Stop being petty, Delhi
December 6th, 2010
The Indian government’s recent actions regarding Pakistani trade are somewhat confusing. On the one hand is the Indian high commissioner’s speech in Lahore earlier this week where he advocated an expansion of trade ties between India and Pakistan, suggesting that a full-blown effort at regional economic integration be undertaken in South Asia. On the other hand, the Indian government has been lobbying the World Trade Organisation to block the European Union’s (EU) move to grant concessionary trade access to Pakistan. Is India for free trade access for Pakistani goods or against it? It seems difficult to tell.
The reality is that India fears that even temporary preferential access to the European market will give Pakistani goods a competitive advantage over Indian goods and possibly reduce some of the trade between India and the EU. Yet it seems quite unreasonable to argue that since the industries most likely to benefit from the trade agreement are not located in the flood-affected areas, the agreement should be nullified. The Pakistani economy as a whole will benefit from trade access to European markets and the overall prosperity is in the benefit of flood victims, especially since India realises that the EU is not like to give any cash handout out of the fear that it will likely be squandered on corrupt or inefficient aid projects.
Getting the EU to grant preferential trade access in lieu of aid to the flood victims has been one of the few policy successes of the Gilani administration as a response to the flood. To have that taken away due to a grudge held by the Indian government would be unfortunate indeed. India has aspirations to become a regional or even global power. New Delhi would do well to realise that it is often incumbent upon larger states to show magnanimity towards their smaller neighbours. Or, at the very least, not be quite so openly petty.
Reign of terror
December 6th, 2010
The kind of terror the Taiban unleashed in Swat during their rule is now beginning to come forward in its entirety. Perhaps this is because terrorised people are finally finding the courage to speak out about their ordeal, as they gain confidence that the reign of militants in the valley is truly over.
Following the accounts of the public flogging of two other women — including Chand Bibi, the young woman whose beating by bearded men was captured on camera and shook the world — a third woman, Mairaj Bibi, has told of being beaten by militants in 2008 in front of her father-in-law and eight year old son. An attempt seems to have been made to force her to confess to illicit relations with her father-in-law. Initial suggestions focus around the possibility of family rivalry and revenge extracted by those who had power at the time.
This fits in with other accounts of Taliban rule. Far from being driven by any kind of religious zeal, the militants seem to have been driven by a lust for power and many of their worst atrocities seem to be a means to settle small scores. The arming of thousands of young men by the Taliban offered them the opportunity to do so with no one to stop them. The accounts coming forward, such as those from Mairaj Bibi, appear to confirm this. There is no other way to explain what happened to her. The phenomenon of the Taliban needs to be studied in this light and exposed before people.
There is another aspect to all this. It is so far unclear if any of those involved have been put on trial or penalised. This needs to happen. Extra-judicial killings and other kinds of abuses we have heard of in Swat are no answer. They only worsen matters. We need a fair process of justice so that some of what went wrong in Swat can be undone.
Smoother sailing?
December 6th, 2010
The Judicial Commission has begun the process of making recommendations for filling vacant slots in the superior judiciary. These include 32 judges to the high courts who had been granted an extension to avoid a crisis while debate raged on over the method of filling seats as well as the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court. The process will take some time, given that a long list of names is to be considered and debated with the chief justices of the high courts also set to attend the meeting, as will the attorney general and law minister as members of the judicial commission.
The list of names, once finalised, will be passed on to the parliamentary committee for approval as laid down under the 18th Amendment. For all the uproar that surrounded the matter, it seems things may work out quite well after all. For now, the storm that had hit the high seas and threatened to do a great deal of damage to the system seems to have died down. For this, the Supreme Court deserves credit. Its judgement in the matter was wise and respectful of the constitutional role of institutions. We hope this degree of maturity can continue and be expanded. We have suffered many times due to a fearful clash between institutions. This must not happen again. It is hoped that parliament will act with the kind of intelligence that can make individuals aware that the interests of the nation come above all else. The process of appointing judges is an important one. We need our courts to work efficiently and prudently but we also need a sense of stability, not just for the political front but also for the sake of our economy.
Over the past months, there has been much talk of a threat to the system. Problems between the judiciary and the parliament highlighted this. The key issue of the appointment of judges stood at the nucleus of the whole matter. It seems things may be working as per the requisites of the law. We must hope then that all institutions are ready to play their role. The appointment of judges is a test case. Let us hope all goes according to the requirements laid down in law and nothing is done to churn up calm waters.