Time to act

This refers to the article, 'Three tsunamis for Pakistan' (March 2) by Senator Sherry Rehman. The writer has raised pertinent questions. If the British could build the largest system in the world in Punjab, why can’t the post-colonial governments focus on structural needs instead of irrelevant things? She also says that the British also introduced the railway system and connected all big cities of the country via a rail network. Those who captured power, after the exit of British, neither had the fiscal space nor the capacity to comprehend the complexities of the economy. The senior leaders who fought for freedom from the British could not live long enough to focus on the structural needs of the newly born country. Unfortunately, the political parties that filled the gap were without manifestos for social welfare, uplift of masses, and strengthening the state. These parties did not develop form the grassroots level up but tended to be top-down power structures. Therefore, they were mainly unaware of the issues of the masses.

At some point in time even with the realization that Pakistan would likely face acute water and electricity shortages in the future, our ruling elite failed to complete projects of national importance because of selfish and short-sighted politics. Now when the UN issues severe water scarcity alarm in 2025 in Pakistan, our parliamentarians seem to throw the bucket on their predecessors, instead of devising and executing policies to save the country from converting into a desert. I understand that all parties have different ideologies and these differences are what keep them alive. However, politicians of all parties must realize that there are some things that they all must agree on in the National interest. Our politicians must shun their narrow ethnic political leverages and educate the public to build censuses so that dams can be built before India builds more dams on our water claiming that we waste the water anyway.

Raja Shafaatullah

Islamabad