Karachi: Karachi waley are known for donating generously to welfare groups such as Saylani and JDC but the Pakistan Red Crescent Society does not receive the same public support, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said on Sunday, lamenting that an organisation serving people without regard to religion or background continues to be left behind.
Addressing a conference organised by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society Sindh branch on its 78th foundation day, the governor said Karachiites donated huge sums every year to welfare organisations, yet the Red Crescent did not receive support in proportion to its mandate and role during disasters and health emergencies.
He said residents of Karachi collectively donated more than Rs125 billion annually to charities, with tens of billions going to groups such as Saylani Welfare and JDC, while the Pakistan Red Crescent Society struggled to attract similar public trust and funding despite working under internationally recognised humanitarian principles.
“This is not about competing with anyone,” he said. “The Red Crescent serves suffering humanity without asking who you are or where you come from. It deserves much stronger public backing, especially when Sindh is repeatedly hit by floods, heatwaves, disease outbreaks and other emergencies.”
Governor Tessori warned that underfunding a neutral humanitarian institution weakened the province’s ability to respond effectively when large scale crises struck. He said reliance on selective charity could not replace the need for a strong, organised and impartial body capable of reaching all communities in times of distress.
Referring to international support, the governor said he had learnt that the German Red Cross was preparing to reduce or end its engagement in Pakistan, describing it as alarming in the wake of Covid 19 and the 2022 floods. He said shrinking international assistance made local support for national institutions even more critical.
He said he would take up the matter with President Asif Ali Zardari and seek ways to mobilise both international donors and domestic philanthropy for humanitarian work in Sindh.
While praising the leadership of PRCS Sindh, including chairman Rehan Hashmi and provincial secretary Kanwar Waseem, the governor said much of the organisation’s work remained invisible to the public.
He noted that efforts to train volunteers, promote women’s participation and strengthen community level response rarely received the same attention as more media facing charities.
The conference, held at the Institute of Business Administration Karachi, brought together local and international experts to discuss humanitarian diplomacy in the context of health, climate change, disaster risk reduction and international humanitarian law.
Sindh Ombudsman Sohail Rajput said that despite being the most climate vulnerable province, Sindh continued to see development and relief projects that ignored climate realities. He recalled that around 12 million people were affected by the 2022 floods and said future planning must reflect that risk.
He said his office had established a climate and justice unit and stressed that relief should be treated as a right of citizens rather than charity, a principle central to the Red Crescent’s mandate.
PRCS officials said the organisation was working to strengthen disaster preparedness at the community level, including the creation of a women led disaster management force and expanded training in first aid, emergency health response and climate adaptation.
Senior health and science journalist M. Waqar Bhatti told participants that timely sharing of information with the media during emergencies often determined whether help reached neglected areas, recalling how reporting during floods and disease outbreaks had led to faster responses.
The discussion ended with a blunt question hanging in the room: while Karachi’s generosity is undeniable, can Sindh afford to keep sidelining the one humanitarian organisation meant to serve everyone, everywhere, without bias.
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