A military victory over the Taliban in the Swat valley alone is not enough, say western experts, who assert that winning over the 2.4 million people displaced by war is equally essential..
Farzana Shaikh of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (London) also said resettlement is going to be absolutely vital to consolidate military gains.
‘Militant charities, associated with militant groups are known to be operating very actively in some of the refugee camps, providing the people with medical care, housing needs, food, providing them with all that the government is not able at the moment to provide’, she observed.
Most of those who have lost their homes in the fighting are ethnic Pashtuns, who are, religiously and socially conservative and tend to shun the overcrowded refugee camps as much as possible.
Reports in Pak media say that only 15-20 percent of the IDPs are in the camps. Others have gone to the Punjab and Sindh provinces sparking off local protests.
Arif Jamal, author of ‘Shadow War: The Untold Story of Jihad in Kashmir’, has termed the home made refugees as the biggest demographic since the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
Acording to Mariam Abou Zahab, the situation is a perfect breeding ground for for radicalisation, especially the young.
