Flood of Misery

I have virtually gone underground for a month or so, due to health concerns, which don't seem to ease up as I blog this.

Nevertheless, I thought to share my thoughts over the last few happening and deadly weeks in the context of the calamity in Pakistan that has proved worse than Haiti earthquake, the Boxing Day tsunami, and the 2005 Pakistan earthquake put together, and has left some 30m people affected, destroyed crops worth $1b, with the economy recording a $25m loss of output daily. Unofficial estimates put the rehabilitation costs at a staggering $51b, which is set to increase as another round of bad weather hits the region later this week.

For starters, the nation has virtually lost its ability to feed itself considering its bread-basket region of Sindh has been greatly affected . Further, "pledges" by various governments, in their best true sense - pledge as they are to remain - largely go unfulfilled as we saw during the Haiti earthquake, that has left the nation crippled. It is time for private donations to stand out, contrastingly India has pledged $5m while private donations alone from Malaysia have totalled $15m.


President Zardari has always been under the weather, ever so since the recent untimely visit to the UK, and now France in the coming weeks, while victims and critics at large debate his role, response, and interestingly, his shying away from requesting further aid. Somehow, I feel another shoe would have justified his role as leader which has seen Pakistan battle with frequent power cuts, increasing debt, soaring inflation, and increasing radicalisation in most provinces!