Karzai in DC
January 14th, 2013
The most important takeaway to emerge from President Karzai’s visit to Washington was not, in fact, what the American presence in Afghanistan will look like after 2014; that decision still appears to be under negotiation. Far clearer was the reaffirmation — and intensification — of America’s plans to wind down its presence in Afghanistan. Speeding up plans to hand over primary combat responsibility to Afghan troops, President Obama said this would be done by the spring, earlier than planned. By implication, that would allow for accelerating the pace at which American troops are withdrawn as the 2014 deadline approaches. But one thing should be clear to the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan: their interests will be under threat if the speedy transition is not accompanied by a solid effort to reach a political settlement for Afghanistan.
All three countries do seem to recognise this; Presidents Obama and Karzai stressed the reconciliation point and said the Doha talks with the Taliban would be revived, and Pakistan’s release of some Taliban fighters indicates a willingness to actively facilitate the process. But in Pakistan, at least, the security and foreign policy establishments still do not seem to share a common vision, strategy and goals for the Afghan peace process, one that has complex implications for this country. Bringing the Afghan Taliban into the political process could help prevent a return to civil war or to a Taliban-dominated government, either of which could destabilise not just Afghanistan, but the region. But any power-sharing for the Taliban should come with assurances that the Pakistani Taliban and other anti-Pakistan militants will not be given new safe havens across the border. Given the complexities of the issue, and the current US administration’s demonstrated desire for a rapid exit from Afghanistan, Pakistan needs to quickly develop a coherent approach to Afghan reconciliation, one that focuses on ensuring our internal security rather than trying to be a player in post-2014 Afghanistan or fending off perceived external threats.
But Afghanistan’s history has proved that stability in the region is not about Pak-Afghan relations alone. No peace process will be viable unless Afghanistan’s other neighbours also refrain from using the country as a stage on which to further their own interests or project their power vis-à-vis other regional players. That, in turn, will be only possible if the post-2014 set-up has their buy-in. The core group of the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan is making the right move by emphasising Afghan reconciliation. As the end of 2014 approaches, though, that effort will must be widened to ensure a sustainable peace in the region.
A laudable suggestion
January 14th, 2013
In the ever-rising wave of terrorism, individual tragedies are either forgotten or do not get the attention they deserve. Does anybody care, for instance, about the education of children whose parents fall victim to terror? Thousands of civilians have been killed and crippled in the acts of terrorism that have become Pakistan’s scourge. But there is no government plan in action or on the anvil with regard to the victims’ families. Who, we ask, will pay for the education of children whose fathers were blown to bits by terrorists or left maimed and unable to work? In the case of the armed forces, paramilitary units and the police, medical and financial cover is provided by the departments concerned. But in the case of the sons and daughters of those murdered by terrorists, no plan exists. Because of the low standard of education associated with government-run schools, even families not necessarily affluent manage, though with great difficulty, to send their children to private schools. But if a tragedy befalls them, such families have no means with which to manage their children’s education in institutions of their choice. In such a situation, the families may be forced to send children to madressahs most of which do not give a modern education to students.
Against this background, it is encouraging to note that a positive suggestion made by Jamil Yusuf was accepted by representatives of private schools and others at a steering committee meeting of the Sindh government’s education department on Friday. The former chief of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee suggested that private schools should provide free education to the children rendered orphans because of terrorism. That the government and civil society have taken no notice of this tragedy till now is indeed a matter of shame. The government’s handling of the terrorist threat leaves much to be desired, and for that reason it deserves flak for its acts of omission and commission. But what is absent in the criticism is a sense of anguish for the hardships the bereaved families suffer. We hope private schools will implement the suggestion in all seriousness.
No incentives for hockey
January 14th, 2013
The Pakistani hockey team’s notable success in international events late last year have infused new life into the national game which, after a glorious past, has struggled to remain afloat. The team’s back-to-back successes in the Champions Trophy at Melbourne and in the Asian Trophy in Doha, where it performed brilliantly, have raised hopes of a hockey revival in the country after nearly a decade of setbacks and losses. The beginning of such a revival of fortunes has indeed come like a breath of fresh air and close on the heels of that debacle at the London Games last July which saw Pakistan finishing a poor seventh in the Olympics. The need of the hour, therefore, is to honour and felicitate the hockey players for their outstanding display and to offer enough incentives for them to remain enthusiastic and focused about future challenges, the toughest among them being the 2014 World Cup.
However, one cannot help but note with regret that neither the government nor the Pakistan Hockey Federation have made any attempt to boost the morale of the victorious team which is keenly awaiting some gesture or announcement from the authorities. The players were left even more dismayed when the Punjab government’s cheques for a hefty amount of prize money bounced. No wonder that a majority of players are once again striving to feature in the Indian Hockey League which offers them lucrative contracts and a wider audience. In 2012 too, the country’s top players opted to play in the World Series Hockey in India, even at the risk of getting life bans from the PHF. It is imperative for the authorities to avoid a similar situation this year and bring the hockey players at par with the cricketers who are amply compen-sated in financial terms after every international assignment.