Pakistan’s displaced voice fear and anger
13 May 2009 17:10:00 GMT
Written by: Mustafa Qadri
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author’s alone.
A veteran of the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan rues the misfortune of being homeless in his own country. Photo by Mustafa Qadri
Mustafa Qadri in Peshawar and Tahir Ali in Rangmala talk to civilians displaced by a Pakistani army offensive against Taliban militants in the Swat valley that has uprooted hundreds of thousands.
Since last Friday, the Pakistan army has been engaged in its largest offensive to date against Taliban forces in the country’s northwest. The assaults, focused mainly in the Swat valley and lower Dir districts of Malakand Tribal Agency, have driven village communities, some 500,000 or more men, women and children according to the United Nations, to flee mountainous homes that, once placid and beautiful, have been transformed into deadly frontlines in Pakistan’s latest battle with Islamic militancy.
This latest wave of displaced people join the close to a million already left homeless by other army operations against the Taliban since last August.
People have streamed down as far south as Peshawar, some 80 km (50 miles) from the Swat warzone. Here, in the outskirts of the city, displaced communities from several tribal conflict areas have settled at the Katcha Ghuri camp that was once home to refugees fleeing the 1980s war against the Soviets in Afghanistan.
“We are always hungry and there are many mosquitoes here,” says Izzat, a small business holder from Swat and father of four.
The situation has become so dire that people displaced from other regions last year have offered to leave to make space for new arrivals from the northwest.
“We are ready to leave (Katcha Ghuri) to make room for our brothers from Swat,” says Kushdhil, an old man from the Bajaur Agency district to the west of the current fighting.
However, most of the displaced remain trapped in southern parts of the Malakand Agency bordering the conflict, largely due to sporadic, often randomly announced army curfews.
“There is no proper warning (before) curfew is suddenly announced… People have very little chance to leave their homes for safer places,” says Naeema, a woman from the Kabal area of Swat that has become a site of intense fighting. Naeema is now living at a displaced persons camp in Rangmala.
With some 15,000 tents, the Rangmala camp was recently established with the help of non-governmental organisations and local residents who have provided fleeing villagers with vital humanitarian supplies like food, clothes and shoes.
People, mostly from the Swat valley and surrounding areas of neighbouring lower Dir district, have been forced to hop from village to village during the short periods, anywhere between a few hours to a day, when curfews are lifted.
Rukhsana left her home in Shamozai, Swat once fighting erupted there. She is currently staying in the Nagram area of lower Dir waiting for the curfew to be lifted.
“We were leading contented lives in our village,” Rukhsana recalls. “But now it is no longer safe to live there. I am a primary school teacher. First I was forced to leave my job due to threats from the Taliban. They do not want women to get an education.”
Many like Rukhsana claim the government is indiscriminately shelling villages, even when there are no militants in them.
“Now I am totally dejected. I’m leaving my sweet home, too,” she explains, visibly shaken. “Somehow we survived the shelling but we don’t know what the future holds. We are just moving, always moving from village to village.”
Although authorities have told people to leave their homes, no transportation has been provided.
“We were asked to leave our homes without any assistance (from the government). We managed to get out of the area,” says Zahid from Mingora, the Swat valley’s largest city and Taliban stronghold under intense army bombardment. He is now living in one of the largest camps for displaced people set up in Rangmala, Malakand Agency.
Private transporters have raised their fares beyond the reach of the poorest people.
“Transporters are charging very high prices that we can’t afford,” Zahid explains. “They left us behind (amid) heavy shelling from (army) helicopters.”
Many women and children, who rarely venture outside their villages without male relatives, have been marooned by the conflict. They hope to be repatriated with their families but, in the short term at least, the prospects look bleak.
“Four of our family members have managed to reach this area, but I am worried about my father who is still at village,” says Akram Shah, another displaced villager from Hayaserai in Maidan now staying in Badawan village in Lower Dir.
“This morning I contacted (my father) by telephone… He was worried because severe clashes were taking place between security forces and Taliban (who were) both using heavy weaponry.”
Asima, a six-year-old from Maidan Dir who lost her mother during the exodus, was one of the fortunate ones. She managed to find her relatives in the Rangmala camp. The rest of her family has shifted to Nowshehra, 50 km (30 miles) east of Peshawar, but due to ongoing army curfews, Asmia is still waiting to be repatriated.
Her story is typical of the tragedy unfolding in Pakistan’s northwest.
Despite the scale of army operations, local Taliban sources say their fighters and key commanders have not been subdued.
According to Muhammad Iqbal, spokesman for the Taliban in Mardan District, “the Taliban are going forward and security forces are on the run”.
“We feel sorry for the poor people being killed during the (army) assault… Our men are safe and are fighting with great enthusiasm and spirit,” Iqbal, speaking by phone from an undisclosed location, said.
“Military forces can’t face us on the ground (due to the mountainous terrain) and we have mined the whole of the area so they can’t come forward from their check posts.”
On Monday, the Pakistan government announced a 1 billion rupee injection of funds to aid those displaced by the conflict and a forthcoming donors conference to obtain further assistance. U.N. aid agencies said they are speeding up the delivery of humanitarian relief while in Washington, U.S. President Barak Obama’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, urged legislators to okay an immediate aid package to Pakistan that would include economic, humanitarian and military assistance.
But even if greater humanitarian relief reaches those closest to the fighting, village communities in these remote and once sleepy parts of Pakistan may never recover.
http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/54127/2009/04/13-171046-1.htm