As the internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to return home to start a new life, normalcy is gradually returning to North Waziristan Agency.

"I call it the ‘New Normalcy’ or a new way of life. We are trying to facilitate the people to live better," remarked Major General Hassan Azhar Hayat, the general officer commanding (GOC) leading the operations in North Waziristan.

Though he is the commander of the troops undertaking military operations, his role is changing as he is also leading the reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure in North Waziristan and overseeing the repatriation and rehabilitation of the IDPs, or the Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) as they are referred to officially.

During a recent visit to Miranshah and Mir Ali, the headquarters and the second city, respectively, of North Waziristan, one saw the changing face of a tribal region that until June 15, 2014 was largely controlled by the local and foreign militants. That is when the military launched the operation Zarb-e-Azb to finally regain control of North Waziristan, which until then was known as the centre of activities of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaeda, Haqqani network and an assortment of other militant factions. The military action has almost ended, but Zarb-e-Azb hasn’t been formally concluded. The repatriation of the displaced people that is expected to be completed by the end of this year is one major sign of the return of normalcy in the previously turbulent North Waziristan.

Under the slogan, "Build Better than Before" the army is keen to provide up to the mark facilities to the people in every sector. Hectic construction activity is visible everywhere as the tribespeople go about their work. The Miranshah-Mir Ali road, rebuilt and widened, is busy as all sorts of vehicles ferry passengers and goods. The soldiers on duty are alert, but are relaxed compared to the recent past.

Those displaced from Miranshah town have yet to return, but villages around it have welcomed back their inhabitants and are now bustling with life. Brigadier Adnan, a senior Pakistan Army officer, said preparations are in the final stages to bring home the residents of Miranshah. "The repatriation is done in phases by first completing the process of rebuilding and rehabilitating the educational institutions, healthcare facilities, drinking water supply and other civic services," he added.

The famous Miranshah bazaar has been demolished and is being built anew with spacious roads and other needed facilities. A comparison of the old congested bazaar and the new upcoming one would show a world of difference once the project containing 4,000 shops is completed. Presently the first phase with 672 shops is under construction while the next phase would have another 1,304 shops. "The bazaar would have underground electricity wiring, proper sewerage system and other facilities. It will be better than the markets in Islamabad," promised Maj Gen Hassan Azhar Hayat.

The demolition of the old Miranshah bazaar and the way the new one is being built has generated some controversy and the landowners and shopkeepers have approached the Peshawar High Court to seek their rights. Army officials said many shops and buildings in the old bazaar were used to store arms, ammunition and explosives for use in terrorist activities, there were encroachments everywhere, the place was being run by the Taliban and the markets were congested. "We take the tribal elders into confidence while working on projects. The new constructions would lead to value addition and benefit the owners. The Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has taken personal interest in rebuilding the Miranshah bazaar," the GOC explained.

The old bazaar in Mir Ali town has also been demolished and land acquired to rebuild spacious and better organised markets. It felt strange to visit an unfamiliar place at a spot where once a familiar bazaar stood on both sides of the road. Roadside markets, compact and modern, have also been built on the Mir Ali-Miranshah road. At Khadi village, the market committee president Kamal Shah said the army-built market has 150 shops and such is the demand that they are building another one on their own on the adjacent piece of land.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the grand Younas Khan Sports Complex, named after the world class cricketer hailing from Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is nearing completion as spectators seats were being installed in the main stadium, landscaping and plantation was in the final stages and roads and pathways were under construction. The complex has four gates with three opening to Machis village and other civilian localities and the fourth to the garrison where the army, Frontier Corps, the political administration and other government institutions are based. A spacious and beautiful stadium, two football grounds, basketball and volleyball courts, two astro-turf grounds, a children’s park, tuck shops, changing rooms, offices and toilets form part of the complex spread over 148 kanals. "I can claim there is no such grand stadium anywhere in Pakistan," Maj Gen Hassan Azhar Hayat remarked.

Soldiers said local boys come to the sports complex and ask as to when they would be able to play in it. They said the complex would be inaugurated in the near future when Younas Khan Eleven led by the cricketer himself would play against a Fata Eleven team.

Ar Sarbankai village on the outskirts of Miranshah, football players fought for the control of the soccer ball in a dusty playground wearing mostly shorts, but also trousers and shalwars. "It wasn’t possible to wear shorts while playing football when Taliban were in control as they said this is un-Islamic," a player remarked in his Waziristani-accented Pashto. It is the same village where nine Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers were slaughtered by the militants at the height of the militancy.

The footballers, well-built and sturdy, proudly claimed their Chashma Football Club named after the area recently won a tournament in Abbottabad. They wanted the military to grow grass in their ground and water it to make it easy for them to play, solve the electricity problem in their villages and reinstate the 21 personnel of the Shawal Scouts, a wing of the paramilitary FC, belonging to their villages who had quit jobs during the displacement. It is common to hear demands for better schools, hospitals, roads and electrification as the displaced people return to their villages.

At the newly built Agency Headquarters Hospital in Miranshah, male and female patients wait in orderly manner to consult doctors. The buildings are impressive and the premises are clean. Officials said getting female gynaecologists to serve in North Waziristan is a challenge though other specialists are available at the two major hospitals in Miranshah and Mir Ali.

Brigadier Babar Iftikhar, the commander of the troops deployed in Mir Ali sub-division, noted that deweaponisation was bringing a change in the life-style and outlook of the tribesmen. "They tell us they are happy there are no guns in sight. Recently, a woman reported to the authorities that her husband who is a teacher had kept arms at home instead of depositing these with the army. She wanted no arms in her house," he recalled.

There are interesting stories about tribesmen involved in dispute fighting with sticks and stones in absence of guns. The tribesmen concede that such fights in the past claimed lives because everyone was heavily armed. It is known to everyone in North Waziristan that any house where weapons are found would be demolished. However, army officers said no house has been demolished on this charge as merely the threat of punishment is having an impact.

Apparently a new North Waziristan is emerging. Life will be different, though the tribal people ought to be consulted as to their aspirations for the future.