FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

As an inquisitive hack I would often wonder at the growing number of Pajeros and Land Cruisers bearing Azad Kashmir number plates on the roads of Islamabad.
But now that scores of schools and government buildings have crumbled under the impact of Saturday earthquake I tend to find a link between the four-wheelers and the poor construction of government buildings in that area. Will somebody ask who supervised the construction of these structures and who made the payments? Only time would tell. But one thing one must not forget: Those who forget their past have no future. Nature is, indeed, merciless but we happen to be its collaborators.
As expected, the National Assembly on Tuesday adopted unanimously a resolution expressing solidarity with the suffering of the quake-hit people. Given our legislators' usual nonchalance about issues that confront the people there were a few speeches before the resolution was passed. And, as agreed before the House met the members who spoke generally skirted the controversial issues and talked of generalities of the tragedy and what should be done now. The first to speak was PPPP's Aitzaz Ahsan.
Tragedy, he said, was so overwhelming that it brooked no talk of politics. Yet he would like to offer a few suggestions to those who are in charge of the programme to meet the challenging aftermath of the killer quake. This is just the beginning. "Muzaffarabad, Balakot, Rawalakot--these places have just vanished from the face of the earth. Wait for their residents. They will come to knock our doors... They are hungry they will waylay the aid caravans. This is just the front-end of the tragedy".
He said he was sad that the government had turned Indian offer of helicopters, and asked: "Do you think the Indians would act as spies? And, where are the Saudis' helicopters and of those who you expected would be here as quickly as you were in offering your co-operation in fighting terrorism. Pakistan needs four to five hundred helicopters to reach the hapless millions tucked in the distant mountains. If the Britidsh team could be here within hours of the earthquake what the Ummah leaders are waiting for?" he asked.
Aitzaz proposed that the Saarc countries should set up own crisis management system. Another suggestion he made was that as many tents as possible be sent to the affected people so that they could live near their homes and keep their relationship with their land. He said people would have to be trained, as in China, to confront disasters with their own tools instead of waiting for help to arrive from elsewhere.
He said he hoped that all affected structures would be inspected and if found that someone had undermined the quality of work or material he should be severely punished. He also proposed that development funds of members, amounting to about Rs 4 billion, be diverted to the affected areas.
Aitzaz, who appeared to be very well prepared for this speech, informed the House that the epicentre of earthquakes that were striking in the Karakrum and northern Afghanistan has shifted to Balakot-Manshera area which would mean that Pakistan is expected to experience such jolts more often. "We need to devise new strategies to save our people."
Next speaker, Health Minister Naseer Khan, updated the House on relief operation. He admired opposition's cooperative sentiments but questioned Aitzaz Ahsan's thesis that what Pakistan at present needed most were helicopters. "Critical thing is the road," he said, adding that the first priority was to look after the injured.
Hafiz Hussain Ahmad of MMA highlighted the highly motivated spirit of the people of Pakistan in confronting the tragedy, juxtaposing it with the Katrina and Rita hurricanes, which exposed the hollowness of the value system of a super power. But he was not prepared to accept government's claim that the earthquake tragedy has led to national cohesion, charging that a helicopter was refused to the chief minister of NWFP.
Treasury member Farooq Amjid Mir, who often surprises the House by his independent mind and bold observations, said the reconstruction in the affected areas must be done before winter sets in about two months. "Is this curse of earthquake not the result of rampant corruption that stigmatized the recently held local government elections?" he asked. Naheed Khan, Gul Rahman and Mehnaz Rafi were other speakers before the resolution was adopted. The House will now meet on Friday morning.