Adil Najam
The raging waters may finally be finding their way into the ocean and news of the calamity is beginning to recede from the front pages of the Pakistani newspapers. But the challenges are no less today than they were a month ago; if anything they may even be greater as we begin to grapple the full magnitude of the economic, livelihood and disease costs of what can only be called The Great Flood of 2010.
Realizing that there is still much to be done, in this ATP Poll we wish to get a sense of how some of the key players have been doing in playing their role in the relief and response to this Great Flood (you can choose multiple entries).
We have tried to keep the poll simple by only asking who is doing a good job in their response. In not choosing a particular entry you will signify that they are doing less than what you consider to be a ‘good’ job for that particular actor. We repeat, in this poll you CAN choose as many entries as you wish.
Please note that ‘Pakistani official agencies’ includes all field agencies, including those of the Pakistan military, federal, provincial and local authorities, but this does not include the political leadership at any of those levels – you are welcome to comment on their performance in the comments section. We hope you will also comment in more detail on why you think a particular group has or has not done a good job in your estimation and what you had expected of them.
Most importantly, let us remember that much of what has to be done, remains to be done. Our goal here is not just to evaluate, but also to think about what these actors can do better, any suggestions on that in the comments will also be, therefore, appreciated.
The immediate needs of the flood ravaged families are being met to an extent—-it is the rehabilitation in health, education,and income generation sources for these communities that will require immense effort and funds. NGO’s,civil society,relief groups, and Pakistanis abroad could unite in combining their resources to adopt one village at a time, and help rebuild the futures of these devastated people.
This flood has come at such a low point in Pakistan with everything going wrong that I think the reaction of every actor has been muted. Certainly you see that sense amongst Pakistanis in America
I think it was the Pakistan agencies, which really means Pakistan government, which came out as the heroes. Without any international support they acted well and they acted fast. We should all salute them. And not just the military but also the civilian agencies.
We are usually an ungrateful bunch, but we should really acknowledge this.
I would love to hear from those who think that the international media and public did a good job of responding to this flood to maybe share the reasons why they voted so.
The UN and international relief agencies are my heroes in this crisis. The govt response has been non-existent, army response has been average, Pakistani public has been lacking as well.
Foreign donor govt are also to be commended for providing the UN with funds to help Pakistanis, even though these same Pakistanis frequently call these govt “kafirs” and accuse them of being engaged in global conspiracies against Islam.