LIFE for the displaced is far from easy, especially when securing basic needs becomes a constant struggle. Hence the scuffle between IDPs and police at a food distribution point in Bannu on Thursday reflects both the frustration of the displaced persons, as well as the authorities’ inability to attend to the displaced persons’ needs in a more organised manner.

As reported in this paper, around 17 people consisting of IDPs and policemen were injured when the two parties clashed as the law enforcers attempted to control a rowdy crowd.

Also read: Clash between IDPs and law enforcement agencies in Bannu

The police say the people tried to loot a truck while the IDPs claim the policemen were not distributing supplies in a transparent manner. While looting and violence cannot be condoned, the IDPs’ restlessness is understandable. Most were uprooted when the military launched Operation Zarb-i-Azb in North Waziristan five months ago.

Living in camps in less than ideal conditions can be a trying ordeal for even the most patient of individuals. In this particular incident, thousands of IDPs had reportedly been waiting for hours for relief goods. In such a situation, with frayed nerves and patience wearing thin, even the slightest incident can lead to a breakdown of law and order.

To prevent similar incidents, the state — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s administration as well as the centre — must streamline the relief distribution process.

Indeed, arranging food and shelter in an adequate, respectable manner for around a million IDPs has been a major challenge for the state, while funds are also reportedly tight. But whatever the constraints, the government needs to address the bottlenecks that stand in the way of efficient relief distribution and service delivery.

As of now, there is no definitive deadline indicating when the operations under way in the tribal belt will conclude. For the displaced tribesmen, this sense of living in limbo, coupled with the harsh winter that has begun to set in, will only make a difficult situation worse. Which is why the state must respond in a more sensitive manner so that the displaced people are not further embittered.

Published in Dawn, November 15th , 2014