Tackling the energy crisis
April 11th, 2012
It was only a scant two months ago, in February, that the federal minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar told the National Assembly that loadshedding would come to an immediate halt. Just weeks after that brave, and some would say foolish assertion, the provinces defaulted on payments owed to power producers and the circular debt crisis became even worse. Loadshedding, instead of ending, increased to as much as 20 hours a day. So dire is the situation now that at the Second National Energy Conference, the government could not pledge an end to loadshedding. Rather, the best promise they could make was that loadshedding — after complaints from Punjab — would be equitable throughout the country. From dreaming of uninterrupted electricity, the government has now been reduced to placating the provinces that their loadshedding will be no worse than what the rest of the country is experiencing.
The other proposals adopted at the energy conference reeked of timidity at a time when boldness is needed to tackle the energy crisis. Among the ideas that were announced, all shops will close at 8 pm and government offices will get a two-day weekend. These ideas have been touted every year and, without fail, they have done little to conserve power. Just about the only tried, tested and failed idea not to be reintroduced was the ludicrous daylight saving scheme. It’s as if the government has decided to treat cancer with aspirin. There is simply no vision to get us out of our power crisis and so the government has put forward timid proposals that exist only for publicity and to cool tempers for a short period.
What makes the ineffectual proposals put forth at the energy conference truly frightening is the likelihood that our power problems will only multiply in the coming months. International oil prices are continuing to rise, while the rupee’s depreciation shows no signs of halting. A further shock to oil prices may come if the situation in Iran gets any worse and the Straits of Hormuz are closed. Since Pakistan imports all its oil, it may have to deal with factors that are beyond its control. Simply forcing shopkeepers to pull their shutters up a couple of hours early isn’t going to suffice anymore. We need an energy policy that is bold and revolutionary and we need it now.
Let justice be served
April 11th, 2012
So accustomed have we become to the misdemeanours of those in power that the news that the Ministry of Narcotics Control (MoNC) has unilaterally declared the accused in the Rs7 billion ephedrine scam innocent comes as no shock. The case, which emerged in October 2011 involved two firms from Multan, which were granted export quotas far exceeding those normally allowed for the drug, while they then ended up selling locally. The name of the prime minister’s son Ali Musa Gilani has figured prominently. According to a reported statement of the health minister who granted the quotas to these firms, it was done under pressure. The secretary of the ministry transferred out of the division after facing immense pressure to exonerate those involved in this case. A letter by the ministry — which the Supreme Court has now asked be presented to it — directs the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) to stop its investigation into the matter. In fact, the head of the ANF, a two-star general was removed from his job (though he had just a couple of weeks left in his service) and presumably that was also done to prevent him from conducting the investigation into reports that had begun to surface on the what was allegedly happening. The ANF has challenged the decision by the government to remove its chief in a court of law and on April 10 the Supreme Court issued a notice on the matter to the prime minister’s son.
Ephedrine is known as the poor man’s cocaine and quickly leads to addiction. The International Narcotics Control Board set the annual quota of ephedrine for Pakistan at 22,000 kg but the health ministry allowed a quota of 31,000 kg. Given the sensitive nature of this case, it is all the more essential that the ANF be allowed to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations. Perhaps the Supreme Court’s involvement may help ensure precisely that, so that no one, no matter how influential or well-connected, is spared from the long arm of the law.
Another sectarian attack
April 11th, 2012
There is no greater indicator of the strength of a state than the way it treats its minorities. A country that can successfully integrate religious and ethnic minorities is always prosperous and peaceful. By that metric, Pakistan is a failed state. On the night of April 9, six members of the Hazara Shia community were gunned down in Quetta city. Their unforgivable crime was simply having the audacity to stand outside a shop. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the most likely culprits would be the virulently sectarian Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). The SSP is technically a banned group but judging from its murderous deeds it seems to operate with impunity. That this is the second such attack in two weeks, with the last being a drive-by shooting in Quetta that killed four Hazara men, shows just how vulnerable the community is and just how little will exists to protect its right to life and liberty.
This latest in the series of attacks against the Hazara community should serve as a reminder, not only of the war being carried out against them, but also the precarious state of all minorities in the country. Forgotten till a large attack forces our attention, the Ahmadi community continues to be discriminated against, both by a government that refuses to grant them their rights, and a society that treats them like lesser beings, who are liable to be killed for just about any trumped-up reason. Instead of pursuing the terrorist groups and individuals responsible for these wanton acts of violence, the state just turns a blind eye towards them. As unacceptable as this violence against minority communities is, what makes it even worse is that it empowers the hate-filled groups that are the perpetrators of such atrocities. Throughout the 1990s they were allowed to grow in strength and daring as they targeted Shia professionals. Now, they have turned their guns on a state that coddled them for over a decade. Such is the harvest you reap when cowardice trumps justice.