Study: Aid in 2005 won Pakistanis’ trust

September 8, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

ISLAMABAD

The influx of foreign aid after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake significantly increased survivors’ trust in the West, according to new research that also suggests hard-line Islamist charities did little to help despite the publicity they generated.

The research is one of the first empirical studies of the effect of foreign emergency relief in Pakistan. It also raises questions about whether the ongoing U.S. relief mission for the victims of this summer’s devastating floods in the country could also alter Pakistani perceptions about America.

In short: Does helping out people in a crisis make them like you?

U.S. officials have cited humanitarian reasons for helping out after the floods, but have also acknowledged the possible strategic benefits of winning friends in Pakistan, a U.S. ally but one where support for Islamist extremists runs deep and anti-American sentiment is never far from the surface.

The United States has long been unpopular in Pakistan, but the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan led to new anger.

As well as distrust of U.S. motives in Afghanistan, many Pakistanis do not like what they say is Washington’s support for Israel at the expense of the Palestinian people and Washington’s past support for military dictators in Pakistan. Regular American missile strikes against militant targets in the northwest are also often cited as a reason.

The presence of Islamist relief groups in the flood zone has also attracted attention.