UPDATE on Pakistan Floods 2022: Apathy vs. Sensibility, Proactiveness (Videos)

AUG. 31, 2022: Sindh PPP leader Manzoor Wassan hand signals some of the flood effected and stranded one’s to stay away from the boat he’s on. “It indicates the haplessness (helplessness) of Sindh’s ruling elite,” an observer tells DesPardes as he shared the clip:

On Tuesday, the PPP leader faced strong backlash on social media when he compared the flood-hit area of the province with Italy’s Venice. While talking to Geo News, during his visit to the flood-hit area of Khairpur, the senior politico said he had never seen this view in his 50 years of political life. “This area after the flood is presenting the view of Italy’s city Venice where villages and bungalows are submerged under water; when I visited Venice, I saw the same condition there,” Mr. Wassan said.

“Some people said the ‘Venice’ video was probably doctored,” the observer says. Wassan’s visit video has voice over of his interview with Geo comparing the water level in Sindh with Venice,” an analyst tells DesPardes. “Nothing wrong in the voice over,” he said.

“The latest video showing Wassan’s animated hand signals to the stranded flood affected one’s –to stay away from his ‘Gondola’ (boat) has no words though,” the observer commented.


On Monday, former ousted premier Imran khan got pledges including donations up to Rs 5.5 Billion in about 2.5 hour. “If the corrupt mafia had not stopped the telethon, the figure would have been much much higher,” a senior media professional said. Some across the divide agree. Most pledges and donations came from the diaspora — “overseas Pakistanis majorly support Khan and his movement against decades old decaying status quo,” an independent observer including some of his critics say while pointing out to the huge following Khan has been able to pull for his rallying cry for change.

Khan’s Tree plantation drive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) saved many lives, as the plantings grew into trees making forest line. “They fell as the flood waters consumed them, however lives were saved,” senior media professional Hamid Mir said on his onsite visit to the Tsunami planted trees area.

The good news is that trees help, and asking the diaspora and locals for donations without strings attached –works. The bad part is sitting in a gondola on a trip to Venice; and comparing the flooded village with Venice is somewhat an ugly (sensitive) one.

Pakistan Zindabad. Irshad Salim, Karachi (Aug 31, 2022)


Honorary contributors to DesPardes: Ajaz Ahmed, Ammar Jafri, Anwar Abbas, Arif Mirza, Aziz Ahmed, Bawar Tawfik, Dr. Razzak Ladha, G. R. Baloch, Jamil Usman, Jawed Ahmed, Ishaq Saqi, Khalid Sharif, Masroor Ali, Md. Ahmed, Md. Najibullah, Shahbaz Ali, Shahid Nayeem, Syed Hamza Gilani