Pakistan

Mine Ban Policy

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. In June 2008, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said that “the regional security environment and its military requirements have constrained Pakistan from joining the Ottawa Treaty. However, Pakistan continues to scrupulously adhere to a policy…which ensures that mines in its inventory will never become a cause for civilian casualties anywhere, and this position is in line with the basic objectives of the Ottawa Treaty.”^[1]

Pakistan abstained from voting on 5 December 2007 on UN General Assembly Resolution 62/41 calling for universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty. It abstained on similar annual General Assembly resolutions in previous years. In explaining its vote, it stated, “Pakistan remains committed to pursue the objectives of a universal and non-discriminatory ban on anti-personnel mines in a manner which takes into account the legitimate defence requirements of States. Given our security compulsions and the need to guard our long borders, not protected by any natural obstacle, the use of landmines forms an important part of our self-defense strategy. As such, it is not possible for Pakistan to agree to the demands for the complete prohibition of anti-personnel landmines till such time that viable alternatives are available.”^[2]

In its latest Article 13 report, submitted in accordance with Amended Protocol II on landmines to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), Pakistan stated that it “supports the UN vision of ‘a world free from the threat of landmines and Explosive Remnants of War, where individuals and communities live in a safe environment conducive to development, and support the mine survivors of neighbourly countries and thus integrate them into society.’”^[3]

Pakistan attended as an observer the Eighth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Jordan in November 2007, but did not make any statements. It has not attended any intersessional Standing Committee meetings since 2002.

Pakistan is party to the CCW and its Amended Protocol II on landmines. Pakistan attended the Ninth Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II in November 2007, and submitted its annual report required by Article 13. Pakistan is not party to CCW Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War.^[4]

Pakistan also participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum Seminar on Antipersonnel Mines held in Penang, Malaysia in April 2008. It did not attend the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions in May 2008.

In March 2008, the Sustainable Peace and Development Organization (SPADO) urged the governments of Pakistan and India to include the issue of landmines in the peace dialogue between India and Pakistan as a confidence building measure.^[5]

Use

Although Pakistan stated in December 2006 its intention “to fence and mine some selective sections” of its border with Afghanistan to prevent cross-border militant activity,^[6] as of mid-2008 there were no reports that Pakistan had emplaced any new mines on the border. In its latest Article 13 report, Pakistan stated that no new minefields had been laid.^[7] In June 2008, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told Landmine Monitor that Pakistan decided to postpone consideration of laying mines on the Afghan border following international criticism. He also said those who criticized the contemplated action should have recommended alternatives.^[8]

During Landmine Monitor field research in both North and South Waziristan agencies, many local people said that Pakistani security forces plant landmines to protect their military installations, but no one could offer specific details, and Landmine Monitor was not able to substantiate the claims.^[9] Similarly, in Balochistan, journalists, human rights activists, and others alleged that Pakistan’s security forces emplace mines to protect their installations, but again no one could provide specific details, and Landmine Monitor was not able to substantiate the allegations.^[10]

In October 2007, an official with the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), based in New Delhi, India, told the Landmine Monitor that UNMOGIP had not received any reports of recent mine use near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.^[11] Another UNMOGIP official based in Muzaffarabad said they had not received any recent reports of new mine casualties there either.^[12]

Pakistan’s last major use of antipersonnel mines took place between December 2001 and mid-2002 on the border with India, during a time of heightened tensions.^[13]

Production, Transfer and Stockpiling

Pakistan is one of a small number of countries still producing antipersonnel mines.^[14] Since January 1997, Pakistan Ordnance Factories has produced detectable versions of hand-emplaced blast mines in order to be compliant with Amended Protocol II.^[15] In 2007, Pakistan reported that it “has also planned incorporation of self-destruct and self-deactivation mechanism in its future production” in order to meet Amended Protocol II requirements.^[16] The protocol requires that all remotely-delivered mines have self-destruct and self-deactivation mechanisms. Pakistan reported in 2002 that it was developing a remotely-delivered antipersonnel mine system, but has provided no further details.^[17]

Pakistan’s Statutory Regulatory Order No. 123 (1) of 25 February 1999 makes the export of antipersonnel mines illegal.^[18] Pakistan states that it has not exported mines “since early 1992.”^[19] In the past, the country was a major exporter of landmines. Pakistani-made mines have been found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and other locations.

There is no official information available on the size of Pakistan’s antipersonnel mine stockpile. Landmine Monitor has estimated that Pakistan stockpiles at least six million antipersonnel mines, the fifth largest total in the world.^[20] Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied this estimate.

In 2007, Pakistan stated that it had “met the deadlines to improve the specifications on detectability of mines” to be compliant with CCW Amended Protocol II.^[21] The nine-year deadline for Pakistan to destroy or modify all stockpiled low-metal-content (non-detectable) antipersonnel mines was 3 December 2007. Pakistan provided no details about how or when it met the requirement.

In 2005, 2006, and again in 2007, Pakistan reported that it “destroys a large number of outdated mines every year.” However, no information about the quantity or types of mines destroyed has been made available.^[22]

Each year Pakistani armed forces are reported to seize weapons, including some antipersonnel mines, during counterinsurgency operations. Officials have previously stated that Pakistan destroys confiscated mines, but have not made further information available regarding the number of mines confiscated or their country of origin.^[23] In January 2008, security forces were reported to recover an unknown number of antipersonnel mines and other weapons from a house in Sawal Dher, Mardan district of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).^[24]

Non-state armed groups

In Balochistan, some districts of the NWFP, and in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), including the Frontier Regions of Bannu, Kohat, and Tank, non-state armed groups (NSAGs) sporadically use antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in attacks on Pakistani security forces and civil administration, and in sectarian, inter-tribal and inter-family conflicts.

Community elders, government officials, NGOs, journalists and others interviewed during Landmine Monitor field visits in Balochistan and the North and South Waziristan agencies of FATA in 2007 and early 2008, all claimed that militants continued to use antipersonnel mines. The government of Pakistan has reported use of mines and IEDs by armed groups in its annual Article 13 report.^[25]

In the North and South Waziristan agencies, local tribal elders, journalists and others told Landmine Monitor during its field research in 2007 and 2008 that each of the 35 tribes and sub-clans living along the Durand Line in Waziristan have kept stockpiles of mines since the time of Afghan-Soviet conflict.^[26] Landmine Monitor was also told that Pakistani Taliban and other NSAGs in North and South Waziristan agencies pay high prices for these locally stockpiled mines, or receive them out of sympathy for their cause.^[27] A decree banning the sale of mines in Waziristan is no longer enforceable because most of the area is under the control of the Taliban or other armed groups.^[28]

There is a general perception in FATA and in the province of Balochistan that some antipersonnel mines are smuggled across the border from Afghanistan.^[29] NSAGs in FATA and Balochistan can also acquire antipersonnel mines on the clandestine market in the tribal areas.^[30]

Balochistan

NSAGs in the province of Balochistan are active in the districts of Barkhan, Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Musa Khel, and Nasirabad.^[31] The Balochistan Liberation Army (“Parraris”^[32]), anti-establishment elements, and criminals used landmines and IEDs in 2007 and early 2008, mostly targeted at government infrastructure and outposts of the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps, but civilians have also been killed and injured. The Marri, Bugti and Dumki tribes have also used mines in their tribal disputes. There has reportedly been a decline in explosive attacks since a government-initiated peace program in mid-2007.^[33]

Most reported incidents have involved antivehicle mines or IEDs, rather than antipersonnel devices.^[34] Among the antipersonnel incidents are the following. In November 2007, it was reported that a child was killed and his parents injured after stepping on a victim-activated IED while traveling to their home in the Nelegh area of Sui in Dera Bugti district.^[35] Also in November, a soldier on patrol was injured by a mine in Kahlu Kahan.^[36] In December 2007, a man was injured after stepping on a mine in a cemetery in Quetta. Police later recovered another mine from the site.^[37] In March 2008, two people were injured when they stepped on a mine near Goth Abdul Rehman.^[38] Also in March 2008, two soldiers died after stepping on a mine while clearing a road near the town of Dera Bugti.^[39]

North and South Waziristan

In April 2007, Landmine Monitor learned that the Political Agent issued a decree prohibiting the sale of mines, and at that time mines could no longer be purchased openly in local arms shops and markets.^[40] However, during field research in March 2008, Landmine Monitor was informed that the Political Agent’s decree was no longer effective due to the collapse of state authority in the agencies, and that anyone could now easily acquire mines from local markets. ^[41]

Sporadic use of antipersonnel mines has continued in both Waziristan agencies. Tribes and their sub-tribes have used mines and IEDs, both command-detonated and victim-activated, against government forces and each other.^[42] It is very difficult to obtain any precise information on the dates and locations of incidents, the responsible party, the types of device used, or the casualties caused.

In September 2007, three children were seriously injured after a mine exploded in Khar, Bajaur agency.^[43] In November 2007, five soldiers died and four were injured when their vehicle was destroyed by a mine or IED near the Afghan border outside Miranshah, North Waziristan.^[44]

In the Aurakzai, Bajaur, and Kurram agencies of FATA, mines and IEDs have been used in family and personal feuds, tribal clashes, and sectarian violence.^[45]

Kashmir

Many political and armed organizations opposing the Indian government reside in Pakistani- administered Kashmir. In October 2007, Landmine Monitor was presented with a Declaration for a Mine Free Kashmir by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G) AJK, a political organization. The declaration requested an immediate halt to mine use by all combatants operating in Kashmir, and stressed the urgent need for international assistance to assure comprehensive victim assistance and mine clearance.^[46] The United Jihad Council, a front of Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri armed groups, also provided Landmine Monitor with a statement in which it pledged not to use antipersonnel mines and to abide by international humanitarian law obligations.^[47]

Landmine/ERW Problem

Despite clear evidence to the contrary, Pakistan has repeatedly affirmed that it “faces no problem of uncleared mines.”^[48] It has also stated “mines have never caused humanitarian concerns in Pakistan, despite having fought three wars with India and…[a] military standoff during 2001–2002.”^[49] The evidence that Pakistan is affected by both mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) includes the occurrence of mine/ERW casualties during 2007 and 2008. In addition, Pakistan’s latest Article 13 report stated that the, “existing perimeter marking signs have been painted and marked according to AP–II standards,” acknowledging that some mined areas remain.^[50]

Pakistan has declared that mines it laid on the Indo-Pakistan border during the 2001–2002 stand-off with India “have been completely cleared.”^[51] It has also claimed that “minefields laid along the LoC are properly fenced and clearly marked to impose requisite caution on civilians living in the surrounding areas.”^[52] However, inhabitants of Pakistani-administered Kashmir report consistently that some areas along the LoC are still contaminated and have not been properly fenced by the militaries of either India or Pakistan.^[53] Inhabitants of Garhi Sher Khan in Poonch district, for example, informed Landmine Monitor that villages on both sides of the LoC were contaminated by mines and ERW, and that rainfall caused mines to drift from areas on the Indian side that were at a higher altitude.^[54]

The government has acknowledged that a mine problem does exist from mines left by Soviet troops on the Pakistan-Afghan border.^[55] Contamination dates from the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979–1989), when mines were scattered by Soviet and Afghan forces from helicopters and the mujahideen used mines to protect their bases in the tribal areas.^[56] The government also acknowledges that “in the ongoing war on terror, the terrorists have several times used mines and improvised explosive devices against army personnel and civil administration.”^[57]

In North and South Waziristan, local inhabitants told Landmine Monitor during field research in 2007 and 2008 that NSAGs, including Taliban and tribal armed elements, continued to use former mujahideen bases, and that the area around these camps was contaminated with mines emplaced by the NSAGs as well as by mines dating back to the Afghan-Soviet war. Known camps included Ghulam Khel, Mada Khel Wazir, Shawal, and Zavar in North Waziristan, and Azam Warsak, Bermal, and Shakai in South Waziristan. Inhabitants of the two provinces said mine incidents were still occurring, but did not provide specific casualty data.^[58]

In Balochistan, areas believed to be mined include Barkhan, Dera Bugti, Jafarabad, Kohlu, Nasirabad, and Rait.^[59] Other areas which have had a mine problem include Chamalang and Mekhter (see below), near the Loralai district border, which are affected by Baloch and Pushtun tribal disputes over coal resources. Kirbag, the homeland of the Marri Balochi tribe, is also said to be mine-affected.^[60] Mines were reportedly planted by NSAGs near insurgent camps and along roads, including 160km of road from Modh to Kahaan.^[61] The sides of roads leading to coal mines in Indus, Margat, Maror, and Marwar in Bolan district were said to be mined as of early 2006.^[62] In February 2006, a district coordination officer warned people against traveling on roads in Dera Bugti until mines could be cleared.^[63] The government then started demining operations and cleared most of the affected areas.^[64]

Mine Action

Pakistan has no formal civilian mine action program. Mine and ERW clearance is carried out by engineer units of the armed forces.^[65] Pakistan’s paramilitary Frontier Constabulary is said to have also undertaken demining operations in FATA.^[66] The government asserts that “regular lectures are given to troops and officers during on the job training in the units operating/deployed in the border area with Afghanistan as well as India.”^[67]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed plans in 2007 to establish a Training Center for Demining and Awareness to act as a mine action center for operations in Pakistan and overseas, and to provide risk education in mine-affected areas of Pakistan; the plans were subject to the availability of funding.^[68] As of June 2008, the ministry had not reported any further action on these plans.

In February 2007, the Pakistan Army was reported to have cleared 200 mines from the Chamalang coalfield in Loralai district after a dispute over its ownership between the Marri and Luni tribes led to the laying of mines. The clearance operation was reportedly completed without any deminer casualties.^[69]

In 2006, experts warned that mines might have shifted as a result of the 8 October 2005 earthquake and landslides in Kashmir and the NWFP. Thousands of people living near the LoC were reportedly moved to safer areas.^[70] However, the situation improved after the cease-fire between Pakistani and Indian forces, and most of the people have since returned to their homes.^[71] Local journalists told Landmine Monitor in April 2008 they had not heard of any landmine incidents during the past three years.^[72]

Landmine/ERW/IED Casualties^[73]

In 2007, there were at least 271 new casualties from 198 mine, ERW and victim-activated IED incidents in Pakistan, including 89 people killed and 182 injured. Within this total, media monitoring by SPADO and the Community Appraisal Motivation Program (CAMP) identified 198 and 207 (partly overlapping) casualties respectively. Landmine Monitor identified 25 additional casualties.

Most of the casualties were civilian (177) and 94 were security forces. Almost three-quarters of the casualties were men (199 including all the military casualties), 13 were women, 12 boys, four girls, and 43 unknown. Victim-activated IEDs were the main cause of casualties (91), followed by antivehicle mines (80), antipersonnel mines (52), unspecified mines (32), ERW (10), and unknown devices (six). Traveling was the most common activity at the time of the incident (177). Most casualties occurred in Balochistan (100), FATA (94), and the NWFP (46).

Analysis of casualty information collected by CAMP and SPADO showed that they also recorded casualties from command-detonated explosions. SPADO identified 62 casualties from 27 such incidents and CAMP recorded 204 casualties from 24 incidents.

The casualty rate in 2007 is a decrease from the 488 recorded casualties in 2006, but it remains higher than 2005 (214 casualties) and 2004 (195 casualties).^[74] This recorded decrease is mainly the result of inaccurate and inconsistent media reporting and challenges in distinguishing victim-activated from command-detonated incidents based on the data available.^[75] An additional factor was the increasing number of people who had been living near the LoC resettling in safer areas following the 2003 Indian/Pakistani cease-fire agreement. Local journalists informed Landmine Monitor during a field mission to Pakistani-administered Kashmir in April 2008 they were not aware of any incidents in the previous three years.^[76] However, Response International (RI) provided emergency medical care in response to a mine incident in Abbaspur in 2007;^[77] insufficient information was available to verify if this incident is included in the casualty data above.

In 2007, one Pakistani deminer was injured in clearance operations in Sudan.^[78]

Casualties continued to occur in 2008 and at an increased rate compared to the same period in 2007. By 31 May, Landmine Monitor identified 66 mine/ERW/victim-activated IED casualties (26 people killed and 40 injured), compared to 41 during the same period in 2007.^[79] Of these 37 were civilians (including one child), 26 were military, and three were deminers involved in an accident in the NWFP on 12 March.^[80] Most casualties were caused by mines (58, including 16 by antipersonnel mines) and occurred in Balochistan (56).

Data collection

There is no comprehensive casualty data collection mechanism in Pakistan. Under-reporting of mine/ERW/IED casualties is certain, as most incidents occur in remote, conflict-affected areas which are not covered by the media. An NGO representative estimated that only 50–60% of casualties are reported.^[81]

Several national NGOs record casualties based on media reports and information from their field teams or other NGOs. However, media reports are often inaccurate in their reporting on device types and contain insufficient incident details. In 2006, SPADO and CAMP started sharing casualty information,^[82] but they have not managed to develop a unified monitoring system. Both databases had gaps, lacked systematic terminology, and contained numerous incidents not caused by mines/ERW/victim-activated IEDs. Only 159 of 271 casualties recorded in 2007 were contained in both the SPADO and CAMP databases.^[83]

Hospital records do not differentiate between mine/ERW survivors and other amputees and only contain information about survivors who reach the hospital.^[84]

The total number of mine/ERW/victim-activated IED casualties in Pakistan is unknown. Landmine Monitor recorded at least 1,596 casualties between 2000 and the end of 2007 (582 killed, 952 injured and 62 unknown). Between 1980 and 2002, the Pakistan Campaign to Ban Landmines identified 1,038 landmine/ERW casualties (377 killed, 566 injured and 95 unknown).^[85]

During a mission to Pakistan in October 2007, Landmine Monitor was told by local authorities there were “many” mine survivors in the refugee camps within Pakistani-administered Kashmir (mainly people from Indian-administered Kashmir), but exact numbers were not provided.^[86] Landmine Monitor visited several refugee camps in April 2008 and identified at least 60 survivors out of some 24,000 refugees in Amboor and Manakpaiyan I, II, and III refugee camps. Most survivors were injured when crossing the LoC.^[87]

Between December 2005 and November 2007, RI conducted a household survey of mine/ERW casualties in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. RI identified at least 234 survivors in Abbaspur and Hajira in Rawalakot district close to the LoC.^[88]

There is no accurate data on the number of persons with disabilities in Pakistan; the 1998 population census found that some 2.5% of the population was disabled.^[89] However, the government has recognized that the prevalence rate is higher than indicated by the census.^[90]

Landmine/ERW Risk Education

Despite stating that Pakistan faces “no problems” of uncleared mines in its latest Article 13 report, the report goes on to say that the risk of mines was being addressed through awareness programs. These programs were carried out by army engineers who “educate the locals of [the] border belt regarding the hazards posed by mines.”^[91] Members of the military deployed to the Afghan and Indian borders also receive regular briefings about landmines.^[92]

At the Ninth Annual Conference of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Pakistan reported that “specific events are organized to educate civilians living in the vicinity of minefields to raise their awareness about the marking symbols,” and that the army supported NGO risk education (RE) efforts and noted that they “reinforced official endeavours.”^[93] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs planned Training Center for Demining and Awareness was expected to provide RE in mine-affected areas of Pakistan.^[94] As of June 2008, development of the center was still in the planning stages.^[95] During field research in March 2008, Landmine Monitor did not identify any measures put in place by local authorities in border areas to protect civilians from the threat of mines.^[96]

According to RI, people near the LoC are most at risk from antipersonnel mines, especially after periods of heavy rainfall when mines tend to drift. Most at risk were men and boys while cutting wood, grazing animals, or farming.^[97] Casualty data for 2007 indicates that in other parts of the country people are more at risk from victim-activated IEDs and antivehicle mines while traveling on the road.

Pakistan does not have a strategic framework for RE and, due to a lack of funding, there are very few NGO RE programs.^[98] Donor agencies cited the fact that Pakistan has not joined the Mine Ban Treaty to justify their lack of support.^[99]

In 2007, RI was the only international NGO providing RE through its mine action program in Rawalakot in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. RI undertook community-based RE but also emergency RE, following a mine incident in Abbaspur (Rawalakot). Activities were part of an integrated mine action project including victim assistance (VA) and casualty surveys. At the request of the Pakistan Army, beneficiaries included military personnel and government officials.^[100]

Between January and November 2007, RI reached 44,623 people (26,771 females, 17,852 males), including 20,323 children. Clearance requests from the communities were conveyed to local authorities, but no clearance had been conducted in response as of April 2008. The RI project in Rawalakot ended in December 2007. In 2008, RI intended to expand its program to other districts along the LoC and carried out a needs assessment in Kotli and Bhimber districts. The assessment showed that there was an “acute” need for RE and VA services in these areas. As of April 2008, RI was looking for funding.^[101]

Victim Assistance

In its latest Article 13 report, Pakistan repeated that “Casualties that have occurred consequent to the use of improvised explosive devices/mines by terrorists are properly looked after...”^[102] Both military and civilians are said to receive compensation, physical rehabilitation, employment assistance, and a disability allowance.^[103]

However, the government has acknowledged that persons with disabilities living in rural areas are neglected and that service provision must be extended if it is to reach this population.^[104] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) noted that, “Although Pakistan is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, the benefits of economic growth were not felt within the disability services sector.”^[105]

Although there are several organizations working on disability issues, very few organizations specifically target mine/ERW survivors; most survivors rely on the family network for assistance, and live isolated and socially secluded lives.^[106]

Mine/ERW/victim-activated IED survivors have limited access to services, as most are poor and live in remote areas with ongoing conflict. During field research in March–April 2008, Landmine Monitor observed that there are no specialized services for survivors in the mine-affected areas of Balochistan, FATA, and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. There was a lack of emergency transport, trained staff, funding, medicines, equipment, and management capacity. Seriously injured people had to be referred to hospitals in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Quetta, or other major cities. Civilian casualties had to cover the costs of medicine, treatment, and transport, which was an obstacle for most.^[107] Violence against NGO workers in various regions of Pakistan in 2007–2008 further hampered services.^[108]

NSAGs provide first-aid to their injured but it was not known what capacity they have to deal with traumatic injuries. When militants are taken to government hospitals, they do not disclose their identity. Military hospitals, which are believed to be better equipped to treat mine/ERW casualties than civilian facilities, are not open to civilians.^[109]

In 2007, the network of physical rehabilitation centers remained insufficient to meet existing needs.^[110] The government acknowledged that it was unable to provide timely and effective rehabilitation to persons with disabilities, that there were insufficient public and private prosthetic and orthotic centers, and that assistive devices were of poor quality.^[111]

At the Ninth Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II, Pakistan reported that it continued to provide assistance for the rehabilitation of Afghan refugees disabled by mines.^[112] However, field research found that in 2007 Afghan mine survivors in Pakistan had very limited access to physical rehabilitation services and that the availability of services had diminished.

In 2007, local authorities in Pakistani-administered Kashmir told Landmine Monitor that mine survivors were formerly eligible for a one-time compensation payment of PKR20,000 (US$330), but this fund expired in 2001. It was believed that many survivors did not receive compensation because they were unaware of it. Survivors interviewed during the mission stated that they had not received any compensation from the local or federal government.^[113]

There are “limited vocational training and vocational rehabilitation opportunities available for PWDs.”^[114] Since 2007, employers are legally obliged to reserve at least 2% of jobs (previously 1%) for persons with disabilities or contribute to a fund for persons with disabilities, but legislation was rarely enforced.^[115] Pakistan has legislation preventing discrimination against persons with disabilities, but discrimination remained.^[116] Most survivors were unaware of their rights.^[117] As of 31 July 2008, Pakistan had not signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities or its Optional Protocol.

Victim assistance strategic framework

Pakistan does not have programs or a strategic framework specifically addressing the needs of mine/ERW/IED survivors. The 2002 National Policy for Persons with Disabilities established objectives and strategies for the full integration of persons with disabilities by 2025.^[118] In 2006, a five-year action plan was developed to implement the policy.^[119]

The National Council for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons formulates disability policy and also provides some rehabilitation and economic reintegration opportunities.^[120] The Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education coordinates education and rehabilitation activities for persons with disabilities. The National Institution of the Handicapped, within the Ministry of Health, provides diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitation services to patients referred from all over the country.^[121]

Assistance activities

Activities for persons with disabilities in Pakistan were mainly limited to medical care and physical rehabilitation. Following the 2005 earthquake, government and NGOs established services for people disabled as a result of the earthquake; the increase in services, to some extent, benefited mine/ERW/IED survivors.^[122]

In 2007, the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences (PIPOS) took over four satellite prosthetic centers that Handicap International had established in 2006 in Bannu, Swabi, and Swat (NWFP), and Bajaur (FATA). PIPOS also has a prosthetic workshop in the Mansehra District Hospital (earthquake zone). In 2007, PIPOS assisted 6,100 people (100 survivors).^[123]

In Peshawar, the government supported physical rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities at the Lady Reading Hospital, which assisted 890 people (27 survivors) in 2007,^[124] as well as the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) and the Hayat Shaheed Teaching Hospital (HSTH), which assisted 9,000 (50 survivors) and 521 (10 survivors), respectively. HMC lacked staff and modern medical equipment.^[125] HSTH received an increased budget to purchase new equipment but was still not able to meet the demand for services. It also lacked trained staff, particularly women.^[126] The Habib Physiotherapy Complex launched a four-year physiotherapy degree program in 2007 and provided physiotherapy services. Fees depend on the patient’s ability to pay; the center assisted 10,380 people (50 survivors) in 2007.^[127]

In Quetta, Christian Hospital provided physical rehabilitation to 800 patients from Pakistan and Afghanistan (300 survivors);^[128] the Orthopedic-Prosthetic and Physiotherapy Center in Quetta provided physical rehabilitation to 623 people (23 survivors);^[129] the Humanitarian Organization Providing Effective Services provided free physiotherapy with equipment received from the UN Development Programme;^[130] and the Civil Hospital provided physiotherapy to 11,528 persons with disabilities (70 survivors) in 2007.^[131]

The LimbLoss Foundation rehabilitation center in Abbottabad district (earthquake zone) assisted 400 persons with disabilities in 2007 (number of survivors unknown).^[132] The Pak-Irish Rehabilitation Centre started a physical rehabilitation program in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and the NWFP in 2007; it assisted 457 persons with disabilities (352 survivors).^[133]

In 2007, the ICRC completed construction of a regional referral physical rehabilitation center in Muzaffarabad in Pakistani-administered Kashmir; the center started providing services in the second quarter of the year. Four people were sponsored to receive prosthetic-orthotic training at PIPOS. The ICRC also provided material and technical support to the Rawalpindi Artificial Limb Centre of the Fauji Foundation, PIPOS, and the Balochistan Community Rehabilitation Center at Christian Hospital. In 2007, the ICRC-supported centers assisted 2,157 people and produced 501 prostheses (48% or 240 for survivors) and 502 orthoses (21 survivors).^[134]

In Peshawar, the Sarhad Society for Rehabilitation of Disabled assisted 56 disabled children through peer support groups (number of survivors unknown),^[135] and the Human Development Promotion Group assisted 12 child survivors through community support groups and counseling services.^[136] Near the LoC, RI assisted 145 people (106 survivors) with physiotherapy, 12 survivors received peer support, and one survivor received emergency medical assistance; in total 592 persons with disabilities were assisted.^[137]

Since 2007, CAMP has operated the Disability Resource Center project in Mansehra, which offered referral to physical rehabilitation services, psychosocial care, inclusive education, and economic empowerment; 168 people were referred in 2007, including survivors.^[138] In 2008, the project also started a national advocacy and lobbying campaign for the rights of persons with disabilities in cooperation with the UK-based NGO Leonard Cheshire Disability. Activities included mapping current capacity in the disability sector to develop a national network of disability organizations.^[139]

CAMP also started a Primary Trauma Care (PTC) Course in collaboration with local authorities in FATA. The training aimed to provide basic trauma care skills to establish local capacity for health workers in remote areas. As of June 2008, 50 health workers had participated in the PTC course.^[140]

Support for Mine Action

A Pakistan demining company under the UN Mission in Sudan has been active in Sudan since 2006. As of November 2007, the UN reported that the Pakistan Demining Company had cleared 34,496m² of a minefield in Kurmuk, Blue Nile state, finding 88 antipersonnel mines and 22 items of unexploded ordnance. The company was formed in Pakistan in 2005 to carry out humanitarian demining in Sudan.^[141]