American nights
November 15, 2012
It seems the US does not get as outraged by war as it does by marital infidelity, and the omnishambles that is the Petraeus affair continues to dominate the headlines. It has now rolled over the US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, who is under investigation by the defence department because of his allegedly voluminous communications with Jill Kelly, the woman who sparked the entire affair into life. She was the one who called in the FBI after receiving anonymous threatening emails that were then traced back to Paula Broadwell, in turn revealing that Petraeus and Broadwell were engaged in an extramarital relationship – and the rest, goes the saying, is history. Thus far General Allen – who was nominated by President Obama to take over as head of US forces in Europe – is not being accused of an extra-marital relationship. One does have to wonder, though, how much time he was giving to his day-job if he was able to generate 20-30,000 documents, including emails between himself and Ms Kelly, beginning in 2010 and only ending with the current investigation.
There may or may not be security implications in the Petraeus-Broadwell affair, and there is no clarity around the Allen-Kelly documents beyond a vague reference to some of them being ‘flirtatious’. General Allen is said to enjoy the continued support of President Obama but his post as commander in Europe has been put on ice pending the outcome of the investigation. Why all this matters is that it is getting in the way of the Obama administration coming up to speed in the hiatus between winning and being sworn in next year. Obama was, quite literally, blindsided by the allegations relating to both men, despite the investigation into Petraeus going back many months. Nobody had thought to tell the president that the director of the CIA, one of his most trusted team-members, had broken military law by having an adulterous affair. Who knew what, when and who they did or did not tell is going to be the subject of conjecture far into the future, but in the here and now the ‘scandals’ are complicating the reshuffle of the cabinet. This has particular relevance for us as Hillary Clinton is to be replaced as secretary of state. John Kerry was being touted as her successor, but he may now get the defence post and Susan Rice, currently US ambassador to the UN, seems more likely to fill the post. If there is any moral to be derived from any of this it is this: – woe betide all those who fail to delete embarrassing or sensitive emails, because they will come back to bite you where it hurts most.
Unending crisis
November 15, 2012
Already mired in a crisis that involves nationalist insurgency, crime and violence, Balochistan has found itself embroiled in a new one – which is purely political in nature. Just hours after the Pakistan People’s Party leadership in the province declared the coalition government in the province unconstitutional, following a Supreme Court ruling that it had lost the writ required to keep order in Balochistan, 46 members of the 65-member Balochistan Assembly expressed confidence in the leadership of Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani.
The prevalent confusion is fast becoming harder to sort out. The assembly session during which the vote was held was conducted by Deputy Speaker Matiullah Agha, in his capacity as the acting speaker. The session had earlier been called off by Speaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani – as acting governor. Bhootani said he needed an SC clarification on the status of the assembly before he could call a session. All 46 members of the Raisani-led coalition government voted in favour of the resolution seeking an expression of confidence in Chief Minister Raisani. No other provincial assembly member was present. The PPP’s Balochistan chief, Mir Sadiq Umerani, who had participated in the party council meeting suspending Raisani, also voted in his favour. But he later said that Raisani could be toppled if the central leadership gave the go ahead. So, what happens now? Sundry legal issues have to be unraveled and solved. As things stand, it is hard to say what Raisani’s legal situation is. The SC has asked why the government is doing so little for Balochistan. This is certainly a valid point. But under the prevailing situation, with the government itself embroiled in the crisis, it will be able to do even less. There is a real possibility now that attention will shift to politicians and their doings in Balochistan, rather than remain focused on the violence in the province and the crisis of legitimacy there facing the system as a whole. This cannot be good for the people who, beyond all else, need peace so they can live their lives without constant fear of death and disappearance.
Education bill
November 15, 2012
In welcome news, the National Assembly adopted the ‘Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2012’ on Tuesday; The bill has already been passed by the Senate and stipulates fines, and even sentencing, for fathers who do not send their children to school, as well as those employers in whose homes children work as labour, instead of going to school. While this bill is meant for schools under the federal government and local government in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the NA called upon all provincial governments to adopt similar bills. After the passage of the 18th Amendment, education became a provincial subject but the same amendment inserted Article 25-A to the constitution, which states that the state should provide free and compulsory education to all children from the age of five to sixteen years. As education is a fundamental right, the federal government must help the provincial governments in facilitating this requirement. Without legislation by the provincial governments, it would be difficult to ensure free and compulsory education for all children. However, legislation is not enough to ensure education in a country where poverty and social insecurity remain a glaring reality.
Pakistan’s literacy rate is quite low compared to other countries in the region. Apart from factors related to the state’s flawed policies over the decades, rising extremism is also correlated with poverty and lack of education. The attack on Malala Yousafzai showed us that terrorists are afraid of educated children, especially girls. There is no doubt that uneducated and illiterate youth are much more easily lured by jihadist propaganda. Given the large number of young people in Pakistan today, it is of immense importance that our children be educated so as to counter extremist narrative. The state also needs to initiate teacher training programmes and a change in the curricula. Instead of spending most of our budget on defence, we need to ensure the education budget is increased significantly. Guns and bombs cannot buy peace but educated and free minds can certainly lead to a flourishing, democratic and peaceful Pakistan.