According to Radio Australia and ABC Online (Australian TV), a day after being sworn in as the Australian foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, is already abroad, heading for the United States - via Pakistan - where he says the threat of water born diseases from the calamitous floods has to be dealt with urgently. Rudd says Pakistan is a 'slow burn humanitarian disaster, potentially of horrendous proportions'.
During the coming weekend Pakistan will continue to be on Rudd's agenda when he arrives in Washington and then New York for the United Nations general assembly and other high level talks, including a meeting of Pakistan's supporters. Also, in today's news is the statement of Richard Halbrooke, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying that Pakistan's allies will only do so much to rebuild the country after devastating floods so the government must raise tens of billions of dollars for reconstruction itself.
I cannot but admire Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd (who has also remained Australia's prime minister) for his great concern, understanding of Pakistan's situation, sense of urgency, and swiftness of action. I wish we had generals or politicians like that. On September 11, I wrote about the "Loss of Hope" on my blog, which was also reproduced by the Business Recorder a few days later. I got a note of protest from my friend Fauzia Wahab, who is the information secretary of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, admonishing me:
"I disagree with your contention. By writing such articles you are actually encouraging or endorsing this gloom that has taken over the country, mind you it is not over the nation. The nation has withstood this test. They are all helping each other, scores of people are involved in relief work, millions of money is being donated to help the victims. Look at the positive side of the flood. Don't ignore the silver lining. After 15 years drought has ended, rivers are full of waters, not seen by this generation, the under ground water tables have risen, our land will become more fertile. We have to be patient. This shall too pass. Our people know how to handle this matter. Don't spread despair."
Fauzia has been a committed political worker for a long time. And I know she is not an opportunist but the issue is much bigger. So I felt I must respond. Here it is what I wrote:
Dear Fauzia: "You missed the point. The unjust system is coming off the seams. And I said injustice and not hypocrisy is the number one issue. The army or the politicians are not only incompetent but insincere and extremely corrupt. It does not matter what I say ... I am just one person. But mark my words, we are on our way to a collapse. The GHQ and government can only benefit from impartial advice if they care. Both Kayani and Zardari are pygmies who can do no better and look at the slide in the last two years. The rulers can continue the polemics but the history is not the side of the ruling elites. Our soil was fertile, then dried up, and this goes on as we know from the history of floods. But in the bigger scheme of things, it is a minor detail."
The statements of Messrs Rudd and Halbrooke only reinforce what a lot of people have already been saying or feel. While it is true that people at different levels are doing what they can, the danger of underestimating the challenge cannot be overemphasised.
The responsible people in the government should seek suggestions instead of getting angry over criticism. But the response of the Army is what has worried me the most. The corps commanders can meet to discuss the security situation and voice concerns about Kerry-Lugar bill and to prepare for meetings with the US government, the army chief can summon the top mandarins from Islamabad but where is the "strategic response" to this national calamity from the "masters of strategic depth"? What we had so far is a Lilliputian response to potentially a horrendous disaster awaiting a hapless people. The GHQ must not waste any further time. It must stop watching from the sidelines with perhaps a gleeful smile. It must take the initiative but not like what Altaf Hussain suggested.
It should ask the government to:
1. declare a financial emergency as provided in the constitution; and
2. declare floods a national security issue because if this is not what else would be?
3. convene a summit of all top federal and provincial civil and military officials (including the prime minister and chief ministers) to
4. formulate a comprehensive and strategic response to this calamity within two weeks.
The response would have to include:
a. A best possible estimate of all damages.
b. Formation of special emergency task forces (comprising of both civil and military officials) at federal, provincial, and division levels to co-ordinate all relief work and implement the overall strategy. The task force at the federal level should be headed by the finance minister with key federal secretaries, provincial chief secretaries, and representatives of GHQ as members.
c. Emergency measures involving deep cuts in the spending of all, civil and military, expenditure.
d. A supplementary budget containing major tax reforms.
If the politicians, generals, and the civil servants cannot put their heads together now, when would they? What are they waiting for?