Of homeless and careless parents at displaced camp in Pakistan

Living in camp; vying for Heaven  

 

Khalid Khan Kheshgi

 

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />PESHAWAR: Living in Katcha Garhi Camp Peshawar, meant for displaced families from Bajaur, Sabar Gul is proud of his two teenaged sons getting religious education in Rawalpindi, but does not know name and exact location of the seminary.

 

Like thousands of war-affected families from Bajaur and Mohmand tribal agencies, Sabar Gul, in his early 50s, had also shifted his family from Lagharhai, Mamoond tehsil in Bajaur Agency to Peshawar when the security forces launched military operation against militants in Bajaur in August last year. Father of ten children, three of them daughters, Sabar Gul is now living in a tented house at KG-1 sector of Katcha Garhi camp in the outskirt of Peshawar where the relief items including monthly food package are the only source of livelihood for majority of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Three of his sons are studying in the primary school set up inside the camp while two of his sons were enrolled at a religious institution somewhere in Rawalpindi.

 

“I do not know the name and location of madrassha where my sons are studying but I know the madrassha belongs to Deobandi school of thought,” the black bearded Sabar Gul said, who also claimed that he had waged Jehad in Afghanistan when the Russian forces invaded the country. “At least with the provision of religious education my children and I could earn place in the Heaven,” he justified the enrollment of his sons at the seminary. The man from Lagharhai said that he was not happy with the life at camp but due to prevailing unrest and insecurity in his hometown he could not put the lives of his family’s member at risk. Sabar Gul has no sympathy with the Taliban militants but at the same time he also has soft corner for the Pak Army as he thinks thousands of families left their houses after the military operation in Bajaur Agency. “One cannot even think of killing of Muslims and innocent human beings at the hands of real Taliban,” he said while referring to car-bomb blasts and suicide attacks at the public places in Peshawar and Charsadda. He said as the situation in his hometown was not normal so they would have no abode except the camp to live even in winter.

 

Administrator of Katcha Garhi camp Arbab Arshad informed that two schools, one each for boys and girls, had been established at KG-1 sector, housing some 1235 families, and two schools at Kg-2 sector where some 790 families were living at the moment. “We are providing free of cost education at these schools where the morning shift is specified for primary students and evening shift for middle and high school students,” the administrator said, adding that they could motivate not enforce the parents for enrollment of their children in the camp schools.

 

The former Afghan refugee camp, Katcha Garhi premises is now inhabited by the uprooted families from Bajaur and Mohmand tribal agencies, however, some displaced families from Swat were also living in the sector-2 of the camp.

 

Shamaki, an aged person from Swat, told this scribe during a visit to the camp that they were about to leave the camp for his hometown in Khwazakhela as Peshawar was no more a peaceful city. “Most of our relatives had gone back to Swat on government expenses some four months ago but now we have to go back on our own resources,” he said and added that they had not come to lower areas on their will but were forced to leave the place ahead of military operation in Swat.

 

Manzor Ilahi, a student of class 8th, said that his family would go back to Swat the day he obtains school leaving certificate from the school where he was studying for the last many months. He said his father named Inayatullah was a cab driver in Peshawar but they were not happy in the tented house at camp. “We have our own house and school in Swat,” he added.

 

Ends