Same old story
For some reason, Pakistan remains a country that would rather stumble from one disaster to another than feel the need to set up a viable working mechanism that delivers in the time of need. There are the national and provincial disaster management authorities, of course, but their performance – or rather the lack of it – has only largely served to embarrass them, and the government, so far. The recent earthquake is a fine example. It defies logic that even the unforgettable October earthquake of ten years ago could not push various governments to take such things seriously in future.
Regions affected ten years ago are still recovering from the shock and loss. Not only has the slow progress failed to teach the right lessons of efficiency and waste where crucial decisions are taken, but successive governments have avoided taking responsibility for making buildings earthquake-proof for future. Also, just like last time, official relief work was not only slow off the mark, but also did not reach the worst affected areas in time. Once again the military is needed to evacuate those still trapped, help those displaced, and also provide food, water and other essential supplies to the farthest affected areas, which is not small task considering that the army is already engaged in an existential war in the tribal area and tension on both eastern and western borders.
And it is not just unforeseen disasters that successive governments have proved incapable of handling. Annual flash floods, which are pretty predictable in terms of time and magnitude, also invariably leave sitting governments haphazardly dealing with the aftermath. Even now, there is little underway to suggest that the government is making efforts to be ahead of the curve next time. Even in grave matters like terrorism, the National Action Plan – that was conceived after the Peshawar school tragedy – the government is guilty of unforgivable paralysis. Such inefficiency not only harms hundreds and in cases thousands of people, it also knocks of a few precious percentage points off the annual growth figure, which compounds the people’s problems. The government must ensure workable contingencies or take the blame for the lack of them.
