Baloch ‘independence’
Thursday, 13 Aug, 2009
ON the so-called ‘Kalat Independence Day’ on Aug 11, Mir Suleman Dawood, grandson of the last ruler of Kalat, announced the creation of a council of Baloch separatist elements in Pakistan and Iran who will press for the formation of an ‘independent Balochistan’. Mr Dawood’s demand for an ‘independent’ Baloch state clearly cannot be countenanced; tomorrow marks the 62nd anniversary of Pakistan’s creation and there simply isn’t any room for debate about altering the physical boundaries of the country today. Pakistan’s problems — and, yes, there are many — can only realistically and viably be solved within the framework of Pakistan. Yet, while Mr Dawood’s demand must necessarily be dismissed, it points to ongoing problems in Balochistan that show no sign of abating, and this 18 months after national elections to usher in a new, democratic government in the country.
Mr Dawood’s personal grievances date back to March 1948, when his grandfather, Ahmad Yar Khan, negotiated an agreement with Mohammad Ali Jinnah that brought the State of Kalat, located in the centre and southwest of present-day Balochistan, into the fold of Pakistan. According to the then ruler of Kalat, the agreement had been to accept the state’s unique status and to incorporate it into Pakistan as an independent and autonomous unit along the lines of countries that are part of the European Union today. But this has never been proved and is rejected by Pakistan. Resultantly, a sense of having suffered a great injustice has continued over the decades, even as the Khan of Kalat’s family receded into relative obscurity. A return to prominence was effected in the wake of Nawab Akbar Bugti’s killing in August 2006 as Mr Dawood convened a grand jirga — the first in approximately 100 years — that brought together virtually all of Balochistan’s tribal leaders. Even so, what was decided there has been diluted somewhat by the fact that some of the most prominent tribal leaders are today part of the federal and Balochistan provincial governments. But Mr Dawood has continued his dissent against the constitutional status of Balochistan, leading up to the commemoration for the first time of Kalat’s independence on Aug 11 — the day in 1947 that the British allegedly accepted the independence of the State of Kalat.
Whatever the history, the fact is that Balochistan has continued to suffer from the relative neglect of the country’s new leaders. Change has been promised, but in fact the trust deficit between the nationalists and the state has widened. That must change. Whatever the challenges in the rest of the country, the legitimate grievances of the people of Balochistan must be addressed.
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Trivialising the issue
Thursday, 13 Aug, 2009
MR Rehman Malik should have thought twice before saying that the onus was on the Taliban to prove that Baitullah Mehsud was still alive. It should have occurred to him that many would consider it his responsibility to verify the death of one of Pakistan’s most-feared terrorists, especially after similar claims earlier on were proved wrong. It was America which said that there was a high probability that the TTP leader was killed in a drone attack. One hopes that Islamabad accepted the US view after verifying his death through its own sources. This takes us to the question of Islamabad’s quality of intelligence-gathering. Ultimately, notwithstanding all the technical intelligence and the laser technology that zeroes in on a target, it is human intelligence — or humint — that counts in locating, if not killing, the enemy.
From this point of view, Pakistan’s humint has been shockingly below what is required in militancy-infested places like Fata and Swat. In fact, the DNA test that an interior ministry official said would be conducted to ascertain Baitullah Mehsud’s death appears highly unlikely considering the inaccessibility to the location of the drone attack that is said to have killed him or even to his grave if the site of the latter is verified. Moreover, we were also told that Hakeemullah and Waliur Rahman, both candidates for the TTP leadership, were killed in a shoot-out. Now the interior ministry wants the ‘dead’ Hakeemullah to give proof of Mehsud’s existence.
The government should not confound the issue further as this would give the Taliban spokesmen a chance to keep spreading what could well be disinformation. If Baitullah Mehsud is dead — and there is a strong possibility that he is —the truth will come out sooner or later, claims and counterclaims notwithstanding. Let the TTP choose his successor. That will settle the issue. The least Mr Malik can do is to spare us his daily press talk that serves no purpose. The media too should approach the issue with caution, for no newsperson was around for miles when the drone did the job.
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Ban on Indian films?
Thursday, 13 Aug, 2009
THE moral outrage displayed in the National Assembly on Tuesday against the airing of Indian films on the country’s cable television networks can hardly be considered legitimate grounds for a Pemra ban on such movies. MNAs Bushra Rahman of the PML-Q and Maulana Fazlur Rahman of the JUI-F argued that the projection of Indian culture is causing “grave concern among the public”. This claim is belied by the immense popularity of Indian films in Pakistan. Secondly, the traditions of freedom of choice and a free media demand that citizens be allowed the right to access whatever legal form of the media they desire. An arbitrary or selective ban imposed by the government amounts to censorship.
The fear underlying the outrage refers to the swamping of Pakistani culture by foreign influences. What is needed, therefore, is for the state to actively support and promote the local film, television and performing arts industries. In these fields, there is a dearth of state-supported training institutes in Pakistan. The government-run arts councils can do far more to meet their brief of promoting local cultural productions.
A case against the airing of films — whether they are from India or elsewhere — on local cable television networks can be made, however, in terms of economic and copyright concerns. Such broadcasts made by private cable operators and channels from DVDs are usually pirated. No royalties are paid, and the government earns neither tax nor any other form of revenue. The broadcaster, by contrast, earns through selling advertisement slots. Given that the country has often been criticised for its failure to control piracy and enforce copyright laws, there is a need to devise codes under which foreign films can be legally aired on local television networks, and no party is denied due revenue.
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OTHER VOICES - Middle East Press Resisting Israeli designs
Thursday, 13 Aug, 2009
ISRAEL’S angry reaction to a resolution passed by Fatah Congress that the Palestinian movement still stands by its right to resistance to achieve its goal of a Palestinian state shows the intolerance of the Jewish state … At its first congress in 20 years and the first ever on occupied Palestinian soil, Fatah stressed “its commitment to the pursuit of a comprehensive peace but reiterates the Palestinian people’s right to resistance to occupation in all its forms in line with international law,” its new charter said….
Fatah’s reiteration of its right to resistance is a welcome sign…. …Palestinians have been the heavy losers in the conflict, with a recalcitrant Israel trampling on their rights … as in the construction of the separation wall, expansion of settlements and uncompromising stands on all issues.… — (Aug 10)
Sudan’s Lubna Hussein
IN a world where press freedom is under relentless assault, we know the situation well in Turkey… But … a more urgent subject … is the case of Lubna Hussein, a Sudanese journalist sentenced to 40 lashes. Her crime? Wearing trousers…. Hussein … was arrested with a dozen other trouser-wearing women…. Ten of the women accepted the punishment of 10 lashes, but Hussein and two others did not.
She sent out hundreds of cards inviting people to her trial … [W]e support her … It is easy to defy oppressive governments from a distance. It is always difficult to defy them from within. And it [is] for this that we commend Ms Hussein….
Your support for the rights of women can be directed to the Sudanese minister of justice, Abdul-Basit Sabdarat. The address is:
moj@moj.gov.sd … — (Aug 8)