The United States is ramping up support for Pakistan and beginning a days-long U.S. military airlift into the country as it struggles to battle devastating floods that are expected to take years to recover from.
The U.S. military began airlifting supplies into Pakistan this week as part of the additional $20 million the Biden administration is providing for humanitarian aid here, announced Samantha Power, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, on Friday.
The announcement comes as it is increasingly clear Pakistan is incapable of providing even the most basic relief to the more than 33 million people affected by the crisis. The majority of those who have fled their homes are living in makeshift shelters, and many report they are not receiving food, clean drinking water or medical attention.
The airlift will establish a “beachhead” inside Pakistan’s flood zone, Power said during a visit to affected areas on Thursday. She said the plan is to begin staging operations closer to those in need so humanitarian supplies can be distributed more efficiently.
“It may go beyond this, but for now we are looking at shelter supplies to accommodate 300,000 people,” she said. She admitted the number is a small fraction of those affected, but hoped other countries would follow suit and move operations inside Sindh province, one of the worst hit areas.
The airlift is expected to last just over a week with two to three U.S. C-17s — massive cargo planes — landing daily in Sukkur, a town in Sindh province nearly encircled by floodwaters. The planes will bring tens of thousands of pounds of tents, field rations and kitchen sets into the country.
While a number of countries have pledged millions of dollars in humanitarian aid money to Pakistan, aid groups on the ground are struggling to source the materials they need and reach the worst-affected parts of the country.
Floodwaters moving south are cutting off key roads and highways, turning towns into islands and blocking the delivery of aid.
Power said she hopes the assistance will also help reset perceptions of the United States in Pakistan.
“I think during the war in Afghanistan, there was an impression among some Pakistanis that the U.S. saw Pakistan only through the prism of Afghanistan,” she said. “Hopefully this is a chance through this cooperation [with the Pakistani government] to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.”
U.S.-Pakistan relations have gone through periods of intense strain, despite decades-long humanitarian and military ties that predate the U.S. presence in Afghanistan. The enmity that many Pakistanis feel toward the United States was clearly visible earlier this year when former Pakistani leader Imran Khan began to strengthen his base of support by claiming his ouster was part of a U.S.-backed conspiracy.
Despite anti-American sentiment continuing to be a popular rallying cry in Pakistan, the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan, has made moves to improve relations with the United States.
At a news conference announcing the additional funding in Islamabad, Power said the aid will address Pakistan’s “immediate needs,” but added “it is clear that recovery from these historic floods will require a concerted effort by the donor community and international financial institutions for the coming years.”
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