THE IDPs from South Waziristan have not attracted the media attention that is their due. It is not that newspapers and TV channels lack the interest. What has actually happened is that the government has banned the entry of journalists in the war-zone. They are not even allowed to venture beyond D I Khan, ostensibly for security reasons. Put simply, this amounts to curbing freedom of the Press. But the result is pretty obvious. The refugees who are trapped and those fleeing South Waziristan are being neglected despite the fact that their misery is as deep as the IDPs from Swat. Relief and rescue efforts in D I Khan beggars description. The Rs 2.5 billion announced by Federal Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira are but peanuts when compared with the real disaster. Around 160,000 refugees have been registered and thousands more continue to pour in each day. The makeshift camps set up by the authorities are devoid of basic facilities. And living conditions are squalid to say the least. One also worries about the civilian population that was forced to stay in their homes in South Waziristan. The refugees who have been interviewed relate horrible stories about the situation back in the tribal agency. The area has been cut-off from the country, making it virtually impossible for the food supplies and emergency supplies to reach the hungry people. Likewise, reports of mounting civilian casualties resulting from indiscriminate aerial attacks are also rife. This raises a big question mark on the militarys strategy. They should have thought a good deal before opening up a front the size of South Waziristan. Just as it underestimated the IDP factor, it was unprepared to pre-empt the wave of deadly reprisal attacks in the countrys urban centres. The bloodbath in Peshawar yesterday that claimed 108 lives and injured many others, plunging the entire provincial capital into chaos, indicates the strength and organisation with which terrorist outfits are operating around the country. The militants have suffered serious reverses in FATA for which the army deserves a pat on the back; yet it is equally important that they are stopped from creating mayhem in our settled areas. The refugees need to be looked after with care and love. Admittedly, given the scale of the military offensive that is underway, and the way it is affecting the civilian population, we have another humanitarian disaster on hand. The onus lies on the government to rush to the IDPs rescue.