Growing concern over humanitarian situation in tribal area

Aid agencies are concerned over a possible humanitarian crisis in the conflict-hit tribal belt of Wana bordering Afghanistan where a military offensive against militants by Pakistani security forces is continuing. "We are reading the media reports about the sufferings of the civilian population, but as an independent organisation we need to carry out our own assessment of the situation," Frederic Gouin, communications coordinator for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Thursday. Pakistani security forces launched an offensive last year against local tribesmen allegedly supporting Al-Qaeda militants hiding in the tribal belt of Wana, headquarters of the South Waziristan agency of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). According to a fact-finding mission by the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the area has been badly affected as a result of ongoing military operations in the area, including the use of light and heavy artillery. Search operations, raids on houses, road blocks and economic sanctions over the past three months have resulted in heavy financial losses for residents in the area, according to the rights activists. Agriculture is the primary livelihood in Wana, an area noted for its relatively fertile soil, vegetable cultivation and fruit trees. "Wana is particularly famous for its apples and its peak season starts around 15 July when 350 to 400 trucks move towards different parts of the area daily. But due to the recent sanctions, poor farmers and orchard owners have lost million of rupees [local currency] as they couldn't export anything out," Asad Afridi, a member of the HRCP fact-finding mission who visited the area last week told IRIN from NWFP's provincial capital of Peshawar. The ICRC visited the remote area in March this year and carried out a small-scale assessment of the humanitarian situation. "But that can't give us a picture of the magnitude of the sufferings of the entire cordoned off area of the agency," Gouin said. Though there are no displaced people living in camps, there are thousands of people who had to leave the area, according to local journalists and residents of Wana. "Mainly people have moved in with their relatives living in the districts of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank, given strong traditional tribal family bonds," Nasir Wazir, a resident of Wana, told IRIN by telephone. Meanwhile, Pakistani military authorities have denied all reports of a humanitarian crisis in the area. "I totally deny that there is any 'mass-scale displacement of the population'. There is a proper political set-up to look after the situation and help the masses," Major General Shaukat Sultan, the director general of Pakistan's inter services public relations (ISPR) told IRIN in the Islamabad. Sultan described the security forces' operation as a joint initiative by military and political elements to track down militants. "But people can move freely in the area. There is no shortage of food or daily use items as reported by the media," he claimed, conceding, however, that the government had placed restrictions on the media and other organisations from visiting the area due to security concerns. "We don't have any access in that area and whatever information we get is through the ISPR press statements or local journalists' reports which are fairly contradicting," Gouin maintained. The ICRC is concerned about the situation in the area, as some 10,000 persons have reportedly been displaced, Gouin said, noting, however: "We need to carry out our own assessment."