Fight Against Taliban Runs High Cost For Pakistani Civilians

By Alyssa Landers

Earlier today, Pakistani military officials issued a stringent warning advising residents of the notoriously turbulent north-west region of the Swat valley to vacate their homes and flee to nearby refugee camps. The call for sudden evacuation of the area was apparently prompted by rising tensions between the Pakistani government and the Taliban. The terrorist group has reportedly expanded its operations in the area, putting strain on a tenuous peace agreement with the government.

The agreement calls for complete disarmament—a condition to which the Taliban are clearly reluctant to fulfill. Not only have they not disarmed, but refuse to do so unless Shari’a (the Islamic code of law) is fully implemented in the region. Consequently, Pakistani officers are readying themselves to respond with military force.

And while President Obama is currently planning to send a surge of American troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, there is not enough of a military presence in Pakistan to effectively halt the Taliban, who use the porous border controls to its strategic advantage, recruiting willing Pakistanis and sidling up to well-wishing Afghanis. In other words, the American military has a much harder time winning true allegiance and forming trustworthy bonds with native villagers sympathetic to the Taliban’s cause. It is also significant to note that while Pakistan remains an ally of the United States, it does not allow unprecedented access to American troops whose activity is often inhibited by limited border access.

Yet for Pakistani civilians-turned-refugees, the picture looks decidedly bleaker. Forced from their homes into tents once occupied by neighboring Afghan refugees, the camps are being reopened not for outsiders but legitimate citizens. The current refugee toll stands at half a million Pakistani villagers, and the future does not look promising. As the government strains to fight the elusive yet cohesive Taliban, civilian property is destroyed, leaving little hope a return home.

Not only are jilted Pakistanis angrily demanding compensation, but many are perplexed by how they factor in to a dispute between the government and the Taliban. The main concern among refugees is procurement of peace, whether it comes about through the appeasement of the Taliban or an expedient ousting of American troops.

One thing is for certain: refugee camps in the northwest region are expected to expand considerably, and with a disproportionate level of resources, they might not be able to hold out as long as they need to. The high level of terrorism has prompted President Obama to call it “the most dangerous place in the world,” and the prospects for civilian relocation remain uncertain.