Employment Conditions in the Conflicted Areas of Pakistan

Employment conditions in the peaceful areas of Pakistan are not something to be proud of, how can these conditions be anything short of deplorable in the conflicted areas of Pakistan?

Violent conflict and fragile governance present enormous challenges for development and security in areas like Sawat, NWFP and FATA. In such places where violence is widespread the government almost ceases to function, the pace of development falls dramatically and conditions can deteriorate to extreme levels. In these turbulent areas, governments tend to have very limited capacity and their authority is often challenged by armed non-state actors. Conflict-affected regions are usually home to disaffected minorities or marginalized populations that hold long-running grievances with the central government and political establishment.

On the other hand conflict-affected areas present some of the most difficult challenges for delivery of aid, and there is a heightened risk that aid can favor groups on one side of the conflict or indirectly benefit armed actors, which can make the situation worse.

Keeping all this in mind, the main motive which has been in these areas during conflicted times is how to get food and water for their family much less a stable job and a salary at the end of the month. These people focus on the need of safety, shelter and food, at times also arms and ammunition to protect themselves from adversaries. As these areas are very close to war grounds especially considering Sawat (during the operation), and the present situation of the tribal areas, there were hardly any chances of anyone getting a proper job except some poor people who could go around relying on their cattle to feed them. People who didn’t own cattle or were seriously poor were either victims to the elite or the militants who controlled that area. The sad part of the story is that due to the incapability of the government these people are forced to side with the militants who are the only people who can offer food and safety along with arms and ammunition which they require to protect their family. Some people, who are lucky enough to escape with their families to the more stable areas of the country, are forced to live in the slumps and be employees at the far bottom of the food chain, probably as laborers or sweepers.

The youth of these conflicted areas mostly is uneducated as there are hardly any universities operating in these areas. Most of the youth goes to school where beyong reading and writing hardly anything else is taught. Especially in the tribal areas and areas of Sawat aswell, the youth and the children are sent to madrassas where most of them are brain washed into helping out the militants as most if not all madrassas are operated by these insurgents in an attempt to grow from with in. The youth which escapes this, either joins the insurgents themselves as they have nothing better to do, or they leave towns and come to stable areas leaving their cities as troubled as ever.

Due to very less development in these areas, women are treated very unfairly and most of their women are kept uneducated. All that these women learn is what their mothers and relatives teach them, like handicrafts and crafting on clothes etc which these women do excel in but again to be exploited by people who pay them peanuts for the hard work they put in. These are the people who sell these handicrafts in stable and developed areas to earn a hefty amount of profit none of which is seen by the women to put in all the hardwork. This is again one of the smaller obstacles which keeps these places and the small industries operating in them small and underdeveloped.

Employment cannot be introduced in these areas due to the volitle conditions of those places. Sawat is still doing better after the successful end of the operation which has managed to drive out the insurgents and restore peace in the region.