Stubbornness, U-turns and irresponsible utterances have been the hallmark of   Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s character. His decision to go ahead with the Long March despite the series of crisis faced by the nation is a fresh case of his stubbornness in point. He is so desperate to grab the power by hook or by crook and has asked his partymen to continue the March despite his inability to lead the March on health ground. Yes, he has asked the Central Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi to lead the March in his absence from Wazirabad. 

The IK has also announced that he will partially attend the March when he his health getters better even if not fully recovered. The time is not suitable for long March as the nation is faced with enormous challenges on social, economic and political front. On the other hand, the security issues have also arisen due to the increased activities by the banned TTP and other militant groups since the Fall of Kabul to Taliban in August last year. Every week we hear of terrorists’ attacks in the country, mainly the KP and Balochistan provinces, where the militants and terrorists are targeting the security personnel. The number of attacks on check posts and attacks on the civilians is rising with the passage of time.

On the other hand, the economic malaise is unprecedented in nature. The recent floods have wreaked with the infrastructure and as such the  IK and his partymen should focus on relief activities instead of Long March.

Meanwhile, the country's food insecurity situation is going to worsen in coming months as standing crops have been damaged and the prices of food items and essentials have also skyrocketed due to the ongoing rain and floods devastations.

 It is very unfortunate that millions of the masses are reeling in real pain and agony in the open sky after floods but the PTI Chief Imran Khan is more concerned about his Long March and is issuing statements from the hospital to continue with the socalled ‘Azadi March’. One wonders why he fails to understand the critical situation. Right now, all the parties and political leaders need to work together to minimize the sufferings of the flood-affected people, who are living under open sky with little to no food available. 

The pictures of improvised tents in flood-affected districts across the country are doing rounds on the social media, with the affected people making hectic appeals for food and shelter and other needs of life, but IK seems to be more interested in political activities than coming to the rescue of the masses. Soon the cold weather will upon us and the government and every political party and leader have the responsibility to collectively help the flood affected people, who are dependent on food, water and other essentials provided by Govt,  philanthropists or non-government organisations. Social media is abuzz with picture of flood affected people chasing trucks distributing food among the victims. 

It is ironic that in such a situation the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is focused on Long March. He should spend the amount allocated for the Long March on the flood victims to set a good precedent. It is ironic that the entire world is concerned about Pakistan’s floods and are contributing their bits for the flood victims but our own leaders like the IK are more concerned about grabbing power by hook or by crook.

That’s why they are holding Long March at this critical juncture of the situation. By doing so he is sending a wrong message to the world as well. One would advise the IK to mobilise his workers and supporters to help the flood affected people before the advent of the cold weather because the extreme weather conditions will multiply the woes of these affected persons. Recently, the UN chief was in Pakistan to see for the devastations caused by floods and one must be thankful to Antonio Guterres in this hour of distress. He was really disturbed to see the agonies of the flood victims who are  reeling under unprecedented impact of the climate change effects that have caused unprecedented floods with water inundating entire localities across the country. 

While the UN chief is making efforts to  pursued the world to extend  generous support for the flood-affectees in the country, Imran Khan seems to be totally indifferent to the woes of the masses. It may be recalled here that the UN Chief has already initiated an appeal  recently seeking aid of  $160 million to help Pakistan's to cope with the aftermaths of the over two months of rains and floods devastations across the country. And one would advise the PTI chief Imran Khan to concentrate on the woes of the flood affected persons instead of holding Long March at times when the nation is faced with unprecedented devastation and catastrophe due to floods.

In fact, the two months long monsoon rains which were abnormal in nature and the subsequent flash floods are unprecedented in nature which can be gauged from the fact that it severely impacted over 33 million people, also resulting in more than 1,100 deaths of the people since the start of the deadly monsoon in June last. Though the water level is subsiding but the destruction caused by the floods will take years rather decades to be rectified. Millions of people are living in the open sky with very little to no food after losing their livelihoods, crops and livestock in the flash floods and being rendered shelter-less. In such a situation, it is difficult to providing food, water, health facilities and another emergent needs to an estimated 5.2 million flood affected people  in the country.

According to the latest date of the  National Disaster Management Authority, as many as  72 out of the total 160 districts of the country are calamity-hit while the number of affectees stand at over  33 million , who suffered massive losses including homes, livestock, standing crops. Most disturbingly the water which is standing everywhere and which has also broken the infrastructure like the roads, bridges, barrages, railway tracks and highways is also hampering the rescue and relief activities and hence only a high scale efforts can result in reaching out to the affectees effectively. And this is not possible without collective efforts, both at national level and the world at large.  Most disturbingly, the winter is upon us and in the wake of current situation is seems impossible to rehabilitate the millions by December this year so one can imagine the situation for himself. As reported, more than a million houses have been washed, over 160 bridges, and as many as 3,500 kilometers of roads across the country have been washed away by flash floods and totally or partially destroyed. 

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 08 2022

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