The PTI may have converged in Islamabad to bring down the government but in doing has shown why it is not fit to rule either. As heavy rains lashed Peshawar, killing 12 people and injuring 80 others, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and his entire cabinet was resting comfortably in the KP House in Islamabad. Not only had the leaders abandoned the province in a time of great need, they also left the other marchers to suffer through the rain on the streets of the capital. This should be the Marie Antoinette moment that exposes the PTI as an elitist, out-of-touch party that is so occupied with its lust for power that it has forgotten to serve the people who elected it. The party wants fresh elections and believes it will be given a mandate to rule but the deaths in the rain exposed not only the complete lack of interest shown by the PTI towards the suffering of the province’s residents, it also shows that the party has achieved little in the one year it had to rule. Nothing has been done to build storm-water drains so that there is minimal flooding; crumbling buildings were collapsing and exposed electricity wires became a hazard to the population. These deaths were entirely preventable and the blame for them should be placed squarely on the province’s rulers.
It is the poorest sections of society who are the most prone to falling victim to rain and other calamities. Even nature does not offer equal opportunities. The strong, ornate homes of the rich do not tumble down in the face of winds and rain. This makes it all the more vital that government should work for those unable to help themselves. The party leadership in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may claim that the rains could not have been predicted, but everyone knows that there are always storms in the summer months. The monsoon, after all, comes every year. Preventive measures to spare lives should have been put in place well in advance. For this, the government is required to take the lead by rallying together all concerned organisations and departments, with early warnings issued to people where required. It was highly irresponsible for the chief minister and his cabinet to leave the province when nearly a million IDPs are desperately seeking help. The PTI claimed to oppose the military operation in North Waziristan because of the civilian suffering it would cause and yet has chosen to indulge in a quixotic political drama rather than care for the IDPs. In fact, the party has ceased talking about the operation at all as it focuses exclusively on alleged rigging and bringing down the government. The PTI has shown itself to be no different to any other party. It wants power for its own sake and not to help the most vulnerable or needy in society. Come shine – or especially rain – the PTI is nowhere to be found. Perhaps the CM of the province should consider returning from the federal capital and the gathering there to examine the true needs of people in his own home province.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Pakistan: As PTI ‘stormed’ the capital
The PTI may have converged in Islamabad to bring down the government but in doing has shown why it is not fit to rule either. As heavy rains lashed Peshawar, killing 12 people and injuring 80 others, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and his entire cabinet was resting comfortably in the KP House in Islamabad. Not only had the leaders abandoned the province in a time of great need, they also left the other marchers to suffer through the rain on the streets of the capital. This should be the Marie Antoinette moment that exposes the PTI as an elitist, out-of-touch party that is so occupied with its lust for power that it has forgotten to serve the people who elected it. The party wants fresh elections and believes it will be given a mandate to rule but the deaths in the rain exposed not only the complete lack of interest shown by the PTI towards the suffering of the province’s residents, it also shows that the party has achieved little in the one year it had to rule. Nothing has been done to build storm-water drains so that there is minimal flooding; crumbling buildings were collapsing and exposed electricity wires became a hazard to the population. These deaths were entirely preventable and the blame for them should be placed squarely on the province’s rulers.
It is the poorest sections of society who are the most prone to falling victim to rain and other calamities. Even nature does not offer equal opportunities. The strong, ornate homes of the rich do not tumble down in the face of winds and rain. This makes it all the more vital that government should work for those unable to help themselves. The party leadership in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may claim that the rains could not have been predicted, but everyone knows that there are always storms in the summer months. The monsoon, after all, comes every year. Preventive measures to spare lives should have been put in place well in advance. For this, the government is required to take the lead by rallying together all concerned organisations and departments, with early warnings issued to people where required. It was highly irresponsible for the chief minister and his cabinet to leave the province when nearly a million IDPs are desperately seeking help. The PTI claimed to oppose the military operation in North Waziristan because of the civilian suffering it would cause and yet has chosen to indulge in a quixotic political drama rather than care for the IDPs. In fact, the party has ceased talking about the operation at all as it focuses exclusively on alleged rigging and bringing down the government. The PTI has shown itself to be no different to any other party. It wants power for its own sake and not to help the most vulnerable or needy in society. Come shine – or especially rain – the PTI is nowhere to be found. Perhaps the CM of the province should consider returning from the federal capital and the gathering there to examine the true needs of people in his own home province.
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