Enabling rage
September 22, 2012
Given the calamitous violence of Friday, it would be very hard now to justify calling it ‘Love Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Day.’ The government had on Wednesday announced that Friday would be observed as ‘Yaum-e-Ishq-e-Rasool’ to raise national voice against the anti-Islam film that has enraged Muslims across the globe. In theory, a national holiday was announced to lend official support to people rightfully enraged by the blasphemous video and to express national love for the Holy Prophet (pbuh). However, as the day unfolded, it saw violent rioting, loss of human lives and damage to public property across the country. Those responsible for it should ask themselves if this would have been endorsed by the Prophet (pbuh). People were killed and injured, cinemas were burnt to crisp; tollbooths, petrol stations, shops and cars were torched; and life as we know it came to a standstill across the country. In essence, the nation lost a golden opportunity to tell the world that it was capable of dignified protest and would not be provoked to answer hate with hate. Despite all public appeals by the government, opposition parties and concerned members of civil society that the protesters refrain from harming their own countrymen, Friday brought the number of those killed in protests to at least eight in one week.
Should we have expected the day to unfold any differently? Government representatives say they declared the national holiday to defuse protesters’ fury by giving them an outlet instead of ordering the police to clamp down on rallies and estranging an already enraged public. But given that much damage had already been done even before Yaum-e-Ishq-e-Rasool was announced, was there wisdom in allowing a government-sanctioned day of protest? Indeed, if the government had genuinely thought the protests would be peaceful, would it have simultaneously ordered all major roads in the capital blocked with containers, suspended mobile phone services across the country and had the army ready to step in and control the situation? Given the violence the country had witnessed all week, was it time to calm down on violence or to put a stamp of approval on violent forces and officially give protesters an extra day to take to the streets? Finally, was this a good idea given that it was clear that there was neither the will nor the capability to cope with riotous protesters? The sheer magnitude of the visibly well-planned protest rallies across the country should have spurned the centre, and the provincial governments, to take necessary measures to protect life and property. This was not done. Instead, what we saw was governance at its worst — followed by a shameful attempt by different political forces to blame each other for the ensuing violence. What are we to make of all this? There is no doubt that several religious parties have used the protests for political dividends, flexing their political muscle and forcing the mainstream parties to bow before their agendas. However, the biggest problem here seems to be the ruling party, the PPP, which has become so obsessed with its short-term gains — completing this term and winning a new one — that it has abandoned the question of what kind of country it wants Pakistan to be, and what kind of relationship it wants Pakistan to have with the outside world. Tapping into outrage over the film by announcing a national holiday appeared to be the best way for the government to get on the right side of the public, and that’s exactly what it did. Indeed, one can imagine that for a government that has failed in every major way that a voter would care about — governance, power, jobs, security — flashing its Islamic credentials seemed like the prudent thing to do. However, in trying to serve its narrow goals, it unleashed mobs on the streets, with batons in their hands and hatred, not love, in their hearts.
Turning the key
September 22, 2012
For an engine of any sort to begin to run, all the various components have to be in working order, a fuel source connected, electrical circuits in order and a key in the ignition. An extremely large and potentially powerful engine, it appears, is ready to fire up, and the first day of the Pak-India trade talks in Islamabad ended on Thursday with the two sides agreeing to resolve the issues of the non-tariff barriers and the phasing out of the negative lists. There were representatives of the central banks and foreign ministries of both countries, people from the power sector, the railways and civil aviation. These are the men and women who, if anything is to happen, will be the ones to pour in the oil and turn on the ignition. They are the real movers and shakers that come into play once the diplomatic details are agreed and the treaties signed.
The ground has been prepared for the signing of three crucial agreements relating to customs, certification and the resolution of trade grievances. Once signed, these will allow the formulation of a set of rules — the future standard operating procedures or SOPs — that will facilitate the implementation of the agreements. Without such detailed agreements there can be no moving forwards. Such work may lack the headline-grabbing capacity of high-level diplomacy and photo-ops, but it is what is going to make the engine of trade between the two nations run smoothly. Alongside the here-and-now there was a little futurology in evidence. There was discussion about potential cooperation in construction, air links, courier and communications services and the promotion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on both sides of the border. There is to be a harmonisation of regulatory bodies, and a look at how double taxation can be avoided — the nuts and bolts commerce. This is not to say that all will be smooth sailing, because it will not. There will be glitches and misunderstandings — genuine rather than contrived — and there are anxieties among some sectors of the business community on both sides of the border about how level, or not, the playing field is. But the groundwork is now laid and the engine of bilateral trade, almost unthinkable even two years ago, is primed for start-up.