PESHAWAR: The ongoing tussle between Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the federal government has been hampering the activities of the UN agencies involved in healthcare, refugees, food security, relief, polio eradication in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas, say officials.

`Though there is no formal announcement at the official level about the stoppage of local activities elsewhere in the country, the blockade of Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway has affected the UN work in the province and tribal areas,` a senior government official told Dawn.

The official said the mission planned by the UN with different departments had been put off dueto the complete disconnect between Peshawar and the federal capital.

Sources said Islamabad`s fivestar hotel, which housed head offices of the UN agencies, had been barricaded, which would definitely adversely affect the agencies` work.

They said 12 UN agencies had been working either directly with the government or through partner agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata and provided support but the beginning of the protest by the PTI against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over the Panama Papers issue was taking its toll on the activities planned weeks and months ago.

The sources said some of the programmes were launched on monthly basis by the government in collaboration with the UN organs, which required constant support of the head of fices.

They added that all UN agencies had got sub-offices in Peshawar from where they managed their activities in KP and Fata with the support of their offices in Islamabad, where important financial and administrative decisions took place.`We have lost contact with main offices as no one can come here or UN workers can go to Islamabad.

`Many UN missions are planned annually as part of cooperation and coordination for the capacity-building of the government`s employees to strengthen social sector departments but the local offices have to look to head offices with regard to mega projects,` a source said.

The sources said road blockades had hampered the routine work and visits of senior UN officials to hold meeting with the government officials and discuss scope of assistance or overview the ongoing programmes.

They said some of the UN local of fices were authorised to carry out their routine programmes with the government but they required support from Islamabad.

The sources said the UN agencies didn`t work in the situation up to a desired level.

They said the UN agencies making medical and food supplies and providing financial and technical support in areas of medicines, food, shelter, water and sanitation, logistics, polio vaccination were unlikely to pursue its scheduled pro-grammes.

The sources said the UN agencies were also involved in the computerisation of offices and holding of seminars and workshops for the employees.

They added that most activities in which UN representatives from Islamabad were to participate had been postponed.

The sources said such activities could be held later but a delay would impact the continuity of interventionsin various sectors.

They said if the protest continued, it would adversely impact on the coordination between government and UN agencies.

The sources said country ofñces played a significant role in supporting sub-offices by making timely supplies of equipment, drugs and logistics, especially for the fresh programmes and projects, they said.

They said work on polio eradication would also suffer a great deal as the main offices were in Islamabad and the frequent meeting with the federal government and UN agencies were part of the National Emergency Polio Plan for the year 2016-17.