By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistan and the UN refugee agency Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for assistance and rehabilitation of hundreds of thousands Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to military offensive in the tribal regions and Swat Valley.
Officials say that over 400,000 people have left homes only in the Bajaur tribal region, where the army is using fighter planes and gunship helicopters against the militants.
Temporary camps have been set up for the IDPs in several cities and Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Under the MoU, the NWFP Social Welfare Department will assist the UNHCR in registration and coordination of the quarter concerned for providing food, education, healthcare facilities other than registration of the IDPs residing with host families in different parts of the province.
In first phase, the IDPs living with their relatives or friends will be registered and then steps will be taken for their rehabilitation and providing amenities of life.
Briefly speaking on the occasion, the Social Welfare Minister said that registration of the IDPs residing with host families was must as more than 70% IDPs were accommodated outside the relief camps.
UNHCR representative in Pakistan Guenet Guebre-Christos hoped that after completion of the registration of IDPs proper steps will be taken for rehabilitation of the IDPs in line with their daily needs.