SPEAKING FREELY Strikes on tribals a mistaken panacea
By Khan Zeb Burki
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click hereif you are interested in contributing.
Drone strikes, military operations and Taliban insurgency have collectively deprived people of the pleasures of life in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The precarious situation from the terror of drones and helicopter gunships has displaced hundreds of thousands of people from South Waziristan, Orakzai, Khyber and other agencies.
Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path of Salvation) started by Pakistan
security forces and backed by political leadership in October 2009 has still not culminated in the achievement of its goals in South Waziristan. Nearly one million Mehsud and Burki tribesmen bore the brunt of the ongoing operation. These internally displaced persons (ISPs) have been suffering many problems in cramped camp areas for the past four and a half years. Long queues for substandard food items (rations), discrimination, harassment by security forces at check posts and plundering of their houses are still existential challenges for the IDPs.
Time and again IDPs have been protesting against the injustice done by the government, security agencies and the rude behavior of non-governmental organization officers. But the responses of authorities compelled them to protest in front of the national leaders as well as national and international media in Islamabad. IDPs even camped in front of the Islamabad press club, where they publicized a charter of demands to draw the attention of the government towards their miseries. People from different walks of life including political leaders from opposition benches, civil society, business and lawyers fraternity, and students expressed solidarity for the fulfillment of their demand.
The IDPs demanded an end to drone attacks, for military operations in the region to be called off. They also called for rehabilitation of all the displaced, compensation for damages inflicted upon them due to the military operation, accountability and an audit of funds allocated for their constituency, free education for the children of affectees, an end to harassment by security agencies, the recovery of missing persons and employment in all developmental work in the region.
Voices against drone strikes have come from every corner of the country, and even the international community has expressed reservations on the legality of drone strikes in the tribal areas. United States President Barack Obama neglected to follow international law and respect for the sovereignty of other states when he increased the drone strikes in Pakistan started by George W Bush. The US, the so-called champion of human rights, is continuously violating the same by killing innocent children, men and women in its drone strikes.
Operation Rah-e-Nijat is not the first of its kind to be launched in Waziristan. The region has observed many operations since 2002-3 like Operation Mizan and Zalzala, and the like. The most disturbing one in terms of displacement of people and destruction is Operation Rah-e-Nijat, which has spread in vast area for a longer span of time. An estimated 60,000 households, along with markets and education institutions have been affected due to ongoing military operation. After returning to their hometowns, the displaced families will not be able to reconstruct their houses with the announced meager amount of 25,000 to 30,000 rupees (US$255 to $305).
The audit and accountability of funds allocated for the IDPs and their rehabilitation should be done fairly. Politically this area has no representation in the Parliament, and the developmental funds allocated for it are being diverted to other projects.
Unemployed youths are vulnerable and fall easy prey to extremism. Developmental works and subsequent job creation in the area will contribute in bringing peace in the region. The local workforce should be inducted in mega-projects like the Gomal Zam Dam, which will enable the poor segment of society to earn their livelihood with dignity and respect.
One devastating impact of the operation is the educational plight of the youth and children, with nearly 43,000 students enrolled in more than 400 education institutions deprived of this right. The new generation is going to be "lame to the end of life" with psychological impacts. The government has not come up with any alternative system to educate these children in the displaced areas. Honest efforts to address the education emergency in the tribal region may help secure an economic future for this generation, though the psychological effects and loss of life are irreparable.
The demand for the release of missing persons is also linked with the ending of operations in the tribal belt. Last month, Attorney General Irfan Qadir revealed the government's hand in front of the Supreme Court by saying “There are about 700 people detained in the tribal areas and they cannot be released until the ongoing military operation in those regions concludes”. If the government issues a list of detained suspects it would at least let the families to know about their missing loved ones for whom they have been searching for years. The detained suspected militant should be given the right of free and fair trail.
Military operations are considered the sole tool to root out militancy from the constitutionally deprived tribal areas, but this panacea is no more a practical phenomenon due to subsequent miserable effects. Hence most of the problems are caused by the operations in the tribal belt and the solutions are linked to the conclusion of operations in the area. The long-standing operation Rah-e-Nijat should be ended in earnest so that the people take sigh of relief and comfort.
Khan Zeb Burki is a tribal affairs analyst and can be reached at waziristan@usa.com
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say.Please click hereif you are interested in contributing. Articles submitted for this section allow our readers to express their opinions and do not necessarily meet the same editorial standards of Asia Times Online's regular contributors.
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