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KARACHI DIARY: Jet-lagged and confused —Irfan Husain

According to dark rumours, some survivors are not burying their dead, or getting their wounds treated because they are afraid they might not be entitled to government compensation without physical evidence

I have seldom missed a newspaper deadline, and my only excuse for not appearing in this space (in case anyone noticed!) last week is that I was unsure whether the paper would appear on Monday or not. The confusion over when Eid will be celebrated, and the following newspaper holidays, has continued ever since I can remember, and I don’t expect true believers to enter the 21st century anytime soon.

Another reason I was AWOL was that last Saturday morning — the time I normally reserve to craft these little gems — I was walking through woods and across fields in rural Wiltshire. We were staying with our friends, the Hextalls, in their lovely 13th century country home, and they took us for a walk on a sunny autumn morning. Our Puffin loves the open spaces, and was delighted to startle several pheasants into the air. The English countryside is thick with these birds at this time of the year as farmers breed them for the shooting season.

The dark side of this seemingly harmless practice is that every year, millions of pheasants have to be slaughtered and buried to avoid depressing their prices. But you can often buy them in season, and they make excellent eating, although you have to watch out for the odd lead pellet.

I flew back to Karachi the following day, and although the flight was reasonably comfortable, all-nighters now lay me low for several days. It must be age — it takes longer to recover from jet lag than it used to. However, this is a small price to pay for a brief sojourn in London...

I returned to find an invitation from Oxford University Press to attend a book launch, and was delighted to discover that the book in question was Beloved City, edited by Bapsi Sidwa. I had been in touch with the famous author some time ago when she had asked me to contribute a piece on food in Lahore for the anthology. I was happy to accept and we corresponded by email until the article was in shape.

So I bought three copies (one for Imran, who had kindly corrected my article, and one for my son Shakir), and queued to have Bapsi sign them. I am glad so many people bought the book; not because of my little contribution, but because it showed that the reading habit is not as dead as some of us had feared. I have only had time to read Bapsi’s evocative introduction so far, and look forward to savouring the collection at leisure.

Returning to Pakistan, even after a fortnight, one can scarcely fail to be shocked by the many horror stories filtering out of the earthquake zone in Kashmir. According to dark rumours, some survivors are not burying their dead, or getting their wounds treated because they are afraid they might not be entitled to government compensation without physical evidence.

Other stories percolating southwards tell of people from other areas joining the tent cities that have been set up in order to get free food, clothes and accommodation. If true, it is another sign of how widespread poverty is in Pakistan: if people are willing to leave their homes to share the lot of the earthquake survivors, things must be really bad for them.

Meanwhile, my daughter-in-law Sheila is returning to Garhi Dupatta, with a team of doctors and other volunteers. Her NGO, Concern for Children, has been very active in trying to alleviate the suffering of children. A couple of days ago, the lady wife made an impassioned plea at our high commission in London for doctors to fly to Kashmir, and I am glad there was a positive response.

In the midst of these attempts to make things a little less unbearable, it is depressing to see that some political parties have taken their quarrels with them to their relief camps. Apparently, the Jamaat-e-Islami has kidnapped a couple of MQM volunteers, and the latter has threatened to shut down their operations. Although these two have been at daggers drawn in Karachi for some time, one would have hoped that they would have buried the hatchet at least temporarily.

News of the excellent relief work being done by the jihadi outfits is another indicator of their strong presence in the area. Despite government denials, it is clear that these groups have been running a state within a state in Azad Kashmir. The extent to which they enjoy official blessings and support is open to speculation. However, the speed and effectiveness with which they deployed has given them a new legitimacy that is troubling.

But one thing is clear: the humanitarian, political and economic fallout of the earthquake will be with us for a long time to come.

The writer is a freelance columnist

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