Sufi behind bars
Tuesday, July 28, 2009


The arrest of TNSM leader Sufi Mohammad Khan, along with two sons and another relative from their home in Peshawar indicates how confused the policy on terrorism has been. Sufi, who now finds himself once more in custody, had been freed only in April last year on the orders of the same ANP government, to broker the peace deal in Swat that saw the Taliban wreak havoc on the valley. Within a year, Sufi has been re-cast as a villain. This is despite the fact that his role in the happenings in Swat remains somewhat obscure. It is unclear how much power the aged leader still commanded as he was released and to what extent he played a part in decision-making. It is known Sufi had been overtaken by his son-in-law, Maulana Fazlullah, as the key militant commander in Swat.

The arrest, made under Maintenance of Public Order laws however demonstrates an unwillingness to trifle any further with terrorists. One hopes this is a strategy that will now be strictly adhered to. Attempting to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' militants is a dangerous game. Men like Sufi Mohammad Khan have played a part in building the militant armies that today still threaten Swat. It was a mistake to trust him; a bigger mistake still to try and negotiate a deal in Swat. We hope the arrest of Sufi is the start of wider-ranging action. People who played a key role in the atrocities committed in Swat, those who hired and trained the teenaged suicide bombers arrested from Mingora and committed other acts of criminal violence, for the most part, remain free. Reports state militants still operate in the hills around Mingora and elsewhere in the valley. They must be tracked down and brought to justice. Only then can there be a hope of putting a final end to the militancy.


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Plan of action
Tuesday, July 28, 2009


The meeting between the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister in Lahore seems to have proceeded along harmonious lines. Both men agreed their parties should work together to repeal the 17th Amendment and Mr Gilani said that each province was free to deal with local governments as it saw fit, given that this was a provincial subject. The Punjab government has of course clashed with nazims in the past, with the governor of the province apparently attempting to use them to expand his own base of support.

The meeting itself and the cordial tone set during it, including agreement that the Charter of Democracy needed to be implemented, are not insignificant. This comes at a time when rumours are rife of a growing rift between the president and prime minister. The conjecture is that the PML-N is backing Mr Gilani in this, and perhaps even egging him on. Seen in this light, the united stand on the 17th Amendment could in the future be translated into action within Parliament. The issue of whether Mr Gilani or Mr Zardari command more support from within the PPP is a much debated one, but in recent days the PM has seemed increasingly confident that he holds the upper hand and with PML-N backing could swing things his way in the assembly. The invitation made to the PML-N to rejoin the federal cabinet could also point to the shape of things to come. But during the meeting, Shahbaz Sharif also raised some less pleasant issues. Key among these was the power crisis and the loss of livelihood caused by it. In response to his demand for swift remedy, the PM has agreed to convene a meeting of chief ministers in Islamabad . We must all hope they succeed in finding solutions. If we look beyond the issue of power politics, there can be no doubt that cooperation between major forces is what Pakistan today needs. None of these parties is likely to be able to resolve the mountain of problems we face alone. We must hope they can do so by standing together and initiating a joint plan of action that can help the country move forward.


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Superstition
Tuesday, July 28, 2009


In a bizarre spectacle near Hyderabad, three children were buried up to their necks in sand on the banks of the Indus, in the hope that a partial solar eclipse would help cure them of the various ailments they suffered. The measure had apparently been advocated by spiritual healers following age-old tradition. Scientists, naturally, deny that it will bring any benefit to the children – including a girl who suffers paralysis.

The fact that such superstition continues to dominate lives is in many ways sad. The families are quite obviously desperate and anxious to do anything they can for their offspring. But it is too easy to blame the methods they have adopted on ignorance alone. While this is undoubtedly a part of the problem, it is tied in to the fact that access to health care is still extremely limited. The vast majority of people in the country are simply not able to obtain the help they need. This is tied in both to the fact that quality medical treatment is simply unaffordable and to the limited number of state-run facilities, where the services available are most often in shambles. The reasons for this are no mystery: Pakistan spends less than one per cent of its GDP on health – a percentage far lower than the amount spent by many African and almost all other Asian states. The issue is one of government priority. It is absurd that while our leaders boast of possessing an atomic bomb and millions are spent on easing the lives of government ministers and other bigwigs, so little is offered to ordinary citizens. We must hope the pictures that have appeared widely in the media act to put our leaders to shame. It is their indifference to the plight of people that compels mothers and fathers to resort to superstition. They must be rescued from a life rooted in such practices. This can happen only by investing more in education and health and recognizing that people are the principal asset of any state and that its priority must be to ensure they have the basic rights that they require as human beings.