Islamabad/Rawalpindi: Influx from NWFP troubled areas continues: 50,000 IDPs in

[Naveed Yaseen]

* No registration mechanism adopted by law-enforcement agencies
* 45-50 people are living in a house of three to four rooms
* Rent of houses in low-cost areas witnesses 70 percent increase
* Victims’ committee says government, elected representatives paying no attention to their problems

By Irfan Ghauri and Aamir Yasin

ISLAMABAD: Some 50,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in sub-human conditions in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and the influx of people from FATA, Buner, Dir, Swat and other troubled areas is continuing raising fears of over-burdening the already over crowded garrison city of Rawalpindi.

No authentic data of these IDPs is available at official level and some NGOs put their number at over 100,000. However, according to careful estimates based on a survey by Daily Times in the low-income areas of city the number of these people is well over 50,000.

These IDPs are mostly from Bajaur, Orakzai, Khyber, Waziristan and Muhamand agencies and they arrived here some nine months back. Now the IDPs from Buner, Dir, Swat and other areas of Malakand have also started arriving. Their influx would increase if the situation in troubled areas did not improve.

No registration: There is no mechanism for registration of these IDPs as neither the district administration nor the law-enforcement agencies including police have maintained any record of these people raising fears among the local population that anti-social elements might sneak in guise of IDPs.

In the absence of any official policy to deal with the situation, thousands of IDPs are living in sub-human conditions in over crowded residences in Pirwadhai, Ziaul Haq Colony, Fauji Colony, Dhoke Hassu, Hazara Colony, Mehar Colony, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Chur Chowk, Adiala Road, Kurri Road, Shamsabad, Tarnol, Faizabad, Bhara Kahu and other areas. In most of the cases, 45-50 people are living in a house of three to four rooms under extremely un-hygienic conditions.

No source of income: Most of these people have no source of income and they are relying on the money they got from sale of their cattle and other valuables at the time of migration. Many IDPs said they were making their both ends meet by selling jewellery of their women or getting loans from relatives and acquaintances.

Some people are working as labrourers in fruit and vegetable markets or have set up makeshift stalls to earn their livelihood. These people said they were not earning enough to meet food and other necessary needs of their family in city where they had to pay high rent of house, utility bills and other expenses.

Increase in rents: The influx of IDPs has resulted in increase in house rents in the twin cities. The rent of a single room accommodation in low-income areas, which was a few months back available at Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000, has gone up to Rs 3,000 to 4,000 per month and that too is scarcely available.

During the survey, dozens of IDPs from Malakand Division, who have arrived here recently, said they were in search of a rented accommodation since weeks but could not find it and staying with their relatives as guests.

IDPs committee: Complaining about apathy of the authorities, the IDPs said they had set up a FATA Affectees Committee to raise their issue. They said neither the district government nor their own representatives in National Assembly and Senate had responded to the request of their committee positively.

The committee patron-in-chief Abdul Qayum Khan, President Latif Khan and General Secretary Sher Zaman Khan said they had approached every forum from prime minister to district administrations of the twin cities for allocation of some site in the suburbs of Rawalpindi or Islamabad to set up camp for IDPs but got no response.

They said the IDPs were only demanding restoration of peace in their respective areas so that they could return to their homes. They said if the government felt that unrest in troubled areas could continue for a longer time, it should devise some policy to deal with the situation. They said most of the IDPs were living in miserable conditions under abject poverty and needed attention of the high-ups who so far paid only lip service and took no steps for their rehabilitation.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg11_1