Red Cross warns of ‘Tunisia-style unrest’ in flood-affected Pakistan
By ANITuesday, February 1, 2011
NEW DELHI - Food insecurity caused by last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan can eventually lead to social unrest similar to that seen in Tunisia, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) has warned.
Six months on, Pakistan is still reeling from the affects of the floods that have left 11 million people homeless and devastated hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops in the traditional food-basket regions of Sindh and Punjab.
IFRC President Tadateru Konoe said some agricultural areas were still submerged, and resulting price rises and growing food insecurity could destabilise the country.
“If the crops may be lost for successive years, that may develop into some sort of social unrest and political turmoil. That is what President Asif Ali Zardari was very much worried about,” the Daily Times quoted Konoe, as saying in an interview.
“I do not how long they can stand this type of situation but it may be utilised by political opponents to criticise the government, so a minor thing may become a big thing like the situation in Tunisia,” he added.
Konoe said that increasing disasters and conflicts across the world and shrinking aid from traditional Western donors meant that emerging economies like India, China and Brazil should play a greater role in humanitarian relief. (ANI)
