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http://pakobserver.net/200604/08/Articles02.asp?txt=
Politicising%20earthquake%20by%20ICG
Politicising earthquake by ICG
Muhammad Munir
International Crises Group (ICG) has recently published an Asia Brief No 46 entitled Pakistan: Political Impact of the Earthquake. This was really shocking to me while going through the main contents of this biased report. The views in many ways are based on misperception or to create misperception. It is aimed at politicizing the earthquake relief work to fulfil some vested interests. It seems to be an effort to demoralize entire nation specially those who remained involved in relief work. It is an unprofessional approach to depict that nothing positive has been done in the post-quake rescue and relief work. A purely humanitarian issue has been dragged into politics. The brief focuses on issues relating role of arms forces in rescue and rehabilitation, problems in the execution of emergency plan and involvement of Jehadi groups in relief work. Firstly the contribution of Pakistan Army in rescue and relief has been projected in a negative way stating that after the earthquake of 8 October countless lives were lost because of military ‘s ineffective response. Secondly it blamed the Pakistan’s Government for ill-planed and poorly executed emergency response to the earthquake. Thirdly it criticized the Government for allowing dominant role of the Jehadi groups in the earthquake-affected areas. In the end, it recommends that in preparing rehabilitation and reconstruction plan, international actors and Pakistan Government should work with secular humanitarian partners in Pakistan’s NGO sector and the participation of Jehadi groups in the earthquake work should be banned.
After reading this report my own interpretation is that the ICG team has neither visited the earthquake-affected areas nor have talked to the victim families in order to ascertain the truth. My opinion about the academics and intellectuals is that they are engaged in seeking the truth. If this report is supposed to be a gospel truth then I am glad I am away from the academic pursuits. Why do I make this assertion? I make this assertion on the basis of my actual participation as Volunteer in the work of Al-Mustafa Welfare Society Network Pakistan that emerged as one of the major relief and rehabilitation NGO. It established about 32 camps where about 40,000 earthquake victims were provided shelter, food, health and education. What I have found was that every segment of Pakistani society participated in the relief efforts. We spent days and nights listening to the stories of the victims and try to help them as best as we could do .We have not come across even a single person who has said anything even remotely link to what has been published in the brief. Based on my personal experience and my interaction with other relief organization and workers I can confidently say that the report is extremely biased and appears to have been written to achieve certain vested interests.
There is no doubt that Armed Forces of any country play central role in rescue and relief operations during a natural disaster. On the same principle Pakistan army played a major role in rescue and relief operations because it has the trained human resource, technical skills and organizational network to undertake such tasks. In the past, the Pakistan military has coped with floods, cyclones, heavy rains, earthquakes and law and order situations. Pakistan Army was spread out at 80 key points in the quake zone, its engineers opened vital routes including the one from Abbottabad to Muzaffarabad through lightening overnight efforts, medical teams and relief supplies reached out to people in the remotest areas to provide food and medical treatment to the injured. It is absolutely wrong to say that Army’s response was slow to the calamity. About 50,000 troops of Pakistan Army were moved quickly in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe and they restored communication infrastructure in the difficult mountainous region through round-the-clock work. The Army is doing all it can, and it still remains the biggest force involved in the relief and rescue work. In the absence of any proper civilian body or infrastructure to handle a calamity of such a huge magnitude, only the Pakistan Army is organised enough to respond at short notice. However it might be true that most of these soldiers do not have any formal training to handle a post-earthquake situation and they certainly do not have the proper equipment to find and pull-out the survivors from the rubble but it does not mean that there were some institutional shortcommings.
The response of Pakistan Army was prompt and positive. The selflessness and dedication of all officers, men, engineers, doctors and aviation pilots of the Pakistan Army who were committed to providing relief to quake victims has been appreciated the world over. The Army played an important role in collecting data of the victims. Pakistan Army evacuated 80,000 people from earthquake affected areas and has rescued 400 people from a top of 7000 feet High Mountain in Mansehra. President Musharraf’s address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on the subject of “Leadership in the wake of Natural Disasters” held on 26 January 2006, bespoke of the world community’s recognition of the country’s efficient response to the calamity. President Bush during his recent visit to Pakistan while appreciating various relief efforts stated that Pakistan Army has took the lead in the rescue and relief work. Pakistan Army has also earned fame for themselves and also for the nation because of its dedicated and professionally skilful service in UN peace-keeping at Congo, Chechnya, Sri Leone, Somalia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Bosnia, Haiti, etc.
Another concern, which has been raised in the ICG Asia Brief, is about the dominant role of Islamic relief NGOs and some Jehadi groups in the relief work .By highlighting this aspect an impression has been given, as the secular NGOs could not play a significant role. But this is not true. All segments of Pakistani society religious or secular have played a significant role. In order to save the humanity during an emergency a joint action by all segments of society is highly desirable motive for disaster mitigation, any segregation on the basis of Islamic or secular would be harmful for the very noble cause of serving humanity. There was a total harmony among various organizations either they were Islamic or Secular. Any one who wanted to work, had worked, all the organizations either secular or Islamic participated in the relief work. Government did not give any preference on the basis of secular or Islamic or Jehadi, any one who wished to work there was no hindrance. It would be great irony if we analyze the situation in the way that even we call the relief NGOs, as Jihadi. It is strange. Every section of society has the right and obligation to contribute their share in rehabilitation and reconstruction work. If Pakistan can take help from India and US/ NATO forces then why not the Islamic relief NGOs and Jehadi groups as this way these groups can be brought in the main stream. We should not spoil the spirit of all who contributed positively in the relief Work. Let’s don’t politicize the relief and reconstruction work. There could be some other problems with the implementation of the reconstruction and rehabilitation plan that must be discussed in their true perspective. But this is not true to say that secular minded NGOs were not engaged in the work, there are many, which are contributing.
The writer works for Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)