The United Nations appealed today for $537 million in aid for hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis affected by military offensives against al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Fighting in northwest Pakistan forced about 3 million people from their homes last year, posing a serious problem for the government of the US ally where many people have been sceptical of backing the US-led campaign against militancy.
The appeal was made for assistance over the next six months to cover the most immediate humanitarian needs of people forced from their homes and those who have returned, said the UN humanitarian coordinator for Pakistan, Martin Mogwanja.
"We envisage that Fata will continue to face instability over the coming year," Mogwanja told a news conference, referring to the ethnic Pashtun Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border.
The remote mountainous tribal areas along the border have never been fully under the control of any government. Many militants took refuge there after US-led forces ousted the Taliban in Afghanistan in late 2001.
"There would be movement limitations of the vulnerable populations to reach and access humanitarian assistance," he said. The military launched a big offensive against Pakistani Taliban fighters in the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, in April last year and in October the army attacked the militants' main bastion in South Waziristan on the Afghan border.
Clashes have also been erupting in other parts of the northwest including the Khyber, Bajaur and Orakzai regions, swelling the numbers of internally displaced people (IDP).
"Considering that the number of IDPs from Orakzai agency has risen nearly ten-fold in the last two months, the emergency in Pakistan seems far from over," Mr Mogwanja said.
According to the United Nations, out of 3.1 million people displaced by the fighting, 1.2 million had yet to return home, even though authorities have said some areas, such as Swat, have been largely cleared of militants.
Minister of State for finance Hina Rabani Khar said supporting civilians affected by fighting was a vital part of the battle against the militants, not just for Pakistan.
"If they cannot be assured of lasting peace, security and development, we all know what the consequence are going to be," Ms Khar told the news conference.
"The consequences are not going to be limited to that area or Pakistan, they are going to be stretched far, far, far greater than that," she said.
Reuters