Our relationship with China

December 19th, 2010

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s South Asian trip should come as a wake-up call to Pakistan, which has long considered China its closest ally. Yes, Wen was effusive in his praise during the Pakistan leg of the trip and signed $20 billion worth of business deals. But the visit was merely a re-enactment — at a much smaller scale — of Wen’s visit to India, where the two historical rivals agreed to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion. Alliances in South Asia are shifting and Pakistan has to ensure it is not left in the dust.

Despite the rhetoric surrounding the relationship, the China-Pakistan alliance, like all such alliances, is based on a mutual convergence of interest; in this case a distrust of India. With China and India competing for supremacy in the region, that rivalry is likely to ignite in the distant future. In the near future, though, China seems to have settled on wooing India for its own economic benefit rather than prolonging hostilities. This is likely to make Pakistan less valuable in the short-term. Not only will China not have as great a need to prop up Pakistan, it may also appease India by distancing itself slightly from Pakistan. As many observed, China was slow in reacting to Pakistan’s calls for flood relief aid. Given the impermanence of all international alliances, we should have been seeking alternative friendships anyway. Now we should have the impetus to do that sooner rather than later.

It is true that China has invested a lot of money in Pakistan and given more than its fair share of development assistance and technological knowhow, but there have been economic downsides too. The import of Chinese manufacturing goods, which are cheaper than local ones, have had an adverse impact on local businesses. We also have a significant trade deficit with China as we need their goods far more than they need ours. China has been the dominant partner from the start and, without abandoning the alliance altogether, we need more equitable friendships. Ultimately, as China gets closer to India, that decision may not even be ours to make. Before the tides of history overtake us, we should act quickly and build up regional alliances with India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Dying to learn

December 19th, 2010

The new report by the US-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch puts some rather shocking facts before us. The report, titled “Their future at stake” describes the death of at least 22 teachers in Balochistan between January 2008 and October 2010, the transfer of at least 200 teachers and professors either to Quetta or out of the province and the fact that due to militant violence, schools in Balochistan opened for only 120 days in 2009, compared to 220 in the rest of the country.

In the context of the ethnic and nationalist violent stalking Balochistan, the report shows that the group most adversely affected by the attacks on education are the Baloch, as opposed to the groups that nationalist forces target. The operations of extremists in the region add a further complexity to the problem.

The issue is one the Baloch nationalists, and other political forces with a following in the province, need to take up as a matter of urgency. Balochistan cannot afford for its children to be left so far behind those elsewhere in the country. There are too few schools, literacy levels in some districts fall to below 20 per cent and far too many Baloch children lack access to education. It is only when these shortcomings are corrected that there can be any real development in our country’s most under-developed province. This development is vital to the future of Balochistan and its people. All those with an interest in the welfare of the territory must find ways to end the violence which holds it back. The target killing of teachers must end and an environment created which allows others to take up work in an area that desperately needs their services. Unless this happens the province will continue to slip further and further into the age of darkness and all the many problems that come with this. This process must be stopped before it is too late to do so.

Free for now

December 19th, 2010

The founder of the whistle-blower WikiLeaks organisation is finally out on bail and recovering from his ordeal in a London jail at the country estate of a friend. He obtained bail only after an appeal by prosecuting lawyers was rejected by the High Court. A surety of $374,000 billion had to be raised by friends and Assange is being electronically tagged and must report daily to the police. He also faces extradition to Sweden where he faces charges of sexually molesting two women. These have been denied by Assange.

Is this the normal process of justice at play? There are as yet no answers but evidence is growing that, in what could prove to be a landmark case, Assange could be put on trial for leaking US diplomatic cables to the world. He says he fears attempts to extradite him to the US, with such a move apparently being planned in Washington. There, Assange could be tried under the US Espionage Act. An effort is said to be underway to detect those who leaked the documents to his organisation. They too face prosecution in a trial which, if it ever takes place, would open up new legal chapters. Persons accused of leaking information have only rarely before, in the US, faced action in courts.

Even in nations that pride themselves on democracy, it appears officials are willing to tolerate only a limited free flow of information. National security is being cited as a means to deny citizens access to information. It is this principle which is under dispute. The possibility that Assange has become a hunted man because he dared to break the rules and, metaphorically speaking, hung dirty US clothing up for the world to see, is very real. The leaked cables have given us an insight into how things work out in the corridors of power. More information continues to surface. Everything possible must be done to ensure this process can go on without hindrance.