LANDI KOTAL: The Khyber Agency political administration has deferred the process of census for an indefinite period in areas which have not been denotified as yet by the security forces.

Sources at Khyber House, the office of the political agent, told this scribe that letters had been sent to the census staff concerned apprising them of the administration`s inability to conduct the census exercise in `closed operational areas` which included Shaddala (Akkakhel), Ouch Naw, Taju, Yaggu Mela, Jhutt (Bar Qambarkhel) and Kukikhel areas near Rajgal in Tirah valley.

They said that there were still reports of presence of suspected elements inthese areas located near the Afghan border.

They said that the displaced families too had not yet returned to these localities while a survey of the damaged houses alsofaced delay.

Residents of these areas, however, insisted that they had been issued voluntary return forms (VRF) both by the Fata Disaster Management Authority and political administration, but were denied return.

Officials at the Khyber House said that they were satisfied with the ongoing process of census and house counting in the rest of Khyber Agency as the administration had made elaborate arrangements for making the national exercise a success.

They said that the agency had been divided into 670 blocks, including 454 in Bara, 136 in Landi Kotal and 80 in Jamrud tehsil. As many as 341 enumerators assisted by 45 circle supervisors and seven circle superintendents will complete the process in a month.

Officials, however, clarified that like rest of the country no female enumera-tors were engaged for the census as there was no need of going inside houses. They said that all foreign nationals which mostly included registered and unregistered Afghans would be enrolled in the `others` category of census form.

TUJ MEMBERSHIP: A 12-member committee of tribal journalists has been formed for the renewal of membership of Tribal Union of Journalists in all the seven tribal agencies and six Frontier Regions.

The decision was taken at a recent meeting of some of the founding members of TUJ. Journalist Sailab Mehsud presided over the meeting, which decided to cancel all the previous memberships of TUJ, as the organisation had remained dormant for nearly five years.

The newly-formed committee, headed by Ehsan Dawar, was tasked with inviting fresh membership forms from all working journalists in tribal areas. It will conduct visits of local press clubs in different regions of Fata and complete its job in three months.