The NDMA’s reluctance to bring others on board has sometimes added to the problems IDPs face. PHOTO: FILE
The meetings involved the chief minister, the governor and officials of the disaster management authorities in K-P and Fata. Of course, the sad truth is that we have had plenty of experience with Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) over the past few years, and even now tens of thousands remain displaced in the country. An influx from NWA would obviously increase this number and tax limited resources. As things stand even know, IDPs from Khyber Agency and other places still complain of a lack of sufficient assistance and concerns about resource shortages have been voiced by international agencies. This is a situation that needs to be urgently addressed. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) should be taking the lead role in this. While it is good to see some steps towards preparedness, with camp sites and other logistics discussed, it is important to do more. The people forced to leave their homes need all the help that can be offered to minimise the disruption they will face and the hardships they will suffer.
Based on what has been seen before, it is important to involve international groups swiftly in the process of planning for what seems likely to be a large-scale displacement. The NDMA’s reluctance to bring others on board has sometimes added to the problems IDPs face, and for the sake of these innocent victims of conflict, this must not be the case this time round.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2014.
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This is with reference to editorial “preparing for IDPs (March 2).
IDPs.. Internally Displaced Person. To all of us this phrase means people who are internally displaced but we have never felt the pain and horrible situation these people are going through, mentally and spiritually. I am saying this because if we would have felt 1% of the pain and trouble it give we would never have thought of letting it again in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I have some questions which I want to ask the government and from PDMA as well. Do we just need serious meetings and planning for arrangement of tents and location for IDPs? What about the psychological disorder, the pain of leaving their sweet home and residing in tents with 0 facilities, the insecurity of their loved one, the feelings which they cannot describe, the sheds of their eyes which they cannot avoid? Why we are playing with our people and taking advantage of them? Why we are behaving like the princes (daughter of the king)? Why we ignoring the social, mental and spiritual aspects of this?