In Pakistan, almost 33 million people were affected by the recent floods. These floods have wreaked havoc on the vulnerable elements of society because of two concomitant issues: global climate change and Pakistan's political and institutional failure to manage anticipatory disasters.

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This disaster has disproportionately impacted the poor population, mostly in the affected regions, and the effects are having a significant impact on women who are already in a vulnerable position.

According to the UN Development Program (UNDP), women and children are fourteen times more likely than males to die because of natural disasters. Deep-seated gender inequality, aggravated by unemployment and ignorance, is making life even more difficult for women in the shadow of the flood disaster.

Pakistan is not regarded as a haven for vulnerable communities, particularly its female population. For many years, the country has been listed as one of the worst places for women in the areas of education, health, work, and safety.

According to the most recent Global Gender Gap Report, Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 146 countries, making it the second worst nation on earth in terms of gender equality. Despite the clear manifestations of difference across different gender groupings, the majority of Pakistanis do not recognize the existence of this inequality.

There is a widespread belief in the country that women are sufficiently respected and honored within the walls of their houses and do not need to venture outside to pursue their dreams. The societal construction of "honor" and the region's political-cultural history of women's enslavement is mostly to blame for the deterioration of their rights.

Recent flood-related issues have exacerbated women's already precarious situation. The men in some affected towns did not depart for rescue camps since it would be against their cultural traditions to take their ladies out of their towns to safety. While the families are dealing with sicknesses, food shortages, and other issues, they are unwilling to compromise their women's honor.

Women's health is likewise in a precarious state. Not to forget the water-borne ailments that will afflict many people because of standing water. The affected women's immediate health needs are not being treated seriously.

According to Human Rights Watch, 73,000 pregnant women are expected to give birth in the following month. Unfortunately, many of these women do not have sufficient access to the healthcare services that they require. Floods also devastated most of the hospital facilities and communication networks. This will be more difficult for women because hospitals or emergency clinics are geographically farther away.

Furthermore, because of the floods, women are more vulnerable to violence and abuse. Gender-based violence is anticipated to increase as a result of joblessness, house devastation, malnutrition, and uncertainty, comparable to how incidences of domestic abuse and gender-based violence grew dramatically during the COVID-19 lockdown.

According to studies, economic situations, financial uncertainty, and stress frequently place women in more vulnerable positions, making them more susceptible to abuse and violence.

Floods in Pakistan demonstrate how disasters affect men and women differently. To tackle the inequities and grievances of those affected, relief packages and rehabilitation programs must take a more gender-based approach. Unfortunately, this problem is rarely taken seriously, and the consequences for men and women are treated equally.

Policymakers must take a more women-centered approach to recognize and reduce the social hurdles, transportation difficulties, sanitary issues, healthcare challenges, and several other issues that increase women's vulnerability during disasters. Furthermore, women's participation in decision-making during this period is extremely important. Involving women as stakeholders can assist in handling women's issues more effectively.

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The tide of world opinion appears to be turning significantly against Russia, with several non-aligned countries joining the US and its allies in criticizing Moscow's war in Ukraine and threats to the fundamentals of the international rules-based system.

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Since invading Ukraine in February, Western leaders have often stated that Russia has become isolated. But, until lately, that was mostly wishful thinking. However, a large portion of the international community expressed opposition to the conflict on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in a rare show of unity at the frequently fragmented United Nations.

Even before Thursday's UN addresses, the tide appeared to be shifting against Russian President Vladimir Putin. At a high-level session last week in Uzbekistan, Chinese and Indian leaders criticized the war. The United Nations General Assembly then ignored Russia's objections and overwhelmingly voted to authorize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be the only leader to address the gathering remotely rather than in person.

This trend toward Russia accelerated after Putin declared on Wednesday the deployment of an extra 300,000 troops to Ukraine, indicating the impossibility of a speedy end to the war. Putin also hinted at the possibility of using nuclear weapons. This came after Russia announced its plan to organize referendums in various seized Ukrainian areas on whether they will become a part of Russia.

These statements happened at the same time as the United Nations General Assembly, widely regarded as the most important gathering on the world political calendar, was taking place in New York.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, several foreign leaders used their remarks to condemn Russia's war. This trend continued Thursday in both the assembly chamber and the usually deeply divided United Nations Security Council.

The apparent shift in thinking gives Ukraine and its Western allies hope that increased isolation will put more pressure on Putin to come to a peace deal.

However, few are overly optimistic. Putin has placed his legacy on the Ukraine conflict, and few believe he will back down. And Russia is far from isolated. Many of its allies rely on Russia for energy, food, and military help, and they are likely to back Putin no matter what happens in Ukraine.

But it was striking to hear Russia's putative allies, China and India, reiterate their severe concerns about the crisis and its implications on global food and energy shortages, as well as challenges to the U.N. Charter's concepts of territorial sovereignty and integrity.

Brazil had similar reservations. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa comprise the so-called BRICS bloc of countries, which has frequently resisted or overtly opposed Western initiatives and viewpoints on international relations.

Only Belarus, a non-council participant and Russian ally, invited to attend, spoke in support of Russia but also called for a stop to the conflict, which it described as a "tragedy."

"We hear a lot about country differences at the United Nations," remarked Secretary of State Antony Blinken. But what has recently surprised me is how united the member nations are in the face of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Leaders from developing and developed countries, large and small, North and South, have spoken at the General Assembly about the effects of the war and the need to put it to a stop."

Even other countries with close links to Moscow have expressed publicly their doubts and worries about President Putin's protracted invasion, Blinken continued.

Chinese Foreign Minister was careful not to criticize the war but stated that "the territorial and sovereignty integrity of all countries should be respected."

According to India's External Affairs Minister, "the trajectory of the Ukraine issue is a source of significant concern for the international community."

And, according to Carlos Alberto Franca, Brazil's Foreign Minister, quick measures to halt the war are necessary.

"Russia's actions are clear violations of the United Nations Charter," Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka remarked.

Unsurprisingly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was both unapologetic and defensive, explicitly targeting Zelenskyy. Lavrov referred to Zelenskyy as "a bastard," citing a phrase typically attributed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt but added that Western leaders regard him as "our bastard."

He emphasized Russia's long list of concerns about Ukraine and blamed Western countries for utilizing Ukraine for anti-Russian activities and policies.

Russia has rejected being isolated, and the foreign ministry has recently used social media to promote a series of apparently friendly encounters between Lavrov and foreign minister peers at the UN.

Nonetheless, Blinken and his NATO colleagues grasped what they perceive to be growing hostility to and irritation with Putin.

Moreover, other speakers, especially Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, noted that Lavrov had not attended the meeting except for his speaking slot.

"I note that Russian ministers flee almost as swiftly as the Russian military," Kuleba remarked, referring to Lavrov's hasty departure as well as previous Russian troop withdrawals from Ukraine.

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The floods of 2022 are not the first natural disaster that Pakistani citizens have experienced. Devastating floods that swept the nation in 2010 and 2011 harmed parts of each province. Before that, there was the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which devastated large areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Kashmir to ruins.

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Surprisingly, recovery work in these areas is still ongoing, with a legacy of people who were crippled by the earthquake when roof beams and other structures collapsed on them; tragically, they have not recovered from their horrible injuries. Children who were injured in the terrible earthquake are unable to run or walk. The promises made at the time have yet to be fulfilled. The hospitals that were intended to be built remain unbuilt, as do the schools that were supposed to serve the crippled.

However, one amazing thing we witnessed in 2005, as well as after future floods or other natural calamities, including a cyclone in Baluchistan, was the feeling of national solidarity. People hurried to the scene of the accident in a random fashion, seeking to lend whatever assistance they could. Some collected supplies, while others attempted to rescue individuals and collected products for the affected areas.

Flash floods have once again swept away entire cities and towns. Pakistan has become one of the world's first demonstrations of the consequences of climate change and how fast and cruelly it may destroy humanity. Because of the floods, agricultural patterns are changing, and farmers at all stages will struggle for years to come. Now, these floods have left awful images of people being swept away by monstrous rivers, as well as ruined houses and abandoned individuals, the majority of whom have received no assistance for political reasons.

Local politicians in flood-affected communities are said to have taken relief supplies brought by humanitarian organizations such as the Al Khidmah Trust in to distribute them personally and gain political favor. Other political games have also been played, mostly at the expense of affected people's wellbeing and lives.

It's also worth noting that, while the floods have clearly made the headlines in most major newspapers, they're not the only ones. Instead, we have accounts of what appear to be minor political occurrences now, such as PTI incidents or party activities. These occurrences, as well as political leaders' words, are unimportant currently. The nation's and its officials' sole focus should be on recovering flood victims and understanding why the well-funded NDMA and PDMAs did so poorly in averting this calamity.

We also must make plans for the future and evaluate what has to be done if a similar calamity occurs in the future. With climate change sweeping the globe, there is a chance that this will happen again soon.

The most pressing question is, "What happened to national unity and humanity?" People who had previously come together appear to have gone their separate ways. Yes, there are groups that are assisting, especially a number of young people, but they are operating in isolation, and the widespread concern that we witnessed during previous disasters appears to be missing, at least in part. We wonder if the country's political divisiveness has contributed to this and the blame games. Of course, this is a dreadful calamity.

It means that, rather than assisting those in need, people have fallen into the trap established by political parties, pointing fingers and blaming each other of being to responsible for the calamity. The truth is that no single political party is fully to blame for this disaster. A major factor is the country's long-term mismanagement. This calamity is absolutely massive in scope. Sindh has been ravaged, with many areas completely destroyed, and residents in Baluchistan, such as Lasbela, have been left without food or supplies for days.

According to accounts from the ground, several children have lined up along road side begging for a single roti to satisfy their hunger. In other occasions, victims have stated that despite the deployment of rescue helicopters and drones to give help, they have gotten nothing.

This time, there is a lack of national unity and true empathy for those affected. Tens of thousands of people have been made homeless, and millions have lost their family or had their homes severely damaged. Empathy, like so much everything that was wonderful about our country, has fled. There is little justification for this, save that individuals are either so busy with their own lives that they have no time or room in their hearts to address the needs of others. Another explanation for this apathy is political polarization, which has so divided the people that they are unwilling to work together as a single unit to support everyone in need, regardless of party allegiance.

On his visit to Sindh, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif heard allegations of intentional discrimination against PML-N workers. To his credit, he did not give much attention to this, and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who has visited flood-affected areas multiple times, has also vowed that such behavior will not happen and has given district administrations orders in this regard.

But has polarization affected us so severely? Can we no longer collaborate to address our country's concerns? Can we no longer marshal the forces of young people, architects, doctors, and attorneys who flocked to Kashmir in disorderly caravans after the 2005 earthquake? This is a question we must consider.

A nation that is not unified even when a calamity of this magnitude strikes is bound to failure. Politics has no importance right now and must be abandoned. Far larger efforts should be made to both emphasize the hardship of flood-affected people, as is happening to some extent in the media, and to mobilize a rescue team. We should also ask what happened to the organizations formed after 2005 to deal with disasters, and why they are unable to do so today, when we need them the most.

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