That we have entered the 22nd year of the presumably ultramodern age without working on our shameful disregard for human safety helps explain our frequent stopovers at the tragedy station. None of the over 120 families that saw hellfire raining upon their lifetime of saving and taking away their most beloved kin in Dadu District deserved to be deserted by the local authorities in such testing times. No matter how remorseful Sindh Chief Minister may appear, or how determinedly Prime Minister Sharif has promised to bring relief to the crest-fallen village, neither can they bring back the dead or revive the blown-to-bits-belongings. The heart-wrenching cries of those in a remote village–deemed too insignificant to be equipped with adequate health and emergency relief facilities–could not make their way to the heartland, and by the time the callous administration lifted a finger to help, all had been lost. Now, announcing lofty agendas is an old trick that seldom works. We did not learn from the chaotic spree in Korangi’s factory or the mysterious flames ravishing entire plazas in the dark hours, or the infamous Baldia catastrophe, and the undeterred commitment to let bygones be bygones is bound to follow suit. Some routine investigation committees and much hullaballoo over a transfer here and a sensational dismissal there and the case would silently be swept under the rug.
Are those living in the interior not precious enough to be given the basic tools to save their lives if a calamity strikes? Do all heated campaigns to change the face of Sindh lose their vigour outside the port city? The Dadu fire has come as a big question mark over the credibility of the Sindh government, which would have to answer some tough questions from all quarters. For whatever dementedly landlordish reason, those in power might fancy keeping the doors to development bolted shut and to pick-and-choose when it comes to basic amenities, letting the constituents boil to their death in an unbelievably painful manner is way too heavy a chip, even for their mighty shoulders.
While the opposition parties in Sindh Assembly raise a ruckus over the criminally slow response, CM Shah might take a good peek within and do some soul-searching. Fighting the demons of nine children and 50 households is not a good idea. *