U.S. must deal with humanitarian crisis in Pakistan

As Friday’s memorial service for Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke approaches and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari travels to Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should put critical humanitarian and human rights issues front and center in her discussions with President Zardari.

Ambassador Holbrooke was the chairman of the board of directors of Refugees International (RI) from 1996-1999 and a member of the board for eleven years. Most recently he was the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was an impassioned advocate for the world’s most vulnerable people forced to flee their homes as a result of war and human rights abuses.  He understood that humanitarian assistance is an essential means to promote international stability and build trust with foreign governments and their citizens.

Because of this, Ambassador Holbrooke was crucial in shaping a more balanced U.S. policy toward Pakistan, especially as the U.S. Government has repeatedly pressured the Pakistani military to increase its offensives against the Taliban, Al Qaeda militants and their affiliates. Vice President Biden’s trip to Pakistan is the most recent attempt to turn up the heat on this issue. But both governments are facing mounting criticism by the Pakistani people for a military strategy that has involved widespread human rights violations and CIA drone strikes that have caused civilian casualties. Discontent with the Pakistani government has also grown since its woeful response to the massive flooding last year.

Based on press coverage of Vice President Biden’s trip, one might mistakenly conclude that Pakistan is no longer experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crisis in its history. Perhaps the Vice President and his advisors deemed it unnecessary to mention publicly the ongoing suffering of millions of people in Pakistan during his visit, since the United States has provided more assistance than any other country to help the affected population.  This was a lost opportunity that Secretary Clinton should remedy.

More than 1.2 million people are still displaced as a result of U.S.-backed military operations that displaced more than 3 million at their climax. This number will undoubtedly rise if such operations increase as urged by the United States. Millions more are homeless and have lost their livelihoods as a result of last year’s catastrophic floods that killed close to 2,000 people and destroyed vast areas of agricultural land and infrastructure.

The devastating impact of the floods primarily on Pakistan’s poor could continue to increase political instability in Pakistan, since the floods are likely to continue to aggravate pre-existing tensions between rich and poor, between tribal factions, and between citizens and government authorities.
 
Refugees International has highlighted reports of local politicians meddling in the distribution of relief aid to flood victims. In addition, the Pakistani military continues to obstruct access and relief by aid agencies to some people uprooted by conflict.  RI has urged the U.S. government to work with Pakistan to ensure that aid is delivered to those most in need and not as a political tool.

The United States should make it a priority to strengthen Pakistan’s civilian government so that civilian authorities can take the reins in critical humanitarian operations. This is needed urgently to assist people affected by military confrontations and because of Pakistan’s high vulnerability to extreme climate events like the floods we saw last summer.  The Pakistani military has played a critical role in protecting the civilian population from militants and in providing relief, especially since the flooding.  But the military should not be in charge of delivering aid to the victims of a war it is party to.

The failure by the United States to invest significantly in Pakistan’s civilian government -- and especially a civilian-led humanitarian response -- has weakened democracy in Pakistan. Addressing these shortfalls publicly and working more vigorously to strengthen the civilian government’s ability to respond to humanitarian needs is critical for Pakistan’s future as a civilian-led democracy.  As we honor Ambassador Holbrooke on Friday, a public commitment to supporting Pakistan’s most vulnerable people would be a fitting tribute to his legacy.
 

Renata Rendón is the Congressional Advocate at Refugees International and has travelled to Pakistan twice this year to assess the humanitarian situation.