Over one million internally displaced persons from Pakistan's strife-torn tribal region will start returning to their homes in a phased manner, officials said today, in a clear sign that the army operation in the country's northwest might be nearing its end.
Over one million people had been displaced due to the ongoing military operation 'Zarb-e-Azb', launched in mid-June in North Waziristan and operation Khyber-1, launched in Khyber Agencies in October, to flush out foreign and local militants from the mountainous regions.
Officials today said the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Bara tehisl of Khyber Agency affected due to the ongoing military operation would start returning to their homes from December 25 and the process will continue till January 1 next year.
The IDPs would also be given cash compensation upon their return, officials said.
Earlier this week, army chief General Raheel Sharif has approved the phased repatriation of the IDPs after reviewing the progress made so far in the military operation.
"The early return of the IDPs was my top priority," General Sharif has said last Saturday after he was given a detailed briefing about the operation, as well as possibility of allowing the IDPs to return to their homes.
The army, however, refused to give any time frame for the completion of Operation 'Zarb-e-Azb' or a time-frame for the return of all IDPs.
The IDPs might be allowed in areas which had been cleared of militants but the military operation would continue in areas where militants were still hiding, an army official has said.
So far over 1,200 militants had been killed in the military operation in the tribal region.
Meanwhile, nearly eight kilogram of explosives were recovered from an auto-ricksaw by the police here this evening. The Chamkani police has arrested the driver of the auto-rickshaw and was investigating the matter.
