PESHAWAR: The internally displaced persons from Kukikhel tribe on Thursday complained about the delay in their repatriation to Khyber Agency and warned they would to march on Islamabad if the federal government didn`t take serious steps for their return to homes within a week.

Elder of IDPs Noor Zahir Kukikhel told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club that at least 20,000 people of his tribe continued to live a miserable life away from their homes as displaced persons but thefederalgovernment didn`t provide them with the items of basis needs.

Accompanied by IDPs Haji Yasin, Akhtar Gul, Jamal Khan, Niaz Ali Khan and Haji Rehmat, he said the government fully supported IDPs from other Fata areas but ignored those from Kukikhel tribe.

The elder said his tribesmen had staged protests but the political administration didn`t provide them with financial support despite commitment.

He criticised local MNA Shah Jee Gul Afridi for not paying attention to the problems of IDPs and the lawmaker had been serving his personal interests only and had done nothing for the development of his constituency, NA-46.

Mr Noor said Shah Jee Gul should visit different villages in Tirah valley, espe-cially Toor Dara, Serai, Sra Vila, Toor Kas, Wacha Wala, Baris Koral and Bagh areas, whose residents continued to live miserable life in settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunl(hwa as IDPs.

He said the political administration had promised the registration of IDPs for financial support but the promise had yet to be fulfilled.

`Of the 20,000 people, only 800 have been registered suggesting the administration is not interested to help them,` he said.

The elder said the tribesmen had demanded quota for job in the Levies Force, provision of Shuhada Package to those killed in the area, and payment of compensation to rebuild the damaged houses and shops.

He said schools and health centres had been destroyed in Bajaur Agency but the government didn`t take interest to rebuild them.

`We, the Kukikhel tribesmen, appealed to the government time and again to meet our demands, but to no avail.

Now, we`ll march on Islamabad to stage a sit-in outside Parliament House after one week,` he said.

Earlier, the IDPs led by Dr Malik Shah Khan demonstrated outside the press club and shouted slogans against the federal government over delayed repatriation. Bureau Report