According to the Office of the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Pakistan, the suspension of the United Nations relief programme in Tehsil Bagh for two weeks is the outcome of recent attacks against humanitarian workers operating in the area.

UN aid workers have been particularly active in Bagh district since a devastating earthquake struck the region in October 2005. Pakistan's humanitarian affairs Fawad Hussein said that the emergency services were still in the area although the relief had ended last year.

"There is only reconstruction and recovery work in Bagh. The total population of this district is four hundred thousand which means if there is a landslide, we have a service that can react to the emergency."

Local organisation blamed

He blamed the burning down of the staff house on the Awami Action Forum, in operation since July 2006. "We have received a few threats by them and have negotiated with them as well," he explained.

"The main thrust of the matter was initially that they did not allow local women to work for the UN but we negotiated a code of conduct. From a UN perspective there has to be gender balance within the team so women staff can't be fired."

Local journalist Zahid Gillani had a different story to tell and said that the UN staff members themselves had been involved in burning down the house. "The UN staff shifted all their possessions from the house and moved out. Local people tried to extinguish the fire."

"Just rumours"

But the field security officer whose house was burnt down Sardar Kamran said that these were just rumours. He linked the incident to an earlier attack by local people on a UN vehicle in May and said locals complained to the police when two girls and one boy had lunch on their day off.

"They complained that they were disturbing their culture. These people were brought back from the field. The local people demanded the people be stoned to death," he said.

There were also rumours that groups who have failed to win contracts from aid agencies are inciting local residents against them.

In the midst of all this uncertainty, UN officials said that they would consult the authorities, conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and monitor the situation carefully before they announced a resumption of activities.