More Than 650,000 Displaced By Military Campaign In Northwestern Pakistan

[News_Editor]

More than 650,000 displaced by military campaign in northwestern Pakistan 2012-04-14 03:09:30 GMT+7 (ICT) ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- An estimated 650,000 Pakistanis have been displaced by an ongoing military campaign in the northwestern region of the country, United Nations (UN) officials said on Friday.UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva that a number of new arrivals have been reaching UNHCR at the Jalozai camp for the internally displaced, which is located near the city of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.Some 10,000 people are being registered daily at the camp, Edwards stated, adding that 72 registration desks have been established to keep pace with the flow of new arrivals. Around 11,000 families, or more than 50,000 individuals, have moved into the Jalozai camp. However, the majority of those registered at the camp have chosen not to stay inside the camp, preferring instead to move in with friends and relatives or to live in rented accommodation. According to the UN, in total, more than 650,000 people are displaced in the Khyber Pakkhtunkhwa province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas as a result of security operations against militant groups.The UNHCR along with other UN agencies have been providing assistance in the areas of mother and child heath, child protection, water and sanitation, primary education, distribution of food rations and vaccinations. In addition, systems have also been set up to identify and assist people with particular protection concerns, Edwards said. A grievance and legal desk has been established at the Jalozai registration point to facilitate vulnerable groups who may need additional assistance due to lost registration forms, old national identity cards, or missing identity cards.

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