Facing up to rage
July 7th, 2012
Following its decision to reopen Nato supply routes through its territory, the government has come in for fierce criticism from the opposition. This was not unexpected. The reaction from the JUI-F and the PTI, flaying the government for its announcement, which came immediately after US Secretary of State expressed regret over the Salala incident, has not come as a surprise. Both parties have a hard line policy as far as Nato supplies go; other parties, of course, are eager to hone in on any issue that can place the government under pressure, especially with elections not all that far away.
Some of the questions the opposition and media ask do make sense. This needs to be acknowledged. There has, for instance, been the point raised as to why parliament was not consulted given that during the discussion on the issue, the verdict had been that any restoration of the Nato routes should be linked to an apology over the Salala incident and an end to drone attacks. Ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman has answered this point fairly sensibly when she says that in a large democracy like Pakistan, not everything can be put before parliament and some matters have to be decided upon at the highest levels of power. The most important point made by Ms Rehman is that the whole matter has been kept in the open and not hidden behind screens as has been the case in the past.
Indeed, given this reality, and the fact that we know that the military establishment inevitably has a great deal to do with deciding matters, especially those with as much significance as the Nato supply route issue, it is a wonder why no one has raised a voice against these institutions and continue to target the government alone. The establishment, after all, had a key role to play in urging that the supply line be suspended and it is a virtual certainty that it knew about the plans for resumption. The fact is that in our country, some entities are open to attack from all quarters, while others remain well shielded. No entity should be treated differently from others and this is something we need to ponder upon seriously as the waves of criticism against the government continue to come in.
Farida Afridi
July 7th, 2012
Farida Afridi was shot dead in cold blood for the crime of being a decent, caring human being. As the executive director of the human rights NGO, Sawera, Afridi was working in Fata performing the most thankless of jobs: trying to improve the plight of women in an area where many people have never even considered the concept of women’s rights. For that, she had to pay the ultimate price as she was killed by armed gunmen, most likely members of the Taliban, as she drove from her home in Hayatabad, Peshawar to Jamrud in Khyber Agency. Apart from taking away a valuable activist, the militants, through their brutality, will also ensure that there is a chilling effect as fewer NGOs and women will be willing to risk working in an area that needs their efforts the most.
Afridi’s ruthless murder also highlights the need for reform in Fata. Since Fata is not bound by Pakistani laws, those working there do not have the rights guaranteed to Pakistani citizens by the Constitution, and thus makes it easier for militants to operate. Last year, Zarteef Khan Afridi, who worked for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was also shot dead by militants in Jamrud. This shows that NGO activists are a prime target in Fata. They are denounced as agents of the West who are out to corrupt the people of the region. Recall how hard Maulana Fazlullah campaigned against polio vaccinations, claiming that these would make men sterile.
People like Afridi may be doing some of the most vital work in the country and for that they deserve the best protection the government can provide. In Fata, this means that the army must pursue her killers. The murders of NGO workers may be the most visible work of the Taliban but they have ruined countless other lives in the area too. This is a menace that cannot be tackled by regular law-enforcement measures. Military operations are the only way to prevent the murders of future Farida Afridis.
Aiming for de-weaponisation
July 7th, 2012
The recent ruthless killing of eight people at a shop in Quetta, once again, highlights the serious issue of target killings that afflicts the country. We live in a country where people are killed because of their ethnicity, their beliefs or for other reasons that may stem from enmities of various kinds.
Meeting after meeting at various government levels have discussed this problem and attempted to find solutions for it. So far, nothing has worked. Given the situation, there are some simple facts we need to acknowledge. One of the most basic ones is that the spree of murders will simply not be stopped until weapons — including the automatic guns used so often by assassins on motorcycles — are removed from the hands of the general public. Violence is known to be high in countries where weapons are readily available to large populations and Pakistan is known to be one of the most heavily weaponised countries in the world. This, of course, is the legacy of the Afghan War against the former Soviet Union, which since 1979, has brought a flood of guns into the country and made crimes of all kinds a common occurrence. Karachi, in particular, is said to have one of the highest number of small arms among all the cities in the world. But elsewhere, too, people appear able to use rocket launchers, grenades, missiles and other weapons at will.
There have been several calls for de-weaponisation in the past. One attempt to do so was made under General (retd) Pervez Muhsarraf, which failed. People simply refused to hand over their arms, largely because they had no faith in the law and order mechanism and believed that they needed guns to protect themselves. Their thinking is not entirely illogical given the ground realities. However, some plan has to be put into action to reduce the number of guns in circulation. It will not be an easy task, but it may prove the only way to end the menace of target killings and other kinds of murders we witness across the country on a daily basis.