People from terror-affected areas in Pakistan’s NWFP province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are moving to live in big cities, especially Peshawar, where greater life facilities and comparatively less security risks continue to tempt them into moving. However, the drastic rise in the rent and prices of houses has become an inhibiting factor in migration to Peshawar.

The rise in rent is most pronounced in the more developed parts of the city like Hayatabad and University Town where a single portion of 3 rooms with a kitchen and one or two bathrooms was formerly available for a monthly rent of 5 to 8 thousand rupees; now it is hardly less than 12 to 15 thousands for most houses. In more shabby neighborhoods, rents have went up only slightly and a two-room house with a kitchen and a bathroom are still available for 5 to 6 thousands rupees a month. The sale prices of houses have also surged and become nearly twice of what they used to be in the last few months of 2008.

Another challenge facing house-seekers, looking for houses on rent, is that of depositing an advance/security amount with the landlord. Most house owners ask for at least 15000 rupees in advance besides the rent for the current month; for houses in the more developed neighborhoods, this amount averages up to 70000 rupees – unaffordable for most people. Hence, migration to Peshawar is becoming increasingly difficult. But for people who want their children to stay away from the devastating effects of terrorism, there is no choice but to sell their land and valuable belongings and move to the big city at any cost, despite the high rate of crime and very high levels of air pollution.