Trade with India as a means to help relief efforts

Torrential rains and flash floods have caused widespread destruction of major food crops in Pakistan, as nearly 50% of our cropland has washed away. In the absence of a robust action plan to deal with the aftermath of the catastrophe, the threat of food insecurity hovers over the country that has suffered an estimated loss of $40 billion. Considering the magnitude of destruction, it is evident that relief and rehabilitation efforts need to be carried out on a massive scale to bring back the lives of millions of people to normalcy. Frankly speaking, the country needs immediate external help and should quickly resort to bridging the demand-supply shortfall of kitchen commodities to overcome the ground challenges.

Flash floods are not new to us. Beginning from the destructive floods of 2010 to the one we are dealing with now makes us question the state policies, institutional responses and most importantly the power-hungry politicians who have always failed to come up with a pre-monsoon plan to avert flood crisis. Besides government negligence, the inefficient response of the NDMA in providing urgent relief to the flood victims was quite evident which resulted in more damage. Due to NDMA’s slow response in facilitating the INGOs, only a handful of foreign aid outfits could get the permission from the government to work.

The government’s reluctance in granting INGOs the freedom to carry out relief efforts stems from security concerns for the state, as they are asking for temporary exemption of NOCs in their relief work. For a quicker aid supply, some foreign aid outfits have even requested the government to allow them to import relief items from India through the land border. I believe it’s a logical step as it would not only reduce the cost of shipping flood relief items but also reduce the delivery time of importing food items, causing an overall increase in the efficiency of relief work. But the government is still contemplating whether to provide such concessions to aid agencies, given that Pakistan is not yet over with fighting militancy and countering undercover enemy agents like Kulbushan Jadhav.

However, the need of the hour is to resume trade with India due to its geographical proximity. Agricultural similarities can be an instant solution to the shortfall of vegetables and other staple food items. The import of vegetables from India will be a sigh of relief for the non-affectees as well, though it may not benefit the hoarding mafia that is exploiting the public. The political leadership of the country and the state must share a similar perspective on trade with India, as flood victims deserve urgent relief. It’s the responsibility of the state to come up with a quick security policy that allows intense scrutiny and background checking of INGOs before granting them permission to operate in Pakistan. Importing relief items and allowing the foreign members of NGOs from India or any other country would not compromise our national security if they get clearance from the Interior Ministry.

Although, the ruling BJP has a revulsive attitude against Muslims in India has in the past used Afghan soil to foster militancy for creating unrest in Pakistan, these religio-political issues have prevented us from taking definitive action, given that our country is dealing with massive flood destruction that necessitates an affirmative step on importing basic food commodities from our hostile neighbour.

Natural disasters result in massive sweeping destruction of humans, infrastructure, livestock and agriculture and reverse the economy decades back. Keeping in light the gravity of the issue, it is rational for both countries to join hands to minimise, if not entirely overcome, the havoc caused by flash floods that have jeopardised the already dwindling economy of Pakistan. Both nations should realise that today their mutual animosity has not benefited either of them but resulted in the loss of life and potential opportunities for progress.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2022.

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