Daily Times

Landmines are a serious hazard in tribal areas of Pakistan. When the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) started returning to their homes in 2017 after a series of military operations in the tribal areas — they found their villages and areas surrounding their houses littered with deadly landmines. These landmines cost many locals their lives and limbs, including children. The situation becomes more dangerous when it rains, as landmines float into residential areas.

Things are worse in South Waziristan because of its hilly terrain. Abandoned explosive materials are said to be present in Ladha and Sarwaiki tehsils of South Waziristan, which are home to the Mehsud tribe. Kurram Agency, Tirah valley of Khyber Agency and border regions of both Mohmand and Kurram Agencies are similarly affected. Though military operations have cleared militants from these areas, leftover landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) continue to pose a threat to the local population.

In February this year, a landmine blast in the Lower Orakzai Agency killed a tribal leader.

One must also note here that landmines are illegal under international law because of the toll they take on unknowing civilians. The Ottawa Treaty aims to ban these reckless weapons across the globe. The UN and its different bodies have repeatedly asked for their elimination.

The question is not who left these landmines behind, the militants or the security forces, but rather who will clear them. Human rights groups, political organisations, and even tribal leaders have demanded the removal of these landmines time and again.

FATA is now a part of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) and the government should raise this issue with the concerned authorities. After all, this is a humanitarian crisis that has been neglected. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), the party in power in KP, must take this initiative because it prides itself as a representative of Pakistan’s youth and most people amputated or killed because of these landmines are either young adults or minors. Financial investment and policy work should be done to resolve this crisis. This will be expensive, risky and slow without the cooperation of the security forces. Teams of specialised bomb disposal squads and special equipment are needed for this task, therefore international collaboration would also be helpful.

The authorities must not ignore this problem any longer. Lest they forget, the recently elected parliamentarians in KP have been given a fresh mandate by the public to bring about positive change, and this includes improving the lives of the people of FATA.  *

Published in Daily Times, September 17^th 2018.