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Saturday, January 9, 2010
18 child protection centres set up in Buner PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Village Development Programme (PVDP) in collaboration with the Unicef has established 18 child protection
centres in Nawagai, Koga, Makhranai, Chinglai, Ghurghasto and Totalai union councils of district Buner.
A press
release said through the centres the children of less developed areas would be provided proper environment and education.
Staff has been deployed there and committees comprising women and men constituted to carry out survey of all the areas.
The centres will ensure the access of sick and disabled children to the public sector basic health units and arrange
sport and other entertainment activities for the street children. The press release said the centres will be utilised for
generating awareness against child labour, mental disorder and sexual abuse of the children and children deprived of education
would be helped to enrol in schools.
8:58 am bdt
IOM distributes toolkits to IDPs returning to BunerPESHAWAR: The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has completed the distribution of basic repair
toolkits to 62,694 registered returnee families in Buner district of Malakand division, said a release issued here on Friday.
IOM staff and locally hired workers distributed the kits from hubs in Sawari, Pir Baba, Jowar, Ambaila, Dewan
Baba and Kinglay, where registered returnee families were also issued with food rations. “Despite security challenges,
the three-month project was completed successfully. The kits will play a key role in helping people to rebuild their houses,
businesses and vegetable gardens,” says Emergency Officer Izora Maskun. Each toolkit includes a shovel, pickaxe, adze,
hammer, nails, pliers, pincers, chisel, wrench, trowel, hand saw, gloves, nylon rope, binding wire and a packing bag.
The project followed earlier distributions of 1,550 shelter kits to address overcrowding among displaced people living in
host communities and public buildings in Mardan district. Subsequently, it focused on growing numbers of IDPs returning to
Dir and Swat districts. The earlier project, implemented through the French NGO ACTED and funded by Sweden (SIDA), covered
17 union councils in Swat and 15 union councils in Dir. The shelter kits were distributed to returnee families whose homes
had been destroyed or damaged and to other displaced families in need of shelter.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Militants resurface in Buner village, claim locals Saturday, January 02, 2010
By Delawar Jan
PESHAWAR: Taliban militants resurfaced in Jeewar area in the troubled
Buner district late Wednesday, threatening people to avoid taking government-distributed rations, villagers said on Friday.
They said the militants who had been on the run after the April 2009 military operation came to a small market just
outside the Bampokha village near Jeewar and bought several items. “Four gun-brandishing militants came to a shop around
9:30pm and others were providing cover to them at a short distance,” a villager told The News by phone.
Requesting
anonymity, he said a number of people saw the Taliban. He said they purchased some items from the shop including battery cells
and asked the people to go to their homes. Residents said the militants left for an unknown destination after shopping.
Military officials denied the reports as unfounded and baseless.
“They asked the people not to accept
ration from the government,” the local said. Residents of Bampokha said the security forces had a checkpost in the area
for the last three to four months and would often do patrolling. However, they said the checkpost, manned by some 20-25 soldiers,
has now been vacated.
“The day the checkpost was abandoned, Taliban appeared the same evening in the area,”
a villager said, referring to satisfactory security arrangements in presence of the security forces. It was learnt the militants
had issued leaflets in this particular area but it could not be ascertained as to the message that was conveyed.
Attempts were made to contact the district police officer of Buner to seek his comment but he was unavailable. However,
military officials said they had not noticed movement of the militants in Bampokha. “Neither such an incident has taken
place nor has anyone reported it to us. Reports received by you are incorrect and baseless,” a military official requesting
anonymity told The News. He asserted that no checkpost had been dismantled in the area and the security forces were still
carrying out routine checking.
The government had moved security forces into Buner on April 28, 2009 to wrest
control of the district captured by the Swat militants. The offensive had displaced several hundred thousands people and caused
damage to properties. The security forces claim full control in Buner and no major terrorist incident was reported from the
district since August 2009. Meanwhile, the police found a mortar shell in a field on Swarai-Riga Road.
8:15 am bdt
End of ‘No Go Areas’ in Buner: DPO F.P. Report BUNER: The district police officer (DPO) Falak Naz Khan, has claimed end of NO Go Areas (NGAs) in the district
adding police were effectively performing their duties in whole the district even far remote mountainous regions. Addressing
a press conference in his office at Daggar on Saturday, flanked by DSP operation Rahim Khan, he said that maximum peace was
restored in the district from the last two months. Two more police stations-Gagra and Jure were made functional while three
more of Chinglai, Nagrai and Batara would be made functional in next phase. He went on to say that police force was increased
to seven hundred and would be further added with three fifty more in short. While the strength of special force was five hundred
and fifty and two hundred and fifty more would add in the force within short, he unveiled. The DPO disclosed that total nine
hundred list was prepared of wanted militants out of them about 200 would have so far been netted while rest of them are chased
in parts of the country. He admitted that some of wanted militants were arrested in other parts of the country and district
police was fulfilling the legal procedure to have an access for thorough interogatio. He unveiled key figures were arrested
and sensational disclosure are expected during interrogation. The DPO further said that the district police and locals were
rendered grate sacrifices when they boldly faced them at various points and lost their precious lives. He calculated that
those seventeen policemen were embraced martyrdom and twenty-five received serious injuries and still suffering of their wounds.
The DPO elaborated that government was committed of further strengthening the force with modern facilities, capacity building
and salaries to enable them of facing any challenge. He hoped the personnel would have to face any eventuality as an encouraged
and satisfied force. He added that there was an additional support of elite force, security forces and frontier constabulary
to back police. The DPO admitted there was gang of dacoits and thieves who were decamping with valuables in huge populated
village-Elai and main business center-Swari. The police tightened nose around and the gangs busted when gang leaders arrested
and identified names of accomplices. The DPO while terming relaxation an hour curfew from 6 AM to 9 PM for locals and relaxation
for police party at night a good omen when the police party was able to continue night protection against dacoits, robbers
and thieves.
7:09 am bdt
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