Article Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/19/punjab-gasps-as-indias-modi-refuses-to-seek-oxygen-from-pakistan
As Covid cases soar in India (around 100,000 this week), the Indian healthcare system is in desperate need of many supplies, including oxygen. 305 metric tons of oxygen are needed every day in the Punjab region, and many hospitals are in desperate need of supplies. In an effort to help India, Pakistan has offered to create a trade corridor where they can supply India with oxygen, but Prime Minister Modi has refused the offers, as he doesn’t want to accept any help from an “enemy nation.”
Instead, due to his nationalism, he is transporting oxygen only from India. This is extremely ridiculous given the fact that the Punjab region could be receiving oxygen from Lahore (in Pakistan), which is only 30 miles away, but they instead have to wait for oxygen to travel well over a thousand kilometers from the other end of India. Modi also shouldn’t be so hung up on accepting help given the fact that he is already accepting aid from China and various Muslim countries.
This oxygen shortage in India has caused many deaths already, and will continue to cause deaths as long as oxygen isn’t provided to hospitals. The pandemic is painful enough already in India, so why needlessly raise the death toll?
Overall, Modi’s stubbornness reveals the severity of the India-Pakistan border conflict. If he is willing to let his people die simply because of an ongoing rivalry, then the conflict is very severe. It is frustrating that Modi has refused help so many times, but it’s also a perfect illustration of the prevalence of the common goods problem. While public health and saving lives should be part of the common good, India’s national interest (at least according to Modi) instead lies in the idea of self-sufficiency. It’s interesting that Pakistan doesn’t seem to have any of the same hang-ups on helping its neighbor, but perhaps it is more of a statement of self-reliance on India’s part. Regardless, the oxygen crisis in the Punjab region must be addressed as quickly as possible in order to save as many lives as possible.