By: Asem Mustafa Awan
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has declared flood emergency in the country. The Prime Minister says that every affected person should be reached in the hour of need. The floods have spread to Southern Punjab, Baluchistan and Sindh and half the country is submerged in water. According to the report of the National Disaster Management Authority, the number of people who died in the flood has reached close to 1000. Several small dams have suffered and Balochistan is hit worst with Quetta city plunged into darkness. In Dera Ismail Khan, Kohistan and Dir, many people have been washed away by floods and Swat Motorway, Karakoram Highway and Naran Road have been closed. Reports on social media are showing much bigger devastation and all agencies responsible for curtailing the calamity appeared paralyzed due to colossal damage.
The relief operation has started now in the flood-affected areas and what is there to find is but lifeless humans who died as the help reached late. It is an indisputable truth that when the government machinery was busy making cases against political opponents and teaching them a lesson, the floods inundated the homes of the destitute and now dead people. The political leadership failed miserably to respond in time and people are angry and biggest yardstick is the Prime Minister Fund for flood affectees announced two weeks ago failed to get desired donations from philanthropists.
The political elite who ruled the commoners for generations are in for a surprise when they visit their constituencies as masses are no longer disillusioned. It is a fact when a government loses its credibility people start solving their own problems. There are people with noble spirit who have mobilized their workers and what is seen on ground deserves appreciation. Political parties earlier have generated nothing but chaos and vengeance and when the calamity struck mainstream media attention was more on politics leaving masses in the lurch. The workers of religious parties are working tirelessly in the flood-affected areas and despite lack of resources, these people are rendering valuable services.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has started visiting flood-affected areas as soon as he got bail from the court. Imran Khan, a popular leader, was expected to appeal to activists and overseas Pakistanis to help the flood victims despite his political troubles. Imran Khan’s visit to the flood-affected areas may inspire other political leaders to actively participate in evacuation, relief and rehabilitation projects for the affected people. The damage is colossal and it is believed when the water recedes the rehabilitation work will start. The wheat and cotton crops are totally washed away and the nation may face food crisis that needs immediate attention from the policymakers. Let us all join hands and save lives that are faced with death and disease.
The writer is a Special Correspondent at The Dayspring
