Pakistan's UN Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon on Tuesday urged the international community to help Pakistan deal with the gigantic humanitarian crisis facing it through stepped up financial support coupled with measures to ease its debt burden.
"We desperately need support at this difficult time as we fight Taliban militants," Ambassador Haroon said in the course of a discussion at Asia Society, a leading institution dedicated to educating Americans about Asia. Some 2.4 million people have been displaced by Pakistan military's anti-Taliban offensive in the country's north-west that began on May 2.
The dislocated civilians are living in camps or with relatives as also in rented accommodations and public buildings, such as schools. The discussion on the human catastrophe in Pakistan was moderated by Nicolas Platt, a former US Ambassador to Pakistan, and attended by representatives of various relief agencies, academics, experts and journalists.
Also on the panel was George Rupp, president of the International Rescue committee, a global leader in providing emergency relief to the victims of violence. Both ambassador Platt and Rupp fervently urged donors, especially the United States, to come up with funds commensurate with the scale of the crisis.
Rupp said Washington had special responsibly as it was taking the lead in pushing Pakistan to take on the Taliban. On his part, Platt said that United States' $100 million aid package was inadequate, as he put it: just a drop in the bucket.
Giving detailed background of how Swat was ruled until its merger with Pakistan as well the events leading to the present crisis, ambassador Haroon said not only the Taliban, the Pakistan Army was also fighting al Qaeda, which has a global agenda to spread its ideology through violent means.
He said this was not America's war on terror; it was world's war against the scourge. The world, therefore, has a responsibility to come to the aid of Pakistan, which had in the past few years been hit by a series of disasters-the 2005 killer earthquake, the 2007 floods and lately by astronomical rise in energy and food prices.
In this situation, Haroon made a strong case not only financial support but also for deferring loan repayments as was done during the Musharraf regime. Such a step would enable Pakistan to devote more of its resources to care for the dislocated civilians as well as for the reconstruction of areas heavily damaged by the fighting.
About the progress of the war, he said that Pakistan' Army was clearing the valley of the Taliban as it advanced to other areas. But he felt it would take time. "The Taliban will not go in a hurry," he said, adding.
"They keep coming back." Replying to a question, the ambassador said that adequate mechanisms and monitoring systems were in place to ensure that money being pumped into Pakistan did not go into wrong hands and was used for the welfare of the victims and for the development of the region.
Questioned about the release of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, Haroon said that he was set free by Pakistan's independent judiciary, which emerged at the climax of the lawyers movement. The move did not violate UN Security Council resolution 1267, which targets JuD, as it makes no mention of detaining its leaders or members but instead imposes a travel ban, arms embargo and freezing of the assets.
Pakistan, he added, was in full compliance of the resolution. Asked whether Islamabad would allow India to contribute humanitarian aid in Pakistan, the ambassador said there should be no objection to it. In his opinion, such a move would help ease tensions in South Asia.
A questioner drew the attention of ambassador Platt about a widespread belief in Pakistan that India was aiding insurgents through its agents in Afghanistan to destabilise the country, ambassador Platt said he had no information about it. However, Platt pointed out that US Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke's mandate include not only Pakistan, Afghanistan but also a South Afghan.
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