Strangers at home: No country for tribesmen
Most IDPs from Bajaur, Mohmand have been officially ‘de-notified’ by the govt
Most IDPs from Bajaur, Mohmand have been officially ‘de-notified’ by the govt. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Many families from the tribal belt who had settled in Islamabad have returned to the city with one question on their minds: where do we go from here?
They have neither been registered as IDPs nor accepted in places where they tried to reconstruct their lives.
Ilyas Khan, who hails from Mohmand Agency, is one of the many people who were asked to vacate their property from an Afghan katchi abadi in Islamabad after the shanty town was removed earlier this month.
Even though he has been left without home and hearth, Ilyas still finds a silver lining amid the uncertainty.
“I am a Pakistani,” he tells The Express Tribune as he holds out his CNIC. He repeats the sentence irrespective of the question being posed. In many ways, the refrain gives him strength and consolation to overcome the dark phases of his life. However, the fear and uncertainty continue to loom large.
When he moved to Islamabad from Mohmand Agency in 1997, Ilyas was seeking better opportunities. However, nearly 18 years later, things took a violent turn when his family was displaced from an Afghan katchi abadi.
“I have nowhere to go,” he says. “The earthquake of 2005 had left my family homeless. As a result, we had no choice but to move to the Afghan katchi abadi in Islamabad. However, earlier this month, the police came and ordered the residents to vacate the property as they thought we were Afghan nationals.” Recalling the incident, Ilyas says he was unable to persuade the police that he was not an Afghan national.
“They resorted to tear gas and pulled my family out of our house,” he said.
Cast aside
Following the evacuation, many residents tried to rent houses in the neighbourhood. However, their efforts proved to be futile.
“Local mosques would urge people not to rent their property to the people from the Afghan katchi abadi,” he says. “Many displaced people tried to reason with officials of the Capital Development Authority and even offered bribes,” he added. “However, their efforts were of no use. The displaced people have been left without a roof and around 66 of them were arrested under the anti-terrorism legislation.”
In limbo
A large number of IDPs from Bajaur and Mohmand agencies have been officially ‘de-notified’ by the government. However, many of them refused to return to the tribal belt and are waiting for the government to rebuild their houses before they return home.
Matiullah, a resident of Mohmand Agency, tells The Express Tribune he has been living in shanty towns and working as a labourer for a long time. “We were told to return to the areas of our origin by the police,” said Matiullah. “When we told them this place was our home, the police resorted to baton charge. Many members of my family died in the clashes that ensued.”
Matiullah is now searching for a job in Peshawar. He has no house to return to as his house in Mohmand Agency has been destroyed, said Matiullah. The return and rehabilitation strategy launched earlier this year suggests there are 105,744 destroyed and damaged houses in the tribal areas.
“Under the Housing Uniform Assistance Subsidy Project, the construction of 9,577 houses have been subsidised in Bajaur and 1,391 in Mohmand,” stated a copy of the strategy available with The Express Tribune. However, widespread mismanagement of funds has come to the fore. Many officials of the FATA Disaster Management Authority have been apprehended by National Accountability Bureau. The arrests have shed light on the extent of deprivation of the people of the tribal areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2015.
Many families from the tribal belt who had settled in Islamabad have returned to the city with one question on their minds: where do we go from here?
They have neither been registered as IDPs nor accepted in places where they tried to reconstruct their lives.
Ilyas Khan, who hails from Mohmand Agency, is one of the many people who were asked to vacate their property from an Afghan katchi abadi in Islamabad after the shanty town was removed earlier this month.
Even though he has been left without home and hearth, Ilyas still finds a silver lining amid the uncertainty.
“I am a Pakistani,” he tells The Express Tribune as he holds out his CNIC. He repeats the sentence irrespective of the question being posed. In many ways, the refrain gives him strength and consolation to overcome the dark phases of his life. However, the fear and uncertainty continue to loom large.
When he moved to Islamabad from Mohmand Agency in 1997, Ilyas was seeking better opportunities. However, nearly 18 years later, things took a violent turn when his family was displaced from an Afghan katchi abadi.
“I have nowhere to go,” he says. “The earthquake of 2005 had left my family homeless. As a result, we had no choice but to move to the Afghan katchi abadi in Islamabad. However, earlier this month, the police came and ordered the residents to vacate the property as they thought we were Afghan nationals.” Recalling the incident, Ilyas says he was unable to persuade the police that he was not an Afghan national.
“They resorted to tear gas and pulled my family out of our house,” he said.
Cast aside
Following the evacuation, many residents tried to rent houses in the neighbourhood. However, their efforts proved to be futile.
“Local mosques would urge people not to rent their property to the people from the Afghan katchi abadi,” he says. “Many displaced people tried to reason with officials of the Capital Development Authority and even offered bribes,” he added. “However, their efforts were of no use. The displaced people have been left without a roof and around 66 of them were arrested under the anti-terrorism legislation.”
In limbo
A large number of IDPs from Bajaur and Mohmand agencies have been officially ‘de-notified’ by the government. However, many of them refused to return to the tribal belt and are waiting for the government to rebuild their houses before they return home.
Matiullah, a resident of Mohmand Agency, tells The Express Tribune he has been living in shanty towns and working as a labourer for a long time. “We were told to return to the areas of our origin by the police,” said Matiullah. “When we told them this place was our home, the police resorted to baton charge. Many members of my family died in the clashes that ensued.”
Matiullah is now searching for a job in Peshawar. He has no house to return to as his house in Mohmand Agency has been destroyed, said Matiullah. The return and rehabilitation strategy launched earlier this year suggests there are 105,744 destroyed and damaged houses in the tribal areas.
“Under the Housing Uniform Assistance Subsidy Project, the construction of 9,577 houses have been subsidised in Bajaur and 1,391 in Mohmand,” stated a copy of the strategy available with The Express Tribune. However, widespread mismanagement of funds has come to the fore. Many officials of the FATA Disaster Management Authority have been apprehended by National Accountability Bureau. The arrests have shed light on the extent of deprivation of the people of the tribal areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2015.