European Union vows to support development work in border regions

MIRANSHAH: The European Union (EU) Ambassador Androulla Kaminara has said that she would be happy to report back to the European taxpayers that their money had reached the marginalised communities in the Pakistan border regions and was well spent.

She gave the remarks in her speech after listening to community activists, leaders and youth at a gathering at Sherkhail Market in Ghulam Khan Tehsil of the North Waziristan tribal district.

The community activists represented different community groups and individuals from Razmak, Mir Ali, Miranshah, Garhiyum and Ghulam Khan that had benefitted from the four years-long Aid to Uprooted Project funded by European Union through KFW and implemented in five tribal districts by the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP).

The ambassador along with Danish Ambassador Lis Rosenholm, Czech Republic’s Ambassador Thomas Smetanka and Phillipe Bronchain, Ambassador of Belgium, were on a day-long trip to the tribal district of North Waziristan.

Responding to the persistent demands made by the community activists, political leaders and tribal elders, the EU ambassador said that the problems in the extension of Aid to Uprooted People’s Project had been because of their contractor (KFW) unilaterally discontinuing with the project, and not because of any desire on part of EU to discontinue their support.

She promised that the EU was seriously exploring different options to continue to work with the SRSP to overcome the bureaucratic obstacles.

It was clarified by the SRSP representative that discontinuation of the support would directly impact 33,000 households, who were already in an advanced stage of social mobilization and designing of activities.

Over a hundred community-level infrastructure projects would be negatively impacted and about 2000 youth would be deprived of an opportunity to gain vocational skills, digital and e-commerce skills, motorcycle and mobile repair and solar panel installation skills, the envoy was told.

It would also be a blow to the trust-building the project has helped create between the Citizens and the State by responding to community needs in a region that has seen 40 years of conflict.

An elderly person from Razmak famous with the appellation of “Senior” in the community said that the EU should not withdraw but instead help them tap the water resources in the mountainous belt to generate electricity and humorously took off his turban in a mark of protest.

On this, the ambassador removed the chaddar on her head and said, “The EU has no intention of leaving the people and would continue to support them.”

The community activists at Sherkhail, Ghulam Khan at the Pak Afghan border, explained that the SRSP had worked with the district administration and the communities to improve the local market that had helped in reviving cross-border trade and economic activity.

The communities also presented charts and pictures to show the intervention in different villages in solar drinking water schemes, sanitation schemes and crop production.

SRSP Chief Executive Officer Masood Ul Mulk explained that his organisation’s work was extended to the tribal districts in 2007 on the request of the government.

“Since then it has initiated the development and humanitarian initiatives in the region in all the merged districts in close collaboration with the government. It has implemented various projects to the tune of Rs8 billion and organised 2,600 community organisations representing 0.4 million tribal population,” he said, adding, over 57,000 households have benefitted from access to improved infrastructure including drinking water supply schemes, roads and bridges, sanitation projects, irrigation schemes and solarisation.

He added that the SRSP had helped rebuild 8,600 shelters for the returnees, and rehabilitated/constructed 413 schools ensuring the return of 62,000 boys and girls to safer schools with EU assistance. About 855,399 population have benefitted from improved WASH facilities in collaboration with UN agencies.

The highlight of the visit to Ghulam Khan was the meeting of the delegation with 40 women, who have been trained under the AUP. The women had attended skill training courses in leather works under the AUP.

They had displayed their products and shared that their small businesses are flourishing.

On the occasion, 30-year-old Gul Marjana shared her views with the woman ambassadors that she had spent her life fetching water from distant locations. She would not desire a similar life for her daughter, she said, adding she would want her to be educated and live a life like the visitors.

On a query from the ambassadors, the women explained that getting education and skill development was important for them because they helped improve their social and economic status

The district administration facilitated a meeting of the delegation with the tribal elders representing all the tribes of the region who appreciated the work done in nine out of the 10 tehsils of North Waziristan with the assistance of the European Union. Representatives of Dattakhel said that work should be done in their tehsil as the returns there took place late and work could not begin.

Relief, Rehabilitation & Settlement Department Muhammad Iqbal Wazir also called on the visitors and thanked European Union for generously supporting the tribal districts.

Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali explained to the visitors that government departments had been established in the district and were functional.

The ambassadors also called on the GOC 7th Division Major-General Muhammad Naeem Akhtar, who explained the security challenges the area faced and how the government and security agencies had successfully tackled militancy in the region.