Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) – Chaos and corruption are impairing the project of "Watan Card," the so-called "Refugee Card" assigned by the government to displaced people. This is what local NGOs engaged in the field for humanitarian assistance have told Fides. Through an agreement between the Government and the institution of credit, "United Bank Limited,” the card allows a cash withdrawal of 20 thousand rupees as a contribution to the displaced families to begin the work of rebuilding their home or land reclamation, following the tragedy of floods (see Fides 25/9/2010).
The distribution of the card has created discontent: the masses of displaced people in southern Punjab and Sindh continue to protest the lack of transparency in the assignment, accusing the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA), that looks after the census and registers those eligible , corruption and nepotism.
The lists of beneficiaries of the "Watan Card" include persons who have died or are currently in prison: "As they can never claim it, it is suspected that this is a ploy to deflect the cards that are never claimed to family and friends," some local NGOs, who have raised the issue of transparency, note. Furthermore, "many names on the list belong to people who have not been affected by the floods," another aid worker told Fides. Government officials and police have also been accused, moreover, of demanding bribes from refugees when they deliver the card: "This is terrible means of taking advantage of those who have nothing," notes the source of Fides.
Those responsible for NADRA have admitted the existence of obstacles and difficulties in identifying eligible persons and distribution of cards. In Punjab, about 15,000 have been distributed but, for example, in an area identified as "flooded," there were some villages affected and others spared from the waters.
Mehdi Hasan, President of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) - NGO with offices in all the provinces – told Fides: "Given the magnitude of the number of displaced persons, it is to be understood that the distribution of the card involves many difficulties. The problem is that the whole process is now being exploited for political purposes, to ingratiate oneself with electoral support or to attack the government. We have received several complaints and have asked the government to investigate. There also seem to be cases of discrimination against religious minorities: many complaints come from Sindh, home to a large Hindu community affected by the waters."
On the condition of Christians, Anila Gill, Executive Secretary of Caritas Pakistan, told Fides: "The card is intended to be for all the refugees who are in the identified area, regardless of the whether they are Muslim, Christian, or Hindu. We are trying to identify these areas, see if there are Christians with the right, and facilitate their interaction with NADRA." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 10/12/2010)
