Militants Use Flood Aid To Seek Support

By Aisha Toor

Is the hardliners’ response to flood relief in Pakistan fueled by a sense of pious obligation or is it an opportunity for them to gain more recruits? The concept of charity is a major motivational factor within all religious traditions, not just Islam. The flooding occurred during the holy month of Ramadan-when charitable deeds are of particular significance- and charities, including those linked with militant groups, are raising large amounts of money to help the Pakistani flood victims.

In addition to others, the Pakistani government, Islamist charities, and the United States, are competing for the allegiance of the millions displaced due to the recent floods. With the Pakistani government overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, foreign correspondents continue to claim that the aid vacuum is being filled by well-organized Islamic groups, both mainstream and extremist.

Although formally banned by Pakistani authorities six years ago, Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has links to various groups involved in the response. One of those groups, Falah-e-Insaniyat has ties to Jamat-ud-Dawa, an Islamist charity led by the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba .  

The town of Charsadda in the northwest region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has seen some of the worst flooding in Pakistan. The aid station, on the other hand, was relatively resourceful. Huge pots were lined up to distribute cooked food to the hungry, and an ambulance no longer needed to ferry the injured was being loaded with second hand clothing to be given away.  But rather than being run by a government organization or humanitarian agency, the response to the deluge was controlled by a group of alleged international terrorists. Hajji Makbool Shah, a flood volunteer working for Falah-e-Insaniyat expressed his frustration, “if the government were doing this work, there would be no need for us. When the floods came, we carried people out on our shoulders, to our own ambulances. Where were the government ambulances?”

President Asif Ali Zardari and other government officials have expressed concerns that Islamic militants will try to exploit the hardship. They face the daunting challenge of securing enough aid for relief efforts and ensuring militants don’t take advantage of the catastrophe to gain recruits. According to Mutapa Rathore of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, donations are still pouring into charities affiliated with banned organizations. Militant-linked charities are trying to become the first to provide aid to victims in many areas because they want to win the support of the people.  Falah-e-Insaniyat vice-president, Mian Adil was quoted as saying, “The government can do nothing compared with us. We have the people of Pakistan-good Muslims-behind us. No one trusts the government.”  

With the inclusion of these groups in the relief effort, new threats are emerging with regards to security in Pakistan.  A senior US official has warned that the Pakistani Taliban is planning attacks on foreigners helping with flood relief efforts in the country.   

The US government and its allies are attempting to provide services to increase stability and promote democracy throughout the region. However, these powerful non-state actors have intimidated the Pakistani citizens into silence. With increasing US support and participation, Tehrik-e-Taliban, Pakistan’s most violent group, is looking to counter any gains in public support for Western governments.   

Retired Pakistani general, Talat Masood, told the BBC that, in the past, Pakistanis have generally had an, “anti-US, anti-West” sentiment for a variety of reasons. However, with the kind of humanitarian aid that the US can offer, it is very likely that the tides will turn in favor of US support in the minds of the Pakistani people.   

In light of President Zardari’s appeal to stop the spread of extremism, at least 16 militant-run aid camps have been shut down in the northwest region of KP.  The Pakistani military revealed that it had redeployed helicopters from the Afghan border against the Taliban for rescue and relief operations; however, officials say the move would not weaken the military push against insurgents.  Pakistan is a strategic country in the war on terrorism and analysts say that the US cannot afford to let a lack of Western aid increase the impact of charities associated with militant groups.

Overcoming the ill feelings of Pakistani citizens, fueled by US support for the military campaign against Muslim extremists in Pakistan, is critical to US hopes for Pakistan to become a vibrant democracy. This would consequently challenge the Taliban-aligned extremist groups who are seeking to regain control of some of the worst flood hit regions. “We are not oblivious to the strategic and political implications of this situation,”  Richard Holbrooke, special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan for the Obama administration, says of the U.S. aid commitment. “We are doing this because Pakistan matters.”

Flickr photo by IFRC used under a Creative Commons license.