Pakistan in Media

Editorial, The News International,Pakistan
Friday, May 15, 2009
We have begun to see an effort from the government, NGOs and others to persuade people to open their hearts to the people displaced from the northern areas, whose number now exceeds 700,000. Aid centres have indeed been set up in major cities, and students, young doctors and other groups have begun collecting goods to send up to camps or to families hosting IDPs. The effort will no doubt expand over the coming days. Philanthropy is a well-established trait among citizens and many are anxious to give. Some indeed have already been travelling to camps to see what help they can offer on the ground. But in all this there is also a need to exercise sensitivity. Reports say that among the items sent to the IDPs have been old, quite obviously dirty and in some cases badly damaged clothes. These have been cast aside with considerable anger. The people forced out of their homes are after all not beggars. Most have lived in dignity, even if their earnings are limited, for most of their lives. They need now too to be treated with respect. Pride is the one thing they still retain. It must not be snatched away from them through insensitivity or a desire to show off how much is being given away. This too was a factor we saw up close following the 2005 quake, with many – individuals and organizations alike – seeking to claim credit for what they sent, rather than to do so silently – in the true spirit of giving.

Other steps too need to be taken. The stage has come where needs should be ascertained so that goods that are most urgently needed can be dispatched. The services of female doctors are too urgently needed as are summer clothes, supplies of flour and milk for children. The experience from 2005 must be put to good use now. The relief effort must be expanded. But it must also be organized so that the people it is intended to help truly benefit and we do not see huge wastages of goods and of effort.