Khyber IDPs

EVER SINCE the menace of militancy raised its head in the north-western parts of the country, those who have lost the most have been the residents of these areas. Estimates of how many people have been displaced from which area have been piecemeal and sporadic. Nevertheless, estimates that include the exodus from Swat, Bajaur and other areas from as far back as 2009 indicate that at the very least, 2.7 million people were forced to flee their localities (two-thirds are believed to have returned after the government declared their areas as safe). Now comes the news that in the current round of fighting, over 100,000 people have fled Khyber Agency since Jan 20. According to the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, since March 17, on average 2,000 families have been arriving at the Jalozai camp near Peshawar — daily. These are alarming figures, made all the more so by the fact that a military operation of sorts has been under way in Khyber Agency since 2009. Holding out is Mangal Bagh, head of the Lashkar-i-Islam. The group continues to control certain areas of Bara and Tirah and attacks security forces. Reportedly, the problem lies with the nature of the military operation which, observers say, is piecemeal and has been mismanaged. Meanwhile, the use of tactics such as shelling by security forces means that an unknown number of civilians continue to die while everyone who is in a position to flee does so. Many of the uncounted find refuge with relatives in other parts of the country, while those at camps such as Jalozai face a future that is uncertain at best. This cycle of misery needs to be brought to an end. If a rethink in military strategy is what is needed, then so be it. The area’s people have been held hostage to violence for long enough and as in the case of the IDPs of Swat and Bajaur, they need to return to their homes. Meanwhile, there is a need for credible data about the scale of the dislocation seen in the northwest and how that is affecting the country’s