IDPs in the spotlight

The plight of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from conflict-hit Bajaur, on the country's western border with Afghanistan, has begun to attract increasing local and international attention.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a statement on 14 October that some 190,000 people had been displaced from the area since fighting started there in mid-August.

Of these, about 168,000 Pakistanis are now sheltering in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and above 20,000 Pakistanis and Afghans have fled into eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, the UNHCR said.

Most of the IDPs are staying with host families on one side of the border or the other, the UNHCR said, noting that their teams could not access most of these areas for security reasons, and relied on government estimates.

The UNHCR has made arrangements to house up to 60,000 IDPs at the Kacha Garhi camp in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, which until earlier this year had housed refugees from Afghanistan.

It has also sought US$17 million in international aid for IDPs from other northern areas, where a fierce battle is continuing between government troops and Taliban militants.

Photo: Kamila Hyat/IRIN

Essentials such as water are often not available at makeshift camps for the displaced

Tough conditions

"Life is tough here. We still lack a proper tent. Food supplies are erratic, water is limited and it is too hot," said Mohammad Arif, 40, who - with his wife and five children all under 10 - moved to the Kacha Garhi camp a week ago.

There are currently around 200 families at Kacha Garhi, according to camp officials. Most come from the Charmang, Loy Sam, Rashakai and Khar areas of Bajaur. More come in every day.

Other IDPs from Bajaur are housed in makeshift camps in the NWFP just outside Bajaur. The conditions they live in are often grim.

"I sometimes think it would be better to die in Bajaur than live like this," Mohsin Ahmed, 22, told IRIN at a camp in Mardan in the NWFP, sitting outside a tattered tent in which he, his parents and three other family members were attempting to shelter. Many others face similar situations.

Iqbal Haider, co-chaiperson of the autonomous Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said: "Even now, far too little is being done for these people".

Some officials, however, say awareness of the plight of the IDPs is increasing.

The head of NWFP’s health service, Sajid Shaheen, said: "We have directed all hospitals to ensure special assistance to these people on a humanitarian basis," and he confirmed a drive had begun, in cooperation with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to vaccinate about 4,000 children from displaced families against childhood diseases.

Photo: Wenchmagnet/Flickr

The plight of 80,000 or so people displaced in Balochistan is forgotten, say rights groups

Forgotten IDPs from Balochistan

The involvement of international and local aid agencies in the effort to help the IDPs from conflict-hit areas in the north means their plight should improve at least to some degree. However, the same cannot be said of other IDPs in Pakistan.

They include the 80,000 or so people displaced - mainly in late 2005 and 2006 - by conflict in the Dera Bugti and Kohlu areas of the vast, southwestern province of Balochistan, where nationalist fighters clashed at the time with the Pakistan military.

Unrest continues to simmer, say analysts. Baloch community leaders have repeatedly called for international humanitarian groups to assist these persons, many of whom live in makeshift camps in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, or other cities.

"I can say with authority that far too little is being done by the international community or groups within Pakistan for displaced people. We have pointed out their situation many times, but these displaced people are the victims of negligence and indifference," the HRCP’s Haider said.

"The displaced people of Balochistan have been completely forgotten and are in a very poor situation," Haider said.

Tarbela Dam IDPs

Still others have suffered a far longer period of displacement. The construction of the massive Tarbela Dam on the River Indus, about 50km north of Islamabad and completed in 1974, displaced some 90,000 people at the time.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated in a study this year that most of the victims had to wait till 2003 to receive promised compensation for the land they lost due to flooding caused by the dam, while a smaller group of some 225 people had still to receive full compensation.

"I have personally been very disappointed by the lack of response to the needs of displaced people, despite the efforts I have made personally for them," said Haider.

In many ways, the mass displacements from Bajaur have helped focus attention on the issue.

"We are currently helping various families, especially women and children, who have fled to Islamabad or Rawalpindi, by providing them with clothes and flour and so on," Asma Khan, an Islamabad-based activist told IRIN. Others, too, are engaged in similar charity efforts.

The Pakistan government has acknowledged that the displacements from Bajaur are the biggest in the country's history, and there are fears the situation could get worse.

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