Pakistan is the world’s seventh most populous country, and the fourth in Asia, with a population of nearly 150 million and an annual population growth rate of 1.9 per cent. Added to this, are the underlying challenges of lack of access to education and health facilities to the population, especially, in the rural and far-flung areas.

Pakistan remains one of the most disaster-prone areas in South Asia caused by a variety of natural and man-made disasters. These disasters include, periodic floods, drought and occasional earthquakes which cause considerable damage and dislocation to life and property. Though possibility of war with India on international borders is receding, clashes along LOC (Line of Control) cannot be discounted. The process of large number of Afghanistan refugees and to some extent from Indian Held Kashmir consequent to continuous operations against freedom fighters add an other dimention to disaster situation. In the last decade (1995 to 2004) a total of 9,230,224 people were killed or affected by the disasters (World Disaster Report 2004).