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Still no escape from hell
Noreen Haidef
Post-operation footage of Mingora and other parts of Swat is now
being shown by the ISPR in its media briefings, and I honestly don't
know what I am supposed to feel looking at the images of the now
"cleared" areas. The DGPR and the information minister declare that
there are no militants left in the wake of a highly successful
military action, "Rah-e-Rast," and that the area is now secure.
There are good reasons to doubt that, but even if that is true, the
very sorry fact is that there is little else that is left in the
wake of the military operation in most of Swat.
I don't know if I'm supposed to feel
triumphant and cheer for the army or feel horrified at the images of
the totally ravaged towns reduced to rubble.
I have been a strong advocate of
destroying the terrorist networks and crushing them completely. I
was always for a decisive action against the militants, but the
horrific fact is that in doing so the military action has totally
destroyed the very area and people it was supposed to protect.
What has become of the militants is
yet unclear. Have most of them been killed? How many of them were
there, to begin with? Have they run off to some other mountains or
caves? What happens to their bodies once they are killed? Who
identifies them with usually Arab-sounding names, "Abu something" or
the other? We have not yet seen any proof of the number of dead
militants or "bodies of the second- and third-level leadership of
Taliban/militants" claimed by the army to have been killed, but what
we have seen is the undeniable proof of the destruction and
devastation of the people of Swat who have become displaced in
millions.
The military operation is in full
swing and the army is now pounding on the mountains and vallies of
Swat with heavy artillery and helicopter gunships in search of
militants' hideouts. Although it is true that the army has also
suffered causalities and lost officers and jawans, but it is also
true that there has been immense collateral damage to civilians,
which nobody is supposed to talk about. Does it really matter in the
end whose rocket actually destroyed the home of an innocent
civilian?
The armed conflict and resulting
military operation have destroyed more than just the infrastructure
of the towns; it has actually destroyed the very fabric of the
society in that culture. It has destroyed whatever sources of
livelihood the local population had. It has destroyed the homes,
markets, schools, mosques, hotels, water sources, agriculture,
standing crops, livestock and trade. The infrastructure might be
rebuilt again, but how would entire lives be built again from
scratch is the million-dollar question.
According to the latest UN report, as
of May 27 there are now over 2.5 million IDPs registered in the six
affected NWFP districts, 167,565 of them living in established camps
and 2.3 million in other accommodations. According to the NWFP
government, the figure is now three million. The "cleaned" NADRA
list of registered IDPs states the count at 1.6 millions.
The IDPs in the camps are the most
vulnerable who had nowhere to turn to and they are totally dependent
on state help. The ones with friends and families are not much
better off either.
Over the past week, over 100,000 IDPs
have moved into some 1,800 vacant schools in five districts. The
largest influx is in Mardan district. Water and sanitation
conditions in the camps are deteriorating fast and urgent attention
is needed to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. Women and
children are the most vulnerable, especially the ones that are not
accompanied by their men folks. These are almost always marginalised
in terms of relief distribution and special needs. It is vitally
important that camp mangers must be instructed by the government of
focus on these vulnerable groups and give special consideration to
their needs. It is heart wrenching to see that many of these
unaccompanied women have actually lost their menfolk in this
conflict and they are in mourning but because of the situation
befallen them they are not even able to grief for their loss. I met
a mother of six at Jalala camp whose husband had died before her
eyes 25 days previously before they could make their escape from
Mingora, but she was too shocked to even cry. She told her story
dry-eyed and asked for some lighter clothes for her children as it
was so hot.
The host families of the IDPs too are
now at the rope's end. The UNHCR has already declared that if the
international community does not chip in very soon they will have to
stop their operation in one month. The IDPs need assistance
immediately. If the government doesn't speed up its sluggish relief
efforts soon, it could precipitate an even bigger disaster. It is
important for the government to remember that the IDPs did not leave
their homes of their own sweet will; they were forced to leave by
the policy and strategy of the government. Therefore, the government
is responsible to start taking care of them without a single
moment's delay.
The government is still unclear about
the IDPs policy, which it is yet to announce. It has made no plans
to reach out to the off-camp IDPs in an effective manner. The
government is dependent on the UNHCR for distribution of non-food
items to off-camp IDPs, but has no countercheck to monitor how
effectively it's being done, if at all. The DCOs of the host
districts do not have any data of the quantity of non-food items
being distributed by the UNHCR, nor are they authorised to
distribute any of the items themselves. The result is that there are
many relief items stocked in government warehoused which cannot be
distributed to in-camp or off-camp IDPs, except by the UNHCR.
So it's again the IDPs who are at the
receiving end of operational hiccups and delays. The government
warehouses in Mardan are stacked with the required items which the
district government has to hold till it is distributed by the UNHCR.
However, relief items are being distributed by people on their own,
in an irregular manner.
The sanitary conditions in the camps
are getting worse by the day. The Tehsil Municipal Administration
was supposed to provide sanitary workers for providing cleaning
facilities but they are not deputed in sufficient numbers with the
result that the camps are stinking and the worsening hygiene
conditions could lead to disease and even epidemic like diarrhoea
and cholera.
The federal minister for information
and broadcast has announced that to-date the government has received
$230 million in aid but the three-phase plan for relief,
rehabilitation and reconstruction is still not ready.
The IDPs of Malakand and other areas
are still waiting for any substantial help from the government. It
is more than plastic buckets or flour bags that they need. The
government must immediately chalk out a plan for their
rehabilitation in their own areas. If the statements of the ISPR are
correct and parts of Malakand are actually secure, then the IDPS
must be moved back to their own hometowns and provided assistance
there, rather than be kept rotting in camps and makeshift shelters.
The writer has extensive experience
of research and monitoring in disasters and is currently working as
member social sector in the chief minister's monitoring and
implementation cell in Punjab.
The News: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 |
