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21-10-05 Masooda Bano The earthquake, apart from the human catastrophe it has caused, has smade us face the same old dilemma: lack of division of responsibility between the civil administration and the military. That a more efficient response from the government would have saved many lives is unquestionable. But, when the opposition members raise these concerns in the parliament the sitting ministers ridicule them rather than engaging in an intelligent debate that can help prevent such mistakes in the future. Any critique of the government's slow response to the earthquake is being treated as opportunistic. This is dangerous: the Pakistanis need to question and know which individuals or departments failed to live up to their responsibilities. The extent to which the army should be involved in the relief and rehabilitation process is problematic. Ideally, the prime responsibility for such activities should rest with the civil administration with the army being called in to help implement the activities in the remote areas rather than being in charge of the whole plan. But, given that the army is so heavily involved in the running of the state there is no division left between the state and the army in Pakistan. Therefore, when Federal Minister for Education Lt-Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi responded to the opposition's critique of disaster management by saying that "nowhere in the world crisis management and disaster relief are the responsibilities of the army" it becomes a farcical claim. After all, nowhere in the democratic world are the education ministers ex-army generals. When the army constitutes the entire state structure it has to shoulder the responsibility and be accountable for the power it exercises. Authority without responsibility and accountability leads to failure of governance. Therefore, it is important that rather than trying to shift the responsibility around, or promoting the army unnecessarily in the relief efforts, the government ministers should engage with the concerns being raised by the opposition to minimise the impact of such disasters in the future. After all, President Bush could not go absolutely free for his failure to respond to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. What we have to remember is that reports did exist about the vulnerability of this region to severe earthquakes and no state institution paid any heed to these reports. We also have to remember that the government was very slow in responding especially in the most affected areas up north; no rescue teams reached hundreds of school children buried under the debris of the school buildings for first three days while military tucks did keep passing by those areas. Similarly, we need to remember that immediate post-quake relief activities have been a big chaos; the government even failed to work out a plan to coordinate the traffic flows on roads to the affected areas. But, while it is important to see where the state failed to minimise the affects of this disaster, equally important is to ensure that the state remains committed to helping the affected people. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's 12 point agenda looks good on paper but the practicalities of implementing such an agenda have not been worked out. Apart from the other measures there has to be some plan to accommodate the people who might want to migrate downwards for the winter months. So far the entire focus is on providing tents to the affected people and building model villages in the long term. However, the reality remains that due to the harsh weather the rebuilding work in most of these areas won't begin till around spring time. For the interim period some realistic plans have to be worked out; providing tents cannot be a solution for the entire interim period. The state needs to consider allocating certain areas to accommodate such a flow of people especially those who have suffered injuries and have undergone operations. The prime minister has not mentioned anything on this front in his rehabilitation plans. We have seen that eventually in the case of such disasters resources are not the real problem; the issue is that of commitment and intelligence. Pakistanis are giving not just money but are also voluntarily going to the areas to directly reach out to the people. The international community has also come forward with all kinds of support. What we lacked was a plan on behalf of the state to utilise these responses in the most efficient way. This will continue to be a concern for the remaining relief and rehabilitation process. It is critical
that committed Pakistanis continue to stay involved in the
rehabilitation process. As soon as their momentum breaks-down
and the media attention wavers, the state is likely to become
very lax. Meanwhile, it is critical that General Musharraf
and the ruling party in the parliament respond to the concerns
of the public and the opposition. After all, it is high time
that the nation's leaders learn to be accountable and responsible
for the authority they enjoy. 20-10-05 The spirit of '05 Ikram Sehgal Many in the country are comparing the spirit of 2005 to 1965 and they are right. Almost 40 years to the day, the whole nation has again united as one. The odd voice raised in complaint is in fact an oddity. Every setback provides an opportunity. Visited with a disaster of unimaginable magnitude, and coping with it by harnessing the will of the nation to bring succour and relief to the survivors along with burying the tens of thousands dead, the country has now set in motion plans for a future for the living. The first priority is to keep relief and rehabilitation apart as there is a tendency to mix the two to the detriment of both. The debris requires to be cleared, the dead are still to be extracted and buried, delivery of tents and blankets must continue apace. Almost 30 to 35 per cent of this effort has to be managed in almost inaccessible areas. Rehabilitation must follow swiftly but in a planned manner. Towns and villages in the affected areas have been destroyed for the most part and very few partially damaged structures remain standing. More significantly, basic civic infrastructure – water and sewerage systems, telephone and electricity lines – as well as local government administration are almost non-existent. The president, for his part, has announced the formation of a Rehabilitation Authority. The easy way out for administrators and relief agencies is to hand out money to individuals and local governments for reconstruction. While this may be the human thing to do, it would also be the wrong thing, like throwing money down a well. In a logistical nightmare, relief supplies are stacking up in some areas and not reaching remote, inaccessible mountain villages. Money will never be enough, and in the circumstances can never restore the original to the affectees or afford them a reasonable means to a livelihood. Take stock of the challenge: nearly 2.5 million people have been affected, over 80 per cent of whom live in rural mountainous areas. In consultation with renowned foreign and local town planners and architects, the Authority must evolve a master plan for the affected region. This must include total reconstruction of towns and cities in accordance with modern building design. It should be codified by law that buildings must be earthquake-proof (with hollow blocks), as was done for Quetta after the 1935 upheaval. Relevant expertise can be obtained from quake-prone countries such as Japan and Turkey. The towns and cities destroyed by this month's quake were laid out haphazardly without any real planning. In most villages (and many towns) the basic conveniences of running water, sewerage, electricity and telephone communication never existed in the first place, and if they did they have been destroyed. The entire infrastructure network has to be laid down afresh. Everyone generally knows who owns what as well as the size of the property, and in many cases records will be available. Temporarily all property must be resumed by the state, then redistributed to the affectees in parcels equal to or bigger than what they originally owned. Wherever possible the location of the property should remain more or less the same. The state will thus avoid accusations of inadequate compensation.
Sustainability of life requires that there should be both immediate- and long-term means of income for the survivors. Our mountains are no less beautiful than those in Switzerland, or the Alps in Italy, France and Austria. The major source of income for such areas is tourists who need modern accommodation. Rental income for locals is supplemented manifold by tourists spending in restaurants and shops. Two-storey houses featuring apartments with more than one bedroom must be constructed. Each family should be given legal possession of this two-storey structure which ought to come with a reinforced basement. The family could live in one of the apartments and rent out the other(s) on long- and short-term hire. Instead of creating one new Murree project, create a 100 new Murrees. Families who owned shops should be awarded ownership of new outlets, either to start their own business or to rent them out, thereby ensuring a long-term means of revenue generation. The master plan must include modern schools, colleges, community halls, medical clinics, hospitals, fire stations, police stations and courts of law. Hostels should accompany the schools and colleges, which could be leased out to the country's major school and college chains. The rich may pay a reasonable amount but the poor will receive grants, whether or not they are residents. For long-term medical relief, the hospitals should be large and well-equipped. There could even be specialist and teaching hospitals offering orthopaedic, pulmonary and psychiatric care. Built to futuristic standards, living accommodation could house foreign volunteers who may come and work for long periods. Each town, each village site must be selected through consensus among local inhabitants. Buildings for local government machinery including administration, law courts and police stations must be built to modern standards, with wide roads, recreational parks and playgrounds, among other facilities. In the interim, people need to be housed and the government has initiated plans for tented villages in both the mountains and the plains. More than three million live in one giant tented city on the plains of Arafat during Haj; it has already been suggested that Saudi expertise should come in handy. Each tented village can have a population of about 10,000 to 15,000 each, with community centres. These must be provided adequate security. Where will the money for such 'grandiose' schemes come from? Let us distribute the tents, blankets, food and medicine flowing in but save the money donated for rehabilitation. Once the master plan is ready, countries and NGOs can be approached to wholly or partially adopt towns and villages for reconstruction. Some individual philanthropists, NGOs and other organizations have advertised that they will build earthquake-proof houses and other structures. This generosity needs to be channelled. Our Arab brethren as well as own business community can contribute directly with money or build as per the master plan. Blocks can be named after the donors. Relief will be an ongoing process for some time and rehabilitation will take years. This is the time to tap into the world's generosity and obtain irrevocable financial commitments. As cement and steel manufacturing goes up to meet housing projects, as roads and bridges are widened or laid anew to cater to increased traffic flow, skilled and unskilled labour will be required and the economy will be resuscitated. A rough master plan must be ready in a fortnight or so, with detailed designs being ready in the next 60 days, and pre-positioning of material to start in the next 120 to 150. My article
'Coping with disaster' of September 8, 2005 was neither prophetic
nor was I being clairvoyant. It just took stock of what could
happen and what was required. One can only hope that the government
will pay heed to practical solutions, bringing long-term relief
to earthquake affectees and rehabilitate them effectively
so that they do not live on the dole for all time to come,
as refugees in their own country. Education in ruins Dr M S Jillani One of the most important and discernable issues arising from the Oct. 8 disaster is the startling collapse of the public sector buildings of schools, hospitals, offices, etc. Destruction of schools, colleges and university buildings at their busiest hour was perhaps the single most heart-breaking episode of the overall devastation caused by the killer earthquake. Thousands of students of all ages and their teachers never found the time to leave their classes and make it into the open. The buildings collapsed so suddenly and swiftly that the students and teachers were caught between floors and crumbled roofs. Nobody could come to the help of these hapless people as there was no heavy machinery to lift heavy concrete slabs nor were there enough people to start digging into the buildings. The calls for help and sounds of agony gradually died away leaving only silence and the stench of death interrupted only by wailing mothers and sisters keeping a vigil over the massive concrete graves! Astonishingly, the same happened at other buildings constructed by government and semi-government departments including offices, official residences and public facilities. It seems that public officials, supervisors, contractors and everybody else involved in construction in the public sector were either a totally indifferent lot, or stupid or thieves and after Oct. 8, they became murderers. What happened to children in their schools was repeated in public buildings and offices which swallowed everybody on duty along with members of the public who had come there for myriad purposes. They all perished except some very lucky ones. The destruction of most public buildings in an earthquake was not something that would go unnoticed. One has heard that the President, upon seeing the ruins of a building in the quake-hit areas, remarked that it must be a public building. The first thing that everybody following the aftermath of Oct. 8 noticed was the mass destruction of buildings that were educational centres and the instant obliteration of the youth of Azad Kashmir. Simultaneous devastation of official buildings adds to the questions raised about the quality of buildings and those responsible for sanctioning their construction. However, whatever might be the cause; the loss to people of the area will never be recompensed -- emotionally and physically. The emptiness created by the departure of the most vibrant members of families and bread-winners, who perished at their place of work, will continue to haunt survivors for the rest of their lives. There have been demands for a thorough inquiry into the construction of these buildings. One thought that it was too early to raise the point. However, nearly two weeks after that fateful Saturday, one decided to raise the issue before it is relegated to the back-burners of policy making. An inquiry into the collapse of public buildings especially those of schools and colleges and the administrative departments is a must. We should know the circumstances under which such fragile and poor quality buildings were constructed. A high-profile inquiry, perhaps under a Supreme Court judge with foreign technical experts as members, may be able to give an objective judgment. There are basic policy issues which will have to be resolved if future construction at the local level has to be standardised. Those who are familiar with the system under which projects are approved, funds secured, location determined, construction contracts awarded, quality of materials checked and maintenance carried out, would know the possibilities of distortions and financial and administrative bungling at every stage of the project. Construction of buildings at places far from the capital is more amenable to nefarious designs of the influential. Since their support is valued at the federal, provincial or state level, they can get away with murder. The location of a project, apart from social and economic considerations, could be decided by the land provided by a local land-owner. If it is to be purchased, there is a scramble among the local elite who would try to sell their inferior land at a good price besides making a name that the local institution was built on one's land. Suitability of soil for a building already decided, the real contest starts over the allocation of funds by the government. Selection of an architect, approval of his design and construction plan, award of contract for construction, completion certificate for the building, purchase of furniture, laying of garden, etc are well known opportunities for kickbacks and other corrupt practices. In a country where making quick money has become a major occupation, there would be a few people who would not exploit the development programmes and projects spread before them. That should explain the main sources of weaknesses in the public sector buildings. That should also explain the sturdiness of the old public buildings which were sanctioned and constructed when the term "quick buck" was not even known to the public and civil servants. In the context of public buildings, especially of the educational institutions, there are three issues which need to be resolved. First, the discussion on defective construction has been confined to Azad Jammu and Kashmir while equally large destruction of educational institutions took place at Balakot and Gharhi Habibullah which are in the NWFP province. Even in Rawalpindi, school buildings suffered various degrees of damage. Is not the generally low priority accorded to education also a reason for this? The same mentality might have worked in Azad Kashmir and parts of NWFP. And there is a good possibility that school buildings in other parts of Pakistan may also be equally fragile! Educational buildings were not the only ones that collapsed. A number of military buildings including the largest hospital in Azad Kashmir also suffered the same fate. Although, the armed forces will definitely hold their own inquiry about their buildings, yet could it be that the material for these came from the same source? This aspect needs to be examined. An important aspect of weak buildings is their maintenance. Who was responsible for their upkeep, repairs and periodic examination? And how regularly this essential exercise was undertaken in the quake-stricken areas or elsewhere, besides carrying out standard repairs? To conclude,
the loss of life in the educational institutions in areas
ravaged by the Oct. 8 earthquake is one of the most traumatic
events. As explained, development programmes, especially educational
projects are subjected to pressures and neglect. It is no
use conducting an inquiry if those found responsible for the
Oct. 8 collapse of public buildings are not punished and the
entire system of government controlled construction is not
revised to make it clean and honest. It will be a tribute
to the memory of all those students who lost their lives in
classrooms, libraries and laboratories of their schools.
Women and children, first M Ismail Khan Women and children comprised the majority of those who died and were injured in the killer earthquake of October 8. Other children and women who survived the ravages have become the main victims of the post-quake suffering. Their fathers, brothers and sons are no longer there to help them out. Wounded and emotionally shattered, they do not have the strength to fight it out to grab a loaf of bread tossed into the crush of a crowd. As such it is critically important that due priority is accorded in providing relief to this weakest and most vulnerable segment of victims. As the calamity unfolded, we watched with horror the disturbing scenes of thousands of school children lying maimed under the debris of fallen roofs. Thousands and perhaps millions more who survived the calamity are badly injured, have lost their father or mother or both. In some parts of Azad Kashmir we have seen images of young girls and boys losing their entire families. Thanks to the frantic rescue efforts of volunteers, army personnel and American Chinooks, several hundred injured children have been airlifted to nearby cities where they are being treated for serious wounds, mainly head injuries and fractures. Thousands more in remote villages are yet to receive even first aid. The World Health Organization fears that their injuries may have already progressed to hypothermia and gangrene, causing another wave of post-quake deaths. This already precarious situation is further exacerbated by storms, rain and the onset of winter, making it all the more difficult for rescue workers and volunteers to access remote villages where thousands of people, mostly injured women and children, are still waiting for medicine, food and shelter. The children who were rescued and are undergoing treatment are expected to recover from physical injuries but their emotional and psychological wounds will take a long time to heal. Terrifying scenes of death and destruction will remain enmeshed in their psyches for a long time to come. It is here that proper care and rehabilitation of an entire generation becomes so important for the peace of the dead ones and well-being of the surviving communities. Offers to adopt unclaimed children are pouring in from many individuals and organisations. Some religio-political parties are also eyeing prospects of new enrolment in seminaries. The government has done the right thing by banning adoptions unless the whereabouts of the children's parents and close relatives can be determined and their consent sought. The government has also made it clear that the state is responsible for the upbringing of orphans, that they will not be handed over to religious parties or non-government organisations. Let us hope that the president's rehabilitation initiative will be able to manage this key contentious humanitarian issue. Women outnumbered men in terms of the dead in all major earthquake-hit areas. This perhaps has to do with social norms and the traditional roles in our country. When disaster struck, tens of thousands of women must have been tidying houses, looking after infants or resting after sending kids to school, giving them no time to react. In certain areas of the NWFP, women would have never fled to the relative safety of streets in any case, despite the violent shaking of buildings and concrete walls tumbling down and trapping them inside. On the other hand, women living in mud houses in isolated villages and towns had better chances of surviving the onslaught of mud and tin roofs falling over them. But then their near and dear ones in schools, hospitals and hotels never came back. They had to endure their injuries all by themselves, console their children and try keeping them alive until the relief arrived, often losing out on the battle. However, the real battle for these women will begin when they get well and walk out of the hospitals. Many of them have nowhere to go. With their houses razed and families killed, how will they manage to get on with life without the security of boundary walls and protective husbands, fathers, brothers and sons? They are not the sort who can go out and earn a livelihood for themselves and their children -- they simply do have the education and skills to do so. Thus far all material needs had been served by the male head of the family. Today, many of these women have nobody to rely on, no one who can look after them. Worse still, many need to undergo amputation. It can only be hoped that the government and religious organizations will come forward to help these tormented and vulnerable souls. It is gratifying to see that the terrible devastation wrought by the earthquake has brought out the best in Pakistani society. From Karachi to Peshawar, men and women, old and young, have come out to help the victims in some way or the other. Phenomenal amounts of relief goods have been collected, donations raised and volunteers mobilised. Culturally, the people of Pakistan have always been sensitive to issues confronting women and children, and one hopes we will manage to sustain the noble spirit once Ramadan is over and the television cameras leave the area. We must continue to help rebuild these shattered lives. Nonetheless,
when rescue and relief operations are over and the long-term
rehabilitation phase commences, we must safeguard the women
who have no influential male voice to fight for their rightful
share. They have already withstood one disaster. The president's
reconstruction initiative should take into account the peculiar
socio-economic needs and concerns of affected women and children,
so that their rights are not looted, like the truckloads of
relief goods, by insensitive and self-centred men.
Glimpse into a nation's soul Kamila Hyat The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor The earthquake that demolished towns, villages and hamlets across Azad Kashmir and other northern areas, has also provided an almost unique glimpse in to the very soul of the nation. The window opened up offers sights that say a great deal about the nature of both State and society today. Through the same window can be seen many truths about how we interpret history and perceive relations with other countries around the world. In the first place, it is quite obvious, given the scale of the disaster, that tackling it is a truly mammoth task. It is one that lies far beyond the capacity of any government and possibly any military anywhere in the world. As such, while there is no doubt that crazed chaos has persisted now for days and into weeks, it must be noted that it is easy to criticize; very difficult to actually streamline operations, especially given the number of groups and individuals involved at various levels. The fact that management efforts have improved since the initial days is important, and it can only be hoped, more improvements will keep coming. In this aspect, it is also clear that the Pakistan army, for all its limitations in terms of efficiency, training to tackle crises and narrowness of vision, is doing all that it possibly can. In some areas, the efforts of individual officers have been simply outstanding, going far beyond the call of duty. In others this has sadly not been true. Attempts to hide the ugly truths have overshadowed efforts to offer relief. Soldiers posted along many roads, such as the congested, chaotic highway to Mansehra, have seemed apparently clueless as to how to handle the anarchy erupting all around them. Each day, more and more looters mount trucks, hoarders line roadsides in the guise of victims and literally dozens of organizations, their volunteers packed into the shabby tent city that Balakot has been reduced to, all set out in their own directions, often squabbling bitterly amongst themselves and refusing to abide by the kind of centralised command vital in any crisis. The mountains of crates, packages, sacks and bundles of relief goods reaching into the skies of Balakot and Muzzafarabad too say a great deal. The extraordinary efforts of people across the country have been unprecedented. The philanthropic outpourings exceed all expectations. The essential 'good' that lies within so many in the country has been evidenced too in the thousands of volunteers who have taken on work in the most testing of situations. Young doctors, working 24-hour stints without even the most basic equipment, have made truly heroic efforts to save lives against enormous odds. Housewives and college girls have trudged up mountain passes, some dressed in no more than the thin suits they donned in Karachi, to deliver parcels of food. While rationality or discipline has not always prevailed, the good will and genuine distress of people is undoubted. But, the involvement of virtually the entire nation in the effort, and the isolated, uncoordinated endeavours being made as a result, has, sadly, added to the pandemonium that prevails on so many roads and in centres such as Muzzafarabad, Abbotabad, Balakot and now Bagh. And, amidst the pandemonium, tales are being told that reveal the dark side of the nation's soul -- a side that has sadly grown larger over the decades, and has been encouraged to expand due to decades of mis-governance, the callousness of the State and the breakdown in law and order. Looters and hoarders have begun to take increasingly blatant advantage of the situation. People in Azad Kashmir maintain even provincial ministers, apparently unmoved by the sea of human misery stretched out around them, are too involved in this game of profit, using armed guards to commandeer trucks filled with relief goods and divert them to their own warehouses. Reports have started to trickle in of girls and children being abducted from camps, of traffickers moving stealthily among the vulnerable people left literally without any protection. The arms of women are being found hacked off bodies, apparently by those after their gold bangles or other ornaments. Attempts have been made to molest young girls, particularly those left without any surviving male family members. Instances such as these are bound to grow with each day that chaos continues. The dark side of human nature is visible too in virtually every city, as prices of items soar, manufacturers of vital items taking immediate advantage of the situation to cash in on the crisis. But, beyond the television pictures, beyond the stories circulating everywhere, there are also other issues to ponder. The almost uniform perception that the earthquake is the biggest natural disaster in the nation's history, a claim repeated almost daily by the media, by members of government and by numerous commentators, says a great deal about how we perceive history. The fact that Bangladesh, previously East Pakistan, was till 1971 a part of the country has apparently been completely forgotten, effectively erased from memory. While there can be no question the earthquake is an immense calamity, the biggest ever disaster in Pakistan's history took place here -- in 1970 -- with the cyclone that killed at least 350,000 people and affected millions more. It is important to remember this, because the outcome of that disaster and its eventual political repercussions, shaped the nation's political destiny. The deep-lying perception that not enough had been done by the West Pakistan administration to aid victims played a key part in the uprising of popular sentiment that eventually resulted in the birth in 1971 of Bangladesh. Already, it is obvious the earthquake and its aftermath will have an impact on the politics of Kashmir. The deep anger being expressed by people there against a government that they believe, did too little, and acted too late, has key significance for the future. Adversity can also, of course, build deep bonds. The move to open the Line of Control (LoC), allowing divided Kashmiri families to reunite in this time of crisis, is an immensely significant development. The softening, by the Pakistan government, of what seemed initially to be a reluctance to accept Indian aid, and the reports that medicines, vaccinations and other items are to be brought across the border could also build new, and lasting ties between the two countries. But, of course, the future has still to unfold. Efforts to use the present crisis to help ease the Kashmir situation are on at various levels. The steps towards opening the LoC obviously come as a result of hectic lobbying and negotiations in both Islamabad and New Delhi. Perhaps such efforts will succeed despite resistance on both sides, spurred on by the will of Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). It is hard for the present to tell what the case may be. In the same way, it is impossible to predict what will happen in the crucial days ahead. Will relief efforts become streamlined enough to prevent the needless loss of lives? Will the master-plan urgently needed, immediately to shelter people already facing the first, bitter winds of winter and in the longer-term to build settlements where the thousands disabled are able to live, and work and earn a livelihood, be chalked out and implemented? These are questions to which only the coming days will provide answers and also throw up further clues as to the nature of governance and society in the State of Pakistan today. 19-10-05 The India factor While we as Pakistanis should be grateful for all international aid, we must not allow anyone to make political capital out of our human tragedy Shireen M Mazari At this time of devastation and tragedy the nation has shown a remarkable spirit of giving and a tremendous sense of gratitude to the international community for providing an ever increasing amount of aid. After all, whatever aid is extended by the international community needs to be appreciated as it is voluntary and reflects a basic humanity that overrides politics and conflicts. In that context, Pakistan has also appreciated the aid sent across by India. Realising the massive scale of the disaster, Pakistan has welcomed aid and assistance from wherever it has been offered. However, it is unfortunate that India has not missed the opportunity to try and score political points even at this time of immense tragedy that has also impacted the territory of Kashmir occupied by the Indian state. It is even more pitiful that some in Pakistan have fallen prey to this Indian game and have been haranguing the state of Pakistan for refusing to accept Indian military personnel and helicopters for rescue operations in AJK. Certain points need to be clarified from the outset. To begin with, the Indian offer of military helicopters with their military crews was made only once when the earthquake struck and this seemed to have been enough to rally round the Indophiles in this country. But they forgot that the quake had also struck Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). If the Indians had an excess capacity of helicopters, why were Kashmiris in IOK lamenting the lack of response from the Indian state and civil society? Given that aid had not reached the remote quake-stricken areas in IOK even after three days of the disaster, why were the available copters not being deployed in that region by the Indian state? Five days after the quake, survivors in areas such as Salamabad, Gundishot and Gawalan had yet to see the face of any assistance -- either from civil society or the Indian government. Reuters quoted farmers like Syed Mukhtar Hussein expressing anger that "the government of India is sending relief to Pakistan and they are not helping us, who they claim are their people." Yasin Malik of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front declared that the disaster "was a golden opportunity for the government of India to show a human face but the government missed the opportunity." Nor is the Kashmiri anger in the occupied territory directed only at the Indian government. A Reuters report, dated October 14, cites Noor Ahmed Baba, head of the Political Science Department at Kashmir University, Srinagar, complaining: "When the tsunami happened, Kashmiris donated money and were involved in the aid effort. But this time we have not seen Indian civil society moving to help Kashmir." The slow response of the Indian state and society in aiding the stricken in IOK drew a sharp comment from Mir Waiz Umar Farooq during a special prayer at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid on Tuesday, October 11. Contrasting the response of Indian civil society to the Gujarat earthquake, he lamented: "It is sad that people have not responded to this great tragedy. This was not expected. When Latur and Bhuj were ravaged, big industrialists stepped forward to help. But no one seems to be coming to our aid." (The Hindu, October 13.) The Indian state's slow response in terms of aid and assistance to the Kashmiris living under its occupation has also resulted in a public litigation filed in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in which the petitioners have also alleged that the injured were being charged an ambulance fee of between Rs 300 and Rs 1,500 for shifting them to Srinagar hospitals, adding that the government had made no attempt to send aid beyond Tangdhar. So where is the excess capacity of the Indian military in terms of the helicopters that they apparently want to sent to AJK? Worse still, a week after the quake, according to Reuters, UNICEF was still waiting for permission to enter IOK and set up its relief efforts -- unlike in AJK where it is in the forefront of relief work. Clearly the Indian 'offer' of helicopters was more of a point-scoring move, given its own situation in Occupied Kashmir. But there was a more devious purpose as well, in case Pakistan had succumbed to the Indian game plan. Any Indian military personnel given access to AJK would not only have seen the lay of the land but also the military situation relating to the Pakistan Army -- including the damage in lives and material. In contrast, the Indian media has been given access to AJK with NDTV moving in almost immediately. Would India allow similar access in IOK to Pakistani media teams? So far that has not happened, but if UNICEF is finding it hard to get into IOK with relief, certain rational conclusions can be drawn regarding Pakistan's media presence. Indian intent regarding the extent it is prepared to go to in aiding relief efforts can be assessed from the Indian conditional permission to allow Pakistani copters to fly in the one-kilometre-wide "peacetime no-fly zone" over the LOC. Given how the Indians feel it quite proper for us to allow their military presence in AJK, why has the Indian government been so niggardly in granting permission to Pakistan to fly over this zone only on a case-by-case basis? What possible threat would India have faced if it had given this permission unconditionally, so that time would not be wasted in having the DGMO on the Pakistani side of the LOC first contacting his Indian counterpart every time a Pakistani rescue helicopter had to enter this zone? So it is time the Indophiles in Pakistan woke to the reality of the Indian state's mindset. Unfortunately, the India factor is impacting more than just the helicopter debate. The strong Indian influence over the BBC is evident not only in the time given to discussion on the helicopter issue, but also in the fact that while reports on the quake from India are being handled by an Indian BBC stringer, for reports from AJK and Pakistan the Pakistani representative of the BBC was obviously seen as suspect and so we have had BBC reporters descend on us from London itself. As a result the Pakistani face of the BBC is barely visible on the screen. But the real
absurdity is the BBC Urdu Service on the radio. Seemingly
full of Indian-origin interviewers, they have been conducting
pre-interview interviews to ascertain who can be critical
enough of the Pakistani state so that his/her voice can be
broadcast. I witnessed one such event where in the pre-interview
interview the interviewer desperately tried to make a doctor
declare that the Pakistani state had failed and the hospitals
were neglecting the injured and so on. When that did not work
the interview was simply cut off! So much for the BBC's credibility.
So while we as Pakistanis must be grateful for all international
aid, including that from our neighbours, we must not allow
anyone to make political capital out of our human tragedy. The long
haul Shakir Husain The display of emotion, generosity, and national unity by the people of Pakistan has been overwhelming. People all over the country have been giving whatever they can monetarily and materially to help with the relief effort. However, there is some skepticism especially from overseas Pakistanis who have given large amounts during previous disasters. I have received countless emails from people within and outside Pakistan who have questioned the mechanism for disbursing the aid. As we all know the Government of Pakistan has a serious credibility problem in light of our ranking on the Transparency International Corruption Index. The setting up of the National Relief Commission under the Relief Czar Major General Farooq Ahmad Khan is a step in the right direction, but the Government needs to look at the long haul to alleviate any mismanagement of funds and to stop any whispers before they damage the credibility of a relief effort which has been supported wholeheartedly by the people of this nation. One of the immediate steps that should be taken is to bring on board this Commission people like Sattar Edhi, Dr Adeeb Rizvi, a representative of the Agha Khan Foundation -- people who have a long history of public service and have high credibility across the board with the people. Politicians with untainted reputations -- though they are few and far between -- should be asked to serve on this Commission to keep things in check especially when it comes to awarding contracts. Businessmen who have been involved with philanthropy in organizations like the Citizens Foundation should also be on this Commission. Not only are they in the business of doing business but they'd be able to point out any discrepancy before any bureaucrat or Army officer and accountants should have a heavy presence. The name that I'd personally like to see on this Commission is that of General Amjad. A fine officer who was the first chief of NAB is known across the land for his respect for the law and high principles. His presence along with other independent professionals of unquestionable integrity will surely instil a lot of confidence among donors and private citizens who have been so generous. For anyone who is under the illusion that this initial round of giving is going to be enough, should think again. The reconstruction of the affected areas could take up to five years, and the rebuilding of broken lives could take even more time. With the onset of winter, people high up in the hills are going to have no choice but to come down to Pakistan's already bursting cities which are already finding it hard to deal with the population explosion. Islamabad already looks like a different city with refugees from the Northern Areas arriving for medical assistance, shelter and jobs. And it's going to get a lot worse. The Government's plan to create a tent city might be the most obvious but they should look at what happened to the Afghan Refugee camps after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. One of the things which should be done is to create smaller camps near the industrial areas across the country rather than concentrating the displaced populations in one place. The industrial areas will be a source of jobs and income to these families, and the Government should also look at setting up hospitals, schools, and sanitation facilities in these areas to support the population. Looking at the "katchi" abadis across Pakistan, the Government has not been able to provide these basic amenities to these abadis and these services are provided by NGOs rather than the State. Police forces across the Nation should also brace themselves for rising crime as people get more desperate to earn a livelihood. It's going to be a long and tough haul for everyone and if it isn't planned right we could have the multiplier effect kick in. I don't know who said it but they were spot on when they said, "show me a great fortune and I'll show you a great crime." This earthquake is no different. While I've been blown away by the generosity and spirit of the Pakistani people in the aftermath of this disaster, I've been equally disgusted by opportunism that some have shown. A friend just paid Rs 56,000 to get a 20 tonne truck from Rawalpindi to Manshera. Blankets were being sold for Rs 5,000 rupees in Rawalpindi Saddar. Who are these sick animals who are making this kind of money and why are they being allowed to do so? My father reminded me of the demand and supply principle but somehow logic doesn't help me digest this kind of racketeering. In the coming months the Government will have to examine the response and learn some lessons and I do hope petty egos are put aside and lessons are learnt about disaster management and how to prepare for them. I would like
to offer some more free advice and ask the leaders of this
nation to bring in specialists from abroad. Not having dealt
with a disaster of this proportion before, there is no one
in the Government who can claim to be a disaster relief management
specialist especially in a country where institutions are
crumbling. The Government of Pakistan would be wise to hire
specialists from countries where they have extensive experience
in disaster relief. When I say hire I mean hire and not bring
along short term consultants who will do nothing more than
churn out meaningless reports. The time has come for this
country to look at long term planning rather than living from
day to day.
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