Politicking amid floods

The failure of every government, whether at the Centre or in the provinces, to deal with nationwide floods is made even more disappointing by the fact that despite what is fast becoming a national tragedy, the leaders of the major political parties are more interested in politicking and sniping each other instead of actually standing by the people. Instead of calls for rallies and counter-rallies to determine who is the more popular or who is or was selected, the leaders could mobilise their time and resources for flood relief. Yet, the best we have gotten so far is some begging bowl tweets, calling for flood relief donations from the public.

The official death toll for the floods is already past 900, with several independent sources putting it even higher. Among those losing their precious lives, more than 300 are children and nearly 200 women. Besides, more than 80,000 homes have been destroyed and a total of 30 million people affected. Government officials are taking to the media to claim they are doing what they can and utilising all resources, yet media reports show several areas where no food, shelter or other aid has arrived. Government officials claim that these are far-flung and difficult-to-reach areas, yet TV news crews are managing to get to them with relative ease.

The floods will also have a continuing impact on the economy in areas unaffected by the rains, because the damage to roads and other communications infrastructure is going to take several weeks and months to address once the water recedes. The true impact on agriculture yields will also not be known until the crops reemerge from under the water. International trade will also be affected due to the impact on border crossings — significant delays are already occurring at the Chaman and Taftan border crossings with Afghanistan and Iran, respectively.

And while suffering has been seen nationwide, some of the most egregious examples of government malfeasance have also come in the two provinces that have had ‘stable’ governments. Despite almost 15 years of unbroken rule in Sindh, the PPP does not appear to have done much to improve its flood preparedness or response — over 10 million people have been rendered homeless in Sindh alone,

and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah even said the province ran out of relief goods. The same can be said of the PTI in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where almost a decade in charge has not led to any improvements in flood resilience. However, the provincial government is apparently ready to commit resources needed for party chief Imran Khan’s rallies.

The health and safety of millions of Pakistanis should take precedence over partisan politics. But no party appears interested in a ceasefire, even a unilateral one. It appears not one leader recognises that good rulers are also good at serving the public. Where people were hoping that historic devastation would bring historic unity in response, pettiness is the only thing that has been on display.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2022.

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