Friday, October 17, 2008
Visit to China
President Zardari has completed a successful visit to China, with the two sides signing 12 agreements. The focus is on enhancing economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. The Pakistani president also made it a point during his visit to encourage investment, offering preferred treatment to Chinese firms. He spoke also of the opportunities Pakistan offered in various sectors given its strategic geographical location and the presence within the country of many resources. Naturally enough, the Pakistani leader did not mention the bomb blasts, the other terrorist threats or the kidnappings of foreign nationals that today cause the country to make headlines. But at home, policy makers must recognize that it is difficult, indeed impossible, to persuade investors into the country given the prevailing environment. A few days ago, a Polish company involved in land surveying in the Attock district, pulled out all of its' staff following the abduction of an employee. The fate of local personnel engaged by the firm is unknown, but people who were being paid a monthly sum as compensation for the use of their land for the survey have been turned away without their cheques from barricaded doors. Other companies too are reported to have reduced the presence of people on the ground, with the recent abduction of two Chinese engineers demonstrating it is not just westerners who are under threat. In these circumstances, it is hard to imagine any great willingness to take up investment opportunities in Pakistan. Competition of course is tough, with other Asian countries offering similar advantages and fewer risks. The fact that despite these grim realities China has extended offers of help in so many areas, including mineral development, agricultural research, satellite procurement and technical cooperation is encouraging. It demonstrates the value of Pakistan's warm ties with Beijing and also the success of President Zardari's first major overseas trip.
But, friendship should go beyond the signing of documents or the hosting of elaborate banquets. Friends, after all, should learn from each other – and China has much it can teach Pakistan. In 1949, when the country emerged from a long civil war as the People's Republic of China, conditions within it were not vastly different to those of Pakistan in 1947. Disease, poverty and illiteracy were all features of life for the Chinese people. Industry was virtually non-existent, the infrastructure was limited and feudal overlords dominated the countryside. Since then, China, within six decades, has undergone a sea change. Forecasts by international agencies predict it will be a super-power within 20 years. It is already a hub of international manufacturing and business. From all this, its people have benefited – in terms of employment, education and the quality of life. Sadly, Pakistan cannot claim such advances. Indeed, while some gains have of course been made, in other spheres things seem to have remained static or even slipped backwards. Indeed some say that in 1947 there was less corruption than is the case now, wheat was cheap and available in abundance and some administrative systems were better run. The failure to live up to the potential available in a country that had ample agricultural lands, natural resources and manpower, is saddening.
Much time has been lost. Pakistan today faces what seems like collapse. Literacy levels are still low, hunger is endemic, disease rampant. To add to these woes, the state's coffers have emptied, the power crisis has forced the closure of thousands of textile mills and the law and order situation is a source of great instability. But even now, Pakistan perhaps needs to look at what lessons it can learn from China. Its success, even though days of dark repression marred it, has been a phenomenal one. We must hope that along with their sheaves of paper, their gifts and their souvenirs, Pakistan's high-powered delegation also brings back with it some of the commitment that has underpinned China's progress and some of the dedication that has, through the years, driven it steadily forward.
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Jail deaths
At least five prisoners have been killed and 13 others injured after guards opened fire on prisoners that officials say were attempting to break out from the Malir District Jail at Landhi. Unruly scenes of rioting were seen as prisoners set jail offices and records on fire. This is of course not the first incident of its kind. Just weeks ago, riots broke out at the Hyderabad Jail, where prisoners climbed atop the roof of the prison, complaining about inadequate food and poor conditions. In the past few years, similar protests have taken place at various jails across the country. The situation within each of these 82 prisons is in most cases appalling. A key issue is overcrowding. The jails hold almost 90,000 inmates, most of them housing numbers that are far beyond their authorized capacity. The Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, for instance, has a capacity for 1,053 prisoners. Nearly 4,000 inmates are held at it. Similarly, the Karachi Central Jail, with a capacity for 1,691 held 5,450 according to figures for 2007. At the same time, the Malir Jail, built to house 893, held 3,110. An identical situation can be seen across jails everywhere in Punjab and Sindh.
The conditions mean up to ten prisoners may be crammed into cells intended to hold two or three. Some prisoners have in the past complained they are literally unable to lie stretched out at night. To add to this, inadequate budgets, combined with corruption, means grossly inadequate food. As a result disease rampages through jails, adding to the misery of prisoners. Torture and brutality are endemic and rules are rarely adhered too. Gangs of prisoners in some cases are known to control jails, in connivance with staff.
The present setup in Islamabad is headed by a prime minister and a president who have both spent years behind bars, in some of the country's most notorious jails. More than anyone else, they would be aware of the plight of prisoners, the vast majority of whom are not convicts but are still facing trial. Now that they have moved into the palatial residences in Islamabad that their offices entitle them to, these men must look back through the years to their days in jail and taken immediate measures to remedy the plight of those held there. The purpose of detaining a criminal must also, after all, include some attempt at reform. This is the principal behind modern jails. Pakistan's prisons in contrast remain stuck in a time zone, full of Dickensian horrors, with the insane, the sick, the addicted all held together. Until this is changed, more incidents such as that seen in Karachi will take place. The issue of jails requires immediate attention.