How do We Save a Generation of Displaced People?

Loagh.. that was what I learnt.One of the first few words, In Balochi language it means home . In Urdu and Hindi we call it Ghar. Having a home is different from a house for two reasons. A home is supposed to embody love and dreams and a secure feeling of entrenchment which nobody can steal from you. That is what I believe it’s supposed to be like. This is the basic most pivotal need in Maslows hierarchy that we used to study in marketing and human resources. This is what some people work for all their lives and very few are lucky enough to achieve this. Without a secure place to fall back on and recognize as your own it is very difficult to have your roots firmly planted in the ground.

The media channels all highlighted the plight of the displaced people in Swat and Bajaur North Waziristan but only to a certain extent. Nobody really knows how many people were actually displaced. Giving the IDP’s (internally displaced people) a few thousand rupee vouchers cannot help their plight anymore than giving a hungry man a loaf of bread. It will satiate him but only for some time and he will still continue to be lost, still continue to starve and still continue to feel the hopelessness.

Such is the plight of our homeless people. Sometimes when you study the poor people begging at the car windows or living like gypsies on the footpath it literally pierces your conscience. You salute the resilience of their character as they are so focused on trying to survive on a day to day basis that they are not consumed with any long term planning. It reminds us of the animal kingdom except that we are humans and not animals and we are letting this happen all around us. Shame on us!

The devolution of power in India that subsequently led to the creation of Pakistan

displaced up to 12.5 million people in the former British Indian Empire. This was taken as one of the largest migrations in history(at that time) amid ethnic strife at that time with both the now Indians and Pakistanis leaving behind their properties, families and bloodied memories. Eight million people migrated from India to Pakistan with only a figure of 4 million people reaching Pakistan alive. Bangladeshis who migrated to Pakistan soon felt a sense of isolation due to the fact that were not recognized and in fact ridiculed in much was we are alienating some of our provinces today.The population of Bangalis at the time far surpassed all other provinces and yet Urdu which only 4-6 % of the ruling elite was proficient in ( language wise) was made our official language. This also I believe contributed to the dichotomy which exists between the rich and poor today in our country as we continue to oppress the helpless and uplift the suppressor.

The discrimination between the East and West Pakistan led to the Bengali nationalism movement that had not been reckoned with during the push for Muslim independence in 1947. When the Pakistan government declared that `Urdu and only Urdu’ would be the national language, the Bangla-speaking Bengalis became even more resolute about protecting their cultural identity. The drive to reinstate the Bangla language metamorphosed into a push for self-government and when the Awami League, a nationalistic party, won a majority in the 1971 national elections, Yahya khan our then president indefinitely postponed the National Assembly. Riots and strikes broke out in East Pakistan, the independent state of Bangladesh was unilaterally announced, and Pakistan sent troops to quell the rebellion. What happens next is known to all and we lost East Pakistan which was not only a big economic blow for us but we severed our strategic alliances as well.To this day yesteryear Bengali immigrants of 1947 recall how they were maltreated and verbally abused in Karachi as they starved for days without food because the people were reluctant to help them in much the same way we are repeating the history again with Baluchistan.

Internally displaced people (IDP’s)

So what happens when people are displaced within their own country. Remarkably the government has failed to acknowledge the army operations in Baluchistan and so has the media who vehemently refuse to print anything to counteract the government claims of all is well. The government has the colossal task as well of soothing the scars of the displaced people of North West frontier province. It is sad to speculate that it will once again fail at any civil plan of action and act on a contingency one again. If the earthquake of 2005 is anything to go by. Till today many of the victims and their families have not been able to be rehabilitated in the way they should have given that.Agreed a lot of people were helped but we as a nation tend to focus on short term remedies rather than the long term solution. The children are the one that should be our maximum concern . The youth of today can be the saviors of tomorrow. There is nothing more powerful than the power and energy of youth if utilized properly.Allama Iqbal wrote so beautifully in his poem Saqi nama :

Zamanay Kay Andaaz Badlay Gaey,
Naya Raag Hai Saaz Badlay Gaey

Khirad ko ghulami say aazad kar
Jawanon ko peeron ka ustad kar

Saqi nama literally means the wine which gives people life. The above verse means that the style of the world is changing, the lyrics are changing and so the music also has to or has changed. It continues by propagating that let all humanity be free of slavery and let the new generation be the teachers of the old.

Why do our children get guns before they get books? Why are they made excellent suicide bombers and deprived of a scholarly education. It is just mind boggling. Though I went to an excellent school I realized the plight we have with regards to bringing up a generation. Teachers as most people in the service sector are paid so poorly are working because of utmost necessity and not the passion that is required to ignite the will in the youngsters of tomorrow. They are no proper checks also in our country with regards to the screening of hiring teachers whether it is with regard to scholarly background or protecting our youngsters from pedophiles and incompetents.

Why do we allow our kids to witness aerial bombings, beheading and trap them amid a guerrilla war.I believe that there should be strict check and monitoring of funds and aid dispatched to the displaced children and people. It is no surprise that most of the blankets and ration complete with the united nation stamp and US aid em print is sold on the black-market( just go to Quetta or chaman) and manipulated and smuggled by local politicians who sell the same aid to the poor people who should be getting it for free. In the Rojhan district of Rajanpur which is my very own village notable people whose name I will not mention here exploit the food and education program of the United Nations as well as the Benazir Income support fund by ensuring that all the money that is distributed by it goes to their account out of which a petty sum goes to their domestics doing slave labor. It is interesting to know the principal of the only English medium school in that area is matric(high school) fail . Along with that an extended relative who has studied only till the eighth grade has been appointed as a (ghost) school teacher for a sum of 50,000 rupees despite never ever making an appearance at the school.

The government needs to get serious about protecting the basic rights of its people as I think we are already witnessing something or are on the brink of what will be paramount to the French revolution. This time in Pakistan’s history over the past two years has bought the most dangerous and local human flood since 1947. The number of people displaced is as follows as per Global figures 2009

In North West Frontier Province, 2.7 to 3 million people were displaced after the wave of displacement which began in February 2009.
As of July 2009, around 50 per cent of the people had returned. Approximately 1.3 million remained displaced.
According to the Government of Pakistan, as of September 2009, 1.6 millions had returned to their places of origin and 1.1 million remained displaced. However, according to the SSG, 1.85 million had returned and 850,000 remained displaced.
The continuous movement of IDPs to and from camps as well and back and forth to the areas of origin makes it difficult to assess fixed population.
In November 2009, the Government of Pakistan, together with UNHCR, has started a re-screening of IDPs in the seven humanitarian hubs in Lower and Upper Dir, Mardan, Nowshera and Swabi District.
Since May 2009 to mid-October 2009, 100,000 people have fled South Waziristan and have been registered in TanK and D.I. Khan districts.
From October 2009 to November 2009 up to 350,000 civilians fled a second government offensive in South Waziristan.
As of the end of November, the total number of IDPs from South Waziristan was standing at 428,000.
Ongoing military operations are triggering new displacements, especially in the FATA.

We require at the moment a thorough rescreening of the displaced people, the number of people who have returned and those who are not accounted for. We need to provide psychological and physical counseling for the emotional and physical wounds inflicted on these people. The government needs to reimburse every single bit of their expenses(IDP’s), provide the best education and hire the best teachers. It is not important whether the president,prime minister or our governors are secure for any of us at the moment. Their only significance is that they cripple the traffic movement t every time they step out of the house. It is very important that our future which is the youth is secure, it is important that people born in the country of Pakistan can call it a homeland once again. We don’t need a hundred news channels telling us what is wrong. We need someone to step up and take action. We need innovation, change and direction but most of all what we need is hope!