Help for the IDPs
Friday, 22 May, 2009
BELATEDLY, the federal government has woken up to the needs of the civilian population in northern Pakistan that has been displaced by the fight against the militants. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced the government’s ‘3R’ approach — relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction — and committed Rs8bn to the effort to help the IDPs. And yesterday the prime minister chaired an international donors conference in Islamabad at which $224m, including $110m committed earlier by the US, of emergency aid for the IDPs was announced. Even more money may be committed soon, as Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has announced that the UN will launch an appeal for aid today that may net hundreds of millions of dollars more. It is clear that winning the military battle in Malakand division may translate into a strategic loss if the state does not protect the population, so it is a welcome sign that the government is awakening to its crucial responsibility and that the international community is pledging to help the cash-strapped government. With the estimates of the displaced people already topping two million, the task ahead is indeed enormous.
Positively, the government is not just talking about relief operations. It is already looking at the rehabilitation and reconstruction phases, and has sought the help of international and local organisations to draw up plans to help the IDPs rebuild their lives, both in the camps and once they return to their homes. None of this was visible in the case of earlier IDPs from places like Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber and Darra Adamkhel. Fighting a counter-insurgency is a long-term process, one which continues long after the guns have fallen silent and the last IDP has returned home, and by planning for the future the government should be able to more effectively to deal with the nuts and bolts of helping people rebuild their lives when that time comes.
However, a word of caution: the government must ensure maximum transparency in the utilisation of funds for the IDPs. Unscrupulous elements will eye the enormous sums of money that are to be funnelled towards the various programmes and projects and the possibility of mismanagement and corruption are high. Money should only be spent on genuine victims of the fighting in Malakand division and it should be utilised quickly but effectively. As far as food aid goes, it should be procured and disbursed transparently to the real victims. And as far as spending on rehabilitation and reconstruction projects goes, a list of priorities must be established that takes into account the basic needs of the population. With expert advice readily available given Pakistan’s experience of handling refugees from Afghanistan and the October 2005 earthquake, a transparent but efficient effort should not be very difficult to achieve.
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Pakistan-India relations
Friday, 22 May, 2009
THE signs appear to be healthy and it can only be hoped that the spirit of rapprochement will help lay the foundation for meaningful dialogue between Pakistan and India. Pakistan’s President Asif Zardari was among the first few leaders to congratulate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Congress party’s recent landslide election victory. And on Wednesday, as the Indian prime minister and the Congress chief met their president and presented a list of MPs whose support they enjoy, New Delhi gave Islamabad some additional information the latter had requested regarding the Mumbai attacks. With New Delhi in a cooperative mood, Islamabad will be expected to speed up its end of investigations and bring the masterminds to book. Some of the alleged ringleaders based in this country were rounded up quite some time ago. There is much on the Pakistan government’s plate these days, but it is nonetheless imperative that the case against the accused is finalised and presented in a court of law as soon as possible.
A hostile reaction from India was inevitable given the scale and audacity of the Mumbai attacks. The shock, horror and grief felt by our neighbours — and many Pakistanis for that matter — was genuine and easily understood. But then New Delhi started upping the ante and war clouds gathered over the subcontinent. The crisis, however, was averted and the region spared of unimaginable horrors. That didn’t stop the war of words though. The government in Islamabad was under pressure on several fronts and an element of bravado was only to be expected in its dealings with the old ‘enemy’. India, meanwhile, was gearing up for elections. Though not as vitriolic as the Hindu nationalists, even the secular Congress felt it necessary to firm up its credentials and indulge in some Pakistan-bashing to win votes. The Mumbai massacre did, after all, take place on its watch and attention had to be diverted from the security lapses that facilitated the terrorists’ rampage in the city.
With a massive mandate under its belt, the Congress no longer has cause to be on the defensive. It is in a position to take a more authoritative stand when it comes to relations with Pakistan and regional security as a whole. Not too long ago, Pakistan made a major concession when it agreed to open up a transit trade route between India and Afghanistan. Increased cooperation is of the essence at this stage to resolve outstanding issues and defeat the forces of militancy.
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Myanmar’s sham trial
Friday, 22 May, 2009
IT is intriguing why military regimes, that are inherently dictatorial, wish to claim political and legal legitimacy for themselves. Who doesn’t know that their main goal is to grab power and rule without let or hindrance? That is what the junta in Myanmar has been doing for the last four decades. Each time it has sought to establish its ‘democratic’ credentials it has slipped badly, causing it to assert its power even more in a bid not to lose control.
The latest drama of a farce trial being enacted in Yangon is directed at Aung San Suu Kyi, the charismatic opposition leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD). She has been the military regime’s nemesis since 1990 when she won a landslide victory in the general elections but was not allowed to take office. Kept under house arrest for 13 of the last 19 years, Ms Suu Kyi continues to pose a threat to Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein’s government which faces an election next year. Since her house arrest is to end later this month one can see why the generals are nervous. The uninvited intruder who swam across the lake to enter Ms Suu Kyi’s house has provided the military a weak pretext to haul her to court on trumped-up charges. Accusing her of violating the terms of her house arrest, the junta hopes to throw her into prison for five years or so. That would leave the ground clear for the army to consolidate its control over the country under a nominal civilian government.
Myanmar’s neighbours that have been soft on it and have turned a blind eye to its shenanigans are now tiring of its undemocratic ways. They see the trial as a sham even though the regime has tried to give it a fair image by inviting 30 diplomats to attend the hearing in prison. But all this will not mitigate the concerns that are generally felt. There is talk of more international sanctions and Myanmar’s attempts to establish its democratic credentials will not convince any-one if the democratic leadership keeps resorting to autocratic methods.
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OTHER VOICES - Bangladesh Press Grisly road accidents
Friday, 22 May, 2009
THE death of a police sergeant, and a female university student sustaining multiple injuries that might cripple her permanently, are the latest reminders of how dangerously exposed citizens are to grisly road accidents in this city of traffic chaos and peril.
The police sergeant was trying to chase an errant driver when he was overrun, and the girl student was knocked by a bus when she was returning home after attending her classes. So, it is evident that they had little control over the situation and were victims of reckless … driving that has become so common in the city….
The Daily Star
The tragedies that we have just witnessed are clearly the results of traffic rules being flouted with impunity. It is really disturbing that buses and minibuses [pose] a grave danger to both … passengers and pedestrians. Even at crowded intersections, the minibuses seldom bother to slow down, and pedestrians are often seen hurrying across the roads and avoiding, very luckily, fatal accidents by a fraction of a second or so…. The commuters … set their feet somehow on any space near the door of a bus and keep themselves hanging as the bus moves at a high speed. A moment’s loss of concentration … can lead to instant death in all such cases. But who is there to caution these people and ensure their safety?
Now, let’s have a look at the worn-out vehicles and … untrained … drivers. The buses and minibuses, in particular, often look like contraptions that should have been scrapped long ago. And drivers are always a source of worry as they have no regard for traffic rules or human lives.
The BRTA which issues fitness certificates to all these vehicles should explain to citizens how the buses and minibuses having no road-worthiness could make their way to the streets. How did the untrained drivers manage to get licences, and if they do not have it, whose responsibility was it to stop them from driving in busy Dhaka streets? These questions need to be answered to prevent accidents that account for such a large number of casualties. — (May 21)