Answerable to parliament
May 10th, 2012
If good intentions counted for much the PPP would have resolved the most pressing governance issue facing the country: that of the civil-military imbalance. The PPP has always talked a good game in this regard but seldom had the power to follow through with it. Soon after taking power in 2008, the government decided to place the ISI under the authority of the interior ministry in a bid to rein in the spy agency. It only took a day of frantic behind-the-scene manoeuvring for that decision to be reversed. Then, after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the PPP government volunteered to send the ISI chief to New Delhi to cooperate with the Indian investigators. That, too, was presumably viewed by the establishment as usurpation of its authority by civilians and the offer was promptly withdrawn. There is a case to be made that neither of these initial PPP positions were particularly wise in the first place (in the sense that such things should have been better thought through) but that is besides the point. The fact remains that making mistakes like these is the prerogative of the civilians, without the military having an automatic veto.
Now it looks like the government may be preparing to have another go. Raza Rabbani, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), has said that ways are being considered to track all the people who have gone ‘missing’ and figuring out how to stop the intelligence agencies from abducting more people. The devil, as always, will be in the details. For the PCNS to simply state that it will deal with the intelligence agencies will not be enough. Its recommendations will only have teeth if it first demonstrates its legitimate authority, which it derives from parliament itself. One way of doing that would be to ask the heads of all intelligence agencies to appear in parliament and explain why people are being abducted and held incommunicado. If this were to happen it would, perhaps, make possible a situation where all intelligence agencies — like in most civilised nations — are answerable to parliament and the government of the day for their acts of omission and commission.
Deadly clash
May 10th, 2012
It is sometimes easy to forget those living in other parts of the country, that what amounts to a full-fledged civil war, is currently raging on in North Waziristan. The details coming out from that inaccessible area are hazy, and it is hard to even guess the facts. However, news of intense battles, such as the one that occurred on May 10, offers us a reminder of the bloodshed that is taking place in that remote, rugged region. Indeed, figures for the numbers who have been killed are hard to come by.
The violent clash involving the Pakistan Army troops, militants and gunship helicopters that were called in by the soldiers, came a day after 10 persons — described as insurgents — had died in a drone attack. Their true identities remain difficult to ascertain. But it seems that the ambushing of a military convoy close to the Amin picket point near Miramshah was intended as a retaliatory attack by the militants. Nine soldiers were killed as the convoy came under heavy fire with rockets and other weapons directed towards it. The Amin picket point has been struck before, but this was one of the most ferocious attacks that it had faced. The military, which called in air reinforcement, says several militants were also killed, but it is hard to determine what their number may have been.
Tragically, there were also civilian casualties. In the aerial shelling that took place as the clash intensified, a mosque is reported to have also been struck, killing three civilians — including according to some accounts — the prayer leader at the mosque. We need to ask ourselves how long we can sustain such fighting; what toll is it taking on our country and what the final outcome is to be. It is clear that the militants remain capable of striking where and when they please. They do not appear to have been weakened at all, and this raises before us many difficult questions. We need to see whether we need a rethink of the strategy employed in the tribal areas. We need to find a way to end the violence, which has shattered the lives of the people of the region.
Hope for consumers
May 10th, 2012
The trend of taking commercial organisations of every kind to consumer courts is on the rise. This could lead to a change in the culture in our country and alter the situation in which consumers felt unable to do anything to ensure that they were fairly treated, with the options available to them severely limited. Unlike other countries where consumers wield considerable power, the hands of Pakistani consumers were tied. The knots have now been loosened.
In the latest case, a small eatery located at Badami Bagh in Lahore has been sued for Rs800,000 by a petitioner who says he fell sick, as did some of his friends, after eating at the restaurant. He has brought in a damages suit for ‘mental torture’ and the rude behaviour of the staff. The management of the eatery says that no complaints were made to it, and, therefore, there was no opportunity given to it to tackle the matter. The case of the ‘stale mutton’ we are hearing about is, of course, hardly unique. All kinds of problems have arisen through the years due to the poor hygiene and storage standards at restaurants. Almost all of us will have experienced this at one time or the other, whether eating at a high-end establishment or at a roadside cafe. In this context, the ruling of the consumer court will be watched with interest and curiosity.
With dozens of rulings — against electronic companies, shampoo manufacturers, mobile phone businesses and other concerns — from the consumer courts, it is clear that they are gaining clout. People have begun taking more matters before them, including cases of medical negligence. At least in Lahore, there is evidence that retail outlets are adopting a more ethical approach; gradually, we hope, larger commercial manufacturers will do the same, making the commercial jungle a safer place for consumers.
We need more consumer courts to take this trend further and also raise awareness among people everywhere of what they are entitled to.