Background
North Waziristan Agency (NWA) is situated on the Pakistan – Afghanistan border and adjacent to South Waziristan Agency, Kurrum Agency, the Frontier Region (FR) of Bannu, FR Karak in FATA and Bannu and Hangu districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Miranshah is the main town and also the agency’s headquarters. Other major towns include Mir Ali and Razmak. NWA consists of three subdivisions and nine tehsils. The total geographical area of NWA is 4,707 Sq. Km. Main tribes include Utmanzai and Dawar Wazir.
Since 2001, NWA was the centre of different activities of armed non-state actors. Different groups of non-state actors used to operate in or from NWA. When negotiations between the government and the armed non-state actors failed, security forces carried out targeted bombing of the suspected militant hideouts in late May 2014 which resulted in the displacement of over 60,000 people from NWA into Bannu, D I Khan, FR Bannu and other adjacent districts. On 15th June 2014, the Government of Pakistan (GoP) announced a full scale operation against the armed non-state actors in NWA, resulting in more displacement.
As of 31 December 2015, a total of 71,101 registered familiesremained displaced1 . The majority of the displaced families are living in host areas where they rent houses or are staying with relatives and extended families in Bannu, DI khan, and Lakki Marwat. After FDMA de-notified a number of villages in NWA, three returns took place from March – December 2015 and around 32,901 families returned to their places of origin by 31 December 20152 .
On 6th Jan 2016, during a Return Task Force (RTF) meeting held at the FDMA office in Peshawar,
FDMA informed the Humanitarian community that they will start the return of IDPs families of Stage-2, Phase 4, to 15 villages of Mir Ali and Miranshah tehsils of North Waziristan Agency as the area had been declared safe for return.
Objective and Methodology
During the RTF meeting, FDMA requested the protection cluster to conduct the Return Intention Survey (RIS). Responding to this request, and in-line with the Return Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) endorsed by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in February 2012, but also in accordance with the “Return Policy Framework for IDPs from FATA” signed by FDMA in 2010, the Protection Cluster and its members agreed to conduct a series of consultations with the displaced population to capture their intentions and position vis-à-vis the announced return process. It should be understood that the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement are clear on a government’s responsibility to respond to the needs of IDPs during displacement and in displacement until attaining durable solutions, including sustainable returns. However, a government may request assistance from the humanitarian community to assist and facilitate returns.
The return intention survey (RIS) was conducted by IVAP; the data collection was done through their call centre in Peshawar from 11 – 15 January 2016.