RECENTLY, a fierce hailstorm hit Qila Saifullah, a district in Balochistan that is home to a huge population of farmers, the poor and those on the margins. This was the third such spell, and the strongest by far. Within minutes, it totally obliterated standing crops, destroyed homes, and washed away critical infrastructure, such as roads. The area has been facing catas-

trophes of parallel magnitude for the last few years, notably the 2022 floods that completely inundated its vast farmland. Four years after all the promises that were made at the time, things have only gone further south.

In the recent spell of hailstorm, mature apple and apricot orchards were uprooted. The calamity has clearly shown that no preparedness was planned at the policy level in the face of changing climate realities. At a time when Balochistan is already reeling under abject poverty, severe unemployment, and persistent challenges in social services, such events only reverse the little progress achieved in these sectors, exacerbating social instability and weakening economic equality.

The government, particularly the one in Islamabad, must respond urgently with due seriousness. There is a need to initiate policies and actions that target investment in climate adaptation, resilience and sustainable development, particularly in vulnerable areas like Qila Saifullah.

The traditional approach to such environmental shocks, like announcing a few school or college-level scholarships to students belonging to these areas, is nothing more than an eyewash. There is a need to adopt effective, consistent and inclusive policy frameworks to plan for the mitigation of impacts of natural disasters.

Rafi Kakar
Qila Saifullah

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026