs and health, education and vocational training facilities. The meeting was informed that 3 MCH Centres, 4 nutrition centres, 4 primary health centers and 8 EPI centers were active to serve the IDPs. Similarly 19 primary schools were also working besides 4 women community centres, 16 child friendly spaces and 16 women friendly spaces available. Vaccination campaign was in progress for children under 15 years of age for measles and polio.
A permanent fully equipped hospital is being planned in collaboration between Directorate of Health Fata and PDMA. The meeting was further informed that Community based Management of Malnutrition (CMAM) activities under the directives of the Governor were also in progress and three screening points were busy in screening children from 6 to 59 months with adequate arrangements for treatment and proper nourishment.
Governor Masood Kausar, while talking on different points underlined the need for provision of full-fledged facilities to the IDPs of Bara in social sectors particularly in the education and health sectors and especially immunisation besides food and shelter and directed the authorities to submit monthly reports to him in this regard. He said that the IDPs from Bara should be extended same facilities as were extended to the IDPs of Malakand.
He also stressed that skill development programs including vocational training for women should also be initiated by shifting the already established facilities in Bara Sub division to Jalozai camp along with the staff. He also directed that provision of food supplements for children and mothers must also be ensured.
The Governor said that accommodating such a huge population of IDPs in a befitting way was a big challenge and vowed that the government would utilise all its resources to meet this challenge any ways. He thanked the donor agencies and international organisations for their generous help and assistance saying that the problem was the fall out of the situation in the region and the international community was under obligation to come forward and help mitigate the sufferings of the people affected due to militancy and terrorism.
The Governor underlined the need to have proper communication with the IDPs so that they could be informed of the arrangements and efforts being made for their welfare and well-being. He in this regards directed the appointment of a focal person to liaison with media so that media could be feeded with actual rather than exaggerated and unfounded reports. The Governor directed that complaints and grievances of IDPs must be seriously looked into and properly redressed.
MNAs Mrs Asma Alamgir and Hamidullah Jan while talking about the condition of the Bara IDPs in the Jalozai camp made certain suggestions which were positively responded. The Governor assured that the genuine complaints would be duly accommodated. Additional Chief Secretary Fata Dr Tashfin Khan, Secretary to Governor Abid Majid, Political Agent Khyber Agerncy, DG PDMA and DG FDMA also attended the meeting.