Swat tragedy probe

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Negligence by public institutions continues to cost lives in Pakistan. The deaths of 14 people — 10 of them from the same family — who were swept away by a flash flood in the Swat River on June 27 were not the result of an unforeseeable act of nature. They were the direct consequence of administrative failure. An inquiry ordered by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has confirmed that multiple government departments failed to perform even their most basic duties.

The district administration, Rescue 1122, the irrigation and local government departments, and the police all fell short of acting in time. Early warning systems were not utilised. Rescue teams arrived late and were poorly equipped. And no one appeared to know who was responsible for ensuring safety near the riverbanks. These failures are not new. Flash floods are common in the region during monsoon season.

Tourists flock to Swat every year, yet there is no risk classification system in place for riverside areas. And when the floodwaters came, there was no coordinated response to save lives. Promises of action are routinely made in the aftermath but rarely followed by lasting reform. This cannot continue. If the government is serious about preventing such tragedies, it must undertake a full audit of emergency response capabilities in high-risk areas. Early warning systems must be modernised and tested regularly.

Rescue services must be trained, staffed and supplied to respond within minutes, not hours. And jurisdictional clarity is essential - every department involved must know its role before the next disaster strikes.

Piecemeal disciplinary actions will not fix a system that is fundamentally broken. Preventing future loss of life will require structural reform and a recognition that governance cannot begin after the crisis. It must begin beforehand. Anything less would mean that lessons were not learned, and that when the next flood comes, the state will once again be a bystander to its own failure.