The federal and provincial governments continue to mishandle issues that can blow up in their face
The IDPs have made a great sacrifice for the country. Many have literally lost everything they possessed: their homes, their livestock and their standing crops. Once thriving communities blasted to rubble. What pains them most is that they have lost their dignity as well, going from a respectable living to virtual beggary. They think they have been abandoned and ignored by both the federal and KP government while their entry was banned in Sindh and Punjab. Five months have passed since the IDPs entered the settled districts but those in charge of running their camps have yet to devise an IDP friendly system of distribution of aid. This has led to clashes, rioting, and firing incidents on several occasions. The latest clashes with police at a food distribution centre in Bannu have claimed two lives while leaving 17 injured. There is a dire need to win the hearts and minds of the IDPs to ensure that no terrorist network was allowed to return to NWA by the local population. Growing disaffection in the community would help the terrorists who are waiting to recruit new cadre from among the IDPs.
In Punjab hundreds of flood victims are running from pillar to post since they lost virtually all worldly possessions during the floods. They too complain of mismanagement and neglect. Despite tall claims made by the CM concerning transparency in the distribution of aid, there are complaints that many have yet to receive the promised assistance or the revenue officials demand bribes from the flood victims. A perception is arising that more attention is being paid to arranging ceremonial functions for disbursement of aid which are used for self projection and for gaining political mileage. With numerous disgruntled people around on the occasions, these provide an opportunity to opponents to give the functions an anti-government turn as the incident at Bhawana indicates. What’s needed is more efficiency and less self-projection.
