While the press has highlighted stories of successful returns to the Swat and Buner districts, thousands of displaced people have yet to return home because of the ongoing violence and lack of economic opportunities.
The presentation focused on the conflict of interest between the delivery of humanitarian assistance by the Pakistani government and the objectives of the Pakistani military. For example, internally displaced people are registered based on the region from which they fled, and not based on if they were actually displaced. This leaves room for discrimination in the provision of assistance.
Patrick Duplat also talked about the proper balance the United Nations must find in independently providing humanitarian assistance while coordinating the relief effort with the Pakistani government. The UN must collaborate with the government, but at the same time, he argued that they must be willing to challenge the government on protection issues. A representative of the UN Refugee Agency also spoke at the briefing and agreed that the UN must continue to work on balancing its relationship with the Government of Pakistan. He also pointed out that the UN has legitimate concerns over the safety of its staff, especially after the recent bombing of the World Food Program in Islamabad and the recent spate of bombings throughout Pakistan.
Refugees International is urging the U.S. to lend its weight to highlight protection of civilians concerns. The humanitarian crisis stems from an internal conflict, and not a natural disaster – and there should be an effort to depoliticize the aid.
There is much to be done.
Yet, blame for the humanitarian crisis can not be pointed at one political or humanitarian body; instead rebuilding and improvements within all sectors are needed. Most importantly at the moment, the trust of the Pakistani people towards the west must be rebuilt.