BY Rehan Ali
Across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Merged Areas, crises are no longer isolated events. Conflict, climate shocks, and economic strain are increasingly intersecting, creating a layered humanitarian challenge.
In January 2026, an evolving security situation and rising tensions in Tirah Valley and parts of Kurram led thousands of families to seek safety in nearby areas. Like many others, Amina gathered her children and a few belongings and set out on an uncertain journey. For weeks, she lived in a temporary settlement on the outskirts of Bara, sharing limited space with relatives and adapting to a life she never imagined.
“We left everything behind,” she says quietly. “We thought it would be for a few days.”
But days turned into weeks. With over 378,000 people affected and nearly 54,000 families displaced, the scale of need quickly became evident. For families like Amina’s, the most immediate concerns were food, clean water, basic healthcare, and protection from harsh weather.
When response teams reached her settlement, the first interaction was not distribution, but listening. Names were recorded, family sizes noted, urgent needs identified. Soon after, assistance followed food supplies, hygiene kits, winterization items, and basic medical care. “At least now,” she says, “we feel someone knows we are here.”
Hundreds of kilometers away in Buner, Fatima Gul’s story carries a different, but equally painful memory.
On 15 August 2025, a sudden cloudburst struck parts of Swat and Buner, unleashing intense rainfall within hours. Streams turned into torrents, sweeping through villages with little warning. Homes collapsed, roads vanished, and livelihoods built over years were washed away in a single afternoon.
“We did not even have time to think,” Fatima recalls. “Everything was gone.”
Her family, like many others, lost not just shelter but their means of survival. In the aftermath, outreach teams engaged with affected communities, ensuring that support reached those who needed it most. For women like Fatima, this engagement was crucial. It was not just about relief, but about being heard, about rebuilding with some sense of dignity.
These stories, though different in cause, reflect a common reality. Across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Merged Areas, crises are no longer isolated events. Conflict, climate shocks, and economic strain are increasingly intersecting, creating a layered humanitarian challenge. It is not one emergency replacing another, but multiple pressures unfolding at the same time, stretching both communities and response systems.
In such a landscape, the role of national humanitarian institutions becomes even more critical. The Pakistan Red Crescent Society, working alongside public authorities and Movement partners, has remained engaged across these evolving situations, often operating in areas where needs are immediate and access is difficult.
Since early 2025, under the leadership of Chairperson Mrs. Farzhana Naek, efforts have been underway to strengthen institutional systems and improve response capacity. The focus has been on building more structured, accountable processes while enhancing coordination and service delivery. These changes are gradually shaping a more adaptive and responsive institution, capable of managing both sudden emergencies and prolonged crises.
The scale of response over the past year reflects this effort. More than 410,000 people have been reached nationwide through emergency operations, including over 225,000 during the floods response. In Bajaur, with support from ECHO, a multi-sector initiative supported over 60,000 individuals through health, water and sanitation, and cash assistance.
At key border points, where returning Afghan families arrive under difficult conditions, integrated Humanitarian Service Points at Torkham and a Medical Health Facility at Chaman have provided essential services. Health care, water and sanitation, protection, restoring family links, and community engagement have been brought together to ensure that assistance is both coordinated and dignified, reaching over 116,000 Afghan migrants.
In Tirah and Kurram, where Amina’s story began, response teams reached more than 51,500 displaced individuals despite challenging terrain and weather, providing food, non-food items, hygiene kits, winterization support, and first aid. These efforts underline a simple reality: in places where access is uncertain, presence itself becomes part of the response.
An important element across these interventions has been balance. Support has extended not only to displaced and returning populations but also to host communities, helping ease local pressures and maintain social cohesion in already strained environments.
Preparedness is also gaining attention. Early Action Protocols are being introduced, alongside a broader Emergency Contingency Plan that includes a focus on nutrition, particularly for women and children. Health initiatives continue to expand, including immunization efforts in Bannu, Sub-Division Wazir, and Chaman, reaching over 109,000 individuals through community engagement and awareness.
Behind many of these efforts are volunteers. With a network exceeding 728,000 individuals and nearly 18,800 actively engaged, they remain a vital link between response systems and communities. Recognizing their central role, the Chairperson has set an ambitious vision to expand the volunteer base to one million, further strengthening PRCS’s ability to deliver timely and effective humanitarian services.
At the same time, greater emphasis is being placed on Protection, Gender and Inclusion, ensuring that women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities are not overlooked. In complex emergencies, inclusion is not an add-on, it is essential to effective response.
Yet, the broader environment is becoming more uncertain. Global conflicts and economic pressures are reshaping funding priorities, with resources increasingly stretched. For institutions responding to growing needs, this creates real constraints on how far and how fast support can reach.
This is where the conversation shifts beyond response. The patronage of the President of Pakistan and the PRCS, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, along with the continued support of Movement partners, provides an important foundation. But the scale and complexity of today’s challenges call for wider engagement from all stakeholders.
Because in the end, stories like Amina’s and Fatima’s are not just about loss. They are about what follows the moment when someone arrives, listens, and stays.
And in places where crises converge, that presence becomes more than assistance. It becomes a bridge between uncertainty and recovery, a reminder that even in the most difficult moments, no community should have to face the journey alone.
Rehan Ali
The writer is Assistant Director, Media & Communication, Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), National Headquarters, Islamabad.
