The Tapi pipedream
From the Newspaper
December 15, 2010 (3 days ago)
IT is a good project — on paper. The energy-starved AfPak region and India need oil and gas, and the pipeline from Turkmenistan would take care of part of the gas deficit, if and when the project sees the light of day. An indication of the problems involved is the secrecy surrounding the document signed by the Pakistan, Afghan and Turkmen presidents, and India`s energy minister. The document has not been made public, and nobody knows the cost of the project or when work will begin. The ambitious 1,700km pipeline project was conceived in the late `90s but was abandoned because of strife in Afghanistan. Peace and finances are the two major problems, the latter being the lesser of the two. The Asian Development Bank`s representative at Ashkabad was noncommittal about funding, and it is doubtful whether any of the western energy giants will chip in given the disastrous security situation across the pipeline`s prospective route.
In sharp contrast, we have the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project which, despite India`s pullout under American pressure and other considerations, is at a relatively advanced stage. The pipeline`s security will be a problem in the Pakistan part of it, and that is undeniably a hurdle that must be crossed by political means. Washington could possibly continue to pressure Islamabad against such a deal for geopolitical reasons but those are hardly relevant to a commercial deal between the two neighbours. Tapi could remain a pipedream for years, for it is linked to a final peace settlement in Afghanistan and America has said it will stay in the AfPak region till 2014. That is hardly conducive to Tapi`s fruition. On the other hand, the bilateral Pakistan-Iran project could become a going concern, if only Washington realised that despite its reservations about the deal, an economically stable Pakistan is in America`s interests.
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Baloch killings
From the Newspaper
December 15, 2010 (3 days ago)
A HUMAN Rights Watch report has underlined the grim situation in Balochistan with regard to the killing of teachers and other education personnel. According to HRW, “Between January 2008 and October 2010, suspected militant groups targeted and killed at least 22 teachers and other education personnel in the province. Militants have also threatened, bombed, or otherwise attacked schools, resulting in injuries, deaths, property damage, and curtailed education for Balochistan`s children and youth”. To anyone familiar with the troubled province of Balochistan, the facts are depressingly all too well-known. But HRW and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which contributed to the report, have done a valuable service by going a step further and explicitly linking the violence to certain groups. The focus on the `nationalist groups`, i.e. militant Baloch groups demanding independence from the Pakistani state, is particularly striking. Naming the BLA and the BLUF, HRW explains the reasons behind the violence perpetrated by such groups: “teachers and students constitute a significant proportion of [target-killing] victims because militant groups view schools and educational personnel, particularly ethnic Punjabis, as representatives of the Pakistani state and symbols of perceived Punjabi military oppression of the province”.
HRW is right. Unhappily, however, it has too often been left to rights groups and outsiders to highlight and condemn the crimes committed in Balochistan by the Baloch. Moderate Baloch politicians have remained silent on the matter, allowing the extremists to dictate the narrative and mode of communicating Balochistan`s grievances. Parties such as the BNP-M, National Party and other right-thinking politicians and prominent citizens of Balochistan must speak out against the violence perpetrated by the extremists. As the HRW report makes clear, it is Balochistan and her people who suffer the most from the violence. In 2009, state schools in the province were open for a mere 120 days (the average for the rest of Pakistan was 220). Two hundred teachers have transferred out of the province or to the relatively more secure Quetta, while another 200 transfers are pending — extraordinary when it is kept in mind that the province`s educational needs are already severely under-resourced.
To be sure, Balochistan is a province with many legitimate grievances against the state. It has historically been treated poorly by the centre, with Balochistan`s resources being funnelled to other provinces with little compensation and the province`s geographic location meaning security fears/obsessions have often trumped development and social needs, etc. However, in pressing for their rights, two things need to be clear: one, a solution has to be found within the framework of the Pakistani state; and two, violence, particularly against ordinary citizens, must end. Baloch moderates must stand up and be counted.
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Unnecessary outburst
From the Newspaper
December 15, 2010 (3 days ago)
THE vast majority of Pakistani politicians need to learn a thing or two about statesmanship and avoid outbursts that achieve no purpose. This need was certainly felt after Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza`s comments at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday. In his tirade against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a coalition partner of the Sindh government, the minister held the party responsible for the on-and-off waves of targeted killings in Karachi. He linked the MQM with ethnic violence in the metropolis, particularly mentioning incidents following Dr Imran Farooq`s murder in London. For its part, the MQM said it would take up the issue with the president and prime minister while counselling restraint to its workers. This is not the first time Dr Mirza has upbraided the MQM or other political players in such a harsh tone. The outburst raises a number of points, a primary one being that if the home minister feels so strongly about the MQM`s alleged responsibility for targeted killings, why does the PPP not ask the Muttahida to leave the coalition? Also, the minister`s divisive, irresponsible comments, promoting an `us against them` mindset and stirring ethnic passions, were in very poor taste. They have the potential to disturb Karachi`s fragile peace and are unbecoming of a senior politician. The forum — a gathering of business leaders — was also inappropriate.
The MQM indeed has a lot to explain, especially regarding allegations of orchestrating violence in Karachi. Yet it is commendable that the party has shown restraint in this instance and chosen to use democratic methods to lodge its protest. We hope this spirit is maintained and political rivalries do not lead to fresh bloodshed on the streets of Karachi. Dr Mirza rightly admitted that he has failed to maintain law and order in the metropolis and that his coalition partners share the blame for this. It is impossible to maintain peace in Sindh unless all political stakeholders are on board. Rogue elements that break the law must be punished legally without regard to their political affiliations. However, irresponsible statements such as Dr Mirza`s certainly do no service to peace.