| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 2, 2009 12:19 PM | CONTACT: Amnesty International Tel: +44 (0) 20 7413 5566 After hours: +44 7778 472 126 Email: press@amnesty.org |
LONDON – July 2 – Pakistan’s central and regional governments must urgently do more to assist the more than two million people who have fled escalating fighting in northwestern Pakistan but do not have access to aid distributed in official displacement camps, Amnesty International said today. In particular, the Pakistani government must ensure that ethnic Pashtuns fleeing the fighting do not face discrimination in receiving assistance.
“As the fighting expands to North and South Waziristan, a displacement crisis that the government had said would last only for weeks looks set to go on for months, with no relief in sight for the millions of displaced people,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director. “To make matters worse, the vast majority of displaced people are living outside the registered camps where aid agencies are distributing shelter, food and water to those in need.”
Tags: Amnesty International, displaced and fleeing people, ethnic Pashtuns, extremely bad situation, Human rights, Pakistan, Waziristan
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