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Perceptions of thePakistan EarthquakeResponse
Humanitarian Agenda 2015
(HA2015)
is a policy research project aimed atequipping the humanitarianenterprise to more effectively addressemerging challenges around fourmajor themes: universality, terrorismand counter terrorism, coherence,and security. As with all HA2015materials, the Feinstein InternationalCenter welcomes feedback andcriticism from all quarters. Pleasecontact the author atandrew.wilder@tufts.edu or theHA2015 Lead Researcher AntonioDonini at antonio.donini@tufts.edu.
The Feinstein International Center (FIC)
develops and promotesoperational and policy responses toprotect and strengthen the lives andlivelihoods of people living in crisis-affected and marginalizedcommunities. FIC works globally inpartnership with national andinternational organizations to bringabout institutional changes thatenhance effective policy reform andpromote best practice.Other country studies available atfic.tufts.edu
Humanitarian Agenda 2015Pakistan Country Study
By Andrew WilderFebruary 2008
Table of Contents
Feinstein International Center
FEBRUARY 2008
2
Executive Summary
The devastating earthquake that struck northern Pakistan and the disputed territory of Kashmir on October8, 2005, killed approximately 75,000 people, injured 70,000 more, left an estimated 3.5 million peoplehomeless, and devastated the basic infrastructure of a region the size of Belgium. Despite a daunting arrayof obstacles – inaccessible mountainous terrain, the onset of winter, the challenges of coordinating anunprecedented diversity of providers of humanitarian assistance, and the sheer numbers of people inhumanitarian need – a wide range of local, national and international actors rose to the humanitarianchallenge. Unlike the aftermath of many other natural disasters there were no significant numbers of subsequent deaths from injury, cold, food shortages, or disease. The earthquake response, which was ledfrom the earliest stages of rescue and relief to the ongoing reconstruction phase by the Pakistan Army, is judged by many to have been the most effective response ever to a natural disaster of this magnitude. The objective of this study was not to conduct an evaluation of the earthquake response, but to learn fromthe perceptions of a wide range of aid recipients and providers in order to better understand and moreeffectively address some of the key challenges currently facing humanitarian action. This case study is partof a multi-country study being conducted by the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University entitled,“The Humanitarian Agenda 2015: Principles, Politics and Perceptions” (HA2015). Each case study hasfocused on understanding perceptions regarding four interrelated issues that are likely to influence thehumanitarian agenda during the coming decade:
•
The
universality
of humanitarianism – is there anything truly universal about what we callhumanitarian action or are the principles and apparatus of humanitarian action perceived to beprimarily Western and Northern?
•
The implications of
terrorism and counter-terrorism
for humanitarian action – to what extent is thehumanitarian enterprise perceived to be part of the security agenda of the US and its allies, and if so what are the implications for humanitarian action?
•
The search for greater
coherence
and integration between humanitarian and political/securityagendas – does the cost of more integrated approaches exceed the benefits?
•
The
security
of humanitarian personnel and the beneficiaries of humanitarian action. The field research for this study was conducted in March 2007, 18 months after the disaster. Most of thereport’s findings are based on focus group discussions with men and women in the most earthquake-devastated areas of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PaK), as well as key informant interviews with Pakistani military and civilian officials, and the staff of donoragencies, UN agencies, and local and international NGOs. While the focus of the research was on the initialsix months of rescue and relief efforts, respondents also communicated their perceptions – generally muchmore negative – of the subsequent reconstruction phase.
Feinstein International Center
FEBRUARY 2008
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