Great tragedy indeed
The sad state of affairs of the South Waziristan IDPs indicates how easy it is to displace a population and how difficult to rehabilitate it. An entire community from the Agency had to leave their hearths and homes in the wake of operation Rahi Nijat in June 2009. Only a small part of them have been rehabilitated six years later early this week, while the bulk is still waiting for their chance. Governor Mehtab Abbasi has termed the dislocation of such a large number of people “a great human tragedy.” He has said the tribesmen would have to take steps to ensure that such terrible situation is not repeated. The responsibility for the tragedy lies more with the government, which inducted heavily armed foreigners in pursuit of the American agenda of jihad than on local tribesmen armed with museum piece matchlocks, primitive shot guns and WWI Lee-Enfield rifles.
The government needs a hefty sum of Rs80 billion for an initial stipend and grants to over 300,000 displaced families. The full amount is yet to be arranged. The government is also required to set up civilian institutions of governance in the agencies where the TTP leaders have killed thousands of traditional maliks and tribal elders. What is more, it has to ensure that the terrorists do not manage to sneak into the area. With their houses destroyed, businesses ruined, land lying fallow and domestic animals killed, the IDPs have to restart life from a straw. With the meager initial stipend of Rs30,000 they will find it hard to make two ends meet for a month let alone initiate meaningful economic activity.
It is anybody’s guess when all the IDPs from the two agencies of Waziristan, Khyber and other tribal areas are going to be fully resettled. It is for the government to take credible measures for their welfare. Any weakness shown in this respect would provide the terrorist outfits waiting in the wings an opportunity to use the grievances to enlist new recruits.
