Last updated 29/05/2017
Introduction
North-western Pakistan, along the Afghan border, has for many years been marred by military and insurgent operations, triggering a series of large-scale internal displacements which contribute to the deterioration of the already dire humanitarian situation in the area. Recurring natural disasters and food insecurity also add to the country’s suffering. In addition, the situation of close to 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees and an estimated one million additional unregistered Afghans also remains a matter of concern.
What are the needs?
The north-western region of Pakistan and the areas bordering Afghanistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are affected by large scale displacements due to insurgency. The most recent conflict developments in 2014 prompted the displacement of over a million people from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) and Khyber Agency in FATA to adjoining districts, adding to people still displaced from previous years and putting a strain on the already limited facilities in the hosting areas. While more than 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) had returned to their places of origin following an acceleration of returns over the past two years, over 253 000 people remained displaced as of September 2017. Displaced families require shelter, food, medicines, safe drinking water and education services for their children.
Pakistan frequently experiences multiple disasters in a given year. Over the last few years, the province of Sindh has been repeatedly affected by both floods and drought, further affecting the food security and livelihood opportunities. High levels of malnutrition, coupled with limited access to water, sanitation and medical services, have compromised the health and coping capacities of vulnerable communities. The Afghan refugee crisis is among the largest and most protracted refugee crises in the world. Since 2015, a sharp increase both in returns of registered refugees and deportations of undocumented refugees by Pakistan authorities has been recorded. In February, the government extended the validity of the proof of registration cards that enables Afghan refugees to stay in the country until the 31st of December 2017
