“I was studying in 4th Class in Mirali, North Waziristan and my teachers called me the most confident child of my class. I miss my school and the schools in Bannu are not giving me admission because I don’t have a school leaving certificate with me. I want to study, make friends in school and play in the ground as I have nothing else to do here” says 9 year old Mamoona from Mirali, North Waziristan. Her elder sister Zaib-un-nisa studied till 8th but had no opportunity to study further as school for girls was only available till 8th grade in Mirali.
Many IDPs who had no place to stay found space in the schools of Bannu as schools were available due to summer vacations. Those schools have been vacated of the IDPs now and they are looking for shelter while new admissions are only for Bannu residents since not any child displaced from North Waziristan carries a school leaving certificate and there is no alternative solution for those children. There are above 300,000 children displaced from North Waziristan as per FDMA report. KPk and Federal Government have so far not even given a statement about the loss of education of these children. Moreover polio drops have been given to around 20,000 children but the other routine immunization is not being given a priority which is a matter of concern.
As I visited the IDP camp set up by Pakistan-People’s Youth Organization (PYO) working specifically for women, I got a chance to find out about the unlimited problems women are still bearing especially those without an adult male in their family. In the beginning they were getting monthly ration but after the announcement made by the Maliks disallowing women to collect food items, they have not been receiving any aid. “ My husband passed away two years back in North Waziristan and I had to take care of 5 of my children while coming to Bannu by foot. I did not carry an ID card as no one told how important it was and now I don’t know how to make one and I am begging for ration since I am not “registered” as an IDP” – said 26 year old Pari.
In more than three months, those responsible to sort out the issues of IDPs have not been able to simplify the procedure for women to have identity cards neither have they been able to provide separate ration receiving points for women. The most ignored out of the ignored are the hindus and Christian minorities who have been living in North Waziristan since forever. “My 22 year old healthy son lost his life during our travel from Mirali to Bannu due to heat stroke. I buried him with my own bare hands in Bannu. I have 11 children and my old man is unable to walk while they don’t allow me to get food supplies for my husband and children myself. No one allows us food because we are women” – Amrita
Women IDPs have given birth with the help of fellow women within their camps. There are no midwives, lady health workers or trained staff to help women with such issues. They have
special health needs and the hospitals are charging them Rs.7000 for just check up as said by a woman who recently had a baby and has been vomiting blood almost every day after giving birth. Those people who have been officially registered as IDPs are getting food supplies by the army but their children have no place to even play, let alone go to a school and study, their wives health needs are not being prioritized and someone has to take the responsibility. The weather is still hot enough to make people go through heat stroke and they have thin tents without any facility of fans. Solar panels are manufactured in Bannu on quite an affordable price which they can use even after going back to North Waziristan but individuals can not afford to help more than 700,000 IDPs. It is state’s responsibility. It is unfair that the government has failed to provide the IDPs with a little comfort and would not even give NOC to the nongovernmental organizations that want to be of assistance. It is still not too late to make this appeal to the responsible stakeholders to kindly have an alternative arrangement for children to study, issue NOCs to NGOs, start routine immunization of children, make the process of getting ID cards easier for women, provide separate points for women to receive ration, have skilled health workers for mother and child and invest in women and girls protection. The recent apolitical appeal by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari must be given importance and IDPs should be given the top priority as they are displaced for the whole Pakistan’s protection.
published in dailytimes on 8th September, 2014
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