PESHAWAR: The leading humanitarian agencies, like Pakistan Red Crescent Society and International Committee of the Red Cross, who are supposed to be on the forefront in any natural or man-made disaster, seem to have relegated their role only to the back stage in the unfolding catastrophe of internally displaced persons from Malakand region.

Presently Pakistan is the country where the largest human displacement is taking place. Over 2.8 million displaced people have been registered who have fled their homes since clashes erupted between security forces and the ragtag band of Maulana Fazlullah in Swat valley, while more displacement is underway.

Being a national society with 300,000 volunteers and over 1,000 employees across the country, PRCS should have played a lead role to cope with current humanitarian crisis. Its motto is ‘first to arrive at the site of disaster and last to leave’ but the situation is quite opposite if one looks into the condition of IDPs at Shah Mansoor camp in Swabi, particularly the quality of food and sanitation.

Khalid Bin Majeed, spokesman for the PRCS headquarters in Islamabad, when approached for comment, said that streamlining the situation in the camp would take time.

He said that the society’s provincial branch in Peshawar had the capacity and resources to respond to 25,000 individuals in emergency while the headquarters had resources in the warehouses to assist 35,000 people.

‘The society is planning to help some 500,000 IDPs in future and an appeal is being launched for this purpose,’ he added.

Sources told this correspondent that PRCS had state of the art emergency response unit stored at a warehouse in Peshawar, which had the capacity to provide health and sanitation facilities to 40,000 people. The unit donated by a foreign humanitarian body to the society costs $ 2.4 million, but it has not been utilised for the last two years.

‘PRCS has regional disaster and national disaster response teams having skill and expertise, but useless because of a lethargic leadership,’ said a source.

According to information gathered by Dawn from relief camps, PRCS and ICRC are jointly managing only three camps sheltering about 3,000 families. The society has set up camp at Shah Mansoor in Swabi district for 12,000 individuals. Two camps, according to the PRCS statement have been established in Malakand while another is being set up at Shah Mansoor.

Similarly ICRC has total 766 staffs including 100 expatriates in Pakistan drawing additional perks and privileges because of working in hard areas. Despite resources, expertise, skilled manpower and vast network the ICRS has chosen minor role instead of playing lead role in the conflict.

Officials of both humanitarian organisations claimed that about 100,000 individuals out of three million IDPs both in camps and off camps were being helped, which was only three per cent of the total displaced persons.

Contribution of the ICRC in the current crisis is distribution of food items among 8,000 stranded people in Buner, provision of ambulance service in IDP camps, supply of surgical equipment and drugs to hospitals in Timergara, Daggar and establishment of 60-bed hospital for war wounded in Peshawar.

The aim of national society and ICRC is to respond to disasters as rapidly and effectively as possible, by mobilising its resources — people, money and other assets — and using its network in a coordinated manner so that the initial effects are countered and the needs of the affected communities are met. Both humanitarian bodies are facing sharp criticism due to its role in the current crises.

One of the major criticisms of the ICRC, considered guardian of the Geneva Convention, is that it did not respond the way it should do and has been compromising on its principles in the case of Pakistan.

Recently Human Rights Commission of Pakistan organised a seminar in Peshawar on the situation of IDPs in which the role of ICRC was criticised strongly and some participants alleged that the body could not speak about the violation of international humanitarian law in the conflict.

‘Humanitarian work can’t be secret, but this is very unfortunate that ICRC has adopted ambiguous role in the context of Pakistan. It should not confine its role only to focus on missing links in camps or distribution of few cartons of medicines, but it should play leading role in crises,’ said an expert.

‘Humanitarian bodies should not work as employment bureaus to pay huge salaries and purchase luxurious vehicles or operate like a spy agency. But unfortunately ICRC could not speak openly to protect IHL being violated by both parties to the conflict,’ he added.

Mandate of the PRCS, ICRC and International Federation of the Red Cross is not only to help IDPs in camps but have to reach to those people caught up in combat zones, treat and evacuate wounded combatants and non-combatants and make arrangements for properly burying the dead.

The ICRC spokesperson Sitara Jabeen rejects the impression being portrayed about the ICRC. ‘We don’t claim that the system is perfect, but ICRC is delivering despite resource constraint,’ she remarked. She said that the committee was in contact with parties to the conflict, but its teams could not reach stranded people in Swat due to security situation.