Time is running out (Swat Refugees/IDPs)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Editorial, Dawn, Pakistan
Sunday, 17 May, 2009
THE plight of the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by fighting in sections of the Malakand division is a reminder that this tragedy could have been predicted and that proper planning could have reduced the human suffering. People had been fleeing the terror of the TTP for quite some time after all. And most recently, residents of the affected areas were told to evacuate before the army launched its ongoing offensive. It is no surprise, then, that the result has been the largest internal displacement of people witnessed in the country since partition. It is shocking that no safety net was put in place first for the thousands of families that were bound to be displaced. That this was not done shows that the military operation, though necessary, was undertaken without sufficient planning in terms of its effects on the civilian population.
The thousands of innocents rendered homeless are not, after all, cross-border refugees but people displaced internally within their own country. The distinction is of seminal importance, for the IDPs are citizens whose rights are guaranteed under the laws and constitution of Pakistan. The state and its institutions must therefore urgently extend protection to them and, in tandem with the rest of the citizenry, work towards their long-term rehabilitation. Current efforts are insufficient. Relief efforts initiated by the federal government and aid agencies require supplementation by the local government system; offices such as that of the union council nazims and tehsil nazims must become more deeply involved. For in addition to the thousands queuing up in camps, many more have sought refuge with relatives in safer areas such as Karachi and Rawalpindi. Given that the IDPs have in most cases little money or means of livelihood, uncounted numbers of people across the country are now shouldering the financial and emotional burden of supporting them. The long-term societal effects of this ought not be underestimated in these times of economic recession and chronic shortages. If the battle against militancy is to be won in the long-term, it is vital that the state and citizenry take the IDPs’ welfare to heart and do all that is necessary to mitigate their suffering. Unless the displaced are given a stake in the country’s future, there is a risk of them turning into anti-state elements in later years. There is still time to win over their faith but it is fast running out.
Sunday, 17 May, 2009
THE plight of the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by fighting in sections of the Malakand division is a reminder that this tragedy could have been predicted and that proper planning could have reduced the human suffering. People had been fleeing the terror of the TTP for quite some time after all. And most recently, residents of the affected areas were told to evacuate before the army launched its ongoing offensive. It is no surprise, then, that the result has been the largest internal displacement of people witnessed in the country since partition. It is shocking that no safety net was put in place first for the thousands of families that were bound to be displaced. That this was not done shows that the military operation, though necessary, was undertaken without sufficient planning in terms of its effects on the civilian population.
The thousands of innocents rendered homeless are not, after all, cross-border refugees but people displaced internally within their own country. The distinction is of seminal importance, for the IDPs are citizens whose rights are guaranteed under the laws and constitution of Pakistan. The state and its institutions must therefore urgently extend protection to them and, in tandem with the rest of the citizenry, work towards their long-term rehabilitation. Current efforts are insufficient. Relief efforts initiated by the federal government and aid agencies require supplementation by the local government system; offices such as that of the union council nazims and tehsil nazims must become more deeply involved. For in addition to the thousands queuing up in camps, many more have sought refuge with relatives in safer areas such as Karachi and Rawalpindi. Given that the IDPs have in most cases little money or means of livelihood, uncounted numbers of people across the country are now shouldering the financial and emotional burden of supporting them. The long-term societal effects of this ought not be underestimated in these times of economic recession and chronic shortages. If the battle against militancy is to be won in the long-term, it is vital that the state and citizenry take the IDPs’ welfare to heart and do all that is necessary to mitigate their suffering. Unless the displaced are given a stake in the country’s future, there is a risk of them turning into anti-state elements in later years. There is still time to win over their faith but it is fast running out.
Labels: IDPs, Refugees, Swat Operation
posted @ 11:28 AM,
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