Internally displaced persons are human beings and citizens. They are in a displaced situation not of their own choice but due the fact the government has failed to provide them the protection to enable them to remain in their homes. Displacement does not remove their rights as citizens and it is the obligation of the government to treat them as citizens and ensure that they are treated as human beings. As around 2.2 million have been displaced within a short time the government of Pakistan should make it national priority number one to deal with this problem. They have the right to seek international assistance and the international agencies, including the UN have the obligation to assist the government at this time.
The ill-planned military operation, Rah-e-Rast, against the Taliban and Muslim militants in several parts of the north-west frontier province (NWFP), has displaced millions of people and killed hundreds more. The Federal Interior Minister has claimed that 1,000 militants were killed during the operation that began on May 5, but could not provide substantial evidence in support of his claim. No high profile Taliban militant has yet been killed or captured. The collateral damage is on the increase due to the aerial bombardment by security forces. The provincial government of the NWFP and the central authorities are making concerted efforts to collect funds, not only from local sources, but foreign donors as well.
Reports from the media and independent sources suggest that there are comparatively more civilian losses than that of militants, and that the army is only collecting the dead bodies so as to identify them as those of Taliban. However, there is no independent information as to how many militants and Talibani have been killed. The government and the army have failed to provide evidence of the killing of militants against whom the military operation was started. On more than one occasion, the spokesperson for the Pakistan army has said in his daily briefings that they would provide photographs of the killed terrorists, but this has remained an empty promise. The army has also gone public to say it would provide recorded voice mails that help them record the number of dead militants, claiming that authorities have intercepted telephonic conversations of the Taliban and militant commanders about their physical losses.
There is no credible evidence to prove the claims of the security forces about the killings as journalists and the media are not permitted to enter the troubled area, even after 15 days of operation. There is no intelligence service on the ground in the area to record the actual position of the casualties and the army itself does not know the actual targets; it is generally using artillery on pockets from which gunfire is heard. The army has started aerial bombardment by gunship helicopters in the Matta, Mingora and other troubled areas, without knowing the real targets. The displaced persons say that shells are regularly pounding the civilian population. They claim that air strikes are causing increased collateral damage.
After many days of aerial attacks on the Taliban hideouts, as claimed by the Pakistani authorities, the army has not succeeded in disbanding the network of militants, so as to be able to launch a ground operation. In the absence of such an operation, the assertion about casualties is empty rhetoric. The spokesperson of the Taliban in Pakistan has announced that the militants are hiding and have halted operations for time being, but would take it up again at some time of their own choosing.
The shoddy military operation against the Muslim militants has also multiplied the miseries of the civilian population. It is estimated that more than 2 million people, as estimated by UNHCR, have migrated from the war zone area to relatively safer places. It was the responsibility of the armed forces to protect the people from the militancy which has in effect made a state within the state by announcing their own courts, Shariah laws, slaughtering people and carrying out extra judicial killings. The army deliberately compelled the politicians to voice public opinion in favour of army action. Prior to that, the army was not only silent on the killings of innocent people, but also on the capturing of personnel from security agencies and their cold blooded murders. It was only when the state lost control over the situation that the army action was conducted.
It was the provincial government of the NWFP that asked the people to leave the troubled areas and migrate to safer places and to date the provincial government claims that around 2 million people have migrated. It is a sad fact that the government had not made any proper arrangements for the displaced persons. Worse still, the government has imposed a curfew in the area, which has further stranded many in the curfew zones. When the curfew is people rush to safer places and have to cover long distances, and many are trapped between the militants and the army. Many persons have been killed during this exodus because of the poor performance of the government. It is said that only 20 percent of the 2 million migrants have been provided shelter by the government, and 80 percent are surviving on their own as most of them were accommodated by relatives and friends. There are reports that people have had to pay an exorbitant sum of money to get transportation. Many have had to travel several miles on foot as the government had not made proper arrangement for their evacuation.
The military operation against militants and the inland displacement of millions of people will not provide any relief to the people as it is a half hearted effort. In the event of there being no proper arrangements for the displaced people in the sweltering heat, there are chances of many people dying under the open skies. It is unfortunate that despite of not alleviating the travails of displaced persons, the government continues to raise aid in the name of the IDPs.
The Asian Human Rights Commission calls upon the government to come out with the exact number of civilians and militants killed in the operation, and to substantiate their claims with solid evidence. The military should, in any case, avoid collateral damage.
Displacement can be the beginning of a process where citizens can be made to virtually disappear within the national discourse. There are global examples of displacement leading to massive problems which virtually destroys the displaced is well known. Such a catastrophe should be avoided at all costs. The way to avoid such a catastrophe is to give top priority to this issue and to take all steps to ensure the rights of the displaced.
