86,750 displaced families back home in NW Pakistan: gov't

ISLAMABAD, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Emergency Response Unit (ERU) Tuesday announced that 86,750 families have returned to their hometowns in northwestern Dir, Buner and Swat districts under government's arrangements during the first 15 days of the repatriation program, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

A spokesman of ERU said that overall 86,750 families have embarked on the returned journey from various relief camps since the commencement of the repatriation process on July 13 and majority of the camps have been closed after the voluntary return of the internally displaced persons (IDPs).

On Tuesday, 4,849 families repatriated to their native homes of whom 4,309 moved to Swat and 540 to Buner district, the spokesman informed.

He further said that 626 families availed the transports provided by the ERU for their return journey that included 72 buses and 23 trucks while 4,223 families boarded private vehicles to reach their native towns in Malakand Division.

More than three million people have been internally dislocated in Pakistan due to the offensives against Taliban in the country's militancy-hit northwest. Pakistani government has vowed to restore the writ of the government in some parts of North West Frontier Province where Taliban militants were actively present.