PAKISTAN

PROJECT TITLE: Swat Valley: Urgent Landmine Action Response, December 2009

Mine Risk Education for Returnees to Former Battlefield Sites in the Swat Valley, NWFP, Pakistan

PROJECT

In partnership with the US Department of State/ WRA [weapons removal & abatement] RI has launched an emergency mine risk education project, to prevent unnecessary loss of life and limb amongst returnees to land that has subsequently become a battlefield site; following the intensive militarised action taken by the government of Pakistan against insurgent forces during the summer of 2009.

Under the present initiative we are able to extend assistance to approximately 50% of the affected population/ area; a figure in excess of 1 million persons. This leaves about half the affected population without comparable service and this is where your support is needed. This intervention will deliver: 

• mine awareness and risk avoidance education for the returned population;
• victim survey to identify existing victims of traumatic injury;
• creation of local capacity to provide ongoing mine action services;
• raise awareness and influence local and national policy with respect to ERW [explosive remnants of war] and related issues.
• liaise with the Frontier Corp [civil protection force] for identification and disposal of  landmines/ERW as well as minefield rescue services.

An important aspect of RI’s project delivery is the extensive database of beneficiaries that we routinely maintain. In Pakistan our databases for landmine victims and disabled people, verified as compatible with IMSMA [International Management System for Mine Action], are shared with UN and the Government of Pakistan. This project has the capacity to establish the scale of injury that is a result of ERW and will lead to a comprehensive rehabilitation programme for amputees and other traumatically injured people.

AGENCY INVOLVEMENT

RI has been working in Pakistan since 2003. The initial project was in the FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas]. In 2005 RI undertook assessment missions to AJK [Pakistan Kashmir] to study the impact of landmines in the region; RI submitted a formal proposal to the FCO [British Foreign and Commonwealth Office] for a 2 year multi sector mine action project. The project was approved and initiated in December 2005 in the Poonch district of AJK. During the implementation of this project RI undertook further assessment in districts Kotli and Bhimber. This was followed by a second mine action and conflict resolution project in district Kotli in AJK; once again funded by the FCO. Hence we are veterans of 3 mine action projects in the most difficult areas of the country namely FATA and AJK; this project for NWFP [North West Frontier Province] / Swat Valley bringing the total to 4.