On May 2, 2009, the Pakistani Army began a campaign to eliminate Taliban strongholds in the North-West region of the country.  This was a positive step for a country that has been accused of complacency and harboring dangerous militants.  Unfortunately, the Army’s campaign has also displaced approximately 3 million Pakistani citizens from the provinces of Swat, Buner and Lower Dir.  This forced migration is the largest movement of civilians in the region since 1947, when the partition of India created Pakistan.¹

In response to this crisis, the International Community (States, NGOs and IGOs) and the Pakistani people have launched a massive relief effort.  However, the question remains: what will be the fate of the millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the fate of Pakistan as a whole?             

Despite Good Intentions, Army’s Campaign Displaces Millions

According to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, the Pakistani Government decided to move against the Taliban because the militants violated a peace agreement that had been signed in February 2009.² Additionally, Mr. Gilani wanted to improve Pakistan’s public image.  “‘Our reputation among the international community has deteriorated, and we are labeled as terrorists,’” the Prime Minister said on May 8, 2009.³

This new, more aggressive policy was welcomed by the U.S., which has been urging Pakistan to take a harder line against the Taliban.  The U.S. is concerned about the stability of the country because Pakistan is an essential staging ground for the American war in Afghanistan, and because the collapse of Pakistan could allow terrorists to acquire nuclear weapons.⁴

Unfortunately, the Government’s efforts to retake control have also created a more unstable environment.  Taliban recruiters will undoubtedly try to take advantage of the insecurities and resentments of millions of frustrated Pakistani citizens.⁵ Therefore, for humanitarian and security reasons, the Pakistani Government and International Community must work to provide relief and stability. 

Government Slow to Provide for IDPs

The Army’s aggressive bombing raids have successfully ousted some militants from their strongholds, but at a tremendous cost to the Pakistani people.  Because the Taliban hide and operate among the civilian population, any effort to remove them will also affect innocent bystanders.  According to UN spokesman Rod Redmond, approximately 126,000 people have been displaced every day since the army began its operations.⁶  

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been trying to establish centers to track the movements of the IDPs.⁷   Each day, more than 100,000 people are registered at these stations.⁸  However, this means that tens of thousands of people are unaccounted for, and thus unable to receive aid.

The situation has been further complicated because the majority of the IDPs have not relocated to the aid camps.  This is understandable, considering organizations like World Vision have declared that the camps are “intolerable.”⁹ 

Instead, Michael Young, the Pakistani Representative of the International Rescue Committee, says that “‘about 80 percent to 90 percent of the displaced people are actually relying on the hospitality of family and friends in nearby regions.’”¹⁰ The problem is that the 2.3 million refugees are putting an enormous strain on those households and neighborhoods.  The task of caring for the refugees has fallen on ordinary people, and not on trained rescue workers.

The Pakistani Government has been heavily criticized for not anticipating this exodus of people, who had been directed out of the conflict zone by the Pakistani Army.  The situation has been handled so poorly that a large portion of the population believes that the Army’s campaign has only caused unnecessary suffering.  “One Pakistani woman…said the fighting had succeeded only in ruining the lives of people with no hand in the conflict.”¹¹   

The Pakistani people are unfortunate actors in events that they have no control over.  The expulsion of the Taliban from Pakistan may benefit the U.S., but the Pakistani people have suffered because of the campaign, and now face retaliation from the militants. 

In Response to the Crisis

Though unprepared and slow to act, the Pakistani Government has begun working to relieve the suffering of its people.  Its first act was to order the Pakistani Army to take charge of organizing the relief effort.  Michael Young argues that this is the best course of action, considering the Army’s track record in these sorts of situations.  “‘The Army played a sterling role in responding to the earthquake [in 2005].  It [had] a very strong coordination function for that response in terms of rebuilding and recovery.’”¹²  

Despite this praise, some are still skeptical about the Army’s ability to properly handle the recovery effort.  On May 19, 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that most of the United States’ aid would be distributed by the United Nations and other international organizations, and not by the Pakistani Army.¹³ This makes sense considering Pakistan’s history of misappropriating U.S. donations. 

The United States, which has pledged over $160 million dollars in humanitarian aid and is attempting to organize another $400 million dollars for counterinsurgency development, is just one of many actors working to end the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan.¹⁴ Everyone, countries, non-governmental organizations, international organizations and even prominent individuals, are trying to help the Pakistani people.

New Technologies Employed in Fund Raising and Relief Effort

One of the most interesting aspects of the response has been the mixture of traditional fundraising methods with newer tactics that take advantage of information technologies and Web2.0.

On top of aid packages from various government agencies—the State Department, Pentagon, ect—, the U.S. Administration is trying a new fundraising strategy.  Secretary of State Clinton announced a program where, by using their cell phones, Americans can make small donations to the relief effort.  “‘Americans can text the word SWAT to the number 20222 make a $5 contribution that will help the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees provide tents, clothing, food and medicine for hundreds of thousands of affected people,’” Clinton said.¹⁵  

The Secretary of State hopes that this effort will raise over $5 million dollars for the Pakistani IDPs.  Considering that the U.S. Census reported that there were over 159 million cell phone users in the U.S., this is not an unreasonable goal.¹⁶

The U.S. Government is not the only organization using new technologies to combat the disaster in Pakistan.  Many major aid groups have set up websites where people can make donations.  These websites also include detailed explanations of how donations will be put to use.  For example, at Care.org people are informed that:

• $50 could provide toys for children
• $100 could provide two families with emergency kitchen sets
• $250 could provide more than 15 family hygiene kits or 8 fans to help families endure the 115+ degree heat
• $500 could provide 55 families with treated mosquito nets
• $1000 could provide four families with a sturdy tent or locally made structure.¹⁷

The Pakistani Blogosphere Speaks Out

Throughout this crisis, average Pakistani citizens have gotten involved in the humanitarian effort.  Thanks to Web2.0, anyone with access to a computer can voice their opinion, or even initiate a relief project.

The Pakistani Spectator, a major newspaper which also produces a “Candid Blog” for all Pakistani issues, is one organization that has taken advantage of new technological trends.  Its website provides the names of, and links to, branches of banks that are receiving electronic donations.¹⁸

Blogs have been an increasingly important way for Pakistanis to communicate their frustrations about the crisis, and to take action.  According to Ammar Faheem, who writes at Global Voices Online, “the Pakistani Blogosphere is…taking a leading role to provide relief to our brothers and sisters in distress.  In this regard, a weblog has been set up titled ‘Internally Displaced People in Pakistan’, which mentions: ‘the primary purpose is to track the estimates and real time data that is cited by international organizations.’”¹⁹ These websites are helpful for people who want to make a donation.  They also help the Pakistani people locate loved ones or make sense of the crisis around them.

Some individual Pakistanis, such as Dr. Awab Alvi, are even using the blogs to take matters into their own hands.  Known as the Teeth Maestro on his blog http://teeth.com.pk/blog/, Dr. Alvi cites his own “inclination towards digital activism during times of crisis” as his motivation for activism.²⁰ Using his blog, Dr. Alvi raised 247,500 Pakistani Rupees ($3,000 US) to purchase relief packages.  Then, after coordinating online with local NGOs, Dr. Alvi and his team drove to affected areas and personally distributed the aid.²¹     

Unfortunately, No Clear End in Sight

The outcome of this crisis is still unclear.  Recent Taliban retaliatory attacks seem to suggest that the situation will get much worse before it gets better.  Nonetheless, the response to the Pakistani people’s cries for help has been heartening.  States, NGOs and individual citizens have used new technologies to publicize and fundraise for a tremendous relief effort.  While the pervasive feeling among most Pakistanis is still uncertainty, there is also a feeling of hope that this will all work. 

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For more information about the issue of non-proliferation, please refer to the “Nuclear Non-Proliferation” sector of the “Energy” Issue Brief: .       

For more information of International Organizations, please refer to the “International Law and Organizations” Issue Brief.

For more on Web2.0 and the effects of information technologies on globalization, please refer to the “Technology and Globalization” Issue Brief.  

*Pictures: http://www.usaid.gov/pk/mission/mapof_pakistan/index.htm,  http://www.flickr.com/photos/aljazeeraenglish/3559264220/in/set-72157618622494307/,  http://www.flickr.com/photos/imranthetrekker/3573196915/,   http://www.flickr.com/photos/statephotos/3583064026/in/set-72157617390701217/, and http://teeth.com.pk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/swat-relief-team.jpg