The submarine affair
November 27th, 2010
The issue of kickbacks involved in the grant of a contract on Agosta submarines by France to Pakistan in the late 1990s refuses to die. Indeed, there seems to be a growing sensational dimension to the story which involves the death of 11 French naval engineers and three others in a suicide bombing in Karachi in 2002. The attack, blamed at the time on extremist elements, marked one of the first suicide attacks of this kind in the country and was widely believed to represent an assault against westerners.
Investigations in France, that suggest this may not quite be the case, lead us along a fascinating, if frighteningly dark, road. Relatives of the victims have demanded French President Nicholas Sarkozy, thought to be a party in the kickback deal, and other former French leaders to testify in the matter. The conjecture goes that, in a mafia-style murder, the Frenchmen died as punishment for failure to pay the kickbacks following a crackdown on corruption by a new government in Paris.
On the home front, some things are obvious. An attack of this nature could take place only with the involvement of the military and the agencies. No one else is capable of enacting it. This is all the more true as it took place during the height of power of a military regime. As we have become accustomed to hearing at every turn, the name of the president has been mentioned. But it is questionable quite what part he could have played in a sophisticatedly designed terrorist operation while in exile and with no known power within the country. The military has for too long been exempt from inquiry in wrongdoing of every kind. It is time our obsession with civilian politicians and with one man in particular, ended and was expanded to those institutions that have so far known immunity during every era. In the case of the Agosta deal in particular, the results could be quite fascinating, We owe it to our country, our citizens and to the Frenchmen who died here to get to the bottom of the matter.
A stroke of patience
November 27th, 2010
Pakistanis are impatient. For us, success needs to be instant. Every time one of our teams takes centre stage, the result should go in our favour. No one cares about a transition period or gradually building a team towards eventual success. Earlier this year knives were out for the hockey team that fared its worst in a World Cup — a dismal bottom place finish in New Delhi. Protests, retirements and new appointments followed but the results stayed the same. There were calls for the federation to undergo a revamp. Petitions were signed, press conferences organised and effigies burnt. Some players opted for a temporary break and some went into self-improvement mode, opting to rekindle the spark by turning their backs on Pakistan and participating in foreign leagues.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation insisted the Asian Games gold — and the 2012 London Olympics berth that accompanied — remained their primary target. Not many were prepared to listen, especially after fifth place at the Azlan Shah Cup and sixth at the Commonwealth Games. Worse than the results were the losses against India that complemented the humiliation. Even the hiring of a Dutch coach, with a whopping salary, failed to turn the fortunes around.
The voices still urged patience for the results that matter which, according to players and officials, were in the making. And as experience made a comeback to the squad, courtesy meek opposition, a rush of goals, and the oozing confidence that accompanied, allowed the nation to dream of the impossible. Pakistan edged past defending champions South Korea to play the final for the first time since 1990. The mighty neighbours suffered a shock defeat, presenting us with an easy ride to the podium.
With the achievement however, Pakistan hockey, similar to cricket, has set itself a dangerous precedent: to win every time they play.
Oil tanker encroachments
November 27th, 2010
It is deplorable that, despite the Supreme Court’s judgment six months ago that oil tankers vacate encroachments in Clifton Block 1, the transport mafia is still using the residential area as a parking terminal. Oil tankers in Shireen Jinnah Colony have illegally encroached on public property and are a nuisance to residents of the area. Parked on both sides of the road, these tankers and trucks leave only one lane for the movement of vehicles causing frequent traffic jams. Meanwhile, transporters blithely carry on repair and maintenance, oblivious to the inconvenience they are causing citizens. As a result, auto workshops have opened in the area and residential property prices have plummeted.
When a judgment given by the Supreme Court of the country is so flagrantly disregarded, it goes to show how weak rule of law is and how feeble the institutions meant to uphold it. In April, the transporters agreed to abide by the Court’s ruling, but they appear not to have taken their commitment seriously and are now complaining that the alternate parking site provided by Karachi Port Trust (KPT) is ‘muddy’. The fact of the matter is that these law and order transgressions point to the rampant graft and corruption present in the system and occur with the connivance of local government and police officials. In the meantime, the KPT has failed to do its duty by not removing the encroachments or facilitating the transporters with appropriate parking space.
In a welcome move, the Supreme Court has now directed a probe in the matter, asking the Secretary of the Oil Companies Advisory Committee to submit a compliance report on its verdict. The registrar of the Sindh High Court has also been ordered to inspect the suitability of the parking site provided by KPT. Hopefully, this will be a wakeup call for civic service providers and bring some relief to citizens who know only too well the futility of laws and judgments without on ground implementation.