No country for Pakistan's tribal refugees
Thousands of people are fleeing a military offensive against the Taliban in northwestern Pakistan. The displaced people tell DW they are still awaiting relief, and are caught between the Taliban militants and the army.
Mass exodus
More then 450,000 people have reportedly fled Pakistan's restive North Waziristan region in search of safer places since the start of air strikes against Taliban hideouts in the area earlier this month.
Unbearable conditions
Those who are migrating from North Waziristan include around 150,000 children and 110,000 women. Pakistan's northern areas swelter during the summer time with temperatures soaring to as high as 48 degrees Celsius. Activists say children are in dire need of help.
In search of safer areas
Rights activists tell DW the mass exodus from the tribal areas is the biggest the country has witnessed in years, and that the military operation is resulting in a huge humanitarian crisis in the insurgency-marred and poverty-stricken area.
Pakistan's 'most dangerous area'
The Pakistani army claims to have already killed hundreds of local and foreign fighters in North Waziristan. Western powers have for years complained to Islamabad about its failure to launch an offensive in the area which the US claims harbors the country's most dangerous militants.
Militants' base
The United States, for instance, believes the region is being used by al Qaeda and Taliban operatives as a base to strike international troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan, however, had previously refused to comply, telling Washington that the time was not right to start a full-scale military operation against the militants.
Islamic rule and militancy
The Taliban have been waging an insurgency in the Islamic republic for around a decade and want to impose stricter Islamic laws both in Pakistan as well as in neighboring Afghanistan. Many Pakistanis unequivocally support the military offensive in North Waziristan and believe their government is serious about eradicating terrorism this time.
Old and sick
"I travelled on foot for one day and one night to reach a safer town," Jamal Wazir, a 70-year-old refugee, told DW correspondent, Danish Baber. "I am old and sick. I would like to go back to Waziristan as soon as things get better," he added.
Promise of relief
On Friday, June 27, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the relief camps in the city of Bannu, and promised increased aid for the internally displaced people. But DW correspondent, Danish Baber, says the people are still waiting for aid and have to queue up for hours to get food in scorching heat.
Afghanistan is 'safer'
Thousands of people have also fled to neighboring Afghanistan, which they now consider a safer place than Pakistan. Observers say the Taliban are also among those crossing the porous Pakistani-Afghan border.
United Nations' concern
In a DW interview, Bo Schack, the head of the UN refugee agency in Afghanistan, says international assistance to the host communities supporting displaced families is urgently needed in order to ensure that they are able to maintain the level of support they have been providing to their neighbors.
Dubious operation
The Pakistani army is reportedly preparing for a ground offensive against the Taliban. But some experts are doubtful about Islamabad's intention to eliminate the extremists. Islamabad, they say, still considers the Taliban to be important allies, who should be part of the Afghan government after the NATO pullout in the coming months.