Repatriating IDPs

Published May 24, 2016

THE army’s commitment to clear North Waziristan of militancy has progressed with elaborate plans for a Fata-based infrastructure development project inclusive of road networks and ‘urban hubs’ comprising schools, shops, mosques and parks. That said, the crucial success determinant of North Waziristan’s counterinsurgency operation will be in the resettlement of the displaced. As of February 2016, UNHCR estimates thousands of IDP families from KP and Fata. Although counterinsurgency operations have cleared militant sanctuaries, we must remember that Fata was on a socioeconomic precipice when it played incubator for an assortment of terror affiliates. Fata’s chequered past underscores the need for investing in its human development through effective governance. This plan must work in conjunction with resettling IDPs in an environment that safeguards against militant groups seeking inroads within settled communities.

Meanwhile, it has been six years since the South Waziristan military operations were launched and four since repatriation first started. But a large percentage of IDPs have yet to return home because of unsuitable economic and security conditions. Many repatriated Mehsud locals have not received house compensation for destroyed homes. Ruined livelihoods and infrastructure exacerbate poverty and divide families, with many people finding jobs in large cities. And there are parts with an unofficial 7pm curfew restricting free movement with security forces reportedly subjecting locals to humiliating treatment at check posts. The challenging process of rehabilitation comes after war. While the government has conducted a damage assessment survey in most areas, money is only trickling in. Without this, reconstruction and resettlement by a deadline is impossible. Rebuilding damaged infrastructure, resettling displaced people and instituting confidence-building measures is mainly the responsibility of a civilian government, and it is about time that the ruling politicians pulled up their socks after decades of not including the tribal belt in the mainstream. A joint civilian-military rehabilitation plan endorsed by the government is long overdue. For Waziristan, it appears the political agent is a figurehead with the security establishment calling the shots. If there is to be voluntary repatriation of all displaced persons from Waziristan by the end of this year as the army has stressed, there must be a civil-military partnership to facilitate returnees. Giving precedence to socio-economic needs and fundamental rights — education, healthcare and livelihoods — will play a notable role in securing the region from an assortment of militant hopefuls scouting to fill the governance vacuum.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2016

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