Sept/28/08

THE Friends of Pakistan, the consortium that has been set up to help the country meet "many challenges in the security and economic fields", held its inaugural session at New York on Friday. Although the participants did not consider the quantum of aid that should be set apart to bail it out of the current economic mess, the figure of money being quoted by some sections of the media to ensure proper economic recovery is between $10 and $15 billion. The Pakistan Foreign Secretary, who was present at the meeting, maintained that that much amount was, indeed, needed in view of the grave challenges the country was facing. Howsoever sweet words of "strong support of the international community for Pakistan's democratically elected government" one might hear at such get-togethers, experience proves that they are of little significance unless sufficient assistance does actually start coming in. Unfortunately, it had hardly been the fate of commitments made at these conferences. One hopes that in this particular case since the stakes for the world community are quite high it would turn out to be an exception. President Asif Zardari received assurances of help from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, UK Foreign Minister David Miliband, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed and some other countries. The question is whether these commitments would start taking concrete shape as soon as the first regular session of the Friends takes place in Dubai next month.
It is difficult to understand why Mr Zardari should wish to make the forum a permanent feature. The idea is suggestive of a permanent dependence on outside help, which is hardly something that a self-respecting nuclear power of 170 million people should relish. One would like to believe that it was a mere slip of the tongue especially as he stressed that he wanted to 'learn how to fish' rather than 'get a fish'. Pakistan would have to make the most scrupulous use of whatever assistance it receives. It should be put to most productive use and not frittered away on specious enterprises or administrative purposes. Another extremely important point, which Islamabad ought to keep in mind while accepting any foreign assistance, is that always there are strings attached. Hence we have to be careful that the conditions must, in any case, be promoting primarily our own interests.
Only if this stipulation were to be strictly followed, the support from the US and the world would prove to be a "blessing" for the country that Mr Zardari calls it. At the same time, one would expect the Americans and their allies not to try to take advantage of the difficult situation Pakistan is in; for that would serve their long-term goals. But, in any case, the onus would be on Pakistan.


INSPECTOR General Frontier Corps Maj. Gen. Tariq Khan has told the media that over one thousand militants and twenty seven soldiers were killed during the month long military operation in Bajaur. The tally is saddening as those who have fallen are all, except four, Pakistanis. As the operation is being conducted in populated areas rather than a traditional battlefield, and those opposing the troops are local people with identical features, it is hard to visualize how the authorities were able to sift the militants from innocent tribesmen. Several reports have in fact appeared of protests against the killing of non-combatants including women and children. Extensive damage has been inflicted on houses and private property including orchards and businesses. One realizes that no responsible government can allow anyone to challenge the writ of the state by raising a private army, establishing a rival administration and an alternate judicial system administering punishments on its own. Further, acts of lawlessness like torching the girls' schools, barbers shops and video centers have to be stopped. Similarly no one can be allowed to attack government installations and police stations. But all this needs to be done as far as possible through tactful handling and persuasion and recourse to force taken only, and that too sparingly, when all other measures have been tried and found ineffective. Killing of innocent people through indiscriminate use of force, carelessness or by chance, is liable to inflame a desire for revenge among the effected families and create problems for the rest of the country. Instead of prolonging the operation by two to three months, as is being visualized, it needs to be wound up at the earliest and talks initiated.
Among the measures that need to be urgently taken is the rehabilitation of nearly 200,000 displaced persons who have been forced to take refuge in makeshift shelters. With winter approaching, those in these camps are bound to face more hardships. In case of the operation continuing over a longer period there is a danger of the number of the effected people increasing.
The absence of the healing hand in Bajaur is being widely noticed. Little has so far been done to win the hearts and minds. Those affected by the operation have to be adequately compensated. The infrastructure in the area of operations has been badly damaged. Roads and bridges have to built while schools and hospitals have not only to be reconstructed but also refurbished. For the present no constructive activity is anywhere in sight.


IT is a matter of great pride to learn that Agosta 90 B submarine has been commissioned in the Pakistan Navy. The submarine has been built by Pakistani engineers, which speaks volumes about their skill. One should also be thankful to France, which helped develop the technology at the initial stages. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who was present at the induction ceremony termed the development a landmark. However, his emphasis on the need to be self-reliant in areas of arms procurement should be given a serious thought.
There still remains dire need to be militarily self-reliant in the fields of production and procurement. Our defence forces are mainly dependent on US technology and equipment. While it is an undeniable fact that the US stands head and shoulders above others in matters of arms production, our dependence on its equipment has left us in a quandary. The biggest drawback is that the US can block the supplies whenever it wants. In 1965, despite knowing that the war was crucial to our survival, it cut off the ammunition supply. Most of the artillery, which was American made, was rendered useless because of lack of firearms. This flawed approach of relying on a single country is bound to cast its negative impact on foreign policy as well forcing the leadership to compromise on issues of national prestige. At present, the armament factories in the country particularly those in Wah are doing a good job but the weapons manufactured there fall in the category of small arms which have limited relevance in today's age of next generation weapons like drones and anti-satellite missiles.
The country, rather than putting all its eggs in one basket, must therefore pursue military acquisitions from a variety of sources. Special focus should also be paid to setting up of quality institutions and plants. Procuring arms from different sources and indigenizing modern technology would strengthen our defence.

Source: http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...g-selfreliance

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