The 2010 floods in Pakistan, not being a hot topic any more, is in itself a matter of shame for our entertainment starved minds. The August of 2010 saw the country being hit by the worst ever floods in her 63-year history but it was old news to us in about just 63 days. The New Year celebrations have taken the front seat; I regrettably confess, even in my mind.
There is nothing wrong with moving on with our lives, nothing wrong with celebrating a new year, nothing wrong with continuing to laugh or get on with our daily lives or even to look for new hot topics to fret over. But when we forget the last topic we fretted over, we also forget that we need to continue our efforts, that the job is not done yet and the road to recovery is still ahead of us so that we may not fail those that we had to fight for (also remember the 2005 earthquake victims of Pakistan).
As many as 20 million Pakistanis were displaced by these floods. Many of them are still without home and though my fellow Pakistanis did well to rush to their rescue, we would fail them if we forget them now, now that we are apparently on a road to recovery. I was trapped in the Hazara region for four days and the images of devastation still haunt me.
As the cold weather grips the country, we must look to those still struggling. We must remember the devastation that our fellow Pakistanis have to go through while we are privileged enough to be warm in our houses.
ZIAD BASHIR
Lahore
