Flood relief: Putting your right foot out

These past few weeks have been devastating for Pakistan. But amidst tales of woe, misery and the break down of law and order, what we must grasp and move forward with is the unprecedented human effort that is needed to mitigate the sufferings of the flood victims. There is so much to complain about but there is also a lot to be appreciative of. After all, the glass is half-full as well as half-empty, depending on how you choose to see it.

Foreign aid may have taken time to come but the way citizens have poured their hearts and souls into relief efforts must be considered when judging the nation at large. Twelve hundred may have stood numb while two brothers were being brutally murdered in Sialkot but thousands if not millions have come together to help the flood affected. It’s a sign that humanity is not dead. It brings us hope, if nothing else does, that all is most definitely not lost.

One understands the massive outcry against everything outrageous that has hit Pakistan in the past few weeks. As Ali Zafar rightly wrote on his Facebook page, ‘Every time you think what worse can happen to this country, aren’t you surprised?’ Facebook and Twitter have been flooded with expressions of disappointment and dismay at the government’s flood relief effort and then repugnance against the Sialkot incident. No one is unaffected. That said — and this may be saying it too soon — the will to move forward is as important as the will to stop and revolt.

Sensitive to the issue, a very cautious Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) cancelled its press conference and issued a press release announcing dates for the upcoming PFDC-Sunsilk Fashion Week (to be held in Karachi between October 11 and 14) instead.
Meanwhile, several altruistic individuals came together in Lahore, putting luxury items on sale for flood relief.

Over Rs2.1 million was raised and donated to the Jazba Foundation. The organisers plan to repeat a similar sale before Eid.


Things were just as vigilant in Karachi where the humdrum of activity kept funds rolling into charities. Around 88 artists from all over the world donated their works to Noorjehan Bilgrami’s Koel Gallery, managing to raise Rs3,322,000 in what they called the Silent Auction. Proceeds from this event were donated to three organisations carefully selected by the Gallery Committee, the first tranche going to the Karachi Relief Trust. The remaining 45 pieces should manage to raise a considerable additional sum too.

On a smaller level, fashion boutique Ensemble hosted a qawwali night featuring Farid Ayaz and, according to Shehrnaz Husain, around Rs500,000 were raised that night.

As many TV hosts are now insisting, one must forget for a minute the failings of the system and concentrate on what one can do individually to not fail the victims. Personal efforts and the power of one will make a difference — it always does — and negativity, pessimism or whining will not.