Understanding Post-earthquake Gender Susceptibility in Balakot Tehsil, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of structural vulnerability and violence, this study examines how the ‘2005 earthquake’ in Pakistan affected the female gender. It aims to find out the unique experiences of the socio-cultural vulnerability of gender, which led them to migrate towards other places. It attempts to identify those factors which contributed to women's vulnerability. Qualitative research methods, such as key-informant and in-depth interviews, were used in this research. In-depth interviews were conducted by using a purposive sampling technique with thirty highly affected women of Balakot belonging to twenty-five households. The present study finds out six major themes, almost all dealing with a lack of privacy and females’ private domain. These include: a) gendered migration; b) ethnicity; c) problems of toilet and bathing; d) problems for pregnant women; e) difficulty in looking after the family; and, f) forced sexual relations. Data collection from respondents of different ages, class, and caste helped us to understand the lived experiences of the women of Balakot. The study finds out that gendered vulnerability plays a very important role in making decisions to migrate. This study might influence governments to bring the required changes in their policies to serve the women population better during and after disasters.

Indo-Us Strategic Partnership: Implications for Pakistan

In the international system there is often an interplay of states and systems where two or more states partner up in order to change an existing system. The India-US partnership works in a similar fashion because it is a partnership of two states and it has made some alterations in the regional as well as international system. The US used to be the old allied partner of Pakistan and because of its own variations in the national interests and greater strategic purposes; it has now developed cooperation with India. This partnership has many dimensions to it; there are economic aspects, political motives, security factors, military and defense needs and most of all strategic grounds. This makes the ultimate reason of USIndia cooperation one where greater strategic characteristics exist, i.e. every aspect is then held by the thread of strategic partnership. Afghanistan issue, trade balance, space, IT, curtailing Chinese influence in South Asia and most of all defense and nuclear motives take the pedestal of the greater strategic motivations. Yet this is not as much of an asymmetric relationship. There is truth to the fact that Pakistan will be at a setback because of the US withdrawal of interest in being its partner but there are so many more ways in which the implications for this relationship will be positive for it as well. For one thing, Pakistan and China will be working on making their bond a stronger one and this vacancy of a foreign ally can be filled. Furthermore, this gives Pakistan plenty of chances to rethink its foreign policy agenda and turn from West to East. Pakistan can make structural changes and fixate itself with Russia, China, Iran and CARs to gain a strategic and security advantage. This will work well even for Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy and schemata in which Pakistan can grasp at a more individualistic role. The US-India partnership will also push for some changes on the regional level as there are bound to be many re-alignments as well. This study does not just discuss the US-India partnership in a factual and historic analytical manner but also focuses on the ‘can-be’ aspect of Pakistan in the contemporary present and the near future as well.