Millions of displaced Pakistanis have missed out on vital aid because rich nations took too long in providing help, a leading charity has claimed.

Thousands upon thousands of Pakistani civilians were forced to abandon their homes earlier this year as the country’s military launched a huge offensive against militants in the Swat Valley.

Oxfam claims that after fleeing the people later struggled to receive crucial aid as a result of the international community providing "too little help, too late".

In May Pakistan suffered the world’s biggest and fastest displacement of people for over a decade as three million people fled their homes.

Oxfam claims that despite the obvious seriousness of the disaster, the majority of the world’s richest countries failed to give enough aid.

The charity highlights the fact more than one month into the crisis the UN’s emergency appeal had received less than a quarter of required funds and the money which did come through was very slow in reaching the emergency areas.

Instead of giving the money directly to aid agencies working on the ground, most donors channelled money via the UN system, which struggled to allocate funds to frontline aid agencies quickly and efficiently, today’s report suggests.

Neva Khan, Oxfam’s spokeswoman in Pakistan, said: "The flood of people escaping the fighting in Pakistan was a huge emergency – one of the biggest the world has seen for a decade. But the rich world’s response did not match the seriousness of the situation.

"Many rich countries did not give enough money. The money they did give got caught up in red tape. The international community has a responsibility to give aid in the right way, at the right time and in the right place. In Pakistan, they fell short of achieving this."

Oxfam claims it was forced to exclude over 200,000 people from receiving emergency water, sanitation and non-food items such as soap in the first three months of the crisis due to delays in receiving crucial funds.

Today’s report from the charity also suggests the majority of the aid agencies actually misused the funds they did receive; choosing to supply shelter and clothes, when actually what the people needed was food, transport and medical treatment.

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