Pakistan: The IDP reality

Rhetoric rarely matches reality but, even allowing for government exaggeration, the gap between what was promised to the IDPs when the operation in North Waziristan was launched and what has been provided to them is far too large. The government has so far released Rs330 million which may sound like an impressive number but, given that there are well over 700,000 IDPs, amounts to little more than Rs470 per person. The distribution of food aid has been equally poor, with only 4,500 tons of relief goods being disbursed so far. The government had promised all necessary aid to people who have been left homeless through no fault of their own but it has failed to keep its word. Part of the problem is funding. We need to make up a shortfall of $235 million but the only foreign donors who have come to our rescue are the US, who pledged $31 million and the UAE, who said they will give us $20.5 million. All our other usual allies are missing, perhaps because they feel that since we are fighting an internal war it should be up to us to account for all the problems that arise from the military operation. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, has, however, announced that no formal request will be made for donations from other countries and the government has so far allocated Rs2 billion for the IDPs.

The most shocking response has come from the provinces, with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab governments offering $5 million, Sindh offering $0.5 million and Balochistan unable to contribute anything. In the case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the reticence is understandable since it is hosting most of the IDPs and has been suffering the economic fallout of militancy since 2011. But Punjab and Sindh should have done better. The impression the rest of the country is giving to the IDPs is that we have launched military action in their areas and now washed our hands off the problem. Out of the over half a million IDPs, only 2,700 have come to Punjab and even that has the provincial government worried. As the richest and most powerful province in the country, Punjab perhaps feels that it can shield itself from the problems that afflict the rest of Pakistan. It should instead be using its wealth to help out the most vulnerable. With the federal and Punjab governments willing to spend tens of millions of dollars on white elephant construction projects surely they can spare more funds for the IDPs. If we don’t even take care of their basic needs now how will we ever be able to rehabilitate the IDPs after the operation is over? And what happens to the much-talked about goal of winning the hearts and minds of the tribal people who have long been oppressed by those wielding guns and purveying ruthlessness?