By Iftikhar, SwatValley.org Correspondant, May 19, 2009
Hundreds of displaced people from Swat and Dir have been stuck in Chakdara Bridge (The junction which connects Dir and Swat) which mainly includes children, women, disabled and the aged ones since four days.
There has been a deficiency of food and they don’t have any proper place to live. The security forces has imposed strict curfew and the movement of the displaced people has been completely banned. One of the locals called and said that there are lots of patients who need emergency treatment.
The people stuck there demand the government to relax the curfew for few hours so that the displaced people could reach safer places. This problem affects not people people who are fleeing Dir, but also those who are fleeing Swat.
Arshad, a pharmacist, said that its his 4th day that he is waiting there to get to Batkhela, just a few kilomters aways to get medicine for Swat. If the security forces relax curfew for an hour or two atleast on this bridge daily, it would not only help those who want to flee but will also insure the timely arrival of medicine and other supplies to Dir and Swat - the two districts cut-off from the rest because of the on-going operation.
