Amendment bill

THE recent tabling of a constitutional amendment bill in the National Assembly proposing the creation of more provinces in the country has caused consternation among some nationalist groups. On Saturday, several areas in Sindh observed a shutdown strike as Sindhi nationalists rallied against the bill submitted by the MQM. To be fair to the latter, it has tried to dispel the impression that its move to amend certain articles of the constitution to accommodate new provinces poses a threat to Sindh’s boundaries. At a large rally in Sukkur last week, MQM leaders stressed that dividing Sindh would be an unforgivable act and referred to the “sacrifices made by the people” of the province. Given that the PPP which is the majority party in the province has not opposed the bill, there is little reason to suspect the intentions of those calling for constitutional amendments that could redefine provincial boundaries.

At the same time, it would be unfair to totally ignore the concerns of the bill’s detractors, even though they are heavily outnumbered in the Sindh Assembly. After all, there has been distrust in the past between the Sindhi and Mohajir communities, which had at times flared into violence. But they too must realise that political realities are such that opposing a bill on the grounds of misguided suspicion is hardly fair to other communities in the country where the creation of more provinces could, in fact, have a positive effect on governance and addressing their needs. A debate, though, is always healthy, and we hope that opposing parties listen to and understand the concerns of each other, while putting across their own in a manner that does not stir ethnic and political tensions.

Specifically, the MQM has called for amending Articles 1, 51, 106 and 239, which includes the insertion of ‘Hazara’ and ‘Southern Punjab in the first three articles mentioned. However, it is the proposed removal of Clause 4 of Article 239 – which says that provincial boundaries cannot be altered unless approved by a two-thirds majority of the assembly of the province in question – that has resulted in misgivings. This is seen by detractors as a blow to the guarantee of provincial autonomy – even if the proposed elimination is presumably to effect the changes in the earlier articles. It is now up to parliament to debate and approve or reject the bill. Given the sensitive nature of the bill, it is imperative that the long-term vision for the country is given priority over narrow political gains and that the majority consensus in the provincial assemblies concerned is taken into consideration.

Unspent flood funds

WHILE Pakistan has endured two back-to-back years of intense flooding, mismanagement continues to mark rehabilitation efforts at both the state and private levels. As reported in this paper on Saturday, a lack of coordination between the government and NGOs in rain-affected parts of Jamshoro district in Sindh has resulted in the duplication of relief projects. Apparently, NGOs did not share their plans with the state, which is why several organisations have been working on identical projects. The report adds that the state’s response in relief efforts has also been far from satisfactory. In a similar vein, the Sindh minister for Zakat and Ushr told the provincial assembly during question hour recently that over Rs3.6bn meant for the reconstruction of houses for victims of the 2010 floods remained unspent. He told the House that “modalities for the construction of houses” were still being worked out, despite the fact that it has been a year and a half since floodwaters first raged through Sindh. In this regard, the Sindh chief minister reportedly told flood victims to “be patient”. Patience is indeed a virtue, yet failure to build the houses despite the passage of such a lengthy period of time and the availability of funds is enough to try anyone’s patience.

This attitude of the state is not new as several months after 2010′s floods initially struck, there were millions of dollars reportedly lying unused in the prime minister’s fund. We complain – and perhaps rightly so – when the world fails to loosen its purse strings for us in times of trouble. Yet when funds are clearly available we fail to put them to good use mainly due to the haphazard manner in which the state conducts its affairs. Along with the state, NGOs should declare the amount of funds that have been raised for the flood victims in 2010 and 2011, as well as details of where and how these funds have been spent. Ultimately, much better coordination needs to exist between the state and the private sector immediately after a disaster has taken place as well as in the long run to ensure transparency and effective rehabilitation of victims.


T’S supposed to be the same polity and electorate that the politicians are competing over, but the different parts of the political spectrum appear to be occupying different worlds at the moment. In Davos, Prime Minister Gilani confirmed what has seemed apparent ever since the parliamentary resolution in support of the government was passed by a thumping majority earlier this month: early polls are off the table. Over in the PML-N corner, reality also seems to be sinking in as party insiders have begun to move away from the get-Zardari campaign that was supposed to help trigger early polls. But elsewhere, it’s a rally a week, if not two, for some political parties, old, new and in-between.

What does this rally fever mean? When the government’s parliamentary position looked uncertain, they may have made sense, from a position of self-interest, in that the rallies by opposition parties helped build pressure on the government and could have possibly helped triggered fresh polls. But in the present circumstances where the government appears to be secure and the main parliamentary opposition sedate, rally fever may just end up causing electoral burnout even before the starting bell for the campaign cycle is heard. Perhaps some of the parties may want to think of conserving their energy for the short but intense race to the finish that Pakistani elections have been historically instead of plodding along marathon-style when the end is nowhere in sight. There’s plenty to do between now and the election: coming up with solutions for Pakistan’s long-standing economic, security and political problems; developing a realistic health and education policy; figuring out how Pakistan can take positive advantage of its regional position instead of always fending off threats, real and perceived. Just give the country a break from all the rallying. There’ll be plenty of time for that later.