Overview
Pakistan has the highest number of internally displaced persons in the world.  1.2 million Pakistanis fled fighting due to military offensives and are still unable to return home. The devastating floods that began at the end of July have displaced millions more and the total impact is estimated to be larger then the 2004 tsunami, the January earthquake in Haiti and the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan combined.

Current Humanitarian Situation
Aid agencies are struggling to respond to the crisis given the difficulties accessing some of the displaced. The Pakistani government and military who are leading the relief effort should collaborate with humanitarian organizations on the ground and ensure that they have adequate access to vulnerable populations.

Pakistan is also host to approximately two million Afghan refugees who have been made particularly vulnerable by the floods. Many have lost their homes for a second time.  Long term solutions need to be made for Afghan refugees to be integrated as mass returns to Afghanistan continues to be an unlikely prospect.  Most of the early returnees in 2002 onwards were families who owned land or had social networks in Afghanistan, while the others had deeper roots in Pakistan and little to return to. The Pakistani government extended registration cards for Afghan refugees until 2012. The U.S. and other donors must increase funding for projects targeted at the refugee population, most notably the UN's Refugee Affected Host Area (RAHA) program. 

Action Needed

• The US and other donor countries should focus their efforts on protecting civilian populations and providing substantial immediate assistance to the displaced.
• The UN humanitarian agencies and NGOs should engage with all factions to secure access to vulnerable populations in Pakistan.