The use of history is not to lament but to take important decisions that could mitigate disasters - natural and man made. If one were to look at the major disasters and link it to man made actions, one would be not as naïve as one witnesses on the electronic media. Each channel is shouting as if the present Federal and provincial governments were singularly and collectively responsible for what has happened.
Yet the connection goes back some decades and slowly but surely we have eaten into the natural equity that was provided by nature to us. From the highest mountains to the below sea level, sandy deserts were ours to see and to work. We did not work and while Rome burned Nero slept. Only modern Neros were the undemocratic forces. Bloated in the chest and supported by killing weaponry they over-awed the nation with their bravado and stupidities. What they did was to create issues that will take a long time to remove if at all. Let us first see the building of the Marco Polo route or the Silk Route as it is sometimes called. We know that in blasting their way through the mountain ranges, they created and played havoc with the existing fault lines. Many lost their lives. Those that were experts in blowing things, blew them out of proportion.
The Chinese eventually came to help. They built the difficult portion and they built it with some finesse. I was in interaction with them for I used to sell flour to them and we would discuss the basis for the actions and they were of the view that the Mountain ranges contain fault lines and if one were to disturb these fault lines one would have a number of disasters and landslides would be a major factor, but then they also said that these fault lines can be mitigated by sensible interventions.
The mighty Frontier Works Organisation [FWO] is in the habit of using the Indus river as a sink and all the debris from the landslides is thrown into the mighty Indus river to eventually find its way to the Tarbela dam, and over the years, thanks to the FWO the dam has lost 50% of its water storage capacity. The cost to the nation is horrendous and probably it has never crossed pygmy minds. The storage shortages is a major man-made disaster. Similar actions were responsible for the Mangla dam storage shortages; two major dams and two major catastrophes.
While as secretary to the government of Punjab, one raised these issues with the Wapda chairman, but one might as well have talked to the wall as they were more interested to have their own officer promoted whether he knew anything on the subject of management of such catchments. The project was GTZ one and the entire intervention was wasted. One is now reaping the effects of the actions. The development of the Northern Areas is a classical example of stupidity inasmuch as only one ethnic group was developed. That raised human level conflicts. That is an ongoing battle for those left behind, because of parochial reasons, cannot accept the verdict that one sees only one arm and forget the rest.
Lately one visited Chakdara and Malakand. As a student, one remembers hiking through the area. It was peaceful - Musharraf and company was no longer on the scene. The serenity of Dargai and the beauty of the place were extraordinary. The place has changed so much that the man-made situation can leave no doubt in mind that the issues that Musharraf has raised for this country will claim and keep on claiming precious lives. Are they not precious and why did we fight the war of others. Can and could we afford it?
Come to the Attabad lake and the AKRSP' actions of development. Sordid. The lake was the outcome of actions on forestry and other aspects that were undertaken by the NGO that has been lauded for its work and, in fact, has caused man-made disasters and is a continuing source of conflict. The Indus river has been touched so far, but what about the Sulaiman Ranges and the issue that neglect of that area has done.
Chakdara when we saw it was a forested area and yet it has become barren. So is Malakand. How have the assets been divided by the powerful amongst themselves? Well, see how the waters have been taken to irrigate their newly acquired lands in Cholistan and in Thal? It has created an activist group in the area. Come to the current issues of the rivers and the rains. Come to the issues of the engineer's arrogance to build with concrete.
Is a nation, built with concrete? What then are the building blocks of a nation? Is it concrete and or is it the minds of the people. Will Islamabad last? Will these road structures constitute development? Is development then a function of concrete urban development and the use of brick and mortar? The lessons ought to be learnt that the elements of nature are superior to that of any of the man-made structures? All nations have to learn this, developed as well as undeveloped. The oil disaster, the arrogance of the man made structures and the arrogance was made humble by nature and its power below the surface of the waters in the Mexican Gulf. Time and again these lessons were taught to us but the human element is just too narcissist and too egoistic to understand. Then nature steps in and does the rest.
The West is guiltier in bringing about ecological disasters. It has used the international so-called development agencies to its end and to set up its employment structures through creation of that demand. How parochial and how idiotic can one be? As if these countries are the only ones that matter. The rest of the 157-odd developing countries do not matter. Insanity does not prevail for long. The Chinese proverb says it all, "the man with the honey on his lips hides murder in his heart." Why should the West develop us? What good reason? There are no altruistic reasons when it comes to competition between nations. The lifestyle of one is at the expense of the others.
What should Pakistan do? Its policies will have to be shaped by the commonsense of the people of this country, leading to the local knowledge and the local interventions that have to be suitably discussed. Did any one in the country think of the Marco Polo route as the only way out? Did anyone think that China will be able to build a railway connection between Beijing and Lhasa in Tibet? Did anyone think that China will be able to build the massive Three Gorges dam?
So do it yourself? Yes mistakes will be made but the courage of one's conviction and the faith in one self will enable us to tide over even this massive disaster. Worry about failures is unwarranted and unwanted as the rivers and the waters are on fire and these are raging everywhere. The vector of these waters in KP brought havoc; the raging waters have engulfed the districts that were never the subject of this kind of havoc and, therefore, unprepared.
Sindh now faces massive quantum of water. So each areas rebuilding will have to be locally based and with the best of intentions. What one was even more disturbed about was the assets that these people have with them - minimal while most of us are doing things that are not in the manner of decent behaviour?
The reconstruction has to be done. It has to be done by us. It has to be a localised Pakistani action. The work is massive, but it has to be done by us. There is no room for complacency and as some ministries are now entering a phase of suspicion as to what they will get from local donors. It is insulting to the locals who want to support with whatever they can. So get off the high horses and do your bit as best as you can. Suffer some. Suffer for then only can you be sensitised to the needs of the others. The challenges and the opportunities are many and these have to be taken up now.
Can we measure up to the task? Can we hold our heads high later and say that we were there to help? Or shall I only fly the flag and have my egos fly at that level. Remember your smile does not have to conceal a dagger. What else can I say?