BARA: Traders in Tirah on Monday asked the government to compensate them for the losses they suffered in recent months during displacement in the aftermath of poor security situation in the remote valley.
Talking to The News, Tirah Insaf Trader Union president Muhammad Sher Afghan Khan said the wave of displacement in Tirah Valley in January this year severely impacted both the local population and the business community.
He said that the displacement was triggered by deteriorating security conditions and the possibility of a military operation, adding the displaced families faced shortage of facilities during relocation.
Sher Afghan said the transport was scarcely available for moving families and personal belongings.“Due to limited resources, goods were damaged during transit, and were destroyed by rains after being left exposed in Bara and Peshawar,” he said.
He maintained the government provided only 85 vehicles, including six trucks, for the transportation of commercial goods from the valley. The traders representative said that as per the union’s estimates Larbagh Bazaar alone required around 700 vehicles.
He said that around 1,300 shops at Larbagh Bazaar, 800 at Barbagh Bazaar, 50 at Noi Bagh Daulatkhel, 900 at Pir Mela, 300 at Adamkhel, 100 at Shalobar Warsak, 50 at Kamarkhel Shangar, and several other localities were affected.
“Approximately 8,000 people depend on these businesses for their livelihoods,” he explained, adding the affected traders also included 10 members from minorities and over 50 women engaged in home-based businesses across various villages.
Sher Afgan added that the traders from other districts such as Peshawar, Bannu, Kohat and Bajaur were also part of this economic network.“Weekly markets held on each Sunday in Barbagh, on Friday in Larbagh, and on Monday in Pir Mela have been disrupted,” he pointed out, adding that hundreds of traders belonging to other districts brought fresh vegetables, fruit and other goods to these bazaars.
He added that over 200 traders were yet to be included in the official displacement registry and they received limited financial assistance.“Only 10 percent of displaced Tirah traders have managed to resume business activities in other areas under difficult conditions,” Tirah Insaf Trader Union general secretary Nisar Ahmad told this scribe.
