Dual Standards Of International Aid Agencies
By Bilal Hussain
25 August, 2010
Countercurrents.org
To some it might be geek that religion, ethnicity, political ideology and geographic location are few criteria, which international humanitarian organizations look for before stepping in a calamity, as it might not be case elsewhere but in Kashmir, it is so. At times even organization might take respite in the kind of disaster that has stuck in is natural or manmade, which makes some lives precious over others.
While going through many of organization’s website contents which make mention of words like impartiality, equality, unbiased and many more such terms that gives a sense of transparency and accountability about their works. However, the role played by most of international humanitarian agencies in Kashmir during the continuing siege of over two months, which resulted into humanitarian crisis was more or less that of mute spectators, except few patchy efforts to avoid earning global discredits have raised many questions.
The recent natural calamity that took away over a hundred lives and left many without houses caught immediate attention of the international humanitarian agencies and instantaneous relief poured in Ladakh region, which amply showed how apt and speedy the agencies are and is worth ‘appreciation’. Even, both state and New Delhi governments too stepped in and started providing much needed aid. Then what is going wrong when it comes to Kashmir, where manmade disaster took so far 62 lives, left thousands injured and tens of thousands are kept under siege, which devoid them from accessing basic amenities of life. Apparently, it seems humanitarian agencies don’t want to offer services to the people with different ‘political ideology’ in Kashmir as that of state hence keeping out. Then is it that international humanitarian agencies by offering generous relief in one place and by not delivering it to others in the same state are trying to please government.
In my earlier report on prevailing humanitarian crisis situation in Kashmir and the role of international relief organizations operating in valley while talking to most of them I could feel sense of reluctance when it came to stepping in these troubled times. Most of them said that they don’t have this and that relief measures in their mandate in the valley, while the same organizations do lots more globally than they do here. Agreed, they can’t do every other thing here in the valley but then what is needed from relief organizations is to tailor their operation in accordance to the need of place particular in these difficult times.
Due to the ongoing curfew, restrictions and protests following the recent civilian killings by troopers, markets in the valley remained closed from past two months. Traders haven’t been able to open their shops and couldn't place fresh orders. Poor sections in Kashmir particularly from urban areas don’t have even money to make purchase of essentials to manage their livings. Isn’t it high time for humanitarian agencies to provide them relief and ensure their survival, what are these agencies waiting for?
Pertinent to mention, the death toll by the Indian troopers in the fresh cycle of protests that started on June 11, 2010 has gone up to 62 as on Aug 20, 2010. The victims include 26 teenagers – two among them 9 year old – and two girls.
Traders too here maintain that older stock is still lying with them and is not exhausted. It is case with one and all traders here particularly from the downtown area. Due to ongoing curfew, people couldn’t move out of their home and are unable to earn few bucks to purchase essentials. The situation calls for aid agencies, at least to provide them basic supplies for livings.
Even as the effect on the supplies—medicines, food items, and other essential commodities— to the Valley in the initial days of the strike was little, transporters and traders here believe the impact there after was severe, and could worsen if the curfew goes on unabatedly.
In normal times thousands of trucks enter the valley through Srinagar-Jammu highway, but since the restrictions and protests have begun the supply has been disrupted. On an average over 100 trucks daily come to the Valley with commodities, the continuing curfew and protests has turned it into a crisis situation for Kashmir.
Besides a severe shortage of stocked food items like rice, flour, pulses, sugar, and many other commodities residents are having a tough time in procuring daily items like milk, bread, and vegetables. “From past so many days I am looking for baby powder milk for my eight month old infant but none of my attempts could fetch me it,” said a desperate father of a child, Basharat Ahmad such is the condition prevalent in the valley. How long will aid agencies act as mute spectators?
Moreover many unscrupulous distributors and stockiest, according to some customers, have started dumping the commodities to sell them at high prices. The disruption in the supply has added to the inflation and the prices of commodities have gone up many folds. The prolonged protests throughout the valley and restriction in downtown in Srinagar could cause major problems as the Kashmir is dependent on the food and other essential imports from outside.
If reports are to be believed then since June 11, 2010 there are tens of hundreds of people who have received injuries, the agencies should provide them medical assistance, and where ever needed support should be extended to their families as in most cases they were bread winner of their families. Life saving ambulances, which state hospitals are devoid of, could be possible intervention by aid agencies for each district. The valley is severely in need of medical trauma centers at district level wherein conflict hit patients could be treated and precious human lives could be saved, here the agencies could play a role. There is much more that aid agencies can do and should do in the crisis which engulfs whole Kashmir.
To mention, there are few global humanitarian aid organizations operating in Kashmir: Actionaid International, Médecins Sans Frontières [MSF], Handicap International [HI], Save The Children [STC], International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC] to name a few. Most of these organizations have been doing (if at all) little from past two months of siege in the valley to reach out to the people and provide them with necessary aid.
This is high time for the international aid organizations to step in and start providing much needed relief to denizens of Kashmir without any prejudice on basis of politics, religion and location who are under cordon. Hope donors agencies too would take note of it and ensure proper measures in providing assistance to humanitarian crisis in Kashmir.
[Bilal Hussain is a journalist, and writer. In 2009 he attended the McGraw-Hill Personal Finance Reporting Program Courses, supported by The International Center for Journalists. He is associated with the premier English Daily, Kashmir Times. His principal interests are capital markets, developmental sector and ecological economics. He can be reached at [email protected]]
