WFP halves ration quota for IDPs

WFP halves ration quota for IDPs...http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/205088/
 February 1, 2013
 Arshad Ali/Farooq Mahsud
ISLAMABAD/DI Khan: World Food Program (WFP) Pakistan spokesperson Amjad Jamal on Thursday said that the WFP had reduced the ration quota of the Mehsud tribe's Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from South Waziristan Agency due to the shortage of funds.
The spokesperson told that WFP had reduced the flour quota to 50 percent and now the IDPs could get 40 kgs flour per family which was 80 kgs before the WFP took decision to cut the quantity because of unavailability of funds. He said that the quota of other commodities would not be changed.
Amjad Jamal told that WFP was in contact with donors to get funds for the project as early as possible. "If we succeed in getting funds at the earliest, the IDPs will get same 80 kgs of flour from March," he added.
It is pertinent to be mentioned here that the IDP's including elders of the tribe, youth and political activists from SWA staged a hunger strike for an indefinite period for the last seven days against the WFP decision.
The protesters were lying hungry and thirsty for last seven days but no representative of the government bothered to contact them to address the issue. They threatened to hold violent demonstrations if the government did not address their issues soon.
Earlier on Wednesday, the peaceful protesters had also refused to accept food rations from the WFP when WFP DI Khan Manager Rehmat Wali informed the IDPs committee comprising 12 elder members of Mehsud tribe that due to shortage of funds WFP cut the ration scale and would give half of ration as compared to previous scale.
Furthermore when this scribe contacted Senator Muhammad Saleh Shah he told that the government authorities had assured him to give 1 lakh and 58 thousands tons of wheat for the IDPs. He said that the new quantity of wheat would be available within next 15 days. He also expressed his reservations about the WFP claim of funds shortage and said that WFP was an international organization and it should not reduce the quota due to fund shortage.