Daily Times

In December 2019, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China. Since then, the outbreak has continued to hold the world more or less hostage. Economies have contracted, stocks have crashed and public healthcare systems have been overburdened. All of which forced the world to change its habits. Yet for those living in a country that is home to poverty, instability and malnourishment — loss of life is nothing new.

Let us travel back to pre-COVID times. Back in 2019, Pakistan was plagued by suicide bombings, armed attacks and killings by Taliban groups. In the past decade alone, according to the South Asian Terrorism Patrol, these incidents caused approximately 63,898 deaths across the country. Similar to the tragic Army Public School (APS) incident of December 16, 2014, one specific incident on July 13, 2019, resulted in the death of 128 civilians at a rally in Mastung district. These are not an isolated incidents. The Pak Institute for Peace Studies’ (PIPS) annual security review 2019 recorded 239 terror attacks in the country for that year alone. Similarly, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2019 found that 30 percent of Pakistan’s population were living below the poverty line, earning less than $1.80 a day. Of that figure, some 10 percent were barely able to make ends meet, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). These were citizens who had nowhere to go; they did not have access to food, water, proper hygienic conditions and many other basic necessities. They suffered from various diseases because of their unhygienic living conditions, and hundreds died of starvation.

Now imagine how the pandemic changed the world; for that we need to leave our islands of comfort and privilege to just imagine what daily wagers must have gone through when lockdowns were imposed. They were not only faced with a life threatening virus they had never heard about but they were also the first to suffer the impact of its fallout. Since they no longer had a source of income they could no longer afford food and shelter. They could not pay their rent and sky-rocketing bills. Many workers who rented rooms together, working different shifts and shuffling beds, suffered from congestion. They not only had no space, but if any of them got COVID, the others would automatically become infected as they had no room to self-isolate. This is not to mention that the cost of testing remained out of their reach.

As the period of lockdown increased, many vulnerable segments of society suffered from malnutrition. According to the Global Hunger Index, the country received a score of 24.6 in 2020; placing it in the serious category

As the period of lockdown increased many of the vulnerable segments suffered from malnutrition. According to the Global Hunger Index, the country received a score of 24.6 in 2020 placing it in the serious category. The government, as well as many NGOs tried to help but were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Thus, many were forced to beg, borrow and steal to feed themselves and their families. In extreme cases, the pressures became so grave that some resorted to suicide as a means of escape. According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) the suicide rate, in Pakistan

reached an all time high and the country faced a new challenge. But the truth is, the whole country was suffering and these people were at the bottom of a collapsing pyramid. Domestic violence cases also became more and more frequent. According to the World Human Rights Report of 2020, there was a 200 percent increase in crimes against women, after the implementation of lockdown in March 2020. According to the United Nations Human Rights Committee report (UNHRC), there were approximately 1,000 women killed in so-called honour killing and a 21 percent-increase in child marriages. Once again, women and girls suffered the most.

The country’s economy was under stress, facing recession and a loss of about PKR 1,100 billion, according to the ADB. Most workplaces were shut down. Farm owners, mining companies, seafood manufacturers and others lost clients as global trade halted. With no one to sell products to, production came to a virtual standstill. The government tried to cushion severe losses by offering concessionary loans and deferments on loan repayments but these were not enough. Many firms had close due to no incoming revenue flows. This natural led to many redundancies.

Developed countries such as the United Kingdom could implement the Furlough scheme, whereby companies could ally apply for government grants if they were unable to pay employees. However, schemes like these could not be implemented in Pakistan for two reasons. Firstly, the government had to prioritise spending on healthcare and since the country has a low tax to GDP ratio, not enough money was left for additional assistance. Secondly, much of Pakistan’s economy linked to the informal sector and cottage industries, which are run by people in villages, who are largely illiterate and undocumented; hence, they did not know how to apply for grants in the first place.

Unemployment rose, and daily wage earners had no income to spend. This made them even more vulnerable. For we forget that masks cost money as do hand sanitisers. At the beginning of the pandemic, the country faced huge shortages on both these fronts. Indeed, masks cost up to Rs 100 and hand sanitisers even more. Obviously, prices eventually fell but by then it was too late. People were already affected, and hundreds were dying on a daily basis.

The virus spread like wildfire in rural areas and city slums where most of these people lived. They had a difficult choice in-front of them, they were at loss in both cases, as ultimately both would lead to their death. They could either comply with all SOPs and die of hunger or they could search for employment without masks and risk covid. It is easy for us to say that of course they should wear their masks in-order to protect others but you see, when you are in their situation it is different. They were also not being shown the importance of following SOPs through the uniform communication coming from political

leadership as even in these tough of times the country’s leading politicians remained divided. They all worked on their own and did what they could to help; however, they did not come together to help those suffering, emphasising further upon how divided the country was.

We demand that everyone wear a mask but here’s why the poor cannot do exactly what you demand of them, firstly people who earned PKR 100 a day, could barely afford food for their families, and they were now being asked to prioritise that money to buy a mask. Secondly, those people who no longer have a regular source of income, how can they get money to buy a mask and hand sanitise? Lastly, they are in a situation where they die both ways! Some of them might not want to affect others but a vast majority would not even consider others.

Our issue is much more complex than that of Britain and many other developed nations. Our nation was still suffering from diseases like dengue, there was terrorism and starvation because of which people were dying long before the pandemic. Majority of our people were and are still faced with loss in all cases. Now, with over 14 million people already vaccinated there is some hope of normalcy returning. The government is fighting the Coronavirus head-on with an aggressive vaccination target of 70 million people by the end 2021; the economy has also started reviving. Once we are able to come to grips with the pandemic, hopefully humanity does not forget the most valuable lesson obtained from these difficult times, which is to not leave anyone behind in our own race for personal prosperity (as our lives are intertwined). Remember what TS Elliot wrote in his poem, ‘Little Gidding’: “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

The writer has a keen interest in news and politics, economics and women’s empowerment