IDP's: Influx from NWFP troubled areas continues

[Neo]

Influx from NWFP troubled areas continues: 50,000 IDPs living in twin cities in subhuman conditions​

* No registration mechanism adopted by law-enforcement agencies
* 45-50 people are living in a house of three to four rooms
* Rent of houses in low-cost areas witnesses 70 percent increase
* Victims’ committee says government, elected representatives paying no attention to their problems​

​

ISLAMABAD: Some 50,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in sub-human conditions in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and the influx of people from FATA, Buner, Dir, Swat and other troubled areas is continuing raising fears of over-burdening the already over crowded garrison city of Rawalpindi.

No authentic data of these IDPs is available at official level and some NGOs put their number at over 100,000. However, according to careful estimates based on a survey by Daily Times in the low-income areas of city the number of these people is well over 50,000.

These IDPs are mostly from Bajaur, Orakzai, Khyber, Waziristan and Muhamand agencies and they arrived here some nine months back. Now the IDPs from Buner, Dir, Swat and other areas of Malakand have also started arriving. Their influx would increase if the situation in troubled areas did not improve.

No registration: There is no mechanism for registration of these IDPs as neither the district administration nor the law-enforcement agencies including police have maintained any record of these people raising fears among the local population that anti-social elements might sneak in guise of IDPs.

In the absence of any official policy to deal with the situation, thousands of IDPs are living in sub-human conditions in over crowded residences in Pirwadhai, Ziaul Haq Colony, Fauji Colony, Dhoke Hassu, Hazara Colony, Mehar Colony, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Chur Chowk, Adiala Road, Kurri Road, Shamsabad, Tarnol, Faizabad, Bhara Kahu and other areas. In most of the cases, 45-50 people are living in a house of three to four rooms under extremely un-hygienic conditions.

No source of income: Most of these people have no source of income and they are relying on the money they got from sale of their cattle and other valuables at the time of migration. Many IDPs said they were making their both ends meet by selling jewellery of their women or getting loans from relatives and acquaintances.

Some people are working as labrourers in fruit and vegetable markets or have set up makeshift stalls to earn their livelihood. These people said they were not earning enough to meet food and other necessary needs of their family in city where they had to pay high rent of house, utility bills and other expenses.

Increase in rents: The influx of IDPs has resulted in increase in house rents in the twin cities. The rent of a single room accommodation in low-income areas, which was a few months back available at Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000, has gone up to Rs 3,000 to 4,000 per month and that too is scarcely available.

During the survey, dozens of IDPs from Malakand Division, who have arrived here recently, said they were in search of a rented accommodation since weeks but could not find it and staying with their relatives as guests.

IDPs committee: Complaining about apathy of the authorities, the IDPs said they had set up a FATA Affectees Committee to raise their issue. They said neither the district government nor their own representatives in National Assembly and Senate had responded to the request of their committee positively.

The committee patron-in-chief Abdul Qayum Khan, President Latif Khan and General Secretary Sher Zaman Khan said they had approached every forum from prime minister to district administrations of the twin cities for allocation of some site in the suburbs of Rawalpindi or Islamabad to set up camp for IDPs but got no response.

They said the IDPs were only demanding restoration of peace in their respective areas so that they could return to their homes. They said if the government felt that unrest in troubled areas could continue for a longer time, it should devise some policy to deal with the situation. They said most of the IDPs were living in miserable conditions under abject poverty and needed attention of the high-ups who so far paid only lip service and took no steps for their rehabilitation.

 

[Neo]

Majority of Malakand Taliban are outsiders: IDPs​

ISLAMABAD: Majority of the Malakand Division’s IDPs sheltering in Rawalpindi says the Taliban in their areas are mostly not locals. The IDPs, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Daily Times on Wednesday that the Taliban occupying their areas were Pushtun but they didn’t speak the local dialect. They said some Taliban spoke Persian. They said the Taliban had engaged some ‘unemployed’ youth by giving them Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 a month and weapons, double cabin vehicles and sumptuous food.

The IDPs said the Taliban had been freely moving in their areas for the last many years but police and security forces were ignorant to their activities. A displaced person from village Ushri Dara, Dir, claimed that of late, the Taliban ordered the owners of mini trucks to gather at a place before transporting weapons and ammunitions to their bastion in the mountains in over 300 trucks. Another IDP from Lower Dir said the Taliban bought milk from one of his neighbours at a price higher than that of the market. He claimed one morning the neighbour reached the milk delivery place before the stipulated time and saw the Taliban clean-shaven with long artificial beards in their hands. He said the Taliban beat up the milkman and warned him of ‘dire consequences’ if he reported the incident to anyone. Most of the IDPs opted not to speak against the Taliban.

 

[Neo]

Children without food, health, education​

ISLAMABAD: The children of internally displaced persons (IDPs), who arrived here some nine months back are without food, education and health facilities. The IDPs told Daily Times that their children were attending schools before the trouble started in their respective areas and they were forced to move to other parts of the country for shelter.

Since most of these families are living in low-cost areas around Pirwadhai with no proper source of income, many children go to fruit and vegetable market to collect leftover fruit and vegetables. Sarbali Khan, an IDP from Lower Dir, said children of many of his relatives had fallen ill after eating rotten vegetables they collected from the fruit market since their parents were unable to buy food for them. He said the poor parents could not afford medical treatment, which is resulting in deaths of their children due to diseases like food poisoning, cholera, diarrhea and other stomach related problems.

 

[Neo]

Human exodus and war against Taliban​

The NWFP Information Minister, Iftikhar Hussain, says half a million people are expected to make an exodus from Swat as the military operation unfolds there against the Taliban. The province already has a million people to care for after an exodus from the war zones of the tribal areas, Dir and Buner. New camps are to be set up in Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda, Nowshehra and Peshawar to accommodate the Swat refugees. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has released to the NWFP government a sum of half a billion rupees to enable it to manage this movement of people in order to enable the military option to take hold in Swat.

The politics of refugee camps is a great liability for anyone fighting a last-ditch battle against internal enemies. They are a bait for the media and there is no way the denizens of the best looked-after camp in the world will come to the camera smiling to report “all is well”. The camps are a part of the attrition against the state and are an instrument of persuasion in the hands of the enemy converting the state’s victories into defeats. On the other hand, if you don’t have “pre-emptive” refugee camps then you have unacceptable levels of collateral damage. Therefore one can understand why the NWFP government and the army have made it clear that military action in Swat will begin only after the evacuation of its vulnerable population.

If the battle in Swat is to be won, Pakistan must be ready for the “refugee” problem. The good sign today is that the Swatis who flee the Taliban are prepared to undergo hardship if it means that the state will take a stand for them and clear out the menace of the Taliban forever. There is no doubt that more refugees will be heading out of the conflict zone in the coming days; but their mood will not be anti-state but anti-Taliban because they think that the latter have let them down. Looking after them will be psychologically easier than the refugees from other areas.

But the refugee camps have to be qualitatively better than the ones near Peshawar thrown together without much planning for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Bajaur and Mohmand. Those are now an alienated population and although many of them have gone back to their homes, their experience has not endeared them to the government. In the coming days as the refugee population swells in the face of more Taliban offensives the exodus runs the risk of getting out of hand, unless of course its scale is anticipated and the international community is alerted to it so that it can provide timely help.

Planning will be of the essence. And it will not be a once-off exercise unless Pakistan has forgotten the experience of looking after 5 million Afghan refugees over 20 years of a long-drawn out conflict inside Afghanistan. Some of these lessons are clear enough today: (1) that there is a constant trickle of people out of the camps; (2) that cities far away from the camps can be affected by a secondary exodus; (3) that conditions inside the camps will form the new mindset of the refugees; and (4) that a prolonged stay in the camps will create a new but dangerous process of negative “nation-building” among the refugees.

The big difference is that IDPs are our own people who will link up with their kin living outside the camps. They will be under no pressure to return to a country where conditions of peace do not prevail. But if the camps are not comfortable and subsistence is too tough, the IDPs will fan out to other cities where there is already an imbalance of “outsider” communities. That is, if the military operation is not a swift one and languishes into a long war of attrition. Finally the fate of the camps and their IDPs will depend on the strategy employed in Swat, that is, how many troops equipped with what kind of weapons.

The message to the Taliban should be clear. A large number of IDPs means that possible collateral damage is being minimised in order to face up to the terrorists. The world must focus on the phenomenon of the refugee camps and assist generously in their maintenance. Islamabad must not seek to brush the camps under the carpet but highlight them as a component of the war on terrorism. The IDPs must not only be looked after well but be compensated for the financial losses they have endured so that that they are tempted to return, ensured of the repossession and reconstruction of the homes and businesses they have left behind.

 

[ajpirzada]

these ppl are our own and they are welcome anywhere in pakistan....
talibans must be crushed so that our brothers and sisters could back to their homes and live peacefully

 

[Neo]

One million people now displaced in northwest Pakistan; UN ​

Friday, May 08, 2009

GENEVA: The U.N. refugee agency says half a million people have fled fighting in northwestern Pakistan in the past few days, bringing the total displaced in recent months to 1 million.

A spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says the fighting has led to massive displacement in the area. Ron Redmond says up to 200,000 people have arrived in safe areas in the past few days and that another 300,000 are on the move or about to flee. Redmond told reporters in Geneva on Friday that the numbers are in addition to 555,000 already counted by the U.N. since August.

 

[PeacefulIndian]

One million people now displaced in northwest Pakistan; UN ​

Friday, May 08, 2009

GENEVA: The U.N. refugee agency says half a million people have fled fighting in northwestern Pakistan in the past few days, bringing the total displaced in recent months to 1 million.

A spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says the fighting has led to massive displacement in the area. Ron Redmond says up to 200,000 people have arrived in safe areas in the past few days and that another 300,000 are on the move or about to flee. Redmond told reporters in Geneva on Friday that the numbers are in addition to 555,000 already counted by the U.N. since August.

What measures have been taken or will be taken to provide basic amenities to IDPs? Are UN & NGOs coming up with some plans & supplies for these people?

 

[Neo]

‘IDPs number has risen to 700,000’​

LAHORE: NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain has said the number of registered and unregistered internally displaced persons (IDPs) from insurgency-hit areas of the country has reached the 700,000 mark, a private TV channel reported on Monday. Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, the minister said of the 700,000 IDPs from Swat, Buner and Shangla, more than 298,000 had been registered, the channel reported. He said camps were being set up in Dir, Mardan, Dargai and Charsadda to accommodate the IDPs. Hussain said eight centres had been set up in Swabi for the registration of the IDPs.

 

[Neo]

‘IDPs walk 100 kms to reach camps’​

* HRCP, NWFP, chairwoman says displaced persons from Swat spending days and nights in the open without food​

PESHAWAR: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), NWFP, Vice Chairwoman Musarrat Hilali on Monday demanded that the government make proper arrangements for transporting the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Mardan’s entry points to district camps.

Hilali said in a statement that the ongoing military operation in Swat had forced the IDPs to cover over 100 kilometres distance on foot to reach the Mardan district camps. She said the people of Swat including women and children reached Mardan with blistered and swollen feet due to excessive walk but they still awaited the government’s attention for misery redressal. She urged the government to arrange free transport facility for these IDPs so that they could easily reach the camps.

The HRCP official said the military operation had caused non-combatant civilians many hardships. She criticised the government for ceasing registration of fresh IDPs in Mardan district camps and demanded the shifting of displaced persons in question to camps put up in other areas. “The IDPs are days and nights in the open without tents and food,” she said. Hilali said official data put the number of the IDPs from Swat, who had entered Mardan, at 315,603, while only 56,000 of them could be accommodated in the camps. She said the IDPs, who had been accommodated in the government-run schools, were the most distressed ones for being without food and medical aid. She said it’s unfortunate that no female doctor or gynaecologist was present in Jalala camp in Takht Bhai, and Sheikh Shahzad and Sheikh Yaseen camps in Mardan. The HRCP official also said three delivery cases were reported in the Jalala camp on Sunday night but there were no arrangements to shift them to a gynaecology ward of a hospital or properly looked after by a gynaecologist or a lady health visitor inside the camp. She underlined the need for making arrangement of a mobile hospital at each IDP camp and ensuring availability of ambulance service round the clock.

 

[Neo]

NWFP needs Rs 90bn for rehabilitation of Malakand people: Zahid Khan​

ISLAMABAD: The NWFP government will require at least Rs 90 billion for rehabilitation of the six million people of Malakand displaced by the ongoing military operation, Awami National Party (ANP) Information Secretary Senator Zahid Khan said on Monday. He said the provincial government had analysed the situation and a task force was already giving final touches to its preparations. “Initially, we had estimated Rs 32 billion for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Swat. However, after the expansion of the operation to other parts of Malakand division, the estimate has been increased to Rs 80-90 billion,” he added. To questions on the success of the operation, he said the initial reports from Dir were encouraging and his party was hoping for a successful end to the operation. Later, he told a private TV channel the people of Malakand held the Taliban responsible for their suffering. “The ANP believes in a do or die strategy. Either we, or the militants, will be left standing. We will not bow to threats of militants,” he said. app

 

[RescueRanger]

Yup it is like 2005 all over again.

 

[Neo]

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

$4.9m emergency US aid for IDPs​

ISLAMABAD: The US will provide $4.9 million in assistance to families displaced by the conflict in the northern areas, the US embassy has said in a statement.“With this latest effort, we stand ready to continue assisting the people of the NWFP by working alongside the Pakistani and provincial governments as well as the international community,” the statement quoted US Ambassador Anne Patterson as saying.

 

[Neo]

IDPs: a daunting challenge and a good opportunity ​

EDITORIAL (May 11 2009): Despite the best military planning the course and consequences of war remain in the realm of the unknown. More so in terms of its fallout for the non-combatant civilian population. With aerial bombing and long-range artillery dominating the modern-day warfare losses suffered by the civilian population often far exceed the combatant casualties, a possibility accentuated in conflicts that take place within the national boundaries.

So it is not surprising that the week-long military operation in the Malakand region has triggered massive exodus. According to the latest UN figures while some 200,000 have already arrived in safe areas another 300,000 are on the move or about to flee. This is in addition to 555,000 already counted by the UN since August.

That puts the human cost of war on terror at over a million internally-displaced persons apart from massive infrastructural damage of both public and private properties. If there are any discrepancies between various concerned agencies and officials over counting the numbers it is so mainly because given the time-honoured tradition of Pushtun hospitality an average IDP family would prefer to live with a relation or friend than taking shelter in a refugee camp.

Winning a decisive victory over militants is of course the prime objective of the Malakand operation because that is the only option with the Pakistani government and armed forces. Relenting on the pace of operation cannot be contemplated for it would give the adversary a time to regroup. That indicates stepped-up exodus of civilian population from the war-zones in the coming days. At least another half a million IDPs are there on the cards, generating a challenge for the government more menacing than its action against militants.

On the face of it the government has both the experience and the expertise to meet this challenge. Not only Pakistan played a host to some 3.5 million Afghan refugees in 80s through 90s it also admirably tackled the aftermath of killer 2005 earthquake. But the difference this time seems to be the so-far lukewarm response of the international community.

We haven't heard much on this aspect of the military operation during the recent Washington conclaves either, and all that the Pakistan government has committed so far, less than 20 million dollars, is no more than the cost of a moderate-sized commercial plot in any major city of Pakistan, or a new battle tank.

There is a subtle perceptional mismatch between now and then: while the Afghan refugees and earthquake victims had nothing to complain against their hosts the present lot of displaced people is far less forgiving as they have many complaints. They don't want to spend the summer in thinly-covered tents.

They want to be shifted to more stable structures that should be equipped to cater to their needs for water and electricity. Then they say they were not given sufficient forewarning about the operation otherwise they could have taken care of wheat crop which was ready for harvesting.

They would like to be shifted to school buildings, but is there a guarantee that by the time summer vacations end they would have left? Hopefully, there is some contingency plan to take care of such problems. If not, it should be taken up on an urgent basis. A national effort has to be mounted with political leadership across the board coming to the fore and making a meaningful contribution. It is a challenge of apocalyptic dimensions but in it lies also the opportunity to strengthen national unity and cohesion between the federating units. Strong fellow-feeling is always there, it needs only to be triggered.

 

[Neo]

UK to provide £10m for thousands fleeing unrest in Pakistan ​

ISLAMABAD (May 12, 2009): The UK Secretary of State for International Development (DFID), Douglas Alexander has announced that the UK will provide urgent humanitarian assistance to help the 1,000,000 people displaced by the fighting in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the North West Frontier Province (including the SWAT region) of Pakistan.

The £10 million will help the work of humanitarian aid agencies who are working in the region most affected by recent fighting, the British High Commission.

The aid agencies will provide food, water and shelter to those most in need, as well as facilitating access to basic sanitation and healthcare.

Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander said:

"The UK is deeply concerned for the wellbeing of what estimates suggest could soon be over a million and a half people displaced by this conflict. A mass movement of people of this scale poses huge humanitarian challenges.

"The international community has an obligation to help the Pakistani government meet the urgent humanitarian needs of those most directly affected by the ongoing insecurity.

The UK stands ready to assist the Government of Pakistan to combat the shared threat of violent extremism and we remain strongly committed to our partnership with the people of Pakistan."

DFID is providing £665 million of assistance to Pakistan from 2009 to 2013. By 2011, it will be the UK's second largest development programme worldwide, committing £250 million over five years to help put more children into school, improve teaching and provide the skills young people need to get jobs.

The UK is committed to continuing to help Pakistan fight poverty and is providing £665 million of assistance to Pakistan from 2009 to 2013. The £10 million in humanitarian assistance forms part of our aid framework. It builds on £2 million in humanitarian assistance provided in November 2008.

The money is now being programmed to aid agencies operational on the ground.

Douglas Alexander will be meeting President Zadari of Pakistan on Thursday 14th May.

 

[Neo]

Brown pledges £12m to help Swat IDPs ​

LONDON (May 13, 2009): British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged immediate humanitarian aid of 12 million pounds (18 million dollars) to help people driven from their homes "as a result of terrorist acts" in the northwest.

Speaking at a joint press conference with President Asif Ali Zardari, Brown said the immediate aid to be provided for those displaced by the conflict in the border region with Afghanistan was in addition to the 665 million pounds in aid Britain had already pledged for Pakistan, said Brown.

"We shall work together to protect each other and to defeat terrorism," he said.

Brown said the two leaders had agreed on a new joint strategy to fight terrorism which threatened both countries.

President Asif Ali Zardari said terrorism posed a "challenge to our way of life" and its defeat would be a "long-term endeavour."

It would not be "wrong" to say that the Taliban were trying to "create a new world order," said Zardari.

However, he dismissed suggestions that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal could be vulnerable in the face of the Taliban offensive.

"You can ask anybody who is responsible in any government and they will tell you that they are not concerned," said Zardari.

"They assure their governments that they are quite satisfied with the situation in Pakistan and with the command and control system that Pakistan already has.