KARACHI:
Last week, the Federal Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman said that 20 million people were still dependent on humanitarian aid while the United Nations (UN) funding appeal has received only a third of its $816 million target. This is concerning as the government also requires funds for the reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure.
Some people believe that international organisations and developed countries’ slow and inadequate relief response stems from mistrust of the Pakistani government. In the past, the government has been accused of pocketing aid from Western countries. Even now, people in flood-affected areas claim that they have received little to no government support. Corruption among employees within government organisations has prevented affectees from benefiting from aid and donations. Perhaps, the government needs to improve transparency and tighten rules and regulations for departments responsible for the allocation of aid.
Western countries also have a habit of sidelining issues of countries that are not strategically important to them. Therefore, the Pakistani government must keep reiterating the need for aid and assistance. Besides facilitating the flood victims, the government must rebuild climate-resilient infrastructure with the help of international organisations.
Taskeen Mustafa
Shahdadpur
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2022.
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