Pakistan: Land mines near Afghanistan threaten children

Sultan Khan, a 38-year-old father of five from northwestern Pakistan, said his life was shattered in "a blink of an eye" upon hearing that his son Uzair Khan stepped on a land mine last month. The 10-year-old boy had been herding goats when the blast took place.

Sultan took the son to a Peshawar hospital where doctors informed him that the child had lost an eye and almost all of his fingers.

"My son burst into tears when he learnt that he had lost one of his eyes," Khan told DW.

The blast dashed the dreams of Khan educating his child and helping him become a doctor.

The victim's father said the government helped him with the treatment, handing him close to 200,000 Pakistani rupees (€630, $695).

"But now my son will need lifelong care. I don't know how I will do it," he said. 

The young Uzair is not the first child to be maimed by a land mine in northwest Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. The region, especially tribal areas of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had a strong presence of Tehreek Taliban Pakistan fighters. The government has launched several military operations in the area.

Victims' relatives say government should do more

In August 2020, 12-year-old Raheela Bibi, 11-year-old Shakeela Bibi and 14-year-old Zia Ullah Wazir all suffered injuries in a land mine blast. They were playing outside when they stepped on the device, Atta Ullah Wazir, the elder brother of these siblings, told DW. Their cousin's daughter Meena Bibi also suffered injuries.

Both of Raheela Bibi's hands were amputated after the incident. Her brother Zia hurt his eye and her sister Shakeela seriously injured her leg. Raheela told DW she is having trouble doing her homework but wants to continue her education. The girl urged the government to help her get proper treatment.

Atta Ullah Wazir hails from the tribal district of South Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan and had been a hub of local and foreign militants in the past. He said their father is a laborer and cannot afford expensive medical treatment, which would include artificial hands and costly treatments for Zia's eye. He accuses the government of reneging on its promises to provide money for the treatment.

"If the government cannot treat them then it should give us money and we will get them treated," he told DW.

Activists, government clash over mines' origin

Pakistan's tribal areas have long been infested with local and international militant groups. The military launched several operations during the last two decades prompted by terrorist attacks on Pakistan in the wake of Islamabad joining the US-led war on terror. The international conflict toppled the regime of the Afghan Taliban on the other side of the border, although the group managed to return to power in 2021.

Activists claim that the regions were not cleared of the land mines after these operations. But the government is not ready to accept these land mines exist at all, anti-war activist Alamzeb Khan told DW.

"Government's people say that these land mines were laid during the time of Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, but, in reality, they were laid by authorities during the last 20 years," he told DW.

"Around 238 people either died or got wounded and maimed because of these mines with most of the incidents taking place in North and South Waziristan. Many of the victims were children," the activist said.

Activists blame such incidents on a lack of demining operations.

But Iqbal Zafar Jhugra, former governor of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and a central leader of the ruling coalition government, rejects the claims that the government is not taking this issue seriously. He also insists that the explosive devices were placed by the local militants.

"I categorically deny that these land mines were laid by authorities," he said. "The Pakistani army lost thousands of soldiers battling the terrorists who laid these mines."

The politician also said demining efforts are part of the government plan.

"Once terrorists have been eliminated, we will carry out demining operations. But we take care of people who may get wounded or killed because of these blasts."

The claims are echoed by Lahore-based defense analyst General Ghulam Mustafa. He decried any assertions that the Pakistani army laid those mines. He said hundreds of army soldiers lost their lives or were maimed because of mines laid by Tehreek Taliban Pakistan fighters in the tribal regions. The analyst told DW that the area was mined when the army launched its crackdowns against extremists.

"We can demine them and have the required capacity, but terrorists are still there and could create problems in demining operations," he said.

UNICEF's appeal failed to bring change

Peace activist Alamzeb Khan staged a sit-in after three children died in a land mine blast in June 2021. The deaths prompted UNICEF to issue a statement on land mines, he told DW.

The UN agency warned that children were "particularly at risk from unexploded ordnance and land mines, which are small enough to pick up or kick around, and which they can mistake for toys or objects of value. They account for over half of those killed or injured by land mines and other explosive remnants of war globally." 

UNICEF also pledged to assist the Pakistani government with the issue.

"No child should fall victim to land mines or explosive remnants of war. UNICEF will continue to support the Government of Pakistan in mine risk education to raise awareness on the risks posed by land mines and explosives among children and families living in crisis-affected areas. It is equally important to continue clearing minefields and to rehabilitate and reintegrate those who have survived accidents," they said.

But critics such as Alamzeb Khan believe this appeal did not have any impact on the government, and that the authorities have completely failed to demine the affected areas.

Bushra Gohar, a former parliamentarian, agrees with Alamzeb that no demining effort was made. She told DW that children are most vulnerable and many have been killed or have lost limbs to land mines. She says that international bodies and local media also ignored this issue.

"UNICEF has on number occasions expressed serious concerns about the threat of land mines to children but hasn't been able to do more than conduct awareness programs," she said.

The former lawmaker said it is heart-wrenching to see children and poor people suffering the brunt of a war that was imposed by the state policy that seeks to turn tribal regions into battle grounds for various proxies.

"The government must let international organizations visit these areas and global media should be allowed to cover this important issue that has been incapacitating our children and youth," she said.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic