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Why Doesn't the World Care?
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by rumana husain | August 19, 2010 at 11:19 pm
229 views | 12 Recommendations | 6 comments
A well-written, pertinent 'argument' by Mosharraf Zaidi about the immediate response to the devastating floods in Pakistan, and their long-lasting impact on the country.
The 2010 floods, however, are a game-changer. The country will not and cannot ever be the same. The loss of life, disease, poverty, and human misery themselves are going to take years to overcome. But the costs of desilting, cleaning up, and reconstructing Pakistan's most fertile and potent highways, canals, and waterworks will be exhausting just to calculate. The actual task of building back this critical infrastructure is a challenge of unprecedented proportions.
Last week, I visited a relatively well-to-do village called Pashtun Ghari in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pashtun Ghari is right off the historic Grand Trunk Road, and less than two miles from the river. Flood victims there did not feel abandoned by authorities, indeed they were quite satisfied with how they had been taken care of. Still, there was inconsolable despair among residents. Why? The town's entire livestock population, some 2,300 cows, had perished beneath waters that stood more than 10 feet high in the first wave of flooding.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 07:52 on August 20th, 2010
I think that it is arrogant to assume "the world does not care." Many countries have mounted a relief effort. Part of the problem is that the region and many of its people have been hostile to outsiders for a long time. It is hard to help people who harbor terrorists, for instance.
at 09:37 on August 20th, 2010
I just saw a report on this subject and it appears that one of the reasons why aid is slow in coming is because contributors don't trust the President. Sources from Islamic countries are contributing and that is a good thing.
at 10:08 on August 20th, 2010
And Pakistan's long time border "enemy" India has pledged 5 million. Good for India.
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nosferatu.hg (not verified)at 12:10 on September 19th, 2010
Actually India has pledged $ 25 million, which Pakistan was too embarassed to accept and it asked India to route the money through the UN .... so that it looks like the UN is giving the money and not India. At a time when the same floods have devastated northern India too, although that news is completely overshadowed Quite a big change from the last time when India sent blankets, tents, clothes to the victims of Pakistani earthquake and Pakistani authorities made sure that the MADE IN INDIA labels were removed before the aid reached the Pakistani people.I HATE my govt.
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David R (not verified)at 23:56 on September 18th, 2010
i think most of the people are making the mistake of putting the government,terrorists and the civilians into one category.i am an indian and while growing up in india ,i had made the same mistake. but since the last several years,after having stayed outside india and having interacted with many ordinary pakistanis,i realised the mistake i had made.in fact,i can tell you that they are some of the warmest people i have met.and - they are equally upset with their government and terrorists.of course ,there are bad ones ,too.but there are bad ones in every community. so ,i would request you all not to club everybody together and instead see if you could pitch in something atleast, for those unfortunate people.as one of the readers mentioned,ur money can be given to any trustworthy organization to make sure that it reaches the right people.
at 21:47 on October 23rd, 2010
hard to care when Pakistanis make it plain they hate us, US, Christians, Hindus, etc., and deny help to them.
hard to care forever for those who hate us when they get our aid. when they help to kill anyone for any reason, and explain it away as cultural, religious, whatever.
hard to care when the aid sent is disguised as coming from somewhere else. and you don't know it.
Hard to care when Mubarek gets the press and whines about fairy tales. and you all 'buy it' lock, stock and barrel.
First the earthquake, now the flood, but the worst disaster is your own country's Talliban, that you try to blame on US.