(20th March 2013)
The TTP threat: Election security
HAVING divided the political class and once again confused society with talk of talks, the TTP has now “suspended” its offer of negotiations with the government. Ehsanullah Ehsan, the TTP spokesperson, has claimed that the government’s lack of seriousness about negotiations with the Taliban is behind the TTP’s move. More realistically, the TTP has achieved much of what it set out to do by mooting the idea of talks. In the two craven multi-party conferences that took place
in quick succession, the religious right and large segments of the political mainstream all but suggested that the state give up on the idea of Pakistan as a modern nation-state with a monopoly over legitimate violence and in which the citizenry enjoy freedoms and rights. Given that the TTP’s offer of talks coincided with a wave of militant violence, it never really appeared to be a meaningful offer.
What the focus should switch to now is how best to secure the upcoming elections from militant violence. Ehsanullah Ehsan’s warning to the public to stay away from electoral activities is particularly ominous because the TTP has already made it clear that it regards elections as un-Islamic and that it will target “secular” politicians during the campaign. The mere threat of violence by the TTP is enough to potentially skew elections in parts of the country because both the voter and a certain kind of candidate in areas such as Fata and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Karachi may opt to stay at home, opening the door further to pro-Taliban political forces that will be able to campaign and vote more freely. If the TTP is to be stopped from indirectly shaping the composition of the elected assemblies, a comprehensive security plan must be drawn up — one that will require close cooperation between the Election Commission of Pakistan, the caretaker governments and security apparatus.
Securing the election from militant threats is neither beyond the realm of possibility nor something we can afford to overlook. True, elections by their very nature present a plethora of potential targets to those bent on violence and there is a trade-off between security and openness. But the stakes are too high to let a business-as-usual attitude prevail. The ECP, already burdened with a number of duties and crises, needs to put security near the top of the list of its priorities — and win the cooperation of the necessary institutions as quickly as possible.
More scrutiny needed: Karachi island project
BEHIND the amusing twists and turns of an alleged multibillion-dollar Bahria Town development in Karachi lie some not-so-amusing questions. Businessman Malik Riaz had already caused raised eyebrows when his claim of a $45bn investment from Abu Dhabi turned out to have more than a few holes in it. So it wasn’t easy not to be sceptical when another foreign investor, this time German by way of Miami, was trotted out to say that an initial $20bn would be poured into developing two large islands off Karachi, including building the world’s tallest building and largest shopping mall. Quite aside from the question of how such developments can be sustained in a city with massive law and order problems and no tourists, there is the more disturbing question of the 12,000 acres that Bahria Town is claiming it will be building on.
Transparency International Pakistan says the Port Qasim Authority did not follow proper procedure in the bidding process for the development contract, and the National Accountability Bureau has asked the PQA not to award the contract to Bahria Town without proving that public procurement rules were followed. The various biases of TIP and NAB aside, it is fairly obvious that rigorous — and transparent — scrutiny has to be carried out, and rival bids properly considered, before handing such a large tract of land to a company with as many lawsuits and suspicions against it as Bahria Town. A recent protest by fisherfolk has highlighted another aspect of the problem — what compensation will be provided to those who depend on these islands for their livelihoods? And as some Sindh lawmakers have pointed out, it is unclear how much say the provincial government has had in the entire affair. Given the impending change of government, the grandiosity of Bahria Town’s plans and the astronomical funds involved, there’s a good chance this project won’t materialise. But that doesn’t mean large amounts of land can be handed over to dubious investors without the consent of the people and government of the area.
Need for vigilance: Pre-election tinkering
WITH elections close, there will be attempts by some candidates to try and use the administrative machinery to their advantage. As two recent incidents indicate, perhaps some amongst the outgoing crop of elected officials are getting jittery and resorting to underhand means to achieve their goals. The Sindh Local Government Board secretary, Shaukat Jokhio, claimed on Monday that he was thrashed by Agha Siraj Durrani — the outgoing minister for Sindh local government — along with his men for refusing to sign certain papers regarding appointments. Mr Durrani dismissed the allegation as a “conspiracy” and both men have filed police cases against each other. Also on Monday the Supreme Court restrained the government from transferring the Capital Development Authority chairman; the CDA head says he was under pressure to grant “undue favours”.
Both incidents reflect two important issues: abuse of authority and tinkering with the administrative set-up either to have a favourable set of officials in place come election day, or to dole out jobs to supporters before relinquishing power thus retaining a measure of influence in government departments. Bulk transfers and postings are not allowed once the elections’ schedule is announced, and perhaps that is why we have witnessed a flurry of transfers and postings in the last few weeks. In Mr Durrani’s case, the authorities need to investigate and take action against him if found guilty. Overall, as elections draw close, all stakeholders — the interim government, the Election Commission and the courts — need to remain vigilant to ensure that no devious measures are employed by candidates to enable favourable results on election day, especially by using well-placed friends and supporters in the administration. A civilian transfer of power will be historic; it should be ensured it is as free and fair as possible.