In the Meira camp for earthquake survivors, two Pashtun men sit by piles of family possesions, waiting for the truck which will take them from the camp, where they have spent the winter, back to their devastated mountain village, in the Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan. The Pakistani army, which runs the camp, has mandated that the camps be cleared by early April, despite the fact that many families are afraid or unprepared to return to their devastated homes. The Meira Tent camp (also called Mera, or Maria camp), is located on the Indus River in the Battagram district. The camp, the largest for displaced people in Pakistan, hosts over 21,000 earthquake survivors, primarily from the Allai valley in Pakistan's NWFP, one of the areas worst-hit by the October 8, 2005 earthquake.

earthquake north west frontier province pashtun south asia survivor tribal two men camp battagram district northwest frontier province pakistan nwfp