IDP Crisis: Two Faces of Pakistan

The military operation in the NWFP to clear the region of terrorist elements has, like any other military offensive, pros and cons. And like any other contemporary military action, the civilian population continues to suffer unimaginable collateral damages. 2 million people have been displaced from their homes in the NWFP and face an uncertain future. Termination of the military operation and safe return to their homes will be followed by the tumultuous task of living normal lives. The international community has responded impressively by extending assistance to the IDP community in Pakistan. However within Pakistan, two opposing trends can be discerned with regard to the IDP situation. On the one hand individuals, NGOs and corporate houses have come forward to extend all possible help to the IDPs. On the other hand political parties have raised parochial issues to secure petty political victories. These reactions show two different faces of Pakistan; one that is guided by considerations of human solidarity and the other that is immersed in political opportunism.

[Photo courtesy: Paula Bronsteinl/Getty Images]

UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan Martin Mogwanja has praised Pakistanis for the help they have rendered to the 2 million of their countrymen and women who have been forced from their homes by the conflict in the country’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP). He opined, “The everyday people of Pakistan are the real heroes of this current crisis in Pakistan …They set an inspiring example of extraordinary generosity for the whole world.” Despite the massive influx of displaced persons, the population has played a large role in ensuring that they have food, somewhere to stay, and other necessities. The majority of the refugees are sheltered in local homes rather than in internally displaced persons camps.
The News has provided an elaborate account of how the common people are contributing to help the displaced population of the country. The people of Mardan, ever the heroic and selfless Pakhtuns, are a shining beacon of hope for Pakistan. Their benevolence, even in tight economic times, is incomprehensibly grand. In one instance, there are 63 people living in the unconstructed house of a Hathian resident — being provided electricity and gas through makeshift connections from their hosts. In another, 48 people are living in the annex of a resident’s home. Among the local elite, kindness knows few bounds. Langars and food distribution centres are providing hot meals for thousands.
Suhaib Kiani, a former investment banker from Rawalpindi, has spent the last week collecting over half a million rupees, and shipping relief items into Hathian. Abbas Saleem Khan, a social activist from Islamabad, is coordinating efforts among concerned citizens through a Facebook group called the Citizens Trust for Victims of Terror. Fauzia and Ghazala Minallah are spearheading efforts to support schools in Gujjar Garhi, Mardan. Natasha Javed and her friends are selling t-shirts with slogans supporting the people of Swat to raise money for them. Hadia Khan and Awab Alvi are collecting donations in Karachi. Farhaan and Aiza Rao are collecting donations in Lahore. On the web, blogs like Pakistaniat, Five Rupees, Changing Up Pakistan, Chowrangi, and Pakistan Policy make the case and raise the money around the clock.
And it’s not only private citizens, many thousands of whom are not mentioned here. Organised citizenry under the banner of hundreds of different NGOs are leading the charge. The Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP), one of the longest standing partners of the government in NWFP, is running one of the largest coordination operations in its history. Nobody at the SRSP has slept since May 8. And they will not sleep till this crisis is over.
SPO, SPARC, the Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation and others are in Hathian and all over the rest of Mardan and Swabi, identifying the food and medical needs of affectees of the crisis. Ummah Foundation is at the forefront of efforts to make sure that people have enough to eat at Jalala Camp and beyond. Heavy metal outfit Qayaas, led by guitarist Khurram Waqar, has visited Mardan and contributed to efforts on several fronts. Al-Khidmat Foundation is delivering food and medical assistance to several thousand of the affected population. Aman Tehreek, lead by a group of students, academics, and professionals, in the US and the UK has established a website to coordinate efforts and raise funds. UM Healthcare Trust and the Disaster Management Centre have collaborated to provide medical camps at Rustum in Mardan. The Islamabad Jeep Club has raised more than two hundred thousand rupees worth of assistance.
In contrast to the popular efforts, some political parties are raising petty security and logistical issues to prevent the entry of IDPS into their respective provinces. The opposition against settlement of these IDPS is strongest in Punjab and Sindh. The Punjab Government has in a Statement mentioned that, “The IDPs can cause trouble for the province just like the Afghan refugees. So, we have decided not to permit their entry or setting up of camps for them in the Punjab.”
According to Zulfiqar Halepota, Secretary of Sindh Democratic Forum, a coalition of Sindh nationalist groups, “Sindh should be completely sealed and all IDPs restricted to the NWFP and not allowed to enter Sindh although they should be provided all assistance and support in their own province.”
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had also announced its unanimous and unconditional support to the Sindh-based parties against the accommodation of “outsiders” in the province. At a press conference, MQM Rabita Committee Deputy Convener and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar said, “We assure MQM’s support and cooperation to Sindh-based parties who are protesting against the camps of internally displaced persons (IDPs) [in the province].” He said the MQM believed in the sovereignty and stability of the country and therefore would not allow Talibanisation of Sindh. MQM has a strong support base among the Mohajirs in Karachi and fears the loss of political support if the Pakhtuns come to inhabit the city in huge numbers.
According to Babar Sattar, a lawyer based in Islamabad, in affect the Sindh government while not imposing an outright prohibition on the entry of IDPs in Sindh is ensuring the same outcome by (i) pursuing administrative policies and plans that promise a life of extreme hardship to the IDPs if they venture into Sindh, and (ii) allowing MQM and JSQM to create a law and order situation that would jeopardize the security of Sindh-based Pushtuns should Pushtuns IDPs seek refuge in Karachi
Former director-general of the Intelligence Bureau, Masood Sharif Khattak, is alarmed by these parochial sentiments. In an interview with IPS, he warned that any attempt to stop Pakhtuns coming into Karachi would be “the first step towards a big blow to Pakistan’s solidarity and well being.”
Political opportunism is not exclusive to Pakistan; it exists in all democracies across the globe. Public solidarity, nevertheless, is unique and is exhibited only in mature nation-states. Despite all the political deficiencies, Pakistan has something to be proud of – the spirit of it’s people!