It would be an understatement to say that on the morning of Oct. 8, the lives of thousands of people thousands of miles away from us were undergoing a drastic change. In reality, an entire nation of 162 million people was resonating with the aftershocks of a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that had struck parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and some parts of India. This is undoubtedly the worst calamity to ever hit the region and the destruction caused by it may take up to a decade to repair. For the survivors of the quake-devastated mountain areas, the battle for survival is getting bleaker by the day and indeed for many, the misery and suffering has just begun.
Developing countries such as Pakistan do not have sufficient resources, expertise or the capacity that is required to deal with large-scale and unprecedented calamities such as this. In a country where 65.6% of the population lives on under $2 a day, the problems of the poor living in villages are further compounded when they lose the shelter that at least helped them survive through the rough winter. This is in addition to dealing with the trauma of having lost their families and all their belongings. It would not be an exaggeration to state that the devastation caused by the Oct. 8 earthquake has no parallel in the history of Pakistan. The loss of lives has exceeded our worst fears while the economic impact has been immense in magnitude. Entire towns have been completely wiped out and the infrastructure totally destroyed.
Amidst news of other natural disasters occurring in various parts of the world, the news of the earthquake and the urgency of the relief effort needed may have been eclipsed and overshadowed. But does that really justify why such a monumental tragedy remained hugely irrelevant for so many people and nations? Why has the humanitarian response not been what it should be compared to what it has been in the past with other natural disasters? Is it because this tragedy struck a region which is relatively insignificant for many? Or is it because we are simply indifferent towards events such as these that do not directly affect us? The answers to these numerous questions are neither simple nor limited.
It is, however, important to realize that in order for people to be concerned and charitable towards a certain cause or event, they must know and care about it. One cannot expect people to be concerned about a country or its people when they simply don't know much about them. The unfortunate truth is that Pakistan is neither a popular tourist attraction primarily due to security concerns nor is it a promising or viable prospect for foreign investment due to political instability. It is culturally and historically rich and of geo-political importance, but in a larger sense does Pakistan really matter in the global arena? Not really. A testimony to this fact is that fewer than 20 countries have come forward to help Pakistan in the aftermath of the earthquake in comparison to the 92 countries that aided tsunami relief efforts. Such comparisons are not meant to serve the purpose of undermining other disasters in relation to the earthquake but are rather meant to bring into light the disparity that exists in the level of response of the international community towards different disasters.
It would be worthwhile to reiterate here that any disaster in any part of the world requires utmost attention from the international community and immediate aid. This is precisely why I am prompted to question the alarmingly different levels of humanitarian response to seemingly similar natural catastrophes. If $9 billion could be raised for tsunami relief efforts worldwide, then why isn't the world even coming close to the $550 million emergency aid that has been appealed for Pakistan?
A subsequent question that arises is what does it take for the international community to take notice of this tragedy and respond effectively? It is tragedies such as these that transcend the boundaries of colour, religion, class and ethnicity. Such events make us reflect upon our own humanity, our own sensitivities and our sense of global citizenship. It is at times like these when we need to think beyond our own micro-communities about those who are far less fortunate than us at this moment irrespective of what religion they follow, what language they speak and what ethnic group they belong to.
The international community needs to play a more active role by not just donating funds for relief efforts but also helping Pakistan in the reconstruction and redevelopment process that has to follow the relief efforts. After all this is not just about providing tents and warm clothing to people at the moment. It is also about rehabilitating thousands of people (many of whom are orphans) and rebuilding schools, hospitals, and infrastructure in those regions in the long term.
It is natural but not necessarily sufficient for me and other Pakistani and South Asian students to mobilize ourselves and try to create awareness about the magnitude and impact of the earthquake and carry out fundraising. It would be encouraging to see other members of the Tufts community come forward and show their support towards this cause as well. It is, however, gratifying to see that the several fundraising events that have taken place so far at Tufts have been very successful in raising money. The proceeds will be donated to relief agencies working in Pakistan and India and the generosity of the Tufts community will thereby contribute towards ameliorating the lives of several individuals and families if not an entire village. Yet, there is still a long way to go before any semblance of normality is restored to the region.
Rida Bilgrami is a sophomore majoring in Economics and International Relations.
