Washington DC May 11^th: While the latest military action by the Pakistan army in Swat Valley is timely and fully warranted, one of its fall out has been the problem of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). According to the latest report of the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) nearly 360,000 IDPs have already been registered, and their number is projected to swell to about1 million. This is will be the largest internal displacement of people in Pakistan’s history, and the second largest in the world, with the exception of Rwanda.  Experts estimate that a quarter of Swat Valley’s population will become IDPs. These innocent Swati men, women, and children  have been forced to abandon their homes and hearths to escape the conflict with few meager personal belongings.  Their current predicament is part of the price of refusing to join the unholy war on behalf of the Taliban.

To address this emergency situation, refugee camps have been setup around Mardan, Peshawar, and Islamabad. There is an urgent need of supplies to provide shelter, food, clean water, and health care to make these camps functional. In this regard, UNHCR has made a fervent appeal to the international community to provide immediate humanitarian help to alleviate the suffering of the IDPs. In response, the United States has announced $4.9 million in immediate emergency assistance, this support is very far from being able to make any meaningful difference.

It is also incumbent on Pakistani-Americans to do their share in helping these unfortunate and innocent victims of Taliban instigated violence. This assistance is critical to sustain the domestic public support for the effort against the evil of Talibanization. It is also essential to ensure that Taliban do not take advantage of the misfortune of these people by trying to recruit them with the lure of financial support when they return to their homes.  We need to act ourselves first and help educate all our fellow Americans (including our legislators, administrators and all people) how important it is that United States play a much broader and comprehensive role in the management and rehabilitation of this disaster.  

PAKPAC is making a strong appeal to all its members to please take the following actions immediately.

1. Donate money to help IDPs from Swat by contributing directly to an NGO of your choice that you are aware is working in Swat area, alternately you can send your donation to  UNHCR, Save the Children, or Edhi Foundation.

http://www.unhcr.org/emergency/pakistan/global_donation.html

https://secure.savethechildren.org/01/2007_match?source=hp_tab_donate

http://www.edhi.org/

Please ensure that while donating to international organizations, your donation is specifically marked for use in Pakistan. Please also check if your employer has a matching fund program for donations made to IDPs in Pakistan.

2. Send an email to your Congressperson, urging them to support the provision of immediate aid to the IDPs in addition to the above mentioned $5 million. To facilitate this, PAKPAC has prepared a letter that you can use for this purpose. PAKPAC has prepared a letter for this purpose that you can use

http://pakpac.net/Swat help letters/Congressperson.doc

3. Email a similar letter to President Obama.

PAKPAC has prepared a letter for this purpose that you can use http://pakpac.net/Swat help letters/president usa.doc

People of Pakistan in general, and citizens of Swat valley in particular, are in urgent need of your help at this hour of national emergency. Please donate generously and strike a blow in favor of the movement against Taliban.