HASAN AGA
A disheveled man stands in front of what used to be his home. (PHOTO BY HASAN AGA)
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 2023, pp. 44-46
Special Report
By Hasan Aga
AS THE MONSOON clouds congregated over Pakistan, people barely batted an eyelid. A country born out of conflict has grown accustomed to being tested in various ways and often without warning.
Pakistanis are enduring a plummeting economy, skyrocketing inflation and serious political upheaval with the popular Prime Minister Imran Khan having been ousted in a controversial move in April 2022. So when the skies turned grey and the clouds rained down mercilessly, the Pakistanis just took it in stride. But as the days went by and the rain failed to relent, the water levels rose and the battle-hardened Pakistanis knew what was coming. Neglected infrastructure eventually relented and people, homes and everything in between were washed away in another blow to an exhausted society.
Pakistan is no stranger to natural disasters. The 2005 earthquake took almost 80,000 lives, and the floods of 2010, 2011 and 2012 devastated the country; thousands lost their lives, and damages were estimated at $16 billion. According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, the death toll from the 2022 floods has reached nearly 1,700, displaced over 33 million and caused economic damages to the tune of $40 billion.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO UNPRECEDENTED FLOODING
Visiting Pakistan in October 2022, I met and spoke with individuals representing various associations who are playing an active role in the flood relief and who spoke on condition of anonymity.
I asked district-level government official Junaid Khan* about the government’s strategy to address the country’s most recent aquatic disaster and its rate of progress.
“I would say if we break it down into three phases—immediate response, relief work and rehabilitation—we are into the last one. I would say we are currently at 60-70 percent completion. We have faced a number of challenges, such as getting people back into their homes where the water has receded, helping rebuild these homes, stopping waterborne diseases and getting general life back on track. Then we have to implement permanent changes before the next disaster, and that is what would bring the process up to 100 percent,” Khan said.
Earlier in the relief effort, he said, their responsibilities included settling internally displaced persons (IDPs) in makeshift and established tent sites, ensuring education isn’t disrupted, tending to sick and injured residents and vulnerable livestock and creating medical camps.
“More recently the flood has ended and water is standing still, so we have focused on ration packs and hygiene kits, nonfood items, setting up water filtration systems and dewatering the flooded areas so people can go back.”
Did he feel the government’s response where he was working—the north western provinces of Pakistan—has been adequate?
“Within the government, the usual limitations have remained: a lack of manpower and the need for more resources. Most flooded areas have flooded every 10-12 years with smaller floods in between. The weather and climate patterns here are well-established and people did prepare for them.
“Reforms the government took after the 2010 floods, such as modifying irrigation channels or building embankments, were probably not enough. But on the whole, the government responded fairly well. On the provincial and federal levels, a lot has been done to structure relief efforts and give working capital to district commissioners, which has helped in mitigating some issues.”
That is a fair and modest response: acknowledging room for improvement while conveying a belief that the government was there for its people in their time of need.
“THE GOVERNMENT CAN DO MORE”
A relief worker walks through the rubble. (PHOTO BY HASAN AGA)
Pakistan is home to a large contingent of local and international NGOs who specialize in a broad range of social issues. Often in developing countries, concerns are raised that charitable funds go missing, never quite reaching the intended recipients, or are misused. Well-intentioned donors have expressed a need for accountability to ensure that donations reach those in need.
One such Karachi-based organization, Sindh Charitable Trust (SCT)*, was started at the turn of the millennium. Operated with efficiency, it consists of a handful of board members responsible for raising and providing funds, an accountant, and one man on the ground who does it all—Iftikhar Abbasi.*
Abbasi has been with SCT for the past 17 years, organizing and executing all relief operations for every disaster which has taken place in the country over the past two decades. SCT relies solely on Abbasi’s network, experience and volunteers to carry out its action plans. “The people of Pakistan have big hearts,” Abbasi observes. “We have never had an issue in recruiting volunteers who come out in great numbers at a moment’s notice.”
SCT plays a significant and active role in the flood relief; it provides temporary shelters and access to healthcare, distributes essential ration bags and rebuilds homes in affected areas. I asked Abbasi for his opinion on how the government has responded to the country’s latest crisis. He hesitated to comment on the government’s efforts for obvious reasons: as making the wrong enemies in a country like Pakistan can easily be a fatal move.
“When the 2005 earthquake happened, I worked in the affected areas for five years. For two and a half years we worked in Muzaffarabad and the government at that time was giving 25,000 rupees per house. I often observed a team of four people—a local teacher, a patwari (government official who keeps records regarding the ownership of land), an army official and a member of an NGO—go to homes to survey the damage before handing out the payments, which could also go up to 50,000 rupees (roughly $250). At that time, about 95 or 96 percent of people received the money promised; we used to ask people whether they actually received it.”
Abbasi added that people might have received money after the recent monsoon, but since he is not a government worker he has no way of knowing for sure.
“The biggest difference between this time and the 2005 disaster is that the losses people have suffered have not yet been compensated for. Not only were people’s homes and possessions destroyed, but also their livelihoods; the majority of the victims are farmers, and their crops have been washed away and their livestock reduced significantly.”
In Abbasi’s opinion, the government could do more. “All the survivors I have met and helped are so worried. They are concerned about their living conditions and how they will build their homes to take care of their families. They need homes as soon as possible so that they can focus on their work and earning money. These are poor people who do not have much to their names and if they don’t work they don’t earn. They need stability,” Abbasi said.
“This time the government has not responded in a manner commensurate with the scale of the crisis. I haven’t heard it from anyone within my NGO network, nor seen for myself where the government is helping flood victims in a particular area or doing anything extraordinary for them.
“People didn’t get basic facilities such as food and water from the government which they should have received. I’m sure it did contribute to the relief effort, but it hasn’t done anywhere near enough. Maybe the government has not received enough funds, though with funds coming in from around the world I don’t think that is the case. Unfortunately, what is more likely to be the case is that they are receiving funds but those funds aren’t reaching the flood victims.”
It seems to be the country’s worst-kept secret that so-called leaders plot and scheme their way into power to fill their foreign bank accounts before joining the back of the queue for another go. This abuse of power and selfish mentality has infiltrated the society top-down.
“I have heard that the government has received funds but they haven’t yet announced that they will donate money to people, or how they will divide between building them homes and repairing the damage.”
Abbasi seemed pensive when I asked him about government neglect. “It saddens me to say this because I love my country and I don’t want this type of message to be sent out—but I believe that this government has no interest in their people anymore, especially the poor.”
Unfortunately, I understood what he meant by that. My last visit to Pakistan in 2019 brought me nostalgia and optimism. A hopefulness for the future. Even though things were difficult back then, the people’s spirit and resilience shone through during my six-week trip. I left wanting to return sooner than I did and felt that the people of Karachi were unbreakable.
Fast forward to October 2022, and just ten days in the former capital eradicated any sense of hope I once had. The struggle of daily life had reached a new level of chaos. The underlying mood of the public was on a knife edge. It felt like they’ve just had enough. That they have been let down one too many times, and now they are doing whatever they need just to survive. I caught glimpses in markets, businesses and homes of what Abbasi meant when he said the government just doesn’t care.
THE NEED FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
A makeshift tent beside flood water. (PHOTO BY HASAN AGA)
Iftikhar Abbasi’s insinuation that government funds were mismanaged was somewhat confirmed by Khan’s* response when I asked him what he thinks the government can do better moving forward.
“More accountability over spending, more third-party validation and watchdogs, more training for long-term relief work. This is especially needed in ignored areas, such as child and women protection, protection from violence, encouraging psychosocial support. And finally, some evidence that we will fix our water and drainage systems in the long term to minimize loss of life and property damage when this happens again.”
I pressed him further on the very first recommendation, accountability over spending and he said: “It’s not as easily discernible how well each district administration has spent this money, how much is toward long-term change, and how accountable we can hold everyone.”
When I asked Khan how corruption influenced this year’s natural disaster, he pondered the question before confessing it was hard to say. “In the 2005 earthquake and the 2010 floods, a lot of private and state actors made money—as is true everywhere in every crisis. Funds are pilfered and relief trucks burgled. Things go missing. Receipts forged. However, I can say quite a lot of work has been done to try and tackle this. Donors and nonprofits especially have kept us accountable. Nonetheless, more accountability and transparency won’t hurt.”
Pakistan has always been a country with limitless potential. It’s a land blessed with an abundance of natural resources, landscapes of vast range, a culture steeped in tradition and a complex culinary cuisine the people take great pride in. However, as I have found through my travels in many developing countries across Asia, it’s the people who are emblematic of all that is right and wrong with the state.
Having a strong connection with Pakistan and having travelled there often since childhood, it’s been highly frustrating and saddening to witness a country and people of such promise gradually being brought down to its knees. Talented and gifted people who have the ability to excel in all walks of life are held down by a culture of systemic corruption, bribery and nepotism, which has slowly become woven into the fabric of the country. Whereas those at the top do engage in corrupt practices for fortune, the rest do it simply to survive. If Pakistan wants to break this downward spiral, the collective must finally be prioritized over the individual.
Hasan Aga, an avid explorer of foreign cuisines, cultures and history, writes on his travels and work across conflict zones, natural wonders and all places in between.
——————————————————————