IDP UPDATE: MOI DECLARES SWAT SECURE, DEBIT CARDS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001411

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2019
TAGS: EAID ECON IO PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL PTER PK
SUBJECT: IDP UPDATE: MOI DECLARES SWAT SECURE, DEBIT CARDS
DISTRIBUTED TO DISPLACED FAMILIES

REF: ISLAMABAD 1374

Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b),(d).


1. (SBU) Summary. On June 24, Minister of Interior Rehman
Malik announced that Swat and Malakand division were now
secure from terrorists and IDPs could return home once the
infrastructure was restored. Many displaced families living
in IDP camps, particularly those from Buner, are beginning to
return to their homes. GOP officials and UN organizations
are developing a strategy to aid the return of displaced
families. The GOP also has begun the extensive program of
distributing PKR 25,000 (312 USD) in a debit card to each
registered displaced family. End Summary.

Terrorists Flushed from Malakand; IDPs Returning
-------------- ---


2. (U) Addressing the National Assembly on June 24, Interior
Minister Rehman Malik said Pakistani security forces have
flushed all terrorists from Swat and Malakand, and now have
secured the areas. Malik explained that the IDPs would be
returning to their homes once the infrastructure in the
insurgency-hit areas was restored. According to Malik, 1592
terrorists had been killed in the operation, while 138 Army
personnel had lost their lives.


3. (SBU) According to the North-West Frontier Province
(NWFP) Emergency Response Unit (ERU),540 families from IDP
camps have already returned to Malakand Division, primarily
to Buner. NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussein
confirmed to press that many IDPs are returning to their
homes, but the provincial government would not/not set a
deadline for the return and rehabilitation of IDPs.
According to Pakistan press, some IDP families from Jalozai
camp are demanding that government representatives visit
Buner and other areas in Malakand to assess the safety,
before they themselves are willing to return home.

Transportation for Return
--------------


4. (C) In a recent "policy and strategic meeting,"
government authorities, including the NWFP Chief Secretary
and Lt. General Nadeem's chief of staff, told UN and ICRC
officials that all displaced could now return to Swat and
Buner. The Chief Secretary was interested in arranging some
1,200 trucks/day to facilitate return. The UNHCR Assistant
Representative stressed that people will return when they
believe it is safe to do so. He also suggested the
establishment of a shuttle service of humanitarian buses
which would permit people to travel back home temporarily to
assess conditions and tend to personal business before
actually returning. Discussions on this issue are ongoing.

Debit Card Distribution
--------------


5. (U) As of June 19, Pakistan's National Database and
Registration Authority (NADRA) has distributed over 35,000
debit cards with the GOP's promised PKR 25,000 (312 USD) to
displaced families. During the week of June 21, NADRA began
handing out the cards in Swabi to IDPs from Buner. Cards
were distributed to 200 and 300 families on the first and
second days respectively and to 8000 on the third. Displaced
people streamed back from Buner to pick up the cards.


6. (SBU) UNHCR indicated that NADRA is distributing debit
cards to all registered displaced, including both Swatis and
Bajauris in Jalozai camp. (Note: Roughly 1400 new IDPs,
primarily from Swat, but also from Buner, Dir, and elsewhere,
have been arriving daily to Jalozai.) The displaced in
Punjab and Sindh will be the last to receive cards. NADRA
plans to provide cards to 80 percent of the verified,
registered displaced by July 15.

Non-Food Item Distribution
--------------


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7. (SBU) On June 20, UNHCR began mass distribution of
non-food items (NFI) to the displaced outside of camps in
Nowshera and Charsadda. UNHCR currently has an NFI pipeline
that will permit ongoing distribution to 20,000 displaced
families per week. In addition to the kits already
distributed in the first week, UNHCR has 30,000 kits prepared
and warehouses full of NFIs. It is also maintaining a
reserve for the Waziristan displaced. UNHCR Geneva has
increased UNHCR Pakistan's spending authority by USD 20
million.

Assistance in Camps
--------------


8. (SBU) Cash-for-work programs continue to facilitate
necessary repairs and modifications in internally displaced
person (IDP) camps in NWFP. USAID/Pakistan reported
completion of drainage systems for 344 tents and the
construction of 416 culturally appropriate purdah walls in
Jalozai Camp in Nowshera District, collectively benefiting
more than 6000 individuals. In addition, through vocation
training in camps, displaced individuals-- particularly
women-- continue to acquire new skills to improve potential
for livelihood recovery and increase earning opportunities.

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Funding
--------------


9. (U) In a meeting with the USAID Disaster Assistance
Response Team, the director of InterAction noted a general
misunderstanding among U.N. cluster members, indicating that
members believed that the clusters serve as a funding
mechanism. According to the InterAction director, the U.K.
Department for International Development (DFID) is the only
donor that has utilized the U.N. cluster system as a donor
mechanism in Pakistan during the current response. The
director emphasized that lack of funding through the cluster
mechanism does not constitute a general lack of funding. The
director noted that, from the NGO perspective, although
several donors have not provided adequate assistance, NGOs
continue to express satisfaction with the rapid funding from
the USG.
PATTERSON