Published on, Aug. 19 -- August 19, 2025 7:02 AM

History has shown us that natural disasters have always been part of human existence. Yet enlightened and responsible democratic states learn from these calamities. They analyse their failures, build robust systems, and protect their people from future threats. Their decisions are not driven by short-term politics or populist slogans but by sustainable policymaking, legal frameworks, and scientific research. Unfortunately, Pakistan's environmental journey tells a different story-one filled with regrets, delayed responses, broken promises, and aid appeals buried in piles of paperwork.

Consider the Netherlands, a country largely below sea level, which awoke after the devastating 1953 floods...