Pakistani Semi-tribal/Tribal Women in War Zones: Displacement and Rehabilitation

Abstract

Since 2002, Pakistan witnessed a prolonged insurgency in its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Since then, Pakistani armed forces are engaged in military operations against the militants. This conflict has a strong bearing on the inhabitants, especially women and children due to their vulnerable and marginalized placement in economically and structurally deprived tribal society. This research will be carried out from three angles. First, it will attempt to understand the centuries-old tribal customs and traditions, which confine women in an isolated and non-participatory role as compared to the mainstream of Pakistani women. The second dimension of this research is to compare and contrast the level of tribal woman's displacement in a conflict scenario. The third dimension of this research is to investigate the accumulated challenges of the tribal women in the displacement and rehabilitation process. It has been observed that after the military operation when the displaced women returned to their homes, they felt aliens in their ancestral houses. This Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was a serious challenge for women and children as the socio-cultural dynamics of the tribal society hardly allow them to engage in various outdoor activities, including treatment through counselling from psychiatrists. To understand various socio-cultural problems of women, during and after the conflict, apart from secondary resources, a focused-group discussion with male respondents from Swat and Waziristan was conducted. In this study, as a primary source, their responses have helped in confirming and reinforcing the arguments. To conclude one may say that although women and children are most affected in conflict situations, however, the gravity of their miseries could be diluted by proper planning and timely decisions by the relevant authorities.