Nothing changes
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah was surprisingly quick to react to the bad news about a bus (full of wedding guests) coming in contact with open power cables and catching fire in Dadu, killing a dozen and injuring close to 40. This, of course, was not the first time he’s had to ‘take notice’ of such an incident. And while it is appreciated that he has directed the provincial machinery to provide the best possible medical care to surviving victims, his distance from on-ground reality in these matters is startling.
If someone in the Sindh government would take notice, instead, of the reasons for such tragedies, perhaps the chief minister would not have to publically grieve so frequently. And as far as best medical care is concerned, a little girl and at least two adults reportedly succumbed to their wounds because medical facilities in the area were simply inadequate to treat such a number of accident victims, and many had to be transferred elsewhere. As almost always happens in such incidents, a few were not able to withstand the journey. And the accident was far from the only reflection on PPP’s governance in Sindh. Tweeted pictures from its powerhouse, Larkana, speak of dilapidated infrastructure, broken roads and a town in misery. If such is the attention PPP accords Larkana, the rest can imagine their own place in the party’s priority list.
But while Punjab’s ruling elite has been more sympathetic to infrastructure, especially roads, in its home town, its record of governance isn’t any more inspiring than PPP’s. Its detachment from the people has reached new heights and, naturally, public dissatisfaction has increased proportionately. Crime is constantly on the rise, but no stranger news than a group of armed men abducting seven policemen in Rahim Yar Khan the other day. N-league leaders, too, took notice of the incident, and apparently a large hunt is underway. Little thought will be given, no doubt, to the anti-public nature of the police – exposed on TV screens not too long ago courtesy the Model Town incident. The Sharifs use them as a tool of governance, and in the process they have become powerhouses themselves. Governance and duty is not the benchmark of success, personal loyalty is. In such circumstances, people are sure to be offended. Federal and provincial governments are reminded that governance is their basic duty. The longer they fail to deliver, the more they’ll have only themselves to blame.
