Islamabad will lose war against Taliban if NWFP refugees not rehabilitated
May 12th, 2009 - 4:54 pm ICT by ANI
Peshawar, May 12 (ANI): Experts have warned the Pakistan Government that the failure to rehabilitate internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Malakand region may nix the achievement of the military offensive against the Taliban.
“I fear that successes against the Taliban, may be washed away if we do not take good care of the internally displaced persons,” the Daily Times quoted research scholar Khadim Hussain, as saying.
With more than half of the IDPs being registered in government-run relief camps, Pakistan is facing its biggest migration in history.
The provincial government estimates that around a million Malakand residents have been displaced amid the army offensives in Lower Dir, Buner and Swat.
Security experts warn that the country would have ‘new enemies’ if the IDPs are not cared for.
“To keep the IDPs’ sympathies with the government, the operation has to be effective, and, secondly, we have to help these people deal with their problems,” said Khalid Aziz, security and development expert.
He added, “The displaced people will not forgive us if the Taliban survive the operation. These people have paid a big price for dismantling the terror network in their areas and flushing out the Taliban.”
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has described the military operation against the Taliban as a ’survival war’.
According to the sources, a meeting of donor countries is scheduled on May 18 in Islamabad to assess the needs of IDPs. (ANI)
- UN official says 1.3 million IDPs have returned to Swat - Aug 19, 2009
- Human tragedy may outweigh Swat military offensive's success - Aug 08, 2009
- NWFP gets Rs.500 mn for Taliban-displaced refugees - May 06, 2009
- Buner, Dir mostly cleared of militants: Iftikhar - May 18, 2009
- Pak Army launches major military operation against Taliban militants - Apr 28, 2009
- Educational institutes in Swat to reopen Saturday - Jul 31, 2009
- 'Taliban might regroup in Malakand if Pak launches offensive in Waziristan' - Jun 16, 2009
- 50,000 displaced in Pakistan's northwest: UN - May 02, 2009
- 25,000 Kalashnikovs for police in Pakistan's northwest - Aug 31, 2009
- Pak Army fears erosion of public support if Swat offensive persists - May 19, 2009
- Refugees crowd Pakistani camps as army battles Taliban - May 12, 2009
- Pakistani villagers rejoice at Taliban retreat - May 16, 2009
- Pakistani forces consolidate hold in Swat - Jun 04, 2009
- Pak Army claims 'sanitising' South Waziristan - Jul 02, 2010
- Pakistan's fight against Taliban displaces 30,000 people - Apr 28, 2009
Tags: buner, development expert, donor countries, enemies, gilani, government estimates, hussain, migration, military operation, pakistan government, provincial government, refugees, relief camps, research scholar, security experts, successes, swat, sympathies, taliban, terror network