Far from the circus
September 18th, 2012
The contortions of leaders as the deadly cut and thrust of politics plays out in Pakistan could easily lead an observer to believe that, as in some Machiavellian court, the be all and end all is power. But as the circus of politics goes from one impossible feat to the next, from time to time stories — usually tragedies — make their way through the headlines about ousted prime ministers and clashing institutions to raise the issue of silent sufferers whose welfare is almost an afterthought for the state. Last week, Pakistanis learnt to their horror that an ineffective labour-inspection system corroded by powerful groups with vested interests had caused over 250 people to perish in circumstances that defy the imagination. Meanwhile, the rains have destroyed the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in Baloch-istan, southern Punjab and Sindh. In just two districts of Balochistan — Naseerabad and Jaffarabad — an estimated 600,000 people have been marooned.
Predictably, the state’s response has been to creakily roll out rescue efforts after the damage has already been done. Can the state administration say with honesty that everything possible was done pre-emptively to mitigate rain-related havoc? Given the experience of the past two years, the state ought to have been more prepared, particularly with regard to planned evacuations, camps for displaced people, rations stored against future needs and a coordinated rescue strategy. Instead, what we are witnessing, as usual, is different agencies — including the army, national and provincial-level disaster management cells, etc — doing what they can but generally appearing as though they’ve been caught napping.
For years, there have been warnings about the effects of climate change; Pakistan will undoubtedly be affected. This is the third consecutive year that the country has been hit by a destructive monsoon. The Met office is forecasting heavy rain over the week in the northern parts of the country, water that will make its way south. There is still time to plan for the coming deluge over the next weeks and months. Better mechanisms and systems need to be put in place urgently. Demonstrably, it is not enough to establish emergency response agencies unless these are equipped, trained and interested in fulfilling their mandate. In many countries, what has proved most effective is the involvement of local leadership and administrative mechanisms, with their on-the-ground knowledge and stakes in the welfare of an area. Is it too much to ask for politics to be put on hold and for political elites to come together to plan for the welfare of this country’s hapless millions?
Rising tensions
September 18th, 2012
It remains to be seen whether the Obama administration wavers on its Iran policy as the presidential vote nears. Two developments are cause for concern. Israel has upped the ante, and in two TV interviews coming in rapid succession Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked America to draw a red line, claiming Iran has done “90 per cent” of work on weapons-grade uranium. The greater cause of worry is Mitt Romney’s categorical support for the Likud government. In Israel in July, the US Republican presidential candidate said he would not stand in the way of a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. He also said Jerusalem, now under occupation, was Israel’s capital and that any US criticism of the Likud government’s policy on settlements helped Israel’s enemies — provoking immediate denunciation from the Palestinian Authority.
Over the weekend, US officials didn’t agree with Mr Netanyahu on the “red line” and said the Obama administration also believed Iran shouldn’t be allowed to manufacture nuclear weapons. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said governments the world over didn’t operate with “a bunch of red lines”, and American ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said the existing diplomatic and economic pressures on Iran were working. She claimed that the Iranian economy was in a mess and that oil production and currency had gone down by 40 per cent. The truth, however, is that there is a tacit, bipartisan agreement on America’s Middle East policy. There may be differences in shades, but — with Congress firmly in the hands of the Israel lobby — there is little possibility that any US administration would adopt a policy other than one of unabashed kowtowing to Israel. Mr Netanyahu, of course, knows this is the best possible time to extract maximum concessions from the two presidential candidates on its trigger-happy policy. It would be myopic for the two candidates to surrender to the pro-Israel lobby for electoral gains and ignore the long-term effects of such a policy. At the same time, it is just as important that Iran be more transparent about its nuclear plans and lower its confrontational rhetoric.
Diseased livestock
September 18th, 2012
It is indeed a relief that the Sindh government has begun to cull thousands of infected sheep that were brought into the country from Australia. However, it is safe to assume that if it were not for the hue and cry raised by the media, the meat from these sheep may easily have ended up on our dinner plates. Health officials said the culling was necessary as the infections — the animals were infected with foot-and-mouth disease, among other ailments — could have spread to local livestock. The episode raises questions primarily regarding government oversight, or lack thereof, when it comes to the import and export of livestock. For instance, why were the sheep, imported by a private concern, allowed into the country when they had already been rejected by Bahrain? Also, the authorities must explain why the animals were released before being properly examined in quarantine and why they were kept with healthy animals.
The stakeholders’ urge to cut corners and the government’s willingness to look the other way has cost Pakistan’s livestock, fisheries and agriculture sectors dearly. For example, the European Union has banned the import of Pakistani seafood since 2007 due to concerns about the lack of hygienic handling of the catch in local harbours. Fruit export has also suffered due to local exporters’ failure to meet international standards. All this amounts to shooting ourselves in the foot. While importing diseased animals, presumably for local consumption, is tantamount to playing with people’s lives, ignoring safety and hygiene standards for export products translates to shutting ourselves out of foreign markets. The government needs to ensure livestock raised in the country for export or animals brought in for local consumption are healthy not only in the interest of public health, but also to prevent Pakistani exports from being labelled as unfit for consumption.