Daily Times

Corona pandemic has become an overwhelming episode of the 21st century. Its paramount influence on the visible and invisible aspects of human life is an undeniable reality now. The government of Pakistan has claimed that the country has suffered more than 2.5 trillion economic losses due to the pandemic. The ministry of planning has estimated that around 12.3 million to 18.5 million people would become jobless. The COVID-19 situation will be evaluated by future historians with many interesting questions.

Plainly speaking, they will have every right to inquire about the factors and circumstances, which led to the unbridled spread of the pandemic; resulting in a colossal loss of human lives and a widespread disruption of the social fabric. The other unavoidable question would be the role and responsiveness of state institutions in dealing with the mammoth public health challenge. This critical question will certainly attempt to trace any Preparedness Plan and the subsequent efficacy of the approach taken in challenging times. Once a preparedness plan in view of the impending disaster is cited, historians will question the responsiveness of state institutions during the pandemic. These findings of historians and analysts will surely benefit future generations in devising ways to combat any pandemic-like situation and also to know the causes that were responsible for the spread.

Future historians would certainly be disappointed to see the nation’s callous attitude and an absolute non-seriousness in taking preventive measures.

As we slog away through the pandemic days, we can easily find answers in our everyday encounters with emerging difficulties. Our country had its national action plan shaped well before the time after due deliberations with all the relevant stakeholders. The 151-page national preparedness plan, issued on February 12, quite earlier than the first-ever case was reported in Pakistan, certainly had the requisite information of the looming threat. It gave an elaborate set of guidelines to all concerned for the observance of mandatory SOPs. But unfortunately, the National Action Plan prepared by the Ministry of National Health Services did not make a wise assessment of the possible spread of the virus in the country. The NAP, thus, opted for a China-centric approach and was satisfied with the monitoring of 50,000 Chinese working in Pakistan and only focused upon travelling and trade restrictions towards China. The NAP contained an elaborate set of guidelines and SOPs for the concerned departments. Given the 18th amendment, provincial authorities copied the same documents with minor adjustments and then left it to the forces of the time to decide. Unfortunately, the decision of the time came against them. The plan howsoever comprehensive couldn’t anticipate the influx of COVID-19 positives and the innumerable possibilities of the spread of the virus. Likewise, the traditional, weak capacity and the slow responsiveness of the state institution added more to the miseries of teeming millions with the number of infected now crossing 222000.

While the available state resources all over the country are attempting to defeat the pandemic, the state responsiveness shall be remembered in history with a bad taste. The concern here is not merely about the provision of services by the state institution. It is also about the shoddy management of crisis resulting in the fast spread of the virus in the country. It is legitimately argued by some quarters that the catastrophe could have been averted. This is where the NAP seemed behind, in deeply analysing the impending difficulties. The other thing that added to the miseries is social responsiveness. Future historians will keenly probe about the level of social responsiveness in testing times. They would certainly be disappointed to see the nation’s callous attitude and an absolute non-seriousness in taking preventive measures that led to the widespread of the pandemic in the country. It was on February 26 that the first case of corona with travel history to Iran was reported in Karachi. Today after four months, the figure is touching 222000. Was it the state or the society, which failed? Do we need state responsiveness more or social responsiveness? The answer is in favour of the latter. We can blame the state for not taking adequate precautions at the 19 entry points in the country, for not implementing the SOPs by strict measures, by not making the testing and health facilities easily available and we can blame the state for not raising the requisite alarm and awareness because of the mysterious disease that claimed thousands of lives just across in Iran but who then acted negligently subsequently? Who were the ones who didn’t quarantine themselves despite knowing the contagious nature of the disease? Who were the ones who didn’t adopt social distancing? Do we still see many people wearing masks and sanitising hands on their own? I think the nation would be more blamed by future generations if they happen to look at the level of responsiveness on account of various incidences. Factual accounts reasonably testify that the Tablighi Jammat’s religious congregation of early March became the super spreader, which was attended by nearly 250,000 people. Likewise, at many places, clerics deliberately spread disinformation about coronavirus. The second biggest factor was the opening of bazaars as people stormed the markets in huge numbers on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr. Ironically it was the time when the number of casualties world over were reported at more than 345000 with more than 5.4 million people getting affected. But even this didn’t deter us from going out in markets. The state had to close all public places like Murree, Nathiagalli, Sea view and the famous canal of Lahore which was thronged by crowds of immunised zealots. Trader organisations, industrialists, businessmen, a few religious elites and politicians also threw the caution to the wind and clamoured for herd immunity as the sole option for disease management. In the process, we have lost many valuable lives due to the mismanagement of the stakeholders. The big question, thus, emerges. Will the history ever forgive us for the wrongs done to the innocent lives? Will future historians will not blame the irresponsible nation and irresponsive society for taking the death toll to 5500 with nearly 100 deaths reported every other day? How will this menace now end and when will we start learning from our mistakes?

The writer is a Superintendent of Police and serving as District Officer Frontier Constabulary, Hayatabad Peshawar