The larger picture: Treason hearing
FOUR military dictators have come and gone but never before has one been summoned to court to answer for his crimes against the Constitution. Pervez Musharraf may not have been in court yesterday but his determination to return to Pakistan and participate in the upcoming elections has already triggered events that could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s latest attempt to entrench democratic norms. Essential here, more than ever, is that justice be done and also be seen to be done. The chief justice recusing himself from the hearings was a welcome first step given how the ex-military strongman targeted Chief Justice Chaudhry personally. Another good sign was that the two-member bench that began hearings yesterday demonstrated no undue haste or eagerness to see Gen Musharraf behind bars or gratuitously humiliated. The ex-president and dictator may have shown enormous contempt for the Constitution and democratic process but the majesty of that very system requires that he be treated fairly and lawfully.
As the proceedings continue in the weeks ahead, it is essential that the focus not remain on simply the events of 2007, when the then-president targeted the judiciary in an attempt to ensure he could continue in power for a third term. The original sin of Gen Musharraf occurred in 1999 when he ousted the elected government of then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif who had attempted to sack his army chief — an ill-advised move that was nevertheless Mr Sharif’s political and legal right. In that episode, Gen Musharraf far from acted alone and history is yet to reveal who the protagonists were and what role each individual played. Similarly, in the continuation of Gen Musharraf’s patently unconstitutional role — first in the form of the three-year window given to him until 2002 by his handpicked Supreme Court and then in manipulating the parliamentary process until 2007 — there are many, many figures involved, and each of them has much to answer for.
If handled correctly, a trial of Gen Musharraf can help the country and its polity come to terms with the many anti-democratic chapters of its history. That the opportunity has arisen at a moment the country is preparing for an unprecedented, civilian-led transition is one of those quirks of history. Ultimately, for the democratic project to become irreversible, state and society will have to internalise democratic norms — and here is a moment to both reconcile with the past and set a precedent for the future.
Industry suffers: Power shortage in Punjab
THE power situation has become grimmer in the last few weeks in parts of the country. Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come, particularly in Punjab, as temperatures rise and people switch on cooling devices. Not including Karachi, the countrywide electrici-ty shortfall has crossed 4,000MW because of insufficient fuel for production and a reduction in hydel generation. This shortfall averaged 7000MW at its peak last summer, leaving consumers to cope with daily power cuts of eight to 10 hours. As the gap widens, power distribution companies in Punjab have even started cutting supplies to industry on dedicated feeders to reduce shortages for urban domestic and commercial consumers. The industrial units on common feeders providing electricity to a mix of users are facing cuts of up to 12 hours. This could intensify feelings that Punjab’s industry is facing discrimination. The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, the body representing the powerful textile fac-tory owners, has already cried foul, accusing the caretaker government of meting out shabby treatment to the province’s industry. Other business associations and chambers of commerce and industry in Punjab have also joined the chorus. They are demanding that all provinces should equally bear the burden of power cuts. Their concerns are valid. The power crunch is making them uncompetitive not only in the international markets but also in the domestic market vis-à-vis their competitors in Karachi and other parts of the country.
It would be wrong to blame the caretakers for the crisis. Growing demand, dwindling generation, huge untargeted power subsidies, distribution losses, electricity theft and years of mismanagement at the highest level have brought the country to such a pass. But the caretakers can improve the situation to some extent. They could ensure continuous gas supply for factories with in-house generation capacity and the uninterrupted availability of electricity to the rest of the industry to run at least two shifts a day, as well as take steps for the optimal utilisation of installed generation capacity so that the miseries of manufacturers and other consumers are minimised.
Changed world: Wikileaks cables
THE founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been taking shelter in the embassy of Ecuador in London since last summer, fearing arrest and eventual extradition to the United States. The man who leaked the classified US diplomatic cables, Bradley Manning, pleaded guilty to the charge in February in the hope of escaping the more serious allegation of “aiding the enemy”. WikiLeaks, however, is continuing to play a valuable part in bringing to light information that the US apparently wanted hidden from the public eye. In a move that will prove invaluable no doubt to researchers, on Monday it launched the ‘Public Library of US Diplomacy’, a searchable archive containing 1.7 million US State Department documents from 1973 to 1976, known as the ‘Kissinger Cables’. The archive includes the 250,000 cables leaked by WikiLeaks in 2010. The latest cables had been declassified but could be accessed only through the US National Archives in a non-searchable PDF format. With all this information now available at the click of a mouse, light is bound to be shed on parts of history that have so far been kept under wraps.
The charges against Mr Assange have yet to be proved or disproved, but what’s certain is that the US is unhappy with the leaks. However, the US administration and indeed all other governments around the world need to understand that in the digital age the old tricks of doing business — dabbling in shady manoeuvres and then keeping mum about it — is increasingly unviable. With methods of mass dissemination easily available, and the ability to remain anonymous, there will always be whistleblowers. If just for this reason, governments need to keep their hands clean and records pristine. Since governments are accountable to their people, they need to operate with greater transparency and fairness.