BANNU: The people affected from militancy and military operations in North Waziristan tribal district on Monday held a Jirga and denounced delay in payment of compensation from the Federal Disaster Management Authority (FDMA).

Participants of the Jirga and protest said they reject the government’s condition of payment of Rs12,000 compensation through alternate SIM. They said they will continue protests for their rights and government will be responsible if anyone contracted coronavirus during these protests.

The members of the Jirga, which was held in Bannu Township, said besides payment of compensation, the people of North Waziristan must also get financial aid from the government amid coronavirus emergency. They said the people of North Waziristan have offered countless sacrifices for the country and they deserve compensation and reward. They said they are always prepared to offer any kind of sacrifice for the country.

A representative of the FDMA, Ihsan Dawar, came to the Jirga and assured the participants that they will be provided new SIMs free of cost. He said that those who had the SIM and are not alive now, the compensation amount will be given to their heirs.

The FDMA representative said the compensation money will be paid through biometric system only this month because the money has to come through computerised national identity cards (CNICs). He assured that no biometric identification will be required from the next month. He assured that the compensation money and ration will never be wasted in future.

The protesters after assurance by the FDMA representative deferred their protest for one week. They said they would again take to roads if their demands remained unfulfilled. In that case, they said the responsibility of any consequences, including any protester contracting coronavirus, will rest with the government.

Meanwhile, the protests of students of merged tribal districts against non-provision of internet service continued on Monday.

The latest protest was staged by Pakhtun Students Federation in Khyber tribal district. The protesters said the government has started online classes for all students without any planning as the students of merged districts don’t have internet facility. They said they would continue to stay away from online classes unless internet is provided in the whole tribal districts.