WHO RAINS ACID?

Who is to blame for the acid rain? There is a tendency to push deterioration of the environment in Pakistan and the Developing World to the collective sphere -by saying-

As I heard many say on the ill-informed media, 'we all responsible'. Not really, it is the government first and last.

Those in power now and in the past, and the permanent government, the bureaucracy, have to be blamed for weak regulation, bad and ineffective policies and wrong development priorities.

It is true, and it is a matter of common observation anywhere in Pakistan that people litter, throw away trash into streets, in green areas, or collect and burn garbage, including cancer-causing polythene bags and wrappings.

These days you may witness stubble burning fires along the motorways. Neither the government nor the agriculture universities have gone with the cheap and affordable alternatives to burning stubble  -the agriculture waste can than be used for organic fertilizer or even for generating power.

Who has the responsibility to educate the public and regulate behaviour causing environmental degradation? None other than the government.

For matters pertaining to governance, Pakistan represents a situation of anarchy.

The public at large has grown very pessimistic of the political class and their style and model of governance. A common dictum for decades has been  'nothing will change'  in Pakistan, so why waste one's time.

The industrialised states have controlled pollution and people breathe in cleaner air because of true democracy.

This is possible here too, but if people elect those who will govern Pakistan better, not the corrupt, and inept political establishment.

The World Students Society appreciates the writings of Professor Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Department of Political Science/LUMS.

His recent book is *Imagining Pakistan : Modernism State and the Politics of Islamic Revival*