Flooding's devastation in Pakistan is seen as opportunity for Taliban

By Griff Witte
Monday, August 9, 2010; A06

CHARSADDA, PAKISTAN -- The slow-motion disaster underway in Pakistan as floodwaters seep into virtually every corner of the nation has devastated basic infrastructure and could open the door to a Taliban resurgence, officials here say.

The emerging landscape in areas where the water has receded is one in which bridges, roads, schools, health clinics, power facilities and sewage systems have been ruined or seriously damaged. With swollen rivers still churning south, the destruction is spreading by the hour.

On a visit to a newly flooded area in Pakistan's south on Sunday, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani said the overall impact of the flooding now tops that from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake -- a view echoed by international aid officials.

Although the quake killed far more people -- at least 73,000, compared with the 1,600 who have died in the floods -- Gillani called the scale of physical damage "beyond imagination. . . . Our country has gone back several years."

Pakistan can ill afford that kind of regression as it battles a vicious insurgency that capitalizes on the government's failure to provide basic services.

Over the past year, Pakistan's army has succeeded in driving Taliban fighters out of key sanctuaries in South Waziristan and the Swat Valley. But the damage from the floods could jeopardize those gains, officials acknowledged, unless infrastructure is quickly rebuilt -- an undertaking that will cost billions of dollars and will probably take years.

Swat, one of the worst-affected areas, is a prime example.

Although the valley was once known for its moderate public attitudes and picture-perfect mountain views, militants were able to take over in recent years by capitalizing on residents' hostility toward a government that often seemed distant and indifferent.

Last summer, the army took the valley back with a major offensive, and it launched a series of public works projects intended to repair the damage. The efforts were starting to pay off: Just last month, residents celebrated traditional agricultural festivals without fear of violence, and tourists packed newly reopened hotels.

But on July 28, the floods hit. Army officials say that every major bridge in the valley was destroyed, and aerial photographs of the region show that rivers have been diverted -- perhaps permanently -- down the center of once-thriving bazaars.

"It will take us months just to get the electricity back in Swat. For now, people are living in darkness," said Rahim Dad Khan, the planning minister for northwestern Pakistan.

Khan said all plans for development in the northwest have been canceled and the money diverted to reconstruction. "We thought we would build roads, hospitals and schools. But now, everything we were planning is ruined," he said.

Army officials said that they are aware the Taliban could try to seize the opportunity but that they will not let that happen.

"We have not let down our guard. The safeguards are still in place," said Brig. Gen. Tippu Karim, who is overseeing relief efforts for Swat and other northwestern areas.

Karim said reconstruction will be the top priority as soon as Pakistan can get past the immediate challenge of rescuing stranded residents and providing them with food and shelter.

But even that has proved a monumental challenge, and by the account of flood victims, the government has failed. At the provincial disaster management office, beleaguered staff members admitted that they lack the necessary resources. More than 15 million people nationwide have been affected by the floods, according to government estimates, and a majority are in the northwest.

"We never imagined this scale of disaster, so we were not prepared," said Asif Ali, the province's relief director. Even when the scope of the crisis became clear, he said, "each district was cut off from the others. The communications networks were jammed. So the government machinery was paralyzed."

Relief is stymied

The continuing rains have not helped, thwarting efforts to reach some of the most isolated victims.

The U.S. military has sent six helicopters, 91 troops and hundreds of thousands of meals from neighboring Afghanistan to help with relief efforts in Swat. But since Thursday, when the crews flew in supplies and evacuated hundreds of stranded residents, storms and overcast skies have kept the choppers grounded.

Frustrated pilots -- both Pakistani and American -- sipped tea and waited for the go-ahead to fly on Sunday at an air base in northern Pakistan. The presence of U.S. troops on the ground in Pakistan has the potential to kick up controversy, given the deep mistrust here of American motivations. But U.S. Maj. Daniel Rice, who is overseeing U.S. efforts, said the reaction so far to his troops' presence has been "smiles, waves and thumbs up."

That view is reflected by residents in the informal refugee camps that have sprung up in schools and public parks and along roadsides across the northwest. Those left homeless -- at least 1.5 million in the northwest alone -- said they will take help from anywhere they can get it.

Islamic charities, including ones that are known fronts for banned militant groups, have begun distributing assistance in some areas, as have Western nongovernmental organizations. But for the most part, residents said they are receiving no aid at all.

Stuck in the middle

In the median strip of the recently completed highway that links the northwest with the rest of Pakistan, thousands of displaced villagers have set up tents in the mud and tethered livestock to the guardrails.

From the strip, they can see what's left of their humble brick homes, which were inhabited only weeks ago but now resemble long-abandoned ruins. Above a sea of gray waters that have yet to drain away, the tips of their corn and sugar cane plants are also visible. Once a vibrant green, they are fast rotting to brown.

"All the local roads are destroyed. All the schools are destroyed. We never had any medical facilities," said Obaid ur-Rehman, 26, who was forced to relocate to the median strip.

The national highway authority has tried to shoo the residents away, wanting to maintain appearances along a roadway that is one of the most visible signs of modern Pakistani infrastructure. But residents said they say have nowhere to go because everywhere else is vulnerable to flooding.

"This is the basic reason for militancy: anger at the government," Rehman said. "If we had a place to live, if we had food, if we had schools, there would be no militancy in Pakistan."

Mohammed Riaz, a fellow median resident and a father of seven, said the only sign of government assistance he has seen in the 10 days since floodwaters destroyed his home came when a helicopter swooped low. From the side of the chopper, soldiers dropped packages of food. A mad scramble ensued. But the contents turned out to be rancid, and the government's gesture only added to the hostility.

"Some old biscuits were thrown from the helicopter," Riaz said. "But the people threw them back."