Study On The Roles Of NGOS For Socioeconomic Development In Conflict Affected Tribal Areas During War On Terror In Pakistan

Pakistan’s involvement in the U.S.-led War on Terror has made it’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) a hotbed of violence since 9/11. The unremitted armed conflict between Pakistan Security Forces and al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorist groups has adversely affected the socioeconomic life of the people living in the region. Massive numbers of deaths and displacements, demolition of houses and properties, destruction of health and educational institutions, and loss of livelihood has pushed the already deprived region towards further distress and suffering, and has paved the way for the tribal inhabitants to join terrorist groups and engage in other types of violence. However, limited role of the state in delivering fundamental socioeconomic services has left the people at the disposal of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Besides the visible achievements of NGOs in peace building, promoting human rights and development of the region, killing and kidnapping of NGOs’workers has been the subject of day-to-day headlines and debate. This has prompted both humanitarian and development actors to reassess the way they work and to adopt a more versatile role.With this backdrop, the present study aimed to empirically substantiate the role of NGOs in socioeconomic development of conflict affected FATA. An effort was made to; assess the successful strategies of NGOs to operate in the violent environment and deliver socioeconomic services such as health, educational and employment to the conflict affected people, examine both the perceptions of the community toward NGOs, and the challenges faced by the NGOs in the region. By adopting a multistage sampling technique interviews were held with the representatives of 15 selected NGOs (international, national and FATA-based local) in the first stage. In the second stage, a survey was carried out in Bajaur and Kurram Agencies of FATA and data was gathered from 300 households. During the survey government officials, community elders, Islamic scholars, doctors and teachers were also targeted and individual and focused group discussions were undertaken to understand clearly the functioning of NGOs in rehabilitation and development of the study area. In the third stage, another survey was undertaken at the Jalozai IDP camp where 2 case studies were recorded based on the plight of displaced persons and the humanitarian assistance of NGOs. During this whole process triangulation methodology was adhered to amass data.Predicated on study findings, the study explores that the prolonged armed conflict has made FATA a hell on earth by disrupting the social life, shrinking economic activities and inflaming the psychological despondencies among the masses. Here basic health care, education and employment are highly demanded services, and the government has neither the capacity nor the resources to ascertain decent socioeconomic coverage for all the people of the area. Although humanitarian activities are on-going in the region the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their places of origin calls for immediate recovery activities to assist communities to build back better and to fortify post-crisis early recovery efforts in a coherent and holistic manner which complements humanitarian actions with a recovery focus. Though limited in number, NGOs do indeed have a crucial role not only in providing socioeconomic services to the affected people in the region, but withal in building on the capacity of the government and the community.The empirical results illustrates that the role of the NGOs was significantly positive overall as they had the efficiency in achieving their goals and their services had praiseworthy effect in the study area. Their strategies were decent and well organized for the rehabilitation and development of the region but many efforts are still required to overcome the challenges they are facing. On the other hand, lack of transparency and weak coordination mechanisms during the humanitarian aid for displaced persons in the camps had negatively affected the people and also the credibility of NGOs. By implication, the research places forward some recommendations.