Daily Times

The UN Development Programme’s Human Development Report ranked Pakistan as 152nd in the Human Development Index (HDI) out of 189 countries; the lowest in the region. Bangladesh stands at 135, India at 129 and Siri Lanka at 71. The HDI is a summary measure to assess long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: life expectancy, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. Life expectancy is an integral component of the HDI, which reflects the ability of a nation to live longer and healthier. It projects the mortality pattern that prevails across all age groups in a given period. According to the World Bank Report 2018, the value of the male and female life expectancy at birth in Pakistan is 67; lower than that in Siri Lanka (77), Bangladesh (71), Nepal (70), and Rwanda (69).

Life expectancy is affected by many factors such as socioeconomic status, including employment, income, and education; the quality of the health system and the ability of people to access it; health behaviours such as tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption, poor nutrition and lack of exercise; social factors; genetic factors; and environmental factors including overcrowded housing, lack of clean drinking water and adequate sanitation. Low longevity highlights the inadequacies in planning, growth, infrastructure, regulation, development, public health, and overall welfare framework installed to cradle and prosper a human life. Poor safety networks on highways, railways, substandard construction and violation of civil aviation standards are catalysts. But the point here is that it is not about the resources only, important is the commitment of the state machine to uphold the highest standards for life protection despite being crippled economically.

It needs no funds to regulate a manufacturer and compel him to take care of a customer’s life as a top priority. Suzuki Company manufactures “Mehran” in Pakistan. The price of this vehicle is more than many other brands manufactured abroad (Zotye, TT, China) equipped with proper safety mechanisms like ABS Brake System. The car used by a large population violates the basic United Nations’ motor vehicle safety regulations; causes irreparable loss to the dozens of families each year. The company produces five-star cars for the European and South-east Asian markets while in Pakistan, it has been producing the same 0-star safety standard model of Mehran for 27 years due to the absence of any regulatory enforcement.

The diversity of choices available for the citizens to live longer and healthier depicts the functional efficiency of a state

The road connecting Hazara districts from Hassan Abdal up to Batagram has no proper road marks and drive indications. Many accidents occur due to directionless lanes. Bkahar-Mianwali road is another example. Several commuters have been injured and died in accidents caused by the dilapidated condition of the road each year. Same is the case with numerous other roads all over Pakistan where drivers travel using their “wisdom” in absence of cats’-eyes, road studs and demarcation. Putting these safety measures has nothing to do with the IMF deals but it surely needs the ingenuity of the state to love and protect its citizens. During the year 2017-18 only, The Pakistan Burau of Statistics records 5948 deaths and 14489 injuries due to traffic accidents. Total 11121 accidents were registered.

Coming to the air, Pakistan’s aviation industry has a terrible history. From 1990-2000, there was a single plan crash-a PIA Airbus A300 crashed into a cloud-covered hillside near Kathmandu, killing 167 people. From 2000-2010, the number of air crashes increased to four with a total of 217 casualties including Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali and his wife. From 2010-2020, six air vehicles plunged into the ground, and death numbers soared to 309, including singer-cum-evangelist, Junaid Jamshed. The last one was on May 22, 2020, when a PIA Airbus A320 crashed near Karachi Airport while completing a journey from Lahore. A total of 91 passengers and eight crew members were on board.

The misery of the aviation industry in Pakistan has increased with advancements in computing and troubleshooting tools used in aeronautical engineering. Many dissent voices emerged questioning the neutrality and transparency of the investigation process. Although it is too early to get conclusive about the reason for the recent crash, the pattern followed from Suzuki Mehran to Mianwali Road can help prognosticate the results.

The diversity of choices available for the citizens to live longer and healthier depicts the functional efficiency of a state. The safety of human life stands at the pinnacle of modern republicanism. What would happen with human life hereafter; there are many answers to this question, however, the only answer to the question that how it should be treated presently is: respectably, delicately, and exquisitely. Unfortunately, the trajectory of public service in Pakistan contradicts the notion turns life into a struggle to survive in unsafe air on unsafe ground.

The writer is an academic and public policy researcher