They are neither pilgrims, nor professional beggars, but are the ill-fated people, who have left their areas due to the severe fighting between Taliban and the security forces in the insurgency-plagued Swat.
Because of the ongoing military operation against the Taliban in Swat, Dir, Buner and Oragzai agency, the inhabitants of these areas have been moving around to the safer places.
About 2 million people have left their houses, and in present times it is the worst human crisis.
Like other cities, Abbottabad has recently received its share of Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs).
About 26 thousand IDPs have arrived here during the last 15 days and their number is constantly mounting. These effectees have left behind their properties and cash.
While telling their hardships during the time-consuming journey, one man said, “It was very difficult to escape during the day because of the curfew, and in the hours of darkness, due to the fear of a surprise attack from the Taliban”.

The district government has set up camps in the vicinity of the city, while different NGOs have been assisting the administration in this process.
“We have been providing medicine and food items to these IDPs since their arrival”, said a local NGO worker.
Furthermore some political parties like Minhaj-ul-Quran, Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Awami National Party, have been vying with each other in setting up camps and as well as in rendering voluntarily services.
Despite these arrangements, some well off families have refused to live in camps and have opted to live in Guest Houses, Hotels, and rented houses.
“My family is not used to live in open-air tents, therefore I have shifted them to a local Guest House”, said a retired government officer.
The local administration has so far been triumphant in dealing with the influx of IDPs, but it’s an uphill task and needs a helping hand from the centre as well as the NGOs.
The existing crisis is an outcome of poor-planning and sheer negligence by the government. Such blunders shouldn’t be repeated in the future.
Proper home-work should be done before launching any military operation throughout the country.
We are sanguine that soon normalcy will return to the restive areas, and the local people would be able to live their lives peacefully, as they had been living before the crisis.