DERA ISMAIL KHAN – Mass Udhiyah arranged by Islamic charities are the only hope for around 400,000 displaced persons from troubled South Waziristan region who are living in shelter camps or staying with relatives to get a taste of meat during `Eid Al- Adha.
"We have arranged scores of mass sacrifices in almost all the shelter camps located in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bannu and Kurk districts for the displaced persons," Naimatullah Khan, President of Al-Khidmat Foundation, the country’s largest NGO, told IOL.
Islamic charities had placed billboards and banners in all big cities appealing to philanthropists to contribute generously to their mass sacrifice campaign for the displaced people.
Al-Khidmat received over 5000 contributions from all over the country, purely for the displaced persons from South Waziristan.
"It is very unfortunate that those people, who were until last year in a position to not only perform sacrifice for themselves but also help others, have been compelled to beg for food and shelter," lamented Khan.
"They really need our help."
The army launched a full-scale operation in South Waziristan, a stronghold of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella of different Taliban groups.
Fierce clashes are continuing in various parts of the restive region between security forces and the militants.
The fighting has displaced more than 400,000 people who are taking shelter in camps located in neighboring regions.
"A majority of the displaced persons are staying with relatives and friends in different parts of the country, including Karachi," said Khan, who earned a good reputation as mayor of Karachi, the commercial hub of Pakistan, from 2001 to 2005.
"Therefore, we have asked all the local centers of our foundation to register the displaced persons so that they can collect meat on `Eid."
Al-Khidmat Foundation has a workforce of 100,000 volunteers, besides an organized crisis management cell.
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