‘We would rather go home than to camps’

NOWSHERA: It is better for us to leave for Afghanistan, instead of trying to live in this camp, argued Salim, originally from Paktia province in Afghanistan. He has been living at the Azakhel Refugee Camp in Nowshera district for over a decade. However, Salim says he now has to go to his native country.

Sitting on the debris of his destroyed house, he told The Express Tribune that it would take another two to three years to fix the mess.

Azakhel Refugee Camp, spreading over several kilometres of land was a bustling community some weeks ago but is now a flat stretch of land. The floods have completely destroyed the camp and the only structures left intact are the mosques built of concrete.

Hamim Khan, a resident of Gardez province has lived at this camp for around 25 years. However, to him, it all seems like it’s all over. “There is no aid, tents or food, and there’s nothing I can do about it,” he said.

The only edibles were the biscuits dropped from helicopters during the initial days of the floods, and those too were dropped into a pool of mud and are still lying there because no one was able to consume them, he said.

Khan is all praise for the locals and says that it was them, not the government, who were helping the flood victims by taking care of their basic needs.

Hamim asked the Afghan government to provide the refugees with plots of land, so they could return home and start life afresh.

He said that at present the United High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) gives every returning refugee family $100, which is fairly insignificant.

“When you go to Afghanistan this time of the year, you need money for bus fare, housing and to sustain the harsh winter weather. I will happily board the next bus if the authorities or the UN provide me with adequate money,” he said.

Amir Rehman, a grade eight student said that his family manages to get something to eat when the police hand out food at distribution points and force people to form queues.

Rehman seemed sceptical about the camp’s future and said it was not possible to rehabilitate it because of the level of destruction.

Abdul Wahad, a resident of the Pul Khumri area of Baghlan province said that he had been living in the camp for past the 14 years and worked at a local brick kiln. He said that the floods had destroyed all his belongings and he was unable to get a tent for his family from the authorities. He said he was forced to manage a house on rent for Rs4,000.

He said that he was not drawing any aid from the authorities as the flood water had washed away his camp card. He alleged that those who bribe the authorities are provided with tents and other items, but the poor have no option but to starve.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2010.