THE IDPs have started returning to their homes. Though their happiness is tinged with grief, they are still hopeful. In Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure one character says “The miserable have no other medicine but only hope.”

To translate hope into reality, the whole gamut of problems has to be analysed.

Mass exodus took place from Swat and Malakand divisions because of the nefarious activities of miscreants, followed by the military operation. The migration was of a bigger magnitude than the ones that took place in Rwanda and Darfur.

The number of IDPs far exceeds the number of Muslims who migrated to Pakistan in 1947. Thus, we are confronted with a bigger task.

In Swat and Malakand divisions, the ground realities are different. Countless homes have been reduced to rubble due to insurgency. Swat's economy used to heavily depend on tourism. We cannot say with certainty that tourists will be returning to Swat the in near future.

The agriculture and industrial sectors have also been affected. Under these circumstances, for those returning to their homes there are problems galore.

The battle is reaching its end. What can be done after the war? A famous military thinker Carl von Clausewitz writes in On War “To bring a war or one of its campaigns to a successful close requires a thorough grasp of national policy.”

After the operation is over, we need to evolve a national policy regarding the rehabilitation of a staggering 2.5 million people. But what is the best way of doing it?

At this very juncture, it is very important to make sure that the funds generated to rehabilitate the IDPs don't go into the wrong hands.

The mere return of displaced persons to their homes and the provision of a few thousand rupees are not enough to bring life to normal in the war-ravaged places. Cities which were completely vacated cannot become normal in an instant.

So till everything becomes normal, facilities which were there in IDP relief camps will be required. If people are being taken to their homes with a paltry amount in their pockets and inadequate food and health facilities in their respective areas, another human tragedy is likely to occur.

Foreign donors may not give us aid from their taxpayers' money. That is a reality which we must accept without taking umbrage. We must question how much money has Pakistan contributed in the last 60 years for the rehabilitation of people in conflict-hit zones in other parts of the world? Why do we except acts of generosity from others? The war of survival has to be fought on our own.

We have very generous people in our ranks. But they're not ready to dole out their money. This situation demands we must 'decentralise' the fund collection

campaign.

An SOS should be sent to the entire nation to help their brethren. Everybody without any distinction should be invited to come to the conflict zones to rehabilitate the IDPs.

MUHAMMAD AMIR

via email

(II)

THIS is regarding the issue of the return of the IDPs to their native lands and their rehabilitation. This is definitely good news not only for the IDPs but also for the nation. However, the fact that they are returning home doesn't mean that they don't need aid anymore.

I am a student at the Forman Christian College, Lahore, and working as a volunteer in funds collection for the IDPs. I have noticed that people have stopped giving funds for the rehabilitation of the IDPs since their return was announced.

I think our real mission starts now, as our brothers and sisters return home, deprived of basic needs like schools and hospitals. They don't have income-generating facilities. So this is my request to all NGOs and citizens that please don't stop raising fund for them till they resume their normal lives.

SIDRA ISHAQ

Lahore