IDP UPDATE: REGISTRATION INITIATED FOR WAZIRISTAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 001445 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID MOPS PGOV PINR PK PREF PREL SUBJECT: IDP UPDATE: REGISTRATION INITIATED FOR WAZIRISTAN AND RESTRICTED FOR MALAKAND REF: ISLAMABAD 1360 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Registration has begun for internally displaced people from South Waziristan Agency (SWA) in two districts and a frontier region east of the agency; only those whose sole residence is in SWA will be eligible. The Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) government has forbidden new/new IDP registration from all but two towns in the Malakand division, despite the more extensive Malakand area designated as a conflict-affected zone two weeks ago. The NWFP government has also created a new administrative structure to coordinate provincial government efforts for Malakand reconstruction and restoration of governance, the total cost of which could be up to USD 1 billion. End summary. Registration Begins for South Waziristan IDPs -------------- ¶2. (U) According to UNICEF, Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed expects up to 200,000 total IDPs from South Waziristan Agency (SWA),of which he expects 70,000 to require humanitarian assistance. Many affected individuals are expected to reside with host families or in second homes in districts adjacent to Waziristan. Nevertheless, the actual number of individuals who will require emergency relief assistance remains unclear. During the week of June 29, the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) plans to conduct a preliminary security assessment in Dera Ismail Khan district and surrounding areas. Security permitting, representatives of each of the UN clusters will participate in a full assessment of D.I. Khan some time after the conclusion of the UNDSS study. ¶3. (SBU) On June 26, USAID field staff reported that Pakistani government data entry for displaced families from SWA is underway in Frontier Region D.I. Khan (in the FATA) and in Tank district. Registration is being conducted through the NWFP Provincial Relief Commissioner's Office, with the support of the Federal Ministry of Social Welfare, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and a local nongovernmental organization. ¶4. (SBU) D.I. Khan district officials, representatives from FIDA (a local NGO),and elders from the Mahsud tribe met June 29 to decide modalities for IDP registration in D.I. Khan district (in the NWFP),which will begin this week. Registration will take place at three locations in D.I. Khan �0A;district (Dinpur, Lahkra, and Kulachiwala),and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) mobile vans will be made available at all three locations to make and issue identification cards to those who do not have them. The parties agreed that those SWA residents whose identification cards show that they have a temporary address (e.g., for a second home) outside of SWA will not/not be eligible for registration as an IDP. (Note: According to the head of NADRA, NWFP authorities have determined that those displaced from NWFP to areas outside the NWFP - such as Punjab and Sindh - similarly will be ineligible for government benefits if they have temporary addresses in the places where they register.) Registration Restriction for Malakand IDPs -------------- ¶5. (SBU) According to a member of the staff of the NWFP's Emergency Response Unit (ERU),the NWFP cabinet has decided to limit new/new registration of IDPs to those coming from a few designated areas. Starting June 29, only IDPs from Kabal and Shamozai in Swat district, Charmang tehsil of Bajaur Agency, Upper Mohmand, and Kurram Agency will be registered. The ERU staff member speculated that the government had taken this decision in order to stop the influx of people from other areas who wished to obtain the government-proffered 25,000-rupee (USD 312) debit card (reftel). ¶6. (U) This limitation of registration to only two areas in the Malakand division contrasts with the NWFP government,s June 16 notification of declared Malakand division conflict zones, which designated areas from which fleeing people could be registered as IDPs and is still in effect. That notification includes the union councils ISLAMABAD 00001445 002 OF 003 (Pakistan's smallest administrative unit) of Doog Darra in Upper Dir district; Chakdara, Tazagram, Asbanr, Haya Sarai, Bishigram, Kotkay, Lal Qila, Gall Maidan, Zermdara, Lajbook, and Ouch in Lower Dir; Koga, Nawagai, Norizi, Rega, Karapa, Pacha Killi, Dewana Baba, Daggar, Gagra, Gokand, Malakpur, Tor Warsak, Abakhel, Malikhel, Gadezai, Ellai, Batara, Gulbandai, Pandair, Soray, Shalbandi, Sarwari, Makhrani, and Amazai in Buner; Aloock, Malik Khel, and Martoong Khas in Shangla; and all union councils in Swat. Mingora Assessment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) On June 27, USAID staff accompanied local government officials to Mingora, Swat's largest city, to conduct an assessment of affected areas. The city is still under strict curfew, making movement inside the city very difficult for civilians. The team observed artillery being fired in the near vicinity of the city, and electricity, while functioning, is spotty. Banks and public buildings have seen extensive looting and damage. Some district officials, including the Commissioner for the Malakand Division, were back at work, but they were primarily concerned with re-establishing their offices in working order. At least some medical facilities also seem to be functioning, though the level of care might not be high. New NWFP Coordinating Body for Malakand Reconstruction -------------- ¶8. (U) Shakil Qadir Khan, the chief of the newly-established Provincial Relief, Reconstruction, and Settlement Authority (PaRRSA),briefed USAID Country Director on the NWFP government's early recovery plans for conflict-affected areas in the Malakand division. The PaRRSA will assume operational control of efforts for initial infrastructure restoration and also support IDP resettlement needs. Its staff, which will number over 100, will be drawn from existing provincial and district departments. ¶9. (U) Qadir described the process by which district civil servants will identify recovery needs and indicated that reconstruction and recovery funds will be channeled through existing administrative structures. The PaRRSA does not plan to manage food distribution or cash support (such as the 25,000-rupee debit card),which are implemented largely through the UN World Food Program (WFP) and the Pakistani Ministry of Social Welfare respectively. It instead plans to initially focus on temporary repairs to houses and infrastructure and the reestablishment of governance and livelihood activities. The PaRRSA will play a coordinating role for donor and NGO support to returnees and affected areas. ¶10. (U) The NNWFP's estimated cost for the initial phase is approximately USD 70 million. Qadir explained that additional support will be planned and programmed for the districts in the next phases of the effort, in order not only to repair damage but to improve upon pre-displacement infrastructure and stimulate economic activity. The PaRRSA is currently working with district-level civil servants, provincial departments, and technical staff from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank on a Damage and Needs Assessment (DANA) exercise. The preliminary draft is expected in late July. Although Qadir was unable to project total financing requirements for reconstruction, he estimated that the cost would be up to one billion dollars. Health and WASH Issues -------------- ¶11. (U) At a June 24 UN Health Cluster coordination meeting, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported on its continuing health assessments in Swat and Upper Dir districts. ICRC reported that 86 of the 238 health facilities in Swat, Buner, Shangla, and Lower Dir districts require some level of reconstruction. Of the damaged facilities, 27 have been completely destroyed and 59 others have sustained serious damages. This assessment was not, however, comprehensive, as access to areas of recent and ongoing conflict remains restricted. ISLAMABAD 00001445 003 OF 003 ¶12. (U) Representatives of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on June 25 told USAID staff that future UNICEF water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities will be directed primarily toward IDPs residing outside camps. UNICEF stated that its initial WASH assistance had been directed at the newly-established camps due to their limited WASH infrastructure and the need to mitigate waterborne disease outbreaks; this infrastructure is now in place in the camps. PATTERSON