British Foreign Secretary David Miliband yesterday called for long-term investment to allow 2mn displaced Pakistanis to return home after an offensive against the Taliban.
“In addition to humanitarian support there needs to be long-term investment so you can go back to your communities and live there in security,” Miliband told displaced families at the Yar Hussein camp in northwest Pakistan.
He went straight to the camp after arriving on a fifth visit to the country, and listened to displaced people talking about their difficulties, as he swiped away flies and wiped the back of his neck in scorching heat.
“My visit here for three days... is to express solidarity but also to discuss practical ways in which we can work together,” he said.
UN officials say 1.9mn have fled their homes since Pakistan launched a massive offensive to rid the northwest Swat valley and surrounding areas of Taliban militants after fighters advanced south towards Islamabad in April.
Miliband said Pakistan faced a “great struggle” as the government and people confronted an insurgency that threatens daily civilised life.
“I assure you that our commitment to you is strong and long-lasting, and that we want to work with you to build the sort of long-term security that you say you want,” he added.
One displaced man told Miliband the homeless wanted only to return to Swat, where Pakistani commanders say operations are being wrapped up against the Taliban and civilians can soon come back.
“We suffered a lot. We have made sacrifices... We want to go back to our motherland. I was a farmer in Swat and I have nothing to do here,” he said.
The Pakistani government has promised each family Rs25,000 when they return but continued fighting and destruction to many areas have raised fears about how easily and when families can really go back.
Miliband said Britain had committed over a billion dollars for long-term economic and social reconstruction over four years in Pakistan and had also given about $35mn in recent humanitarian support.
He echoed fears from aid workers about the difficulties of dispensing assistance when the majority of the displaced live with families rather than in government-run camps such as Yar Hussein.
“That makes it much more difficult to reach them... that is a major factor that creates a bit of a bottleneck in getting aid through,” he said.
Miliband reiterated Britain’s support for Pakistan’s anti-Taliban offensive in the troubled north-western region.
During his visit, the British foreign secretary is due to meet Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, besides calling on Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.
“This visit presents a first opportunity for ministerial discussion of the new UK-Pakistan strategic dialogue,” he was cited as saying by the British High Commission in a statement.
“It also allows me to underline the UK’s support for Pakistan’s current efforts to defeat the extremists and to restore peace and security to areas where extremists operate.”
Pakistani armed forces launched a full-fledged operation against Islamist rebels in Swat and its nearby districts in late April after being prompted by the militants’ advance into territory just 100km north-west of the capital city, Islamabad.
In a seemingly successful onslaught, the military claimed to have killed more than 1,600 guerrilla fighters and retaken most parts of the scenic mountain region that once thrived on tourism. AFP
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