Glimpse into a nation's soul
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.
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.
posted by Ash at 5:29 AM
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