As senators belonging to religio-political parties called the frequent natural calamities in the country a consequence of evil deeds on the part of the rulers and the masses, the members of Upper House on Monday said the federal and Sindh governments had failed in taking preparatory measures in the face of the recent monsoon rains.
Senator Naeem Hussain Chattha asked President Asif Ali Zardari to “sacrifice black goats as compensation of his sins” as Interior Minister Rehman Malik looked on while wearing a black suit. Female senators expressed concern for pregnant women trapped in flood-hit areas and asked the government to do the needful for their health and provision of maternity services. Surprisingly, ANP’s Senator Haji Adeel underlined the need for construction of dams in the country to lessen the miseries. He criticised the lack of knowledge on the part of eth NDMA vis-à-vis the flood situation in the country. Senator Khalid Soomro of the JUI-F said natural calamities were the result of evil deeds of the rulers and the people and asked the people of the country to bow before God instead of others and seek forgiveness for their sins from Him.
Professor Ibrahim Khan said the natural disasters hitting the country were a result of Allah’s disobedience. He asked the government to legislate in the light of recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology. Senator Ismail Buledi asked the masses to seek Allah’s forgiveness. Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi said the federal and the Sindh governments had been sleeping when the concerned departments were issuing warnings against heavy monsoon rains in the country. He said the rulers visit the flood-hit areas just for get their photo sessions done. Senator Rehmatullah Kakar expressed dissatisfaction over the coordination amongst the NDMA, the Met Office and the government in initiating a post-flood and pre-flood effort to rescue the flood victims. Senator Sajid Hussain Zaidi said if the “$97 billion lying in the Swiss banks” was brought back to the country, the government could present a tax-free budget for years. He asked all to take the flood situation in the context of humanity instead of politics.
Senator Lashkari Raisani underlined the need for institutionalising aid and the rehabilitation process. He blamed the government for aid disbursement to selective people and asked for an across-the-board provision of aid amongst the victims. Winding up the debate, Leader of the House in the Senate Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the situation was beyond human control. However, he said the government was aware of the miseries of the flood-affected people and was making all out efforts for their relief and rehabilitation. Bukhari said President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani themselves visited the flood-hit areas and directed for speeding up the relief efforts.
Natural disasters such as flooding is because of corruption. If precautionary measures had not been taken by every government in the past 65 years this would not have happened. Last year's floods exposed the decayed infrastructure of the country. Bridges and roads washed away. The absence of elected governments in the district and divisional levels and having bureaucrats and civil servants is also a factor. Embankments should have been built to prevent flooding. There should be higher roads and stronger bridges. But the money for such things is simply not there.
Then we have dengue outbreak – there used to be money aerial spraying.
A Small civilian aircraft could be taken on rent and widespread spraying should be done throughout two weeks every three months. Ground spraying should have been done. But this is criminal negligence. All that money has disappeared. It has been taken away by all the governments not realising that disaster could strike any time.
If it was not for massive corruption and absence of democracy in every part of Pakistan this will go on happening. The quality of life can be improved a thousandfold by making these not so difficult steps. When there mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches everywhere it is the gross negligence of the government. Pest control is not as expensive as building a dam or even a road – yet people it is not something not worth doing. When towns and cities get flooded it is because no drainage system have devised. According one wag the best drainage system in Pakistan was in Moenjodaro. It seems we live in an age prior to that civilisation. Instead of going forward we are going backwards
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