KARACHI:
Even after a passage of 15 years, those who lost everything, including their loved ones, in the earthquake that took place on 8 October, 2005 are still waiting for the much-needed relief they had been promised. As usual, even though a high-profile Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) was created within the next 20 or so days, the body remains indolent. Instead, much of the credit goes to foreign donor agencies and friendly countries who came forward in the time of need to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims of this natural disaster.
Pakistan has a long redundant history of creating lifeless bodies for the purpose of pacifying the temporary outrage of citizens. Promises of relief and help remain hollow, and victims are left to fend for themselves. It is humiliating that while local officials remain incompetent, too busy in their own rat race, the international community is urged to step in and do the needful. Foreign organisations involved in providing relief to victims in Azad Kashmir and K-P performed their assigned task with minimum expenditure on living and administration, while the same austerity measures were not adopted by our own people. Furthermore, it adds salt to injury that the former ERRA executives were given expensive SUVs and vehicles, but no heed was paid to the objective of relief work.
State-funded organisations created for the purpose of providing relief to citizens should employ professionals qualified in relief work instead of bureaucrats who seem to be immune to the concept of austerity and commitment.
Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2020.
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