Kudos to Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for announcing Rs 2.6 billion for the flood victims in the three affected districts of Balochistan. Keeping in view the scale of the destruction, the loss to life and property, the money will come handy in helping the affected families get back to normal. Raja Ashraf did well to visit the province, see for himself the ravages of the flood, assure the local people that the government was with them in their hour of trial. But he should be aware that the money must under no circumstances be handed over to the local MPs, ministers or sardars and risk the siphoning of funds for their personal use.
The funds should be given directly to the affected families and to assure that it happens transparently, the Prime Minister himself must see the plan through. The damaged infrastructure must be rebuilt under strict supervision to avoid pilferage of money. This is all the more important to remove the sense of deprivation and alienation that a large part of the Baloch have started to nurture towards not only the federal setup but even their own local members of the assembly, Sardars and chieftains who are long on rhetoric but short on action. One can imagine the consequences if this money too is pocketed leaving the hapless people to fend for themselves. Their already prevailing hatred against the government and symbols of the Pakistani state presents a doleful scenario.