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by Afreeha Jawad

Picking up the social engine's fragmented parts and working towards normalcy in areas of man-initiated devastation, needless to say, is a gigantic exercise. Institution building towards socio/econ/political development and the provision of social infrastructure though urgently needed, is time consuming - a conspicuous obstacle being the existing widespread Southern feeling of high inflation due to 'a lion's share of donor finances being injected into Northern development.'

This growing concern - that the South is being deprived its rightful share is vehemently expressed at many societal levels - elite and otherwise.

Amid all this is a positive move - the social acceptance of the two divisive words - North/South which in earlier times was referred to as Jaffna and Colombo.

Getting back to my topic, a limp or giant leap to normalcy, resettlement of the internally displaced is sure to be a major concern area.

According to Dr. Kalwant Singh - last Wednesday's guest speaker at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, the Bosnian story of resettlement is something one could take a cue from.

In Bosnia something is being done for the refugees and internally displaced. The Bosnian system was completely destroyed by war and was different from that of Jammu and Kashmir. The latter at least has its system intact. What's needed is a system reorganisation and re-arrangement.

Though the international community was instrumental in property restoration for the displaced in Bosnia Dr. Singh said it need not be the only source from which one could seek assistance to settle 'displaced related' problems.

"At least some guidelines could be derived," he said with reference to Pakistan and India who are unfavourable to outside intervention in the matter. While 110,000 await repossession, many thousands are already in occupation of their lands.

Jammu and Kashmir, saddled with 32,000 displaced families poses big problems. Unresolved property disputes he believed was a constant source of tension as is now seen in the rigid relationship between these two South Asian neighbours - Pakistan and India.

The earlier award of Indian Rs. 300 (6 dollars) per displaced family is now Rs. 2,500 provided the income does not exceed 6 dollars. The displaced and refugees are termed evacuees and as such their properties referred to as evacuees property. Worth over billions of Indian rupees such property is often misappropriated, sold or subject to corruption by the evacuees department.

Right to property said Dr. Singh is a basic human right. The question is how this right should come about for refugees and the displaced.

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