WHILE the international response to the enormous need for relief to the survivors of the monumental tragedy continues to be reasonably encouraging, the commitments made by donors for the gigantic task ahead fall much short of the estimates for the rebuilding of infrastructure and homes of around four million people devastated by the killer earthquake. In the beginning, it was estimated that close to US$5 billion would be required for the reconstruction stage but as relief workers move into hitherto blocked and inaccessible areas, the scale of widespread damage has already been termed unimaginable. Suddenly death toll has jumped to some 79,000 but those who have managed to see for themselves the extent of devastation in various areas are of the view that the October 8 calamity may have claimed not less than 250,000 lives. In addition, it is believed that as many as 4,000 hamlets, villages, towns and cities like Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Balakot have been almost wiped out. According to official statements, 15% debris are yet to be removed in Azad Kashmir’s once sprawling capital of 500,000 souls and underneath lie buried thousands of persons whose bodies are yet to be recovered. Same applies to other areas. Bodies of tens of thousands could not be pulled out even after over a month of the colossal disaster from the debris of collapsed houses and other structures in a vast area.
The Donors ‘conference is taking place in Islamabad on 19th November at which the President will personally brief the world on what had happened and what Pakistan needs for the all too important phase of rebuilding the shattered homes, educational institutions, hospitals, bridges, roads and other infrastructure. We surely require at least US$10 billion against which around 10% has so far been committed. Compared to international community’s adequate response to Tsunami tragedy, Pakistan earthquake case has not been properly projected. Certainly there is no discrimination on the basis of religion. One may pause and ask as to why the foreign donors are not responding appropriately to post-earthquake requirements. It is possible that we as a country have been placed at Number 14 of the list of most corrupt states in the recent report of the Transparency International. The donors perhaps feel that in view of massive corruption in Pakistan’s civilian departments, their money would not largely got o the deserving victims. President Pervez Musharraf has time and again assured every one involved in the relief operations that all expenditures shall be incurred in the most transparent manner. The distribution of relief goods is being done by the troops. Already, at a few places our soldiers have acted swiftly to nab those who were involved in malpractices including hoarding of relief goods. Army engineers will supervise the reconstruction phase. The reconstruction task shall be coordinated by the Engineer-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army. Obviously, relief and reconstructions activities will not be handled directly by civilian departments.
With the direct involvement of the Army in the relief and reconstruction work, funds being donated by the people and the other donors including international agencies, NGOs, Foreign Governments, etc, will hopefully be utilized properly. The chances of misappropriations will be greatly minimized. However, Army authorities must understand that the corrupt mafia will try to siphon off some of the funds. They will, as ever, hopefully show no clemency to such unscrupulous elements. Unfortunately, corruption at lower level could not be eliminated due to political interference but the authority headed by a three star General to oversee the reconstruction phase will not be influenced by party or other considerations. The donors should be grudge giving a lot more money to mitigate the sufferings of the millions affected by the earthquake.

The road ahead for Azerbaijan

AZERBAIJAN is a classic example of poverty co-existing with oil wealth. Though it is relatively a latecomer on to the booming global energy market, the current high oil prices are boosting Baku’s revenues. Its GDP last year was $30 billion and it is expected to double by 2008. If the country’s massive oil and gas reserves, one of the richest in the world, are exploited properly, Azerbaijan’s revenues will go up further in the coming years. But the question being asked is how much of the oil income goes towards uplifting the poor in remote and rural areas of the country. According to official statistics, 40 per cent of Azeris live below the poverty line of $41.20 a month and inflation is running in double digits. Like many developing countries, Azerbaijan, despite its enormous hydrocarbon wealth, is bedevilled by poor infrastructure, clannish loyalties and above all corruption, which is fuelled by millions of dollars flowing into the country from oil and gas deals. Although the petrodollar income is rising, it is not helping the country’s poor much; rather, it’s only exacerbating the wealth gap, because a lot of money is going into the pockets of high and mighty fiefs and other vested interest groups, stymieing the country’s growth.
Besides oil wealth, Azerbaijan has vast Caspian Sea riches that are yet to be tapped and its beautiful beaches can be turned into tourist paradises. To develop these resources, Baku needs massive doses of foreign aid and technology. Unless there is a firm political commitment and will, it’s not possible for the Azeri leadership to put the country on the path to economic prosperity. The very fact that Azerbaijan ranks 101 in the 177-nation UN Human Development Index shows how far it is trailing behind others. Tomorrow’s parliamentary polls are a crucial test for the present government of President Ilham Aliev, who is expected to romp home without any difficulty as the opposition parties are in disarray. But the opposition groups see plans to rig the vote while the government fears disturbances, engineered by the rivals, during the elections, which have generated considerable interest in the West, particularly in the US, because of Azerbaijan’s strategic importance as an oil source alternative to the Middle East. Whatever the poll outcome, the future government’s agenda is clear: The new team has to strive for equitable distribution of wealth through a slew of radical economic and social reforms. Otherwise, tensions are bound to rise and the poor-rich gap will continue to widen further.

—Khaleej Times