The government and the administration of Bannu district have been trying to convince the internally displaced persons (IDPs), who have fled the military operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency -- to stay in the relief camp set up in the Bakkakhel area in the Frontier Region (FR) Bannu.

It was, in fact, a major displacement of the tribesmen from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) when they were forced to migrate to safer places before the operation was launched on June 15 against the local and foreign militants.

According to data collected by officials of the Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) by July 3, the total displaced tribesmen are 4,57,048, including men (1,20,276), women (1,44,112) and children (1,92,660). Some 36,904 families have left their homes for Bannu, the settled area adjoining NWA, from where they shift to other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

The government established a relief camp in the Bakkakhel area where, the district administration claim, all facilities have been provided.

According to sources, officials of Fata Secretariat had recommended to the government to set up the camp near KashooBridge on the Bannu Link Road, which was comparatively safer and approachable for the national and international organisations wishing to help the IDPs.

Assistant Political Agent (APA) FR Bannu, Javedullah Mahsud says the facilities, including water tanks, drinking water, food, tents, medical and security have been provided to the camp. "The local administration cannot force them to stay in the camp if they don’t wish to."

The tribesmen are afraid of the Taliban militants, hence, they prefer to stay away from the relief camp set up by the government.

Also, the IDPs have complained that the government failed to provide transport to them because of which they had to walk from North Waziristan to Bannu, and on the way lost a few children and elderly tribesmen.

The exact death toll could not be ascertained but, according to unconfirmed reports, more than 40 IDPs have died as most of them were buried on the way.

Following the directives by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Pervez Khattak, the Commissioner Bannu division, Syed Mohsin Shah, the person appointed by the KP Governor, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan to oversee the IDPs affairs, assigned college buses for transporting IDPs.

An official expressed ignorance about the availability of buses provided to the Bannu commissioner for shifting homeless tribesmen. According to him, no college bus was seen in the city transporting the displaced families from Saidgai checkpost to Bannu.