THE bad news is that the government plans to launch a fresh military operation in Mohmand Agency. It has been dropping pamphlets on the main districts, advising the people to leave the area. The main cause cited by the officials for the proposed armed action is the presence of militants belonging to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in the Agency, and incidents of violence like the suicide attack on a checkpoint last month. With a curfew already in place for the past ten days, the situation is quite tense. Another evidence that the authorities are serious about carrying out the operation is their request to local tribesmen to help them fight the militants by forming lashkars, as has happened in Bajaur. The area, it seems, would soon be facing deadly fights, large-scale displacements and hardship. It is time the government started taking serious note of the chaos the whole tribal region has been thrust into. There should be little doubt that opening new fronts for military action would further complicate the situation. The government should be concerned about the plight of the local population. There are widespread complaints that it is paying lip service to the humanitarian crisis. While the number of internally displaced persons is now reaching half a million, the makeshift camps lack even the basic amenities. This reflects poorly on the government's intention to start the rehabilitation work. People in other tribal agencies have also been drawing attention to the authorities' indifference to their basic problems: food shortage, closure of schools, absence of health facilities, etc. Unfortunately, the possibility of troop withdrawal has little chance of materialising as the security officials have informed the UNHCR of the internally displaced persons issue that the problem of militancy would require at least a year to solve. Under the circumstances, the government ought to come up with an exit strategy that sees to it that normalcy is restored at the earliest.