Dr Rakhshinda Perveen
While judging anybody’s good intentions in these testing times would place one in jeopardy, one needs to be mindful of certain realities
Pakistan is marked by certain rich individuals, poor masses, poor governance, and interrupted democracies, even if they are shams. Therefore, there is no dearth of inequalities and puzzlements of varied origins. The ongoing catastrophe of floods is widely made to be seen by politicians and bureaucracies as a natural disaster, but if one listens to rare authentic and impartial experts, like Ali Tauqeer Sheik or Arif Hassan, one is convinced that this disaster is man-made. It is not the outcome of the sins of the hungry, ill, illiterate, unemployed, unskilled, and deprived of opportunities population, in general, and women, who speak up for their autonomy, in particular.
Pakistan, a signatory to the UN agenda 2030, is not performing well for the 17 goals. To be successful in these goals, governments require transparency, political will, and competent human resource. This time, an easy-to-accept excuse to miss out on most of the targets of the SDG shall be “natural calamities.” The recent floods would substantiate the claim. A vicious cycle of exploitation, inability to attain equality of outcomes and elite capture would continue, on purpose. Destructions caused by these floods have unveiled the perpetual and pitiful resource management; absence of cognizance of the relevant community partnership and entrenched corruption in our systems. The current situation has once again validated the zero level of preparedness and capacity to mitigate the disaster. Once again, our homeland is taking the begging bowl to the international community.
Recently, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated US$ 3 million to UN agencies and partners in Pakistan to respond to the floods. This fund, focusing on the most vulnerable, is aimed at health, nutrition, food security, and water and sanitation services in flood-affected areas. This allocation will bring the UN’s humanitarian assistance for the flood response up to US$ 7 million. According to the press releases by the UNIC, the WHO is providing medical supplies and services; the UNICEF is assisting with safe water and nutrition while support for maternal health is offered by the UNFPA; food assistance by the WFP; vaccination of livestock by the FAO and shelter for refugees by UNHCR. Despite being a flawed agency, the UN remains a beacon in such situations. However, no UN-funded or any other technical and aid agency’s supported intervention can be successful in the face of a weak political will and trickery. The new age of media has produced a new genre of journalists and media platforms. Sadly, many legacies, as well as digital journalists, have been acting merely as advocacy journalists. They are knowingly or unknowingly selling public services and politics (that are not and should not be mutually exclusive) as two different entities.
What is even more alarming is the silence on the demand for accountability of the mighty institutions and individuals in any mainstream media or any influential forum championing the cause of the rights of women, minorities, and many vulnerable communities. Any trace of any convincing dissent from the popular policies and practices is usually and conveniently labelled as an anti-national interest.
The mantra that is marketed is that of unity in disaster and offer of the relief goods. There is a phenomenal rise in the suddenly interested players to raise funds and extend relief services to the affected people. While judging anybody’s good intentions in these testing times would place one in jeopardy, one needs to be mindful of certain realities. The way to heaven is not paved with good intentions (only). Rescue and relief services in any humanitarian setting ask for matching resources, including skilled human resources. Humanitarian assistance should be able to ensure “no harm.” There is no set formula or magical recipe for guaranteeing an effective and virtuous humanitarian set of actions. However, standard principles and global best practices must be considered by our state in its response to the disaster. The state, as well as the civil society, must be cognizant of the linkages and nexuses between terror financing and security issues in any humanitarian setting and assistance. Aid and charity of any kind must not be creating pathways to popularize any oppressive idea, ideology, hate, biases, misogyny and faith. On top of it, our concerned state institutions must be vigilant about the potential, latent and surviving scandalous alliances of security issues, service, and support packages. A quick and apparent solution or gain that is crafting the foundation of newer forms of terrorism, fascism, human insecurities, and bigots must be avoided at any cost.
Utilitarianism does appear attractive, especially in an emergency, where cold-hearted politicians, self-serving institutions and TRP-hankering media dominate the destinies of the poor. Yet, there is an inevitable need on an emergency footing to look at the evolving landscape of the relief services through the analytical lens. May we save this unfortunate country from becoming easy prey to non-progressive forces with patriarchal and intimidating controls as well as those progressive ones aiming to tarnish its image and destabilize it. Pakistan, which is ready to accept aid goods from Bangladesh, has to emerge as a much more mature state out of this devastation and get departed clearly from those practices and philosophies that never nurtured its moral foundations. The ongoing catastrophe is indeed an opportunity to accomplish the courageous task of looking inwards and embarking on the construction of some new, inclusive, and equitable systems. Pakistan has a deplorable ranking on human development, gender equality, justice, corruption, and transparency indicators. There are too few independent thinkers who can offer honest opinions on the colossal failures of the state. The public policy advocacy on matters directly related to the wellbeing of common citizens is hostage to imported consultants, multinationals, and routine business of IFIs, UN and other such agencies. A country that truly believes in the supremacy of the human capital has to empower its people irrespective of their ethnic, gender, sexual and faith-based identities. The real challenge is where to find the decisive volume of uninterrupted sincerity and seriousness and the ability to withdraw from ceremonial and cosmetic gestures propelled by donors’ money.
