People who have migrated to twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi from tribal areas (TAs) due to law and order situation are facing residential problems.
As people from hilly areas are also migrating towards twin cities, it has become more critical for them to live due to chilly weather conditions, rising house rents and price hike but they cannot afford to return to their hometowns.
The local administration made little arrangements to accommodate some of the displaced people but it was apparently impossible for providing proper facilities to all of them as it lacked necessary administrative and financial resources required to cope with the situation.
The people migrated from tribal areas are entirely depending on the financial assistance from the local administration or other welfare organisations as they are not able to find job opportunities, due to prevailing economic situations. There is no proper tentage village as temporary living arrangements have been made for these migrants that forced them to secure rented houses according to their financial capacity.
While the people who are low paid and could not afford higher house rents are mainly relying on the slum areas in twin cities. "Their prolonged stay might create law and order problems," said Muhammad Naeem of G-7 Katchi Abadi. He said that the people from displaced areas are low paid and do not have any job opportunity in the twin cities. Another resident of the same area said that children of migrants have started begging, car washing and doing other work in different areas of the twin cities.
"We have no place to live in so we took shelter in this slum. Though it lacks almost all the basic facilities, it is still better than the life in our hometowns where every one is under the fear," said Ali Khan, a migrant from tribal areas.
He washes cars in different areas of the federal capital, the child speaks about the pain and grief and joys, that "We are three brothers and two sisters and living in a single room and paying Rs 1,000." Ali Khan said that he was a student of 4th class in Fata and now I do not have any facility for education. The migrants who have hired rented houses are not happy with the behaviour of most of the local owners who have been trying to cash in on their miseries by demanding high rents.