The magnitude of devastation, which this flood has brought to the lives of millions of Pakistanis, seems to be having a more profound impact and a perfect case study of what could be termed as how environment can affect politics.

The recent statement of MQM chief favouring military intervention is also a reflection of political impact of flood. I have a lot to disagree, the way Altaf Hussain leads MQM but one thing I can not avoid to acknowledge is that he is not a whimsical person and the statement he has made should also not be considered as impulsive.

He is definitely not irresponsible to make such a conclusive statement while realizing that his workers will be taken to task of ‘some how’ justifying it by media representatives and civil society and while putting his party’s image as a proponent of liberal and secular democracy at stake, the image on which MQM has been working for years.

So it makes sense to consider it while taking into context the ground level situation and distrust developing amongst the masses on plagued governance and institutions and also not ignoring the meeting between Bryan D. Hunt and the MQM Chief in London, just a day before he made that statement.

Just a few weeks ago a political change at grass root level in which, even those who had been voting the same feudalists for generations, would also be playing their role; seemed unthinkable is now appearing to be quite obvious to the extent that even experts have started to compare the situation with the deadly French Revolution.

Imran Khan, a strong proponent of upholding constitutional values even in the toughest of situations, in a television interview also did not rule out the possibility of having the whole system collapsed. But on the other hand the two major parties, despite realizing the surmounting unrest, seem to avoid any such expression while at the same time remaining concerned but helpless.

Thomas Homer Dixon, who holds the Centre for International Governance Innovation Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ontario, and is a Professor in the Centre for Environment and Business in the Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, relates environmental factors with political ¬outcomes in these words:

“If market failure, social friction, and capital availability prevents a society from supplying the amount of ingenuity that it needs to adapt to environmental scarcity, then five kinds of social effect are likely: constrained agricultural productivity, constrained economic productivity, migration, social segmentation, and disruption of legitimate institutions.”

These five social effects; further intensified by hunger, epidemic diseases, uncertainty, insecurity, diminishing food and treasury reserves seem to perfectly reflect the situation in which Pakistan is currently going through. If you relate these causes in the cause-effect framework of Chaotic Theory, these social effects (causes) can easily lead to those adverse effects of destabilizing and sabotaging the whole system.

What lies ahead, in the absence of political maturity and presence of political friction, seems terrible and chaotic but it is not wise to lose hope and providing reason to people for going further into a degenerating mindset, which will only contribute to intensify the chaos. So where the solution does lie, well certainly not in repeating mistakes of inviting those boots, who at this time, are even more busy at one end in fighting a war and on the other hand feeding and curing the flood victims, resulting in more turbulence and complications which may even lead to weakening of the only stable institution in Pakistan and eventually to an outcome which we don’t even want to think about.

A more sensible and mature approach lies in placing trust on the system and by taking the situation as a disguised opportunity to cleanse and fortify the system and this is only possible if the political leadership of all political parties, which currently seems to be more busy in number scoring and photo-shoots, proactively address the issues and develop a national consensus.

For this, at least for these critical moments, they need to forget any past conflicts and work progressively and synergistically in order to pull the nation out of this grave situation. This will generate a wind of trust amongst masses, which are homeless and hopeless, and will help create a positive environment of trust on the system in which will alight the candles of hope for people, who are now feeling disowned. Moreover, the winds of trust will also flow out of Pakistan and reach those who sincerely want a stable Pakistan but at the moment withholding themselves due to lack of trust.

In this scenario, instead of welcoming boots it is more sensible if the political parties initiate the process by first having an all party’s conference. Those politicians who have got strong foreign relationships not only with other states representatives but also with overseas Pakistanis, should start moving around the world and this time not with any personal agenda rather a national one. Leaders have to forego their egos and devote their energy and building synergy while providing direction to the directionless people moving randomly. I hope Pakistan will come out stronger and unshakeable out of this shaky situation.

The disturbing waves of flood,
While taking volumes of blood,
Doesn’t only leave us in destitute,
But with opportunity, to constitute.