Monsoon rains produced immense flooding in Northern Pakistan in the past month. It rained for more than three days, displacing 20 million people.
Ten years ago, Pakistan was run by the military and is now directed by a new government. Because of this, citizens have been abandoning the current government and desiring a military intervention.
Senior Khadija Sirhindi has family in southern Pakistan that hasn’t been affected by the flooding. She said this disaster is horrendous compared to the 2009 earthquake that affected about 68,000 people.
“The earthquake just didn’t affect as many people as the flood has,” Sirhindi said.
According to CNN, this flooding has set Pakistan back decades. The devastation covered an area the size of Maryland, Missouri and Minnesota combined.
Sirhindi said the lack of U.S. support could be attributed to the distance between the two countries. Another reason is the fact that, in general, floods receive less attention than other natural disasters.
“So much aid has been given to recent disasters all over the world that there just isn’t enough,” Middle Eastern Studies teacher Brian Mowry said.
Mowry said the U.S. and Pakistan have good relations.
“The U.S. is good at helping others,” Sirhindi said. “We all want relations on a good level.”
Mowry said after the Sept. 11 attack, Pakistan became an even stronger ally.
“The U.S. needed a friendly Middle Eastern county in the war on terror,” he said.
The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan allows the Taliban to cross into Pakistan with ease. With the presence of the Taliban felt strongly all over the country, Mowry said people may start turning to them in desperation.
“The Taliban is gaining power,” Mowry said. “If the government doesn’t do well at relief efforts, they will lose support.”