The World Bank approved on Thursday a $75 million loan for Pakistan, majority of which will be disbursed among internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a cash grant aimed at facilitating their return from the camps to their homes. About 87% of the $75 million loan or $62 million will be used to provide cash grant to around 120,000 or over one-third of the total families affected by the ongoing military offensive in tribal areas. Each family will receive Rs49,000 cash grant in two phases. The Washington-based lending agency has given the concessionary loan for a period of 25 years, including a grace period of 5 years. Families to be benefitted from the WB’s ‘Fata Temporarily Displaced Persons Emergency Recovery Project’ are from five Fata agencies, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber, according to a handout issued by the WB’s local office. The basic aim of the project is to support the early recovery of approximately 120,000 displaced families from Fata through two cash grants. The amount is barely enough for a family to survive for one month, let alone being considered enough to rebuild destroyed homes and businesses. Moreover, the meagre amount will only be distributed to one-third of the families affected by the operation.
Upon closer inspection, it is clear that the amount is peanuts, which raises questions about the overall strategy and financial planning on the part of the government to rehabilitate IDPs. Although the loan comes with soft terms, including a five-year grace period and return time of 25 years, it is a classic example of international lending which provides little to no real benefit to the population. Around 336,762 families have been displaced as the human cost of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. They will certainly need more than the handouts being offered through World Bank funding. The $750 million rehabilitation estimate by the government is clearly on the lower end and a human catastrophe is quite possible once the said populations return home. While the WB loan may help ease some of their suffering, certainly much more is needed for these families.
pk.shafaqna.com
