Pakistan stepped up the drive to secure assistance for displaced people of Swat with its ambassador in Washington highlighting to the Americans that their support would reassure the Pakistanis, who are determined to rout the Taliban insurgents in the north-western Malakand region.
Ambassador Husain Haqqani appeared on the CNN to inform the Americans on ways they could support the UN and Pakistani government's efforts aimed at easing the plight of around two million people who left the scenic valley to live in camps under the scorching summer sun.
The mass exodus took place as the government launched a military offensive to get rid of militants, who were making life difficult for the people by imposing their self-styled harsh way of life. "Well, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees will receive $5 for every time somebody text messages the number 20222 and sends the word Swat, S-W-A-T on it," he stated.
The envoy said the aid will serve two purposes. "One, of course, is to raise money for the two million people who have become homeless as a result of the operation. And it is also a way of reassuring the people of Pakistan that the world will stand behind their effort at eliminating terrorism from that region."
Haqqani explained Islamabad's strategy employed to separate militants from the population of the Swat valley and nearby areas and then eliminate them. "The Taliban would have used all these people as human shields if they had not left their villages and towns. So two million people have had to move out of their hometowns and they are living in camps or under the sky.
"They need food, they need shelter, they need healthcare. And then, more than that, after immediate relief, they need rehabilitation so that they can resume a normal life and make sure the Taliban and al Qaeda never come back to their areas." The envoy also plans to mobilise the Pakistani American community at an event next week toward generous support for the displaced persons.