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Thursday March 28, 2024

Civil society in times of crisis: Post-partition and now in COVID-19

By Sadia Humayun
August 14, 2020

We are in a unique moment in global history with the Covid-19 pandemic. The entire world is living through something that no one in our lifetime has experienced before. This moment is extraordinary, unprecedented, and overwhelming, requiring an exceptional response.

On this Independence Day, one is prone to reflect and compare these unforeseen challenges of today to those the nation faced in the aftermath of August 14, 1947. The common theme running through then and now has its roots in the role of the civil society and how it rose to the occasion in times of great upheaval. The partition of India was a regional eruption while the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the entire world. However, the commonality, if any, of the civil society coming together and displaying empathy for the greater good and sustainability, are themes that are worth looking at.

It is requisite to understand the concept of civil society. The philosopher Hegel argued that “civil society is based on citizens’ freedom in the economic, political, social, cultural spheres.” According to a Russian scholar, Irina Ershova, for Hegel “the main idea of the civil society is an establishment of an individual person’s freedom.”

“Civil society is widely understood as the space outside the family, market (profit), and state (power).” As for social movements (i.e. labour movement, women’s rights movement, environment/climate change, etc.), they are also part of the civil society like NGOs. Therefore, civil society has to use the space (freedom) outside the state and market to achieve its goals freely.

In Pakistan, civil society reckons as an umbrella phrase for a range of non-state and non-market citizen organisations and initiatives, networks, and unions operating in an expansive gamut of social, economic, and cultural fields. In comparison to the west, where civil society is the reflection of liberals and others challenging the state, in Pakistan, it is comprised of an assorted set of actors. Since independence in 1947, the progress of civil society in Pakistan has been affected by the structural dynamics of state configuration, legitimization, and consolidation. More recently, civil society has shown itself to be hefty and more dedicated.

After independence, during the process of rehabilitation of the migrants and socio-economic stabilisation of the country, people were determined to facilitate millions of migrants and make Pakistan a viable state. Pakistan inherited a segment of society made up of ethnic, religious, and clan backgrounds that espoused socio-cultural and religious values. The secular-nationalist organisations, along with religious trusts and seminaries contributed to the rehabilitation of migrants. Women Voluntary Services established by Begum Rana Liaqat Ali Khan, wife of the first Prime Minister, Liaqat Ali Khan, provided food, shelter, first aid, and health care to the migrants. It served as the foundation stone for the creation of the All Pakistan Women Association (APWA). Fatima Jinnah and many other campaigners were very active in refugee rehabilitation work that subsequently established many welfare organisations. Similarly, the Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) was established in 1953 by a group of citizens to promote reproductive health services. In the 1950s, APWA initiated advocacy work for women's rights. The credit of establishing such progressive and secular organisations goes to the secular nationalist-minded men and women who had actively supported and struggled for the idea of Pakistan. In 1958, the National Council for Social Welfare was formed at the governmental level to provide technical and financial assistance to non-profit organisations.

The raw and fresh enthusiasm for nation-building after partition appears to have diluted somewhat over the years. Pakistan has had its fair share of natural disasters, intermittent unstable stints with democratic governments whenever the military so permitted, and its challenges with religious extremism and terrorism. However, none of these problems can be compared to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The government’s containment measures of lockdown failed to take into account the daily wage earners and labor class rendering them at the brink of starvation, as they have been unable to sustain even the most necessities of life. This is where local charities including individuals, corporations, industrialists, public sector employees, law and enforcement agencies, medical associations, and trade unions have maintained some semblance of balance and are playing a pivotal role to shoulder the government efforts and stem the economic burden on low-income groups.

The list of organisations responding to the pandemic emergency is long and diverse in terms of delivery of services. If certain organisations were distributing free rations, others were busy carrying out free tests, supplying medical equipment, and establishing dedicated wards for covid-19 patients.

On a global level, over recent decades, civil society action has mostly been central to a collective effort that has made the world a more livable place. Collectively, it has raised the alarm, exercised pressure, and helped put together safeguards. More recently, civil society has been deeply affected by the pandemic. Despite the on-going crisis, it remains on the frontlines, providing health care, food, shelter, and other essentials to those in need. As governments around the world take advantage of emergency powers, civil society is stepping up to hold them accountable.

Pakistan still needs a firm level of political maturity to support and provide working space for civil society organisations. Civil society needs to emphasise its voice as a sustainable entity and not as a protest machine orchestrating intermittent political and social events.

On yet another August 14, Pakistanis need to reflect on the country’s previous 73 years. If it wasn’t for its people’s impressive ability in philanthropy and coming together when the chips are down, its survival might have been extremely compromised. Our overall mediocre progress, if any, and the hurtle towards extremism and mounting corruption are gargantuan challenges amongst many others and no amount of altruism and philanthropy can keep the country propped up eternally. A concerted and sustainable focus needs to be exerted on education and poverty alleviation. Therein lies the roots of most of its ills that plague this country which when tackled effectively will strengthen the governing structure, the civil society, and other critical requirements that hold a nation together.