My People

[ajpirzada]

Relief operation continues for IDPs
Updated at: 0216 PST, Wednesday, May 20, 2009
KARACHI: Relief operation continues for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Swat, Boner and Malakand Division from the citizens of Karachi and people belonging to all sections of life and all schools of thought are playing full role in relief activities.

Relief goods from Pakistan armed forces are being sent through C-130 plane from the Core Headquarters Karachi.

Pakistan International Airlines have set up special centres in all major cities including Karachi for rapid dispatch of relief goods for the IDPs.

A relief camp namely ‘Pukar for Swat’ under Mir Khalil-ur-Rehman Foundation has been established at the PAF Museum Karachi where popular artists and persons from other walks of life are collecting relief goods for the IDPs.

Meanwhile, the process of collecting relief goods is continued also by the political parties.

Relief camps set up by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are collecting relief goods in interior Sindh including Karachi.

According to Waqar Mehdi, secretary information PPP Sindh, one cargo train and 50 trucks of relief goods would be sent to the affected areas.

Awami National Party (ANP) has set up relief camps at various places of Karachi where the IDPs are also being registered.

ANP leader Rana Gul Afridi told that the ANP has collected relief goods worth Rs10 million, a larger part of which would be utilised to help the three thousand affected families who have come to Karachi.

Another contingent of Relief goods worth over Rs 2.7 million has been sent, under supervision of former MPA Younus Barai, from Idara-e-Noor Haq Karachi at Al-Khidmat, a welfare institution of Jamaat Islami.

From the MQM, members of national and provincial assemblies, senators and responsible leaders are collecting relief goods at various markets in Karachi.


Relief operation continues for IDPs - GEO.tv

 

[ajpirzada]

Humanitarian efforts to assist growing displaced population
ISLAMABAD, May 20 (APP): More than two million displaced people have been registered so far in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, according to UN report. Around 26 camps have been established in six districts to provide shelter and access to food, water and medical assistance, while some 1.5 million people are staying with host families or in rented accommodation across the province and in other cities including Lahore, Islamabad and Attock.

The Department of Social Welfare in collaboration with UNCHR is carrying out registration of displaced people, said a news release issued here on Wednesday.

To provide information on camp locations, registration and access to basic assistance to the newly displaced, five registration centres have been set up in Swabi and Mardan.

Non-food items such as tents, sleeping mats, plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and cooking sets have been distributed by UNHCR and IOM.

In an effort to provide an immediate and effective response to the acute needs of these vulnerable people, UN agencies and humanitarian partners are working with the federal and provincial Governments through the cluster system.

Nine new humanitarian hubs for the distribution of humanitarian supplies have been established in Mardan and Swabi in addition to those in Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Malakand, Nowshera, Charsadda, Kohat and Bajaur.

Besides, World Food Programme (WFP) has doubled the amount of emergency food stocks, to feed more than 650,000 people living in both camps and host communities with wheat, pulses, oil and other items.

While the Punjab administration has provided 152 trucks of food including flour, rice, tea and sugar. A food bank has been jointly established by WFP and the NWFP authorities (Emergency Relief Unit/ERU) to store and handle all food donations.

ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society are planning to provide food to some 6,300 people in the Shah Mansoor camp in Swabi.

The health situation in districts that are hosting IDPs is stable, although an increase in cases of diarrhoea has been reported in camps in Nowshera and Mardan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working closely with the Department of Health to scale up the disease early warning system, especially to areas with new inflows of displaced people.

Around 4.5 million litres of clean water are being provided daily to some 280,000 IDPs by UNICEF and cluster partners, while more than 6,800 latrines and 3,400 bathing spaces have so far been constructed.

Hygiene kits are being distributed in most camps now, but the challenge is to reach more of the displaced population in other locations.

UNICEF has surveyed camps in Peshawar, Nowshera and Mardan to assess nutrition levels, especially among young children, pregnant women and new mothers.

The Child Protection Monitor scheme is working to prevent further separation of children from their families. So far more than 1,400 children have been reunited with family members in camps in Mardan and Swabi.

Counselling services for women and children are now available in all the camps and Child Protection Committees have been set up to identify vulnerable children and work to ensure that children have access to basic services.

As well as establishing primary schools in four new camps in Mardan, Swabi and Malakand, where some 8,400 boys and girls are enrolled, 29 Child Friendly Spaces supported by UNICEF are providing learning, creative and recreational activities in 13 IDP camps, vital for children coping with the trauma of displacement.

Use of some schools as temporary IDP shelters, and delays in school supplies is affecting school attendance in Mardan, but more than 4,450 displaced children in host communities have been enrolled at evening shift schools.

While every effort is being made to bring coordinated aid swiftly to the most vulnerable affected by the situation in NWFP, vital support is needed from the international community to ensure sustainable relief assistance.

The humanitarian community is preparing to launch a revised Humanitarian Response Plan in the coming days to ensure these vulnerable people can be provided with assistance and protection.

Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - Humanitarian efforts to assist growing displaced population

 

[ajpirzada]

US asked to provide AC tents for IDPs: SSG Chief
ISLAMABAD, May 20 (APP): The United States has been asked to supply air conditioned tents for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in result of Operation Rah-e-Rast, Chairman Special Support Group (SSG) Lt. General Nadeem Ahmed said.

Talking to media after receiving first consignment for IDPs from brotherly country of Egypt here Wednesday, the SSG Chief said that seeing the approaching scorching summer, especially in the areas where IPD camps have been established, the United States has been asked to provide “environment control” tents. These tents will help beat the heat of summer, especially to those IDPs who may suffer heat stroke in the sweltering summer days.

Earlier, Gen. Nadeem formally received a consignment, transported from Egypt in a logistic aircraft at the Chaklala airbase from Ambassador of Egypt in Islamabad Magdy Amer.

The consignment carried a sizeable load of medical equipments, medicines, food, tents and blankets.

The Egyptian Ambassador briefly talking to APP said this is the initiation of the assistance to be provided to our brothers in Pakistan who have been displaced from their ancestral areas. “This consignment is a symbol of solidarity with our Pakistani brothers who have been displaced from their home towns.”

He said that Egypt had always been on the side of their Pakistani brothers in every trying time. He said another similar consignment would reach here on Thursday, while a number of NGOs have shown interest to come to Pakistan and take part in relief operations.

Gen. Nadeem on the occasion thanked the people and government of Egypt for their good will gesture and termed it a sign of close and brotherly bonds existed between both the countries.

In reply to a question from media person, Gen. Nadeem said that the SSG has chalked out a 4-step programme for the IDPs. The programme includes, Relief, Recovery, Return and Rehabilitation/Reconstruction. He said in the first two stages work has been initiated while the work on rest two phases would start as soon as normalcy returns in the Operation areas.

He appealed the local donors to provide, pedestal fans, water coolers, Hygiene kits, energy drinks, powder milk, and sugar. He pointed out that there was hardly any need to provide tents, food and blankets, as theses articles are already present in abundance for the IDPs.

He appreciated the efforts of WPDA for providing electricity to the camps for IDPs which are 22 in number.

Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - US asked to provide AC tents for IDPs: SSG Chief

 

[ajpirzada]

Pak Army establishes relief fund for IDPs: ISPR
PESHAWAR May 20 (APP): Pakistan Army has established a Relief Fund for the displaced persons of Malakand Division, says an ISPR press release. “All those desirous may donate in Army’s Relief Fund for IDPs in bank account number 0028010121825‑8, Askari Commercial Bank Limited, General Headquarters Branch Rawalpindi,” the statement said on Wednesday. The donation can also be deposited in any branch of Askari Commercial Bank Limited across the country, it said.

Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - Pak Army establishes relief fund for IDPs: ISPR

 

[ajpirzada]

RAWALPINDI: US soldiers adjust boxes of relief goods after unloading them from a US Air Force plane at Chaklala airbase here on Wednesday. -AFP

 

[ajpirzada]

US humanitarian aid for IDPs arrives

ISLAMABAD (updated on: May 20, 2009, 17:47 PST): Humanitarian aid provided by United States arrived at Chaklala Air Base near Islamabad Wednesday in response to an appeal for urgently needed basic food, shelter, and supplies for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North West Frontier Province.

The shipments, which arrived by US military air transport included air-conditioned tents and more than 120,000 pre-packed halal meals. US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson delivered the supplies to Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed, the government of Pakistan's coordinator of all IDP relief operation. The Ambassador was accompanied by the US Embassy's chief military officer, Admiral Michael LeFever.

"We understand the urgency of providing immediate assistance to those displaced and are committed to helping the Government of Pakistan meet their critical needs," said US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson. The United States will continue to monitor the situation and is committed to providing additional assistance as needed.

The deliveries follow yesterday's announcement by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton that $110 million in immediate humanitarian assistance is being provided by the United States to assist IDPs.

Last week, the people of the United State provided $4.9 million to purchase tents, blankets, cooking sets, jerry cans, soap, and bedding.

The United States also sent logistical equipment including generators, transformers to power water pumps, and other logistical and support equipment. This included laptop computers, rental cars, and internet connectivity to assist emergency support operations. In addition, $28 million in agricultural commodities including 50,000 metric tons of wheat valued at $16.8 million, and 6,800 metric tons of vegetable oil valued at $11.2 million was provided by the United States last week.
US humanitarian aid for IDPs arrives : Business Recorder | LATEST NEWS

 

[ajpirzada]

Doctors team leaves for Swat

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
By Our Correspondent

LAHORE

THE University of Health Sciences (UHS) has sent two mobile hospitals with 16 male and female doctors and nurses to Mardan, Swabi, Malakand and Swat to provide treatment to the internally displaced persons (IDPs).

According to a press statement, UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Malik Hussain Mubbashar bade farewell to the medial staff.

The mobile hospitals are goodwill gesture from Punjab towards the displaced residents of Swat.

Relief camp at PU: The Institute of Communication Studies (ICS) has established a relief camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Punjab University (PU) New Campus on Tuesday.

ICS Director Dr Ahsan Akhtar Naz said he felt very happy that ICS students had established this camp and were donating money and other items for IDPs. The faculty of ICS has also donated money for the help of displaced persons, he added.

This relief camp will continue at ICS for next three days.

Relief goods for IDPs: Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) so far has sent 48 truckloads of food items worth Rs 12 million for internally displaced persons (IDPs). According to a press statement, the PRCS Punjab sent six truckload of relief goods on Tuesday.

40 medical teams: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered Punjab Health Department to immediately send mobile medical teams comprising lady doctors to relief camps of Swabi and Mardan to solve medical problems facing women in the camps.

The chief minister has directed the Health secretary to make all-out efforts to meet the medical needs of the Swat affectees.

On the orders of the CM, at least 40 mobile teams comprising lady doctors and medical staff are being sent to Mardan.

Punjab Health Director General Dr Muhammad Aslam Chaudhary is also accompanying the medical teams which will reach Mardan on May 20 (today).

clean water: Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) has urged the government to ensure provision of clean drinking water at the camps set up for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), warning the present situation may lead to outbreak of water related diseases.

Addressing a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Tuesday, PAFP president Dr Tariq Mahmood Mian, senior vice president Dr Saeed Ahmed, secretary general Dr Muhammad Tahir Ch and others said there was also a dire need of fumigation in that area to stop the spread of mosquito-related diseases, especially dengue fever
Doctors team leaves for Swat

 

[ajpirzada]

The City School adopts 600 IDPs

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Hanif Khalid

Islamabad: As part of its contribution to provision of relief to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Malakand Division, The City School (TCS) has adopted over 600 IDPs presently residing at the Centennial Government Girls High School Mardan.

The City School Regional Director Safia Cassim told ‘The News’ here Tuesday that the Aurangzeb Trust sponsored by the TCS started its relief efforts with initial funding of Rs2 million. The relief assistance being provided to the IDPs by the TCS includes complete care including three meals a day, sanitation by way of pesticides spray and supply of clean drinking water.

Ms Cassim, who would be visiting the relief camp of her organisation at 2:00 p.m. today (Wednesday), said the TCS formally began allaying the sufferings of the IDPs in presence of NWFP Secretary Environment Dr Hammad Agha, who visited the relief camp and assured timely assistance to the TCS for smooth operation.

Moreover, she said, students from the TCS Mardan campus initiated a fundraising drive on their own and through that provided a large number of families with eating utensils neatly packed in individual bags. They are continuing to provide ration, bedding and general daily-use supplies, all funded through their pocket money, she added.

“The City School has always led the way in aiding the distressed people of the country during the peace and hour of need including in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake, when our assistance was the first to reach Muzaffarabad,” Ms Cassim said.

The City School adopts 600 IDPs

 

[ajpirzada]

Hotter than hell: Welcome to IDPs tents!

Minister asks relief agencies to work out a solution

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Shahina Maqbool

Islamabad

Rising mercury is rendering the current dwellings of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) totally unlivable, making it necessary for the Ministry of Health, together with the United Nations agencies involved in the relief effort, to work out an immediate solution to the challenge.

This advice was given by Minister of State for Health Chaudhry Muhammed Afzal Sandhu while chairing a health cluster meeting held here on Tuesday with the participation of high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Health, the NWFP secretary and all UN and relief agencies working in the camps of IDPs.

Sindhu called for better preparedness on part of the health response teams as the mercury continues to rise in the camps of IDPs. “The temperatures are increasing and the current dwellings of the IDPs would be extremely difficult to live in,” he remarked, calling for a solution to the problem.

The focal person of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Cell, Dr. Jehanzeb Aurakzai, identified the need for fire extinguishers at the camps to meet any eventuality in view of the soaring temperatures.

The question of sanitation and supply of safe drinking water to the camp inhabitants to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases also came up for discussion. “My visit to the IDP camps helped me identify where the gaps are, and I had seen that patients who were unmanageable were taken to the Pabbi referral hospital where satisfactory treatment and facilities were provided,” Sindhu stated.

Earlier, NWFP Health Secretary Syed Sohail Altaf made a presentation regarding the relief effort at the provincial level and support required from the federal government and international partners.

The meeting was informed that a team of entomologists was being sent by the Ministry of Health to assess the situation with reference to dengue fever and leishmaniasis. In the wake of risk of diarrhea, Diarrhoea and Rehydration Centres are also being established.

The manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, Dr. Altaf Bosan, shared that polio drops have been administered to 40,000 children so far, and measles vaccine to 9,00 children. Secretary Health Khushnood Lashari was also present in the meeting.
Hotter than hell: Welcome to IDPs tents!

 

[ajpirzada]

Rise and help the IDPs

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Masood Sharif Khan

Khattak

Four years ago Pakistan was hit by a very destructive earthquake that shook all of northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. In a matter of seconds eighty thousand people perished and hundreds of thousands became homeless. Entire valleys lay lifeless. Those who survived were destined to lead a traumatized life.

The speed at which the destruction was caused by the earthquake was matched by the speed at which the whole Pakistani nation sprung to its feet in that hour of distress. Overnight, organizations began collecting relief goods and the way people contributed was just as good as the Pakistanis first did when the country went to war in 1965. Memory brings back how women threw their only gold bangles into boxes meant for the defence fund in 1965. Children broke their money boxes to donate towards the nation's 1965 war effort. Pakistan was then , indeed, a very cohesive and vibrant nation that valued its self-respect, dignity and honour. So much comes back to mind that one gets emotionally moved.

In the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake disaster, Pakistanis witnessed the 1965 phenomenon of Pakistani nationhood all over again. Political parties and their welfare wings, social workers, doctors, nurses, the military and all its relevant organs, schoolchildren, housewives, the poor and the rich, the NGOs, private organizations and business houses, construction companies, engineers, overseas Pakistanis, in short each and every Pakistani came forward to help. The 1965 spirit was indeed revived in full and one felt proud of belonging to a nation that responded as if it was one huge body, one soul and one heart.

In 1965, Lahore was gravely threatened by the Indian Army formations as they advanced all the way to the outskirts of Lahore. Despite the initial setbacks that Pakistan suffered due to poor anticipatory planning on its own part, the gallant men of the Pakistan Army could still ensure that Lahore did not fall to the Indians.

In all this time when tank battles were being fought on the outskirts of Lahore and when the PAF F-86 Sabres were shooting down the odd IAF aircraft that would venture over Lahore, the citizens of Lahore never evacuated Lahore. From their roof tops, just as if it was what we now know as Basant, they would cheer the PAF jets during the dog fights as if two kites were in the final stages of bringing the opponent down. The Lahoris thus earned the respect of the whole nation then which they still enjoy. I hate to think of what may have happened had Lahore been evacuated by the government itself or by its citizenry. One thing is for sure and that is that the army units battling it out would have lost their spirits thinking they can no longer defend Lahore. The resilience of the Lahoris to stick to Lahore despite the dogfights and the tank battles over and around Lahore won the day for Pakistan in 1965.

These recollected memories bring me to the present. In 1965 when Lahore was not evacuated even as the regular Indian Army was literally knocking at its gates, why then have we allowed Swat to be evacuated for an operation against a few hundred militants/insurgents and thus played straight into the hands of those very militants/insurgents when we know that they i.e. the militants/insurgents thrive when there is widespread commotion; irrespective of who causes that commotion?

Today, as a patriotic Pakistani and an equally proud Pakhtun my heart bleeds when I watch the pride of the Pakhtun being wounded, our women folk with children in their arms, looking for food and shelter. This is something that should never have happened. It would have been far saner to plan an army presence brought about in Swat without scaring the population out of their homes. The government at all levels would now be well-advised if it was told that these are very proud, honourable and self-respecting Pakhtuns that have been thrown out of their ancestral homes and that they should now be rehabilitated at the very earliest. The government should also ensure that in this transitory phase the displaced Pakhtuns are treated with the utmost of care in an extremely honourable manner because if this does not happen the scars may never heal.

For the Pakistani nation this may be the last call to stand together. The spirit of 1965 and 2005(earthquake) must be called upon just once more. When we do get over the current catastrophic conditions we Pakistanis must then ensure that we do not let this happen to our beloved Pakistan ever again as we may not be able to ride the crest too often and come out in one piece.



The writer is a former director-general of the Intelligence Bureau and former vice-president of the PPP Parliamentarians. Email: masoodsharifkhattak **********
Rise and help the IDPs

 

[ajpirzada]

Package of relief measures for IDPs announced; Rs. 8 billion to be provided for relief work

ISLAMABAD, May 20 (APP): A high level meeting held in the Presidency on Wednesday vowed to adopt all measures for the relief and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons and decided on a package of relief measures. The meeting, jointly presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, decided to provide Rs. 8 billion initially for the relief work to be carried out by various relief agencies besides a one time grant of Rs. 25,000 per household direct to the displaced families.

The meeting among others was attended by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Interior Rehman Malik, Advisor to PM on Finance Shaukat Tareen, Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Farzana Raja, MNA Farah Ispahani, Governor NWFP Owais Ahmed Ghani, Chief Minister NWFP Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Provincial Ministers Syed Zahir Ali Shah and Rahimdad Khan, and the Commander Special Support Group.

Spokesperson of the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the displaced students of professional colleges of Swat and Malakand will be given admission in professional institutions in other districts of the province.

Students of Malakand/Swat studying in other parts of the country will be exempted from payment of tuition fee while relief goods and equipment donated for the IDPs will be allowed duty free import.

PIA was directed to airlift relief goods free of cost and the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) asked to waive, one time only, the prescribed conditions for issuance of smart cards to enable displaced people benefit from it without hassle.

The BISP will now not require the internally displaced people to produce computerized identity cards nor insist on making payment to the female member of the family, as is required at present. This relaxation will however be allowed one time only.

The federal government would ensure that essential medicines are invariably available for the IDPs in the camps and off camps.

The meeting also decided to provide soft loans and defer repayment of loans from ADBP and House Building Finance Corporation.

NADRA was directed to increase its staff and registration units manifold and expeditiously issue smart cards to the displaced persons. Special training programmes will be launched by NAVTEC to train people in trades and enable them to take up gainful employment on return.

Addressing the meeting the President said that the internally displaced people had made huge sacrifices for the survival of the country and the government will do everything possible to rehabilitate them.

He said that during his visit abroad he took up the issue forcefully with the leaders of the countries who had assured to provide all necessary help.

The President said that he will shortly meet members and organizations of national and international business communities to adopt villages for rehabilitation and reconstruction on voluntary basis, the Spokesperson said.

The President also directed that the registration of displaced persons and distribution of cash, food and relief goods must be done in an absolutely transparent manner.

The President said that defeat for the government was no option. “We must win the fight; we will” he said.

He said that the government had urged the international community for greater assistance and that he would be going to the EU Summit next month to seek greater international support.

The President said that with international support and marshalling our own resources Pakistan will soon be able to overcome the difficult situation.

The Prime Minister speaking on the occasion said that the war against militants was fully backed by the people and the Parliament, political parties, the Cabinet and religious leaders all were on board alongwith the security forces.

He said that military solution however was not the final solution and the government had also adopted a 3R approach aimed at Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction.

Earlier the meeting was briefed by the Frontier Chief Secretary and Commander of the Special Support Group.

Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - Package of relief measures for IDPs announced; Rs. 8 billion to be provided for relief work



some great steps taken by the gov. now i hope they succeed in implementin them as well.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Why the IDPs matter

Thursday, May 21, 2009
Sherry Rehman

There is nothing more tragic than being a refugee in ones' own homeland. Exile is no longer an imagined place or ambiguous choice. It is a reality forced on by the trauma of a natural or man-made crisis, sharpening the pain and loss of leaving home, of facing the unsaid horror of becoming a third-class citizen in one's own country.

Yet, despite the outpouring of public grief at the human deprivation distilled on television without interruption, and national discourse forcing many graphic realities out in the open, a few issues remain un-addressed, while others bear reiteration. While Pakistani families have opened up their homes in the NWFP, given that 80 per cent of refugees are guests in people's homes, the collective expression of support, both in terms of services and resources that we witnessed in the 2005 earthquake effort is missing. Instead of apportioning blame on the media, which is the inevitable whipping-boy, or surrendering to public apathy about assistance, the reasons for that need to be examined without delay. This is not to minimize or discount the heroic effort put in by NGOs or individuals even today all over the country, but simply to identify a macro trend. The exceptional work being done by Sungi, Sarhad Rural Support Programme, SPO, SPARC, Sarhad PMA and many individuals and expatriates almost round the clock is testimony to the support offered by citizens in every crisis. However, the element of national collective mobilisation as witnessed in the earthquake is sorely missing from the ongoing efforts.

One of the problems stemming out of this tragedy is a crisis of management and credibility, not just that of governance. The bulk of the public appears to be either removed from the reality of the crisis, or in a mild state of shock, slowing effective reaction. Many insist that they want to help, as there is an increased stake by citizens in the state, but see no consistent or credible point of entry for themselves. Corporations that have experience with previous disaster assistance are sending out their own needs-assessment teams, or simply sending in a minimum committed contribution mostly in terms of goods, not services. For anyone who has been out there in the field, it is clear that the challenge of displacement of the Malakand and Buner residents and those from other terrorism-hit areas is not a managed process. This too cannot be just thrown away as a classic government incompetence issue. There can be no dispute that this exodus was expected. Yet just one look at the sheer scale and magnitude of the exodus of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) explains why even the most rigorous action based on existing models of planning would still have fallen to the wayside. So while the government is indeed slow and unwieldy, it is absolutely clear that, like the earthquake in 2005, which displaced smaller numbers, given existing templates for crisis-management, the government alone cannot handle the tidal wave of humanity that outstrips the largest migration of refugees since partition alone. While the government should certainly resort to better multiple-track planning, as the primary engine and capacity for coordination can only be resourced by official agency, it should use the space and opportunity to build trust with citizens and launch a public-private participation drive.

Now that an All Parties Conference is out of the way, and cabinet can work with the useful imprimatur of public consensus behind its military operation, there is no excuse for an IDP war room not up and running in the PM's Secretariat. This is needed for two reasons: the National Disaster Management apparatus does not exist in the provinces except on paper; secondly, the public can only rally around a coordinated national effort if it sees credible evidence of executive action from the top. If the Special Support Group created for this purpose expects public buy-in, it will have to inspire broader confidence in its leadership, as a record of transparency and accountability by key members in past projects like ERRA left much to be desired. Without transparency, no effort will be seen as either legitimate or effective.

The second broad theme that emerges in the dynamics of this refugee crisis is related to its political dimension. While a lot of the families streaming in on foot or borrowed transport from Buner, Swat and Dir are in a state of shock at the trial they are going through, nobody should expect them to give ringing condemnations of the Taliban that held them in thrall. Many speak privately of the fear they lived in, but equally many speak of the possibility of social justice under the Taliban. This is completely understandable for any population left in a social and governance vacuum. However, in no sense does it mean that the Robin-Hoodism of an early Taliban encounter with locals is either acceptable in the long-term, or sustainable even for the conservative inhabitants of this area simply because they did not vote for anything close to the Taliban. In fact, the people of these areas did not even vote for the mainstream religious parties who have a problem with the military operation per se, not just its dynamics or tactics. The votes from these areas came for the ANP and the PPP, both progressive if not secular parties. Women from the most oppressive domestic and social environments in areas like Lower Dir can only be expected to be indifferent to the prospects of a Taliban regime where female mobility is restricted in public spaces. However, families that traded on tourism see their livelihoods destroyed and their social fabric damaged. They may not endorse the rain of shrapnel on their rooftops, as military force is always heavy, often indiscriminate, but this should not drain public resolve to stand up to the advance of militants who criminalize society, mis-use religion and challenge the laws of the state.

A recent visit to the IDP camps in Mardan was as harrowing as educational. Even in brief conversations with the women, men, children and elders of the displaced population, nobody suggested that they wanted to stay on or take the side of the Taliban as the military moved in to encircle the hide-outs. Many women spoke in hushed tones about the prostitution that had been introduced in Swat society by the Taliban, while just as many didn't seem to care if anyone was flogged or trafficked. The scorching heat of their tents, coupled with zero supply of electricity and clean drinking water and mixed latrines was enough incentive for them to welcome any militants who would restore them to the familiar domestic sanctuary of their homes.

The point here is as political as it is social. The country has made a collective choice that it rejects non-state actors that use the symbols and language of religious extremism to advance a non-mainstream agenda through the use of force. If we remain unclear about our resolve, or allow it to be confused with disagreements on military tactics, or are slow to mitigate the misery of the new IDPs, then we will lose the larger battle against extremism. As we move past the figure of 2.2 million refugees (United Nations Report, May 19, 2009) their growing numbers is a reminder of the collective responsibility that rests with us as a state and society fighting against religious militancy. This is certainly not the problem of the NWFP or even the federal government alone. Nor is it a partisan political issue. Infusing an ethnic or political narrative to the ongoing developments will only aggravate existing social fault lines. Instead of protesting the ingress of refugees into all provinces we should all be worrying about ensuring food security, potable water, clothes, power for fans, medical care, utensils and basic bedding.

The fight for re-installing the flag of Pakistan in lost territories will not just be fought in military gains against the jihadist outsiders, or in limiting collateral damage. It will be fought in the heat and dust of the refugee camps. Success will only be construed as real if we are able to give them their dignity and their lives back.


The writer is a former federal information minister and Member National Assembly from Pakistan Peoples

 

[muse]

Have no problem in general terms with Where Sherry's heart is but I take exception to elements which form the intellectual framework of her piece

nobody should expect them to give ringing condemnations of the Taliban that held them in thrall. Many speak privately of the fear they lived in, but equally many speak of the possibility of social justice under the Taliban. This is completely understandable for any population left in a social and governance vacuum. However, in no sense does it mean that the Robin-Hoodism of an early Taliban encounter with locals is either acceptable in the long-term, or sustainable even for the conservative inhabitants of this area simply because they did not vote for anything close to the Taliban.

It is ideas like the one above which explain why these "populist" politicians are regarded as intellectual and moral flakes.

Sherry absolves the Talib and bestows on the Talib the affection of those they terrorized because she argues, The Talib offered the "possibility" of "social justice".

What the heck is "social justice"? Is it any other than distributing poverty and inequity? How can one hope to justice to one section of society by doing injustice to another?? But of course given the "democratic socialist" orientation of Sherry's political opinion, she can be excused for suggesting that Pakistanis view criminals as heroes which may deliver justice.

 

[brilTek]

Please Help the IDPs......May Allah reward you for this

 

[RabzonKhan]

Have no problem in general terms with Where Sherry's heart is but I take exception to elements which form the intellectual framework of her piece





It is ideas like the one above which explain why these "populist" politicians are regarded as intellectual and moral flakes.

Sherry absolves the Talib and bestows on the Talib the affection of those they terrorized because she argues, The Talib offered the "possibility" of "social justice".

What the heck is "social justice"? Is it any other than distributing poverty and inequity? How can one hope to justice to one section of society by doing injustice to another?? But of course given the "democratic socialist" orientation of Sherry's political opinion, she can be excused for suggesting that Pakistanis view criminals as heroes which may deliver justice.

I agree, that part was totally lame. But don’t forget, many of our right-wing board members say the same thing for the Afghan-Taliban.