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RISKS are an integral part of life — so risk reduction must be, too. Numerous studies have shown that those who are more aware of and better prepared for risks are likely to cope with disasters more effectively.
Yet, translating this simple truth into practice has proven extremely difficult for our successive governments. But pleasantly, many poorer countries have made substantial progress in risk governance since 2000.
According to the World Resilience Poll Index 2024, 74 per cent of Vietnamese respondents said they felt capable of protecting themselves from disasters, compared to only 31pc of Pakistanis. Even more concerning, the number of Pakistanis who reported having experienced a disaster rose from 11pc to 27pc over the past five years. This must have gone up in recent weeks.
The poll also reveals a remarkable level of public trust in Vietnam, a country that had expelled a superpower just 50 years ago. An impressive 84pc of its citizens said they believe their government cares about their well-being. In stark contrast, only 27pc of Pakistanis said the same. In other words, nearly two-thirds of Pakistanis believe their government does not care about them. No wonder Pakistan ranks among the bottom 10 countries on the Resilience Index.
Here’s another sobering comparison: the 2025 Chandler Good Government Index ranks Pakistan 109th of 120 countries, while Vietnam stands at 48th. On the sub-index titled ‘Government Helping People Rise’, Pakistan sinks to 115th place; Vietnam at 52nd. All other South Asian countries rank above us but below Vietnam. Widespread gender-based discriminations make half of our population vulnerable to disasters too. Think. On the Global Gender Gap Index 2025, we stand right at the bottom.
The spread of poverty and vulnerability is not a natural phenomenon; it is the outcome of deliberate public policy.
Access to mobile phones is critical — not only for accessing early warnings of coming disasters but also for reporting emergencies. According to the Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024, only 53pc of Pakistani women and girls have access to a mobile phone, compared to 86pc of men. The likelihood of owning a phone drops further among the poor due to rising poverty. The earlier Swat tragedy also proved that even where phones are available, our risk communication system failed entirely. It is fair, then, to demand accountability and to call for criminal charges where negligence amounts to manslaughter.
The ongoing disaster is likely to deteriorate our ranking on most indices.
Another layer of vulnerability is illiteracy. Those who are uneducated are less likely to understand disaster warnings and emergency communications. A 2023 study conducted by Pattan and Clear Global in Sindh and south Punjab in the aftermath of the 2022 super floods found that over 90pc of participants could not understand the awareness material including pictorial ones.
One woman in a focus group held in Rojhan said angrily, “Our feudal lords didn’t support us when we needed them the most. I wish I could hit them with my shoes when they come to ask for our votes.” Another flood-affected man stated, “State officials serve the feudal lords, just like we do. They never visit us, but they regularly visit each other.”
The spread of poverty and vulnerability is not a natural phenomenon; it is the outcome of deliberate public policy. A recent World Bank report found that nearly 45pc of Pakistanis now live below the poverty line. By the end of this ongoing colossal disaster, 45 may become 50. Research by the UN, World Bank and Asian Development Bank has consistently found a strong link between poor governance and high levels of poverty, hunger, marginalisation and gender disparity. And often it is deliberate.
The comparison between Pakistan and Vietnam makes this painfully clear. Vietnam is not a democracy in the conventional sense. It has been ruled by a single Communist Party for over five decades, without free elections or independent media. What makes this difference?
As stated above, most of its citizens believe that their government cares for them. In contrast, more than two-thirds of Pakistanis believe their government is indifferent or even hostile to their needs. Unlike Vietnam, Pakistan holds general elections. Though rigged, its media is ‘free’ to make authorities accountable. It has more than 200 political parties. Logically, one would expect good governance in Pakistan. Shamefully, it’s the opposite, because a callous super elite has captured our country thoroughly. We are not alone. Though India hasn’t been captured by elite, it is too trailing behind China and Vietnam on many counts.
In a 2013 op-ed ‘Why Is India Trailing China?’, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen observed that “China has done more than India to raise life expectancy, expand education, and secure health care for its people”. So, what motivates rulers of China and Vietnam, and what prevents governments in India and Pakistan from doing the same? It appears revolutions emanate from a prolonged struggle creating a responsible leadership, while liberal democracies in the Global South have been comprehensively captured by corrupt elites whose focus is just to amass wealth.
Lastly, the National Disaster Management Act, 2010, obligates the National Disaster Management Commission to meet once in a year. Besides some ministers it consists of the prime minister, leaders of opposition in the Senate and National Assembly and all provincial chief ministers.
Since its creation it has met only thrice. It also requires the establishment of disaster management authorities at the local and district levels. It failed on this count too. Hence, we have a military-led NDMA without oversight. Meanwhile, donors and UN agencies, in the name of ‘partnership’, have made NGOs effectively subservient to state authorities. The result: there is no sustained or organised system of accountability for those responsible for disaster risk reduction/management.
From being the ‘sick man of South Asia’, Pakistan now risks becoming the ‘sick man of the Global South’. Let’s act to end the inaction.
The writer is associated with Pattan-Coalition38.
X: @BariSarwra
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2025