NFC and beyond
Tuesday, 26 May, 2009
ARE we to assume that the issue of omissions in the National Finance Commission is as good as settled? PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Sunday said his party was ready to accept a new NFC formula that would guarantee the equitable division of resources between the centre and the four federating units. In the light of what the PML-N chief is believed to have said to Mahmood Achakzai, who leads the Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, it can be surmised that Punjab is ready to agree to an NFC formula that takes into account other factors such as the ratio of revenue generation, area span and the backwardness of a province instead of the award being based solely on population numbers. Mr Sharif reposed his trust in the 1973 constitution and in return for his assurances elicited from Mr Achakzai an invitation to tour Balochistan.
The Sharif statement is consistent with recent PML-N overtures after the party was criticised for ignoring the smaller provinces and concentrating on what it perceived as Punjab’s problems. It would be advisable for Mr Sharif to acquaint himself with the strong feeling of alienation and deprivation present in Balochistan. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the province in February this year and he was sufficiently moved by the situation to loudly call for a new social contract. Long before his visit, a number of politicians and political commentators had talked about the need for a fresh social contract in Pakistan, perhaps the most prominent among them being Benazir Bhutto.
As this refrain vended its way from one newspaper column to another, conditions in Balochistan as well as many other areas in the country went from bad to worse. It is about time that the ‘new social contract’ is defined in precise terms and backed by a constitutional amendment package that would give the sacred document clauses to satisfy all parties. In fact, what we are looking for is provincial autonomy. It is doubtful that anything less than this will be acceptable to those who have been deprived for long. The Sharifs should take their campaign to the National Assembly, and it would not be out of place for the Punjab Assembly to come out with a resolution demanding an NFC award that is favourable to all the provinces. Time is precious. They should not waste it waiting for the moment when they are in power in Islamabad.
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Book clubs in villages
Tuesday, 26 May, 2009
THE National Book Foundation plans to set up book clubs across the country, focusing particularly on remote villages. This praiseworthy initiative can potentially be achieved with relative ease since — as the NBF notes — all that is required is to supplement the collections already owned by people such as schoolmasters, and then to set up systems allowing access to the community. Writers and literary scholars are also to be invited to hold readings at these village book clubs. The planned initiative is important since reading for either pleasure or information is a dying habit. Rapid advances in digital technology have led people towards other means of diversion, particularly in Pakistan where a poor literacy rate exists alongside a deteriorating state education system and a boom in the electronic media. In this situation, creating forums that allow people access to books on a range of subjects will help the literate to educate themselves — the two terms are not synonymous. Meanwhile, there is an urgent need to set up more libraries and facilitate the general public’s access to the few that do exist.
Most importantly, however, such efforts to raise the general intellectual bar of the country must be underpinned by an effective and efficient educational system to which every citizen has equal access. Unesco’s latest Global Monitoring Report estimates that the country’s literacy rate currently hovers around 50 per cent, a figure supported by last year’s National Economic Survey. However, the latter also noted significant disparities in the comparative literacy rates for not only men and women, but also in the four provinces, with the literacy rate in Balochistan averaging at about 33 per cent. In the interests of harnessing the human potential of the country, it is incumbent upon the state to increase investment in educational infrastructure, syllabus improvement, teacher-training and related issues. Girls’ schools in particular have become targets of terrorism in some parts. This trend must be stamped out, for until the overwhelming majority of Pakistan’s children go to school without fear or discrimination, efforts such as that of the National Book Foundation will remain a drop in the ocean.
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Peace pipeline at last
Tuesday, 26 May, 2009
THERE is little good news these days, but perhaps we should not despair. Iran and Pakistan have signed a deal to construct a gas pipeline that had been on the cards since 1995, notwithstanding the numerous turns and twists in negotiations. The gas sales agreement should also be signed shortly. We can then hope for work on the project to begin. This is a major breakthrough for Pakistan which will gain tremendously in the energy sector. When completed the 2100-kilometre pipeline will carry 750 million cubic feet of gas per day from Iran’s South Pars fields to Nawabshah in Sindh. This gas will be used only for energy generation and help produce 5000MW of electricity for this power-starved country. The price agreed upon for the moment i.e. 80 percent of the oil price, may not be as low as initially bargained for. But in the absence of alternatives this appears to be the most feasible offer. With oil prices falling as they are these days, Pakistan should benefit.
There are, however, two aspects of this project that must be kept in mind. One is directly linked to Pakistan’s security concerns in Balochistan. Fears have been expressed that the turmoil in Balochistan will threaten the security of the pipeline since a great length of the 1,000 kilometres inside Pakistan passes through that province which borders Iran. Islamabad could convert this factor to its advantage if it can ensure that in the construction of the pipeline indigenous labour is hired and the gains of the economic activity inevitably generated by projects of such magnitude are focused on Balochistan for the benefit of its poverty-stricken people. The peace pipeline will begin functioning in another five years. This period should be used by Islamabad to address the Balochistan problem in earnest to find a just solution that redresses the grievances of the province’s citizens.
The international implications of the Iran-Pakistan pipeline accord also have great significance. At one stage India had expressed serious interest in the project as it also stood to benefit from it. Had India not dropped out — as it did last year — the pipeline would have emerged as a powerful focal point in a region that is emerging as an important site on the world energy map. The two signatories have kept the door open for New Delhi that can still join the arrangement at some point. Plans to reduce the circumference of the pipeline should keep the prospects of India’s entry in view. Very importantly, Pakistan has displayed a measure of independence vis-à-vis Washington which has been a persistent opponent of the pipeline deal. With changes in the global equations in the offing and there being a possibility of a US-Iran dialogue, one can only say that Pakistan stands vindicated.
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OTHER VOICES - Sindhi Press The government should stand with the people
Tuesday, 26 May, 2009
PPP ministers and MPAs from Karachi have expressed their reservations about the influx of internally displaced persons into Sindh and have demanded that Punjab and the NWFP set up camps at Attock Bridge, which connects the two provinces, to provide shelter to the IDPs.
They suggested that Sindh and Balochistan should shoulder the responsibility to provide maximum relief to the IDPs. Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari had assured the Sindh chief minister that the entry of IDPs into Sindh would be allowed after registration.
According to Sindh’s chief minister, the provincial government is setting up camps at the Sindh-Punjab border — Obauro, Kashmore and Kandhkot — while camps are being set up near the toll plaza in Karachi. After registration, IDPs will be provided with the required facilities. Reports suggest that some 50,000 IDPs have come down to Karachi.
The Sindh government’s decision to welcome IDPs despite strong opposition from different political and social circles has created a tense situation. The Sindh government did not even take into confidence the cabinet members and MPAs. If it had, they would have not supported this policy. Sindh already has a large number of immigrants which has led to numerous problems in the province. This influx will add to the miseries of the locals with the potential to upset the province’s ethnic balance. The stance of the government should be clear: Karachi belongs to the people of Sindh. There are fears that migrants want to turn the Sindhis into a minority. The government’s decisions should be in line with the aspirations of the people.
This does not mean that the people of Sindh do not want to help the IDPs. They also think it is a humanitarian issue which should be dealt with immediately but not at the cost of the future of Sindh and its people. The registration would prove ineffective if the migrants don’t return. There have been protests against allowing the IDPs from entering the province by various circles. The province is incapable of bearing the burden of a growing refugee population. We think the concerns of the people of Sindh are justifiable and the provincial government should pay heed to them. The government should respect the mandate of the people of Sindh. — (May 23)
— Selected and translated by Sohail Sangi