There are not many days when I open up the DAWN News website (a Pakistan based media conglomerate) and find news about my home country Pakistan that is reassuring or indicative of a prosperous future. Those days are in fact so minimal that the joy that they are received with somehow always manages to outweigh the actual value of the good news. In similar fashion when I hear about the deaths of a large number of people in Pakistan, I am ashamed to admit that it does not have the just emotional impact that such travesties should. I feel exhausted, Pakistanis feel exhausted and I am sure all those who are aware of the plights of Pakistan do as well.
Within the past seven days alone, a commercial airplane crashed near the capital city of Islamabad leaving every single person on the plane dead. Within a few days the public assassination of Raza Haider, a senior leader of an influential political party and an elected representative of the province of Sindh, took place. As a result of this assassination, widespread panic completely shut down Karachi, a major commercial hub for Pakistan, with cars and buildings being burnt, random gun shots being fired, and at least 54 people killed. As it so happens, as I write this piece, Sifwat Ghayur, the Chief of the Frontier Constabulary just got assassinated. Moreover, while I was simply sending this in to be edited, a mosque in Karachi just had a grenade thrown inside killing 22 people. As you can see, the country is in absolute turmoil at this point and the people feel entirely helpless. I in fact feel extremely bereft at this point; in the time it has taking me to even write this article some astonishingly appalling acts have occurred all over my country and I do feel thoroughly helpless against these random, senseless acts of violence occurring almost every day.
However, we cannot let these atrocities detract attention from areas where the international community and Pakistanis can in fact help, where we can in fact uphold a positive influence in the lives of people. The recent monsoon rains have resulted in catastrophic floods, displacing more than 3 million people (twice the population of Montreal) and taken the lives of over 1,500 people in the Northwest regions of the country.
There have been pledges of assistance made by countries around the world, however, these pledges fall incredibly short of the actual help needed. The reality is the monsoon season is far from over, and in the coming days more areas in Pakistan are facing the threat of floods. UNICEF has called out for aid efforts to increase, emphasising the need for clean water, nutrition, vaccinations and sanitation. The WHO has called these the worst floods that have hit Pakistan in history with an increasing number of casualties, immense damage to healthcare facilities (39 of which have been destroyed), and with a high risk of imminent waterborne diseases. The WFP and MSF are also increasing their efforts as they recognise the immense hardships Pakistan is facing right now and will be facing in the coming weeks with the outbreak of malnutrition and disease. Among the widespread societal concerns in the Northwest are the individual accounts. One eye witness, Alamzeb reported to the BBC and his account goes as follows:
We never thought the waters would rise so high. I was away at my aunt's house in the Nowshera Cantonment area. When the waters overflowed the river, I got worried. My relatives said to wait until the tide ebbs, but it kept rising, and soon it was clear that my part of the city had drowned. My mother died. She was old and diabetic and couldn't climb to the third floor of the house to avoid drowning. My younger brother, who is only 12, tried to drag her up. She was washed away. We haven't found her body. My brother is traumatised.
Several reports record other tragic incidences.
The question in every cynic’s mind is could this have been avoided? Perhaps it could have been. Perhaps the infrastructure could have been better developed. Perhaps the meteorological department could have warned the people well in advance of a disaster of this magnitude. Perhaps the government should be doing more. I urge you, however, to be realistic about the ground realities of Pakistan. Our president is out masquerading in Europe. Our government has been ranked as one of the most corrupt in the world. For further consideration, the majority of the people affected face severe economic hardships – during any consideration they are the marginalised, during an election or rally they are the manipulated, and during the development of their community they are ignored. Again, 3 million people were displaced from the same region not even a year ago (of which a million had still not found a way back to resettle). Now the same people are facing these catastrophic floods. They absolutely need our help.
This is a cause for immense concern and I urge everyone, not just every Pakistani, to unite and help out a country in desperate need for your attention, your action and your awareness. Can you imagine a week such as this happening around you, in Canada or the United States? We are talking about people who lost their homes, lost families, are vulnerable to serious diseases, and are thirsty, hungry and in dire need of immediate support. Three million people are in question. Everyone in need in this world deserves the attention of those without. Three million people and counting.
We have set up a team in Montreal to raise funds for the victims and the money we raise will primarily be contributing to the work of the Nur Foundation (who provide primary health care, clean water, and relief items) and the Sungi Development Foundation (who provide food packages, health, and nutrition packages). There are going to be a large variety of events that will take place in the coming months and our efforts will not wane. We urge you to also take action, help, and donate to the organisations who are helping the victims as best as they can and do your part not simply because you can, but because you must.
Donations at Nur Foundation at http://www.nurfoundation.org
Donations at Sungi Development Foundation at http://www.sungi.org
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