IDPs to seek refuge at former Afghan camp

"There is so much sadness here," said Muhammad Hussain.

He is one of the 600 or so internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the conflict-hit Bajaur tribal agency on the Pakistan-Afghan border about to be moved to the nearby Kacha Garhi refugee camp, where the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) aims to house up to 60,000 people.

The move, reportedly supported by the Pakistan government, represents the first large-scale effort to meet the needs of IDPs.

Set up in the 1980s to house Afghan refugees escaping the forces of the former Soviet Union, the site has accommodated tens of thousands of people over the years, but is now about to be used for locals.

Mohammad Siddiq from the Afghan Refugee Commission said: “Schools for the children and community kitchens are also to be established here."

Earlier this year the process of vacating the camp began, and in August the provincial government asked the 100,000 or so Afghan refugees at the sprawling settlement to move out.

Pakistan's autonomous Human Rights Commission (HRCP) in September put the number of people displaced by conflict in Bajaur, Swat, Waziristan and other northern areas at 700,000.

Warning

The UNHCR and other humanitarian bodies have warned that the number of IDPs from Bajaur and other conflict-hit northern areas could grow during the coming weeks.

Around 40 families have already moved to the area, where they spent Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting.

Photo: Kamila Hyat/IRIN

Children displaced by the conflict suffer the most

"It was no Eid for us. We can't go to our villages in Bajaur because of the fighting, but here we lack even clean clothes or the peace of mind to mark Eid," said Hussain.

More families, based at makeshift camps around Bajaur, are to be moved to Kacha Garhi in the days ahead. Siddiq said the IDPs would "remain here for an initial period of four months". The period would be extended if required, depending on the situation in Bajaur.

Many families from Bajaur are visiting relatives in other areas for Eid, but are expected to seek accommodation at Kacha Garhi afterwards.

"It is not in our nature to be dependent on others or become a burden. We are presently living with my uncle, but we will try to find our own accommodation or else move to a camp after Eid, said Azizuddin Khan, 42, from Bajaur.

A skilled plumber, he is seeking work to pay for his rent. "The cost of even a single room is very steep here in the big city. But my family of seven would prefer to live even in a meagre place of our own, than in a camp, living on charity," he said.

The number of IDPs in Pakistan has been rising steadily as a result of the conflict in the north, according to aid agencies, and military operations against militants are still going on.

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