Updated on
Summary
United Nations emergency relief coordinator, said during a four-day visit to Pakistan that the displaced people were at a critical turning point, as the military says swathes of the northwest are safe for return.(We are) trying to make sure people are not pushed to go home too quickly, said Holmes, as he visited the displaced people in Mardan.Of course we have no wish for people to stay in camps or in host communities longer than necessary because it puts such a huge strain on everyone and on infrastructure. These are the balances were trying to strike. Officials say the three NWFP districts are almost cleared of Taliban rebels, although the military have reported outbreaks of fresh fighting in the Swat valley.We are at a critical turning point when people may start to go home and may not, Holmes told journalists.If they start to go home, its one situation. That becomes very difficult for most people and we have some very big problems to address in the future.The conditions need to be right that is the security needs to be right, the basic services need to be there, he added.Electricity and water supplies were cut off in the main urban hubs during the fighting, while hospitals closed their doors.Most of over 1.9 million displaced people which include about 500,000 who fled an offensive last year in a separate northwest region are packed into relatives homes, while others are crammed into hot and dusty refugee camps.
