An Insight into the Critical Situation of IDPs in NWFP | A First-Hand Account from Mardan

The following first-hand account of the IDPs was sent to us by one of our readers, Ibn Abdul Aziz (true identity withheld on request). We are extremely thankful to the brother for taking the time to write this extremely important account of the terrible situation being faced by ordinary Pakistanis, who have become refugees within their own country. Ibn AbdulAziz is one of the people who Allah has blessed to “walk the talk”. Instead of spending day and night talking about politics and whining about the situation, he contributed his small part to help his brothers & sisters. May Allah reward him profusely, jazakumAllahkhair. We urge our readers that if this isn’t enough to convince you to participate in helping these IDPs, then we don’t know what will. Donate your time and money. Do whatever you can to play your small part.

An Insight into the Critical Situation in NWFP by Ibn Abdul Aziz  (July 17, 2009)

My Role

I live in the city of Karachi but alhumdulilah two weeks ago, I was given an opportunity of a lifetime by Allah (SWT) to visit the troubled area of Mardan in NWFP province, and to assess the humanitarian crisis in the area; a trip financed by the charitable organization, Helping Hand.

Before I went, I was a little skeptical about the whole situation. My mind was filled with questions: Who’s right and who’s wrong: the Pakistani government or the Taliban? Which side was the instigator and which side was the victim? Who was responsible for this whole mess? How much was US intervention involved?

But after visiting my brothers and sisters in the area and realizing their problems, my thoughts took a U-turn. Instead of trying to decipher the political game played by world leaders in this area, I realized that my role was totally different. On the Day of Judgment, Allah (SWT) will ask me not if Baitullah Mehsud made the right decision or if President Zardari should be punished for killing Muslims. Instead I will be responsible for helping out my brothers and sisters, who had been afflicted with hardship. In regards to trying to the politics being played, I, as an average citizen do not have any role nor can my intervention in politics help the cause of these afflicted people. Instead, my mind’s focus was on this important question: how can I help my Muslim brothers and sisters?

The Current Situation

According to the Pakistani government, 16% of the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons- the refugees) are staying in camps, equivalent to nearly 170,000 people. The rest of the IDPs, 84% (nearly 900,000), are staying with host families, i.e. are being accommodated in schools, colleges, homes of relatives or strangers and so on. In the beginning, the locals were extremely generous and donated of their possessions what they could. But the people of Mardan and the surrounding areas are not rich themselves, and now the area is increasingly low on food and other essential supplies. Their relatives or strangers have been guests at their homes for more than a month, and Allah knows best how long these guests will have to stay away from their own homes.

As for the military operation, fighting is still going on in the afflicted areas even though the government has overwhelmingly declared that the situation has ameliorated. My contact in the area has said that insha’Allah it will be safe to go back by Ramadan.

Helping Hand in cooperation with various other non-governmental relief organizations like Islamic Relief, Muslim Aid, NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority of Pakistan), and the World Food Program has managed to deliver food to hundreds of thousands of families. They have also setup medical facilities, approximately 45 mobile medical units and 5 permanent ones. They have a camp in Takht Bhai, Mardan where they house almost a hundred families. Here is a story of one of the residents, Iqbal Husain.

The Story of Iqbal Husain

A School Teacher

Iqbal Husain was born and raised in Swat. He lived in Waliabad, Swat where he was an English and Math teacher at an elementary school. After school hours, he would go to his store and spend his evenings as a part-time electrician. He lived in a two-room house with his wife and kids. His brother, Muhammad Husain, also a Math and English teacher, worked at a private school. Muhammad Husain was better off than his brother and owned two houses.

As the end of May approached, the Pakistan army had started attacking the Taliban. As a result, harm to Swat’s citizens was once again considered collateral damage. His brother, Muhammad had moved into Iqbal’s house days earlier since one of Muhammad’s houses had been shelled and partially damaged. Every night, his children would hear guns firing, helicopters flying, and bombs exploding. Iqbal felt that the best decision was to leave Swat, at least temporarily, until the situation got better. Iqbal was born in Swat, and had lived all his life in there. The same was true for the rest of his family. But now, fearful for the lives of his wife and five children, Iqbal decided that he should abandon his home. Iqbal knew the uncertainties and dangers that his family would face if they became refugees, but he felt he had no other choice.

Leaving his Homeland

On May 28^th, Iqbal made the most momentous decision of his life to leave Swat. In utter desperation, he gathered up his belongings and fled his home with his family. He was joined by seventeen members of his extended family, including his sister and two brothers’ families. The group walked for seven and a half long hours through the mountains before they finally reached the city of Bunair. The trek through the mountains was extremely difficult for the children and many of them became sick on the way. In Bunair, they found a ride to Mardan for Rs. 300 per person which was more than three times the normal fare. All in all, the short ride to Mardan cost his family a fortune but they had no choice but to pay the asking price.

Arriving in Mardan was just the beginning of their troubles. By the time they reached the beautiful city of Mardan, they found it already overcrowded. The people of Mardan were extremely hospitable and had offered all they had to their uninvited guests. Some who had two rooms gave one of away. Others gave much of their houses to complete strangers. There were large dinners for the refugees and all types of accommodations were provided for them. But the people of Mardan were not rich themselves and they could only provide supplies to a certain extent. When Iqbal and his family reached Mardan, no one had any space to house any more refugees. Every place was full. People already had dozens of outsiders living in their house and they couldn’t cater to any more people.

And so Iqbal and his family moved on from Mardan. By the blessing of Allah (SWT), on the outskirts of the city, they found a generous but poor old man. He offered his one-room house to them for the sake of Allah (SWT). Subsequently, twenty-four people stayed in one room for about two weeks! It was extremely difficult but it was better than living outdoors in the torrid summer heat.

Finding Camp

Iqbal and his brother would scout the surrounding area everyday for a better place to stay. During the second week of June, they were blessed by Allah (SWT) when they found an encampment being constructed. Within a day or two, the extended family of twenty four was able to move into tents on the allocated ground. This camp is the location, where I visited with, and interviewed Iqbal Husain. And it is also the place where Iqbal’s extended family continues to live.

When I asked Iqbal how he was coping with his current situation, he expressed his gratitude for the workers of Helping Hand, the organization that had set up the tents. The tents are approximately 8ft. by 15ft. (120 sqft or 11 m^3) each, and every 4 tents are surrounded by a 90ft. by 35ft. enclosure (3150 sqft or 300 m^3). Iqbal’s extended family occupies all four tents in an enclosure which has been constructed so that women can easily observe Pardah. The provided kitchen consists of a one-foot high cement slab, and a couple of pots and pans for four families. Outside each enclosure there are three bathroom stalls and three shower stalls for 5 families. The bathrooms simply consist of 3 walls, a door and a drainage system.

The accommodations are no doubt meager but they are much better than what many others have. Some unfortunate refugees are living in overcrowded bedrooms, others in old and dirty tents and others in old, unused schools and colleges. I asked Iqbal what problems he still faced. He repeatedly said that the heat was bothering everyone since Swat is located in a cold region where the inhabitants are not used to high temperatures. Though the tents have electricity, they do not have fans and the heat becomes unbearable in Mardan, especially during the day,. At night, he said, the temperature becomes bearable, but mosquitoes swarm around his children and he has no means to keep them out of his tent.

As for his finances, Iqbal said that his savings (which had consisted chiefly of his monthly salary) are almost all used up. Though he doesn’t have to pay rent, and every family is provided with wheat, sugar, salt, pulses, oil, and tea, (the standard monthly ration from the World Food Program), he has other expenses to deal with. His family of 7 was provided with 1 tent, 3 mattresses, 3 pillows, 1 utensil set, 1 water cooler, 1 hygiene kit, and one 2kg gas burner. His children still need new shoes after their long journey and he still has to buy milk and vegetables for his family daily. Other than that, his major needs consist of buying appropriate clothes to withstand the sweltering heat and crockery to cook their food.

The Millions…

Different organizations have accommodated people in various types of camps. Some are provided by the government but most are the work of various local organizations. Some of the camps I came across were in almost horrific conditions. I asked Iqbal about the current situation in Swat and he said that a curfew is ongoing in the area for more than a month. About 20% of the population is still stuck in the region while 80% are refugees. Since he has returned inflation has increased to 300%. When I asked Iqbal when he thinks he will go back home, he said that he is planning to return a 5-6 days before Ramadan.

And More…

The local community has done all they could to help their brothers and sisters in Islam and now they are exhausted. It remains the responsibility of the international Muslim community to pitch in. There are hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes and in need of proper attention. The World Food Program provides monthly rations but the amount lasts for 10-15 days depending upon the size of the family. A family of 12 would receive the same amount of food as a family of 3.  Those people who have given shelter to refugees in their homes can no longer cope with their added burden and some of them are starting to turn people out of their homes. In other words, a large portion of the 84% (host family category) of the IDPs will soon be living once again in the open air if proper facilities are not given to them.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

How can you help? My trip to Mardan was financed by Helping Hand, a non-governmental organization based in the US. You can donate online at www.helpinghandonline.org. I also witnessed the collaboration of other organizations in providing facilities to the IDPs such as Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid.

Allah (SWT) says in Surah Baqarah, what means:

“The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn): it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to who He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.”(2:261)

I urgently ask you to support our brothers and sisters in Pakistan in NWFP in any way possible.

*Account was slightly edited for language, while preserving the meaning. -MM
*The photo above was selected for MM’s Islamic Art showcase 7/25