Menu

United States Institute of Peace

Home ▶ Events

Twitter Space: Pakistan Under Water, Under Siege

The Impacts of Recent Flooding on Peace and Stability

Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022 / Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm 

Center: Asia Center

Share This
Print the Page

Long considered vulnerable to climate change, Pakistan is in the middle of a severe climate-induced disaster. Horrific flooding has left one-third of the country underwater, killing more than 1,200 people and impacting 33 million more. These grim numbers only stand to increase in the coming days and weeks, as the crisis is far from over and rain continues to fall in parts of the country. Adding to the Pakistan’s woes are continued political instability, record inflation, food insecurity and the threat of disease in the makeshift relief camps that now house millions of newly displaced Pakistanis.

A Pakistani man walks across the main highway on the border of the Sindh and Punjab provinces of southern Pakistan, Aug. 22, 2010. With five million people displaced by flooding and with aid scarce, anger at the Pakistani government is growing. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)
A Pakistani man walks across the main highway on the border of the Sindh and Punjab provinces of southern Pakistan, Aug. 22, 2010. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)

On September 8, USIP hosted a Twitter Space discussion on the causes and impact of these catastrophic floods on Pakistan’s already fragile political and economic situation. The conversation also looked at what role the international community can play in helping Pakistan recover from this humanitarian crisis and better prepare for future disasters.

Note: This live Twitter Space was hosted on USIP’s Twitter account, @USIP. The recording of this discussion is available on this page as an episode of the “USIP Events” podcast.

Continue the conversation on Twitter using the #PakFloodsUSIP hashtag.

Speakers

Asfandyar Mir
Senior Expert, United States Institute of Peace
@asfandyarmir

Arifa Noor
Journalist & Anchor, Dawn
@arifanoor72

Jumaina Siddiqui
Senior Program Officer, South Asia, United States Institute of Peace
@jumainasiddiqui

Tamanna Salikuddin, moderator
Director, South Asia Programs, United States Institute of Peace
@tsalikuddin

Related Publications

As Fragile Kashmir Cease-Fire Turns Three, Here’s How to Keep it Alive

As Fragile Kashmir Cease-Fire Turns Three, Here’s How to Keep it Alive

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

By: Christopher Clary

At midnight on the night of February 24-25, 2021, India and Pakistan reinstated a cease-fire that covered their security forces operating “along the Line of Control (LOC) and all other sectors” in Kashmir, the disputed territory that has been at the center of the India-Pakistan conflict since 1947. While the third anniversary of that agreement is a notable landmark in the history of India-Pakistan cease-fires, the 2021 cease-fire is fragile and needs bolstering to be maintained.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Understanding Pakistan’s Election Results

Understanding Pakistan’s Election Results

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

By: Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D. ;   Tamanna Salikuddin

Days after Pakistan’s February 8 general election, the Election Commission of Pakistan released the official results confirming a major political upset. Contrary to what most political pundits and observers had predicted, independents aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the most seats at the national level, followed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). No party won an absolute majority needed to form a government on its own. The resultant uncertainty means the United States may have to contend with a government that is more focused on navigating internal politics and less so on addressing strategic challenges.

Type: Analysis

Global Elections & Conflict;  Global Policy

Tamanna Salikuddin on Pakistan’s Elections

Tamanna Salikuddin on Pakistan’s Elections

Monday, February 12, 2024

By: Tamanna Salikuddin

Surprisingly, candidates aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in Pakistan’s elections. But while voters “have shown their faith in democracy,” the lack of a strong mandate for any specific leader or institution “doesn’t necessarily bode well for [Pakistan’s] stability,” says USIP’s Tamanna Salikuddin.

Type: Podcast

The 2021 India-Pakistan Ceasefire: Origins, Prospects, and Lessons Learned

The 2021 India-Pakistan Ceasefire: Origins, Prospects, and Lessons Learned

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

By: Christopher Clary

The February 2021 ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control in Kashmir has—despite occasional violations—turned into one of the longest-lasting in the countries’ 75-year shared history. Yet, as Christopher Clary writes, the ceasefire remains vulnerable to shocks from terrorist attacks, changes in leadership, and shifting regional relations. With the ceasefire approaching its third anniversary, Clary’s report examines the factors that have allowed it to succeed, signs that it may be fraying, and steps that can be taken to sustain it.

Type: Special Report

Peace Processes

View All Publications