Repatriation of Bara residents delayed till January 15

LANDIKOTAL: An official of the Khyber Agency administration said on Wednesday that they had delayed repatriation of Bara IDPs till January 15.

The Political Tehsildar Bara, Khalid Khan, told The News that the government had announced that Bara IDPs would start returning to their native areas from December 25. He said that due to incomplete homework, they had to change the date from December 25 and fixed January 15. The official said the government had planned to send back all the IDPs tribe-wise. To a question, Khalid Khan said all the areas of Bara had been cleared of militants and state writ restored. On December 14, Assistant Political Agent Nasir Khan had said that displaced people of Bara would start returning on December 25 and repatriation would be completed by January 1, 2015. On the other hand, a spokesman of the banned Lashkar-e-Islam, led by Mangal Bagh, has claimed influence in areas of Bara. Saifullah Saif called journalists from an unknown location and rejected the government claims of restoration of peace in Bara. He said they have still control on Shalobar and some other areas in Bara. Saif warned displaced people of Bara not to return to their homes as, according to him, LI had asked them not to leave their areas without LI’s permission. However, MNA from Bara Nasir Khan Afridi said that he was hopeful that the efforts were under way to restore peace. He said peace in Bara was inevitable for peace in Pakistan. He said they would rehabilitate all the displaced people to their homes in near future. A tribal elder Abdul Wahid Afridi said local committees, called “Sharishta” in local dialect, have been constituted at village levels. He said they had rendered unforgettable sacrifices, which would not go waste. He said that hopefully they would start living peaceful life in Bara and that Bara bazaar and roads would also reopen. ------------------------------