‘Our buffaloes don’t recognise us’

Internally displaced people (IDPs) from Mehsud dominated areas of the South Waziristan Agency face a new form of hardship upon their return to their localities: their abandoned livestock has become a stranger to them and is now wild. Mehsud tribesmen are now caught between the attempt of domesticating their now wild livestock and locating their missing animals, Pakistan Today has learnt.In June 2009, “Operation Rah-e-Nijat” launched to counter terrorism in South Waziristan forced thousands of families to leave homes and livestock and shift to safer places. The IDPs left domestic animals behind including cattle, goats, sheep, buffalos, camels, chickens, horses and dogs while migrating to district Tank and Dera Ismail Khan (DIK). Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) sources claim over 41,000 families were displaced in Operation Rah-e-Nijat while unofficial sources report the figure to be closer to 81,000 displaced families.
Upon return, Mehsud tribesmen discovered their animals refused to recognise them while a large number of animals have yet to have been traced. Tiyarza resident Raza Khan Mehsud, who owned more than five hundred buffalos before being displaced, said his buffalos were now acting like strangers while he was unable to identify his own animals from the jungles. “Some are now wild, while others I cannot identify,” he said “I shot dead my old buffalo in anger when I failed to catch it,” said Azhar who used to own three buffalos and some sheep.
Resident of Ladha subdivision Mohmmad Azam Sarwakai said, “I used to own 2,600 sheep and goats which I had to abandon during the military operation. Upon return I have just located 300. I have been unable to find the rest.” “Either they are missing or I am unable to identify them,” he said, “it’s a conundrum. Our family has no other job or business. This was our only livelihood which was destroyed due to the military and the anti-militancy operation,” he added. On the condition of anonymity, local sources said the large number of missing sheep and goats had been taken by security forces who had slaughtered them to prepare meals during the military operation. South Waziristan livestock in charge Sayyed Abdul Jabbar Khan quoting a 2006 survey said at least 89,000 livestock existed in South Waziristan before the operation.