Shattered hopes welcome Sipah families returning to Tirah.

KHYBER -- Despair and dejection was written large on the faces of most of the returned persons of Sipah tribe when they reached their homes in Dray Wandi locality of Tirah valley after eight years of displacement as they found their houses and other infrastructure destroyed.

The much awaited return of more than 5,000 Sipah families, who left their homes in 2012 owing to launch of military operation, was started on June 13 with the first batch of 415 families, only men, left for Dray Wandi on the same date.

Officials said that the return people to Sipah-inhabited areas of Sanda Pal, Dray Naghari, Nangrosa, Dray Wandi, Speen Drand, Sandana and Sheikh Mali Baba would be completed in different phases.

The returning families were directed by the local administration to reach Tharkho Kas for their registration and receipt of food and non-food items prior to their journey back home.

Turab Ali, an activist of Sipah Khidmat-i-Khalq Committee, told Dawn that the miserable condition of the road leading to the areas where the displaced families were to return had made their two-way journey more troubling and difficult as the vehicle they were travelling broke down several times.

He said that almost 99 per cent of the houses were completely destroyed and not fit for living while the government officials were insisting that the damage assessment survey would be started only when all the displaced families returned to their homes.

Mr Ali said that at present only some adult male members of the displaced families were registering their families at Tharkho Kas as they were reluctant to take their women and children along for fear of...