The devastation from FloodsInPakistan is the outcome of corruption of power mafia, not a natural calamity
The opposite actions are done rather than addressing the climate change threats
#Floods #floodsinpunjab
The devastation from the recent floods in Pakistan is grossly terrific. There have been several governments including authoritarian military regimes during the past 78 years which leaves just one question: how many water dams those governments constructed? What measures those governments took for the improvement of the irrigation system, water channels, and the lives of the people?
A few days ago, heavy influx of water into Ravi turned into the floods which swept always lives and inundated residents of hundreds of the citizens. In response, large government reports were being issued, and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has declared that no future housing constructions will be allowed along river pathways. However, I dare to ask whether these residential colonies were constructed on order of me, Altaf Hussain orvMQM? This is the basic question.
For the past 40 years, Punjab has been ruled by Sharifs. What did they do? Can anyone deny that for decades, people settled along the Ravi and other rivers were forcibly evicted, their lands bought for peanuts, and later housing societies worth billions and trillions were developed there? It has also emerged that the decision to reserve land along the Ravi was taken before 2018 during the tenure of the current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Under Imran Khan’s tenure, a housing society was established there, benefitting the builder mafia.
Similarly, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the recent floods also exposed government's sheer incompetence. On top of that, the timber mafia cut down tall trees in the forests for financial gain, despite Imran Khan launching the Billion Tree Project there.
As of today, the climate change is the most pressing issue in the world. Due to industrial debris, nuclear waste, chemical depoisits, and the release of harmful gases, the earth’s temperature is escalating day by day. Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, rivers are gulping lands, wildfires are common due to heatwaves, and the ozone layer, which protects the earth from the sun’s radiation, is being damaged. This is harmful not only for humans but also for all living creatures on earth.
Across the world, broad-based projects are being launched to counter the growing dangers of climate change. Measures are being taken to reduce air pollution, large-scale afforestation is being carried out, and water reservoirs are being developed. But in Pakistan, the exact opposite is happening. Forests are being destroyed, existing trees in cities are being cut down instead of planting new ones, cities are being turned into concrete jungles to serve the builder mafia, river pathways are being blocked, housing societies and hotels are being built there, and rivers and seas are being polluted through industrial waste and sewage.
All this is happening in Pakistan because the outdated feudal system still prevails here. The looters and destroyers of the country, feuds, landlords, tribal chiefs, capitalists, corrupt judicial system, money-laundering bureaucrats, money-hunget real estate builder mafias, timber mafias, and others, are all under the protection and patronage of the ruling elite and corrupt top military brasses.
The wreckage and devastation from the floods in Pakistan are not natural calamities but the orchestrated artistry of this entrenched power mafia which has held sway over the country’s power for generations. Their properties and wealth are stashed abroad, their children study in America and the UK, and after obtaining degrees, they return to rule Pakistan.
This power mafia is eating away at the very foundations of Pakistan like termites. If Pakistan is not saved from these termites, they will shatter the very structure of the state.
The military operation against Altaf Hussain’s MQM was carried out for the very reason that he raised his voice against this power mafia, its corrupt system, and its looting. Because of ties with this mafia, Nawaz Sharif’s lifetime ban was removed, yet the six-month ban on Altaf Hussain’s speeches and writings remains in place even after ten years. His home and the MQM headquarters at Nine Zero are still sealed, and MQM is still denied political activity.
I appeal to the poor and oppressed people of Pakistan, especially the youth, to carry forward Altaf Hussain’s philosophy and revolutionary message to end the outdated feudal system and military interference in politics, to liberate the country from the 2 percent of the elite, and to bring the 98 percent of the poor into the corridors of power. Only then will people work for the country and its people instead of their families and personal interests. The demand of the time is that the youth support the truthful and work for revolution to free Pakistan from this power mafia.
Altaf Hussain.
London.
307th public address on TikTok on August 29, 2025.
https://youtu.be/E60viriMsm8?si=3iNv7RBydMfoPBcd
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