1.6 million Pak refugees return home: UN

Of the nearly 2.3 million people rendered homeless because of the Pakistan military action against terrorists in the Swat Valley and adjoining areas, around 1.6 million have returned home, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said yesterday.

However, as many as 17 refugee camps are still operational in the NWFP, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters at the world body headquarters in New York.

Okabe said UN-HABITAT and the UN Refugee Agency have pledged to provide shelter assistance to about 10,000 families whose homes were damaged, and the World Food Programme is distributing food in Waziristan.

Regarding funding, he said donors have stepped up contributions to the Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan during the past week.