In response to the displacement of civilians due to floods and conflict in parts of Pakistan, a Humanitarian Response Plan has been drawn up under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, Fikret Akcura.
The plan seeks a total of US$55 million to cover the needs of approximately 400,000 people. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says they are "already affected by floods and conflict" and need "immediate assistance over a period of six months".
The Pakistan government, UN agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement and NGOs have been responding using emergency funds and contingency stocks diverted from other programmes.
"The assistance of the donor community is now urgently needed to maintain the current response, to ensure that the humanitarian community can rapidly react to the extremely fluid situation on the ground in the coming months, and to provide humanitarian services and assistance to the most vulnerable among the flood-affected and conflict-displaced communities," OCHA said in a statement on 8 September to coincide with the launch of the plan.
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Country Team, with the government, has drawn up the plan to address the multiple humanitarian issues to afflict Pakistan since August.
These include monsoon rains and flash floods that have affected over 300,000 people. Peshawar District in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Rajanpur District in the southern Punjab have been the worst affected.
The Chief Minister of the NWFP, Amir Haider Hoti, ordered "emergency work" for flood-affected people in August, which is still under way.
Fighting
The humanitarian situation has been exacerbated by fighting between government forces and militant groups in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and in Swat District in NWFP. OCHA said this had caused "significant internal displacements".
OCHA has said that while a significant proportion of an estimated 260,000 people displaced by recent operations in Bajaur Agency are reported to have returned home following the announcement of a ceasefire, the conflict in FATA and in Swat District may escalate once more, causing new displacement.
It also warns that unlike those hit by floods, many IDPs fleeing conflict have moved to camps or “host” homes at considerable distances from where they live.
"I am staying with my cousin in Islamabad. There are now 10 of us in a single room, but we have no choice but to live like animals," says Aizaz Khan, 35, who moved from his village near Bajaur's main town of Khar five weeks ago.
In view of the uncertain situation in FATA and Swat, the programme considers needs in the event that the number in need rises to 800,000 or more.
The priorities laid down in the plan include "immediate life-saving and/or time-critical activities in food aid; nutrition; health; water, sanitation and hygiene; camp management, shelter and protection; the rapid restoration of agriculture-based livelihoods; and early recovery", according to OCHA.
The provincial relief commissioner for the NWFP, Jamil Amjad, has said the displacements from Bajaur were the "biggest internal displacements ever to take place in Pakistan".
Several weeks ago, the government allowed international humanitarian agencies to begin work in camps for the Bajaur IDPs set up in areas around the tribal area along Pakistan's western border with Afghanistan, in a bid to avert a worsening situation.
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