Latest fighting in Swat has left Hundreds Homeless

Saturday, August 02, 2008

The latest round of bitter fighting in Swat is reported to have forced hundreds of people to leave their homes. The fear of these civilians has been intensified by the death of at least 17 ordinary citizens, as a result of mortar shelling, within the last 24 hours. People in the area complain that residential areas are being targeted, presumably because militants are said to be hiding there. But for the children, women and men of Swat this means constant terror and the lurking threat of death. These persons have then been made to pay the price of a war that they have no role in starting.

Newspaper pictures show people streaming out of towns on foot, carrying essential belongings in small bundles. Some have no safe place to go to but seek only escape from the devastation that has ripped apart villages and homes. Similar displacements have taken place from Bajaur, South Waziristan, Kurram Agency and other areas of conflict. The economy of Waziristan, one of the more prosperous agencies, has been shattered. Fruit orchards and agricultural lands stand destroyed and burnt-out buildings mark sites where schools and shops once stood.

Due to the fighting in the northern areas, Pakistan now has a large population of Internally Displaced People (IDPs). Their precise number is difficult to estimate given the lack of any systematic effort to survey them. Some organizations have stated that it runs to well over 50 or 60 thousand. Some have chosen to leave homes permanently. Others flee when the situation grows especially grim, as it has now in Swat.

Nothing has been said about official efforts to help these hapless people. Some will go to relatives, others will no doubt find shelter where they can. The ISPR has said the operation in Swat will continue to its 'logical end'. This may make sense in military terms, but given the humanitarian fallout, authorities must also make some effort to provide for innocent citizens caught up in conflict. Urgent provision for housing, food and clothing must be made. Indeed, it is essential that this be done, not only because it is the duty of the state to protect citizens but because showing the more caring face of government to people who have faced its wrath as bombs fall on their homes can help win their support and trust. Eventually, the people of Swat and other troubled areas hold the key to defeating militancy in their regions. The authorities must win their hearts. As displacements continue the misery they bring will only harden attitudes towards the government. The least it can then do is help minimize the suffering imposed by the fighting on people who have borne its brunt and indeed also make sure that straffing of populated areas is avoided at all costs.

Source: The News, Pakistan

URL: https://newageislam.com/war-terror/latest-fighting-swat-left-hundreds/d/400