PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Thursday stopped the Nowshera district administration from dislodging several internally displaced families of Bajaur Agency from Benazir Bhutto Complex Nowshera at Risalpur.

The bench comprising Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Abdul Shakoor issued the order over a writ petition filed by Fazli Amin and two other internally displaced persons (IDPs) on behalf of the families, seeking directives from the high court to the relevant of ficials for payment of compensation for their damaged houses along with handing them over their landed properties which were allegedly occupied by local influential figures.

The benchissued notice to the respondents including the additional secretary Fata; director Fata Disaster Management Authority, political agent Bajaur Agency, deputy commissioner and additional assistant commissioner, Nowshera, and Peshawar Electricity Supply Company through the executive engineer concerned of Nowshera.

Advocates Ijaz Khan Mohmand and Sultan Muhammad Yousafzai represented the petitioners. These petitioners have been residing at Benazir Bhutto Complex Nowshera since 2008 when the militants had occupied different parts of the agency and the army had launched an operation to dislodge them.

The petitioners` counsel stated that the petitioners belonged to Charmang area in Bajaur. He stated that when the military operation was launched against the militants the petitioners and large number of other people were directed to vacate their houses and to settle in Benazir Bhutto Complex Nowshera at Risalpur or at Jalozai IDPs Camp.

He stated that when the petitioner had left their area their houses were either burnt by explosives or damaged and dismantled by the militants. He said that the compensation of completely destroyed houses was fixed as Rs260,000 and for partial damage house as Rs170,000.

He stated that the petitioners had requested the authorities concerned for payment of compensation time and again but in vain. He added that the petitioners had also requested the additional commissioner Fata through an application on Jan 1, 2012, had also made requests to the Fata Disaster Management Authority through letters on Feb 24, 2014 and Mar 12, 2013. However, he added, their requests were not accepted.

He contended that now the administration was bent upon dispossessing the petitioners and had issued directives to them to vacate Benazir Bhutto Complex. He added that the Pesco authorities had already disconnected electricity supply to the petitioners and they had now been passing through miserable times.

He pointed out that the landed properties of the petitioners had also been occupied by influential persons in the area. He requested the court to order the authorities to pay compensation to the petitioners for their destroyed or damaged houses and also to take back possession of their landed properties.