UN appeals for 537-million-dollar aid to help displaced Pakistanis

Feb 9, 2010, 14:26 GMT

Islamabad - The United Nations on Tuesday appealed for 537-million-dollar aid for thousands of Pakistanis affected by the military assault against Taliban militants in the country's north-west region.

Martin Mogwanja, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan, told reporters in Islamabad that the funds will be used to respond to the needs of the people displaced by the conflict in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and tribal region for the next six months.

The military operations in the NWFP's Malakand area and tribal district of South Waziristan that borders Afghanistan displaced around 3 million people last year.

Many of them have returned to their homes after security forces cleared the areas of the Islamist insurgents, but they are still struggling to restore their livelihoods devastated by the conflict.

And many more are currently being left homeless as the government forces expand their campaign against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants to another tribal district of Orakzai.

'Considering that the number of IDPs (internally displaced people) from Orakzai has risen nearly 10-fold in the last two months, the emergency in Pakistan seems far from over,' Mogwanja said.

The Orakzai region has recently emerged as the new militant stronghold, with thousands of Taliban fighters fleeing the South Waziristan operation and taking refuge there.