VOUNTEER work is not new to Pakistanis. We have seen people of all age groups stepping up in times of natural disasters and helping their countrymen without any expectation of reward or recognition. It was, therefore, no surprise to see many individuals and groups reaching out to those hit hard by the shuttered economy in the wake of the countrywide lockdown enforced to slow down the spread of Covid-19. As part of this effort, thousands of young men and women have joined the Corona Relief Tiger Force, an army of volunteers raised by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government to distribute ration and help out people who have lost their livelihoods. In some parts, these volunteers have also been asked to identify and register families in need of cash support from the Ehsaas Programme. The strategy to raise a new body of volunteers has provoked a reaction from the opposition and civil society activists involved in humanitarian relief work on the political nature of the force. After all, the majority of volunteers are either affiliated with the PTI or support it. Theoretically, political parties do have a right to try and win over voters by taking action they feel is for the public good, but in the acrimonious political atmosphere that exists in the country today, many might argue against this logic. Only time will tell whether or not the initiative was worthy of the resentment it has generated.

What is clear is that the government has missed the opportunity offered by the health crisis to resurrect and reorganise the politically neutral civil defence force, an organisation of volunteers with an institutional infrastructure and a significant presence in all the provinces. The civil defence force organised under the Civil Defence Act, 1952, was formed to mobilise and organise communities to aid the government in times of emergencies. Volunteers were trained to work and help people in different situations as first responders. But the institution has fallen prey to official neglect and fund shortages and is in disarray. There would have been more appreciation for the government had it revived this legal entity, recruited volunteers and trained them to work in hazardous situations such as the present one instead of mobilising volunteers under the party banner.

The government can still use the institution to help the people by persuading Tiger Force volunteers to work within the institutionalised framework of civil defence. If it cannot do that, the government could ask primary school teachers to join civil defence forces for voluntary work at least during the holidays while new volunteers are recruited. In KP, the deployment of civil defence volunteers is helping the administration spread awareness about Covid-19, supply ration to vulnerable communities, enforce lockdown restrictions and so on. If KP can put this force to use why can’t the other provinces do the same?

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020