'People are accepting IDPs as guests'

Abu Dhabi: When the war came home, they had to leave everything behind and flee for their lives but they were fortunate not to end up in refugee camps thanks to the solidarity of compatriots who made them feel at home.

A large number of internally displaced people (IDP) who fled Pakistan's conflict zones and took refuge in safer towns received a welcome they would have least expected but are only too happy to acknowledge, an official of an international non-profit medical organisation told Gulf News in an exclusive interview.

A national solidarity seems to be emerging after the crisis and people are accepting IDPs as their guests, said Jeann Pierre Amigo, who works with Medecins San Frontieres (MSF).

In Mardan (in the North West Frontier Province), which was flooded with IDPs from Swat Valley, about 80 per cent of the victims were accommodated as guests by local residents, said Amigo, the head of the MSF mission in Pakistan, detailing programmes to address the plight of IDPs.

Excerpts from the interview:

Gulf News: You spoke about the local people in Mardan accommodating IDPs. Is this trend being witnessed in the rural areas?

Jeann Pierre Amigo: No. Mardan is a big city and people in the city were receiving the IDPs as their guests. The families, especially women, refuse to live under tents in refugee camps due to cultural reasons and the compatriots respected their feelings.

Is this trend unique to Pakistan? Have you witnessed such positive social action in other trouble spots around the world?

It is not that often but I have seen it in Kosovo — there were very few refugee encampments; others were accommodated by compatriots. In North Africa people are willing to help but the houses are too small to accommodate guests.

Any idea about the total number of IDPs in conflict zones in Pakistan ?

I don't know the total number. I saw large numbers of people in Mardan. They were saying one million…two million…two and a half million, etc…But I think nobody can give exact numbers because it would not be feasible to take numbers from private homes.

MSF has never attempted to take a headcount of refugees since it is not part of our operations. IDPs from Mardan went back home in July but there was a cholera outbreak thereafter and we opened cholera centres which treated 2,500 patients.

What is the situation in fresh conflict zones where the Pakistan Army launched its offensive against militants few weeks ago?

We don't know what will happen to the IDPs in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts in NWFP, when the snow falls in winter in December. Though they are not in refugee camps, the overcrowded districts cannot extend medical facilities for extra people in the event of an epidemic outbreak.

After the Pakistani government banned international non-governmental organisations extending assistance in Bhakkar in Punjab province close to the North West Frontier Province citing security reasons, we had to close down a trauma centre performing surgeries for patients. It was an important project for IDPs. We also wanted to conduct an independent medical assessment in Bhakkar.

They [government ] probably have found by now how imperative it is for us to be present in the area. If any epidemics are reported, it will be difficult to provide consultation.

The Pakistan government is concerned about the security of international NGOs. They have their own reasons. But, we and other medical organisations have been working in war zones for years. We are taking care of our security. International humanitarian law is clear about it. But the normal activities of MSF are going on in other parts of Pakistan such as Balochistan, Peshawar, etc.

How do you ensure your security while working in war zones? Did you face any life-threatening situations in Pakistan?

We never felt any security threat in Pakistan. This is extremely important — MSF is working in Pakistan on 100 per cent private funds…We never accept money from government institutions but only from individual contributors.

We are independent. In terms of security, the best thing is our medical activities are our protection. People see that we are doctors, so we are not targeted.

The community takes up our protection, not only in Pakistan but everywhere else in the world.

Has the international community responded properly to help the people during this crisis?

I can speak about MSF activities but I cannot speak about other international organisations. The people and the Pakistani government were satisfied with our intervention.

There were other medical organisations working for IDPs, too.

Volunteer at heart

Jeann Pierre Amigo, a French citizen, has been working with MSF since 1992. Having earned his PhD in Applied Physics, he is currently working on a Masters degree in Epidemics. "I haven't completed it yet," he says. The popular perception that MSF staff are paid high salaries does not amuse him. "We are considered volunteers as we are not doing this job for salaries."

Language not a barrier for German doctor and a Pashtoon woman

"I saw a Pashtoon woman blessing and praising a German lady doctor who cured her daughter's illness', Amigo said.[Women are treated by lady doctors only in Pakistan due to cultural reasons].The German doctor was saying thanks for her blessings and both of them were smiling. They could understand each other although they did not know each other's language. Culture and language are not a barrier for human beings ,especially during the crisis, Amigo said.

Not safe to be under the protection of Police and Military

MSF does not accept to go on convoys with police or military protection [as part of keeping neutrality and independence], Amigo said. Moreover it is not safe to be under the protection of Police and Military personnel as they are the first target [of militants ] in that country. "So, I don't think that it is a good idea to be with Police or Military there".

There is little bit confusion in Pakistan about NGOs ..what is an NGO…what NGOs are doing! We introduced ourselves as a medical organization to the community leaders, elders, Imams, local authorities and government officials, that confusion was cleared.

We keep our neutrality and independence. We don't accept to go on convoys with police or military protection. We are there. We keep going… working the way we are working.

Imagine you are an IDP

The best way to understand the sufferings of the people in conflict zones is just imagine you are an IDP [Internally displaced person], who fled away from your homeland, Amigo said. Their plight is same everywhere in the world. The children don't go to school… bread winners of families losing jobs…losing everything they have.

Two million on the run

Pakistan hosts one of the largest refugee populations About two million people in the country are "the population of concern" and this figure includes refugees and IDPs, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The country hosts 1.8 million Afghans, one of the largest refugee populations in the world, This is the number of refugees remaining in the country after the repatriation of 3.5 million Afghans since March 2002. The number of IDPs is estimated at close to 155,809.

About 112,000 people , including 15,500 families (including the new arrivals of 32,000 IDPs since October 13) have fled away from South Waziristan since May 2009. So far, the IDPs have been accommodated by the host families. Generally, this has been the trend in the north-west part of Pakistan.

Elsewhere in north-west Pakistan, some 3,600 people (600 families) recently displaced by the conflict in Bajaur agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) continue to seek shelter in Lower Dir. The newly displaced join more than 58,000 Bajauris (8,300 families) residing in various camps in the North West Frontier Province having fled several waves of conflict since August 2008.

A donation from the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation is helping UNHCR provide relief kits to more than 120,000 displaced families (more than 800,000 people) in Pakistan.

Source: www.unhcr.org

Figures (from interview)

940 MSF staff in Pakistan

900 Pakistani staff

40 expatriate staffs

2500 patients treated at Cholera centre in Mardan