Published on, Sept. 20 -- September 20, 2025 12:41 AM

The 2025 floods are not an act of God. Well, they are, but they are also the predictable outcome of a state that has refused to learn from its own recurring catastrophes. From the super floods of 2010 to the biblical devastation of 2022, Pakistan was handed chance after chance to build resilience. Each time, the waters receded, so did political will. Now, with more than a thousand lives lost and millions displaced, the price of neglect is being paid once again.

The scale of human suffering is immense. Millions have been affected, and hundreds of thousands are crowded into shelters where stagnant pools breed malaria, dengue and diarrhoeal disease, with the spectre of cholera looming. ...