Pakistan: Returns continue in some areas but comprehensive IDP policy needed

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The population of north-west Pakistan has suffered conflict-induced displacement for the past seven years, with the phenomenon reaching its peak in 2009 when there were more than three million internally displaced people (IDPs) in the region. By May 2010, the figure was down to one million, but returns since then have been offset by new displacements. As of May 2011, ongoing military operations and militant activities were causing new displacements in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The official criteria for registration as an IDP have barred many displaced people from assistance. A multi-agency IDP vulnerability assessment profiling (IVAP) found that only around half of all IDPs were registered, but that hundreds of thousands of ineligible people were. Protecting IDPs presents both security and a humanitarian challenges. People have faced a clearly heightened risk of human rights violations, and in areas where national authorities are unable to protect them, IDPs have been forced to seek security from other parties. The government has started the process of returns which is a unilateral decision. Howeve, various humanitarian agencies are now assisting in the process to ensure returns are taking place effectively. Recommendations: The national government should develop a comprehensive framework for its IDP response and assign resources to match its obligations to its displaced citizens. The criteria for the registration of IDPs should also be revised. Military operations to secure FATA should not compromise IDPs' protection or their right to return in conditions of safety and dignity. Victims whose house have been damaged and destroyed should be adequately compensated. Humanitarian agencies that respect the principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality should be granted access to FATA. National and international entities involved in the IDP response should base all their interventions on data provided by the 2011 IDP vulnerability assessment profiling, which is the best available. The selection of beneficiaries based on joint vulnerability criteria should be upheld in the 2011 IDP response. Read the full Report on Internal Displacement in Pakistan