Friday, January 10, 2014
Polio challenge intensifies
IT was a great opportunity. Here was a public health issue that posed grave risk to the basic freedoms of citizens, indeed, was crucial to the very future of the country. Other than those intent on causing harm, everybody else could agree that the polio intervention was necessary. Best of all, there already existed a full-fledged, decades-old, countrywide government initiative to implement the anti-polio drive which employs thousands of workers. In fact, what better evidence could politicians and leaders present to the electorate about their commitment to the welfare of the people than by putting their weight behind the polio vaccination campaign? The crippling disease is on the resurgence in the country, after all, and is even being exported. The level of worry in other countries, most of which are either polio-free or successfully controlling the crippling infectious disease, is such that it has been over two years since the global Independent Monitoring Board for Polio Eradication recommended a travel restriction on Pakistanis who could not produce proof of recent vaccination.
It speaks volumes for the country’s leaders, though, that hardly any voice was raised. And even when it was, it seems that the politicians saw involvement in the vaccination campaign as merely a wonderful photo op. It has been just weeks since PTI chief Imran Khan said that he would be getting involved in the anti-polio effort and that his party would be making it a priority. Around the same time, JUI-S leader and head of the Darul Uloom Haqqania Maulana Samiul Haq expressed his approval of the vaccination, despite his links with the Taliban who have banned the vaccine in the Waziristan region. Both wield influence that could have helped turn the tide. Yet, after the cameras were switched off and the time came to get down to real business, both turned their attention to matters they no doubt considered more pressing. Meanwhile, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari was recently photographed in Karachi administering polio drops to a child, but the special citywide campaign that was due to be initiated in the city has been postponed because of insufficient security for polio teams.
Pakistan’s problems on this front are only worsening. It had earlier been thought that the resurgence of the virus, and the resistance against vaccination, were more of an issue in KP, the tribal areas, and in certain low-income areas of Karachi. But as a report published by our paper yesterday shows, the situation is far graver: the WHO and Unicef consider Punjab the greatest challenge since it has the highest number of children who missed being vaccinated. A report sent by them to the government recently warned that an epidemic is set to explode. The country’s leadership needs reminding that if the situation deteriorates — and all indications are that it will — all their politicking would have come to naught.
Pesco politicking
MINISTER of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali’s outburst against electricity thieves in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa isn’t new. He’s consistently been going on about theft and the low recovery of bills in the province ruled by its rival PTI. On Wednesday, he accused the PTI ministers and MPAs of protecting power thieves and inciting the public to block the recovery of bills by Pesco staff in many parts of the province. He also warned that power supply to Bannu — where he said theft and default was among the highest in KP — would be cut off. As expected, his remarks created a commotion in the KP legislature where a PTI member from Bannu threatened to stop the supply of (hydel) power from his province to Punjab if the PML-N government in Islamabad chose to disconnect power supply to his city from the national grid. Such verbal sparring between the two rival parties on electricity shortages and losses being suffered by Pesco on account of massive power theft and low bill recoveries has been going on for quite sometime and is unlikely to stop soon.
The problem with the PTI is that it wants to be seen standing on the side of the people ahead of the LG elections expected over the next several months. The PML-N needs someone to blame for its failure to improve the electricity supply situation that it had promised to solve in months, if not weeks, after coming to power. All its new generation projects seem to be getting nowhere at the moment. Nor has it been able to bring down the generation, transmission and distribution losses to improve the power supply situation, which is causing circular debt in the power sector to re-emerge. Both rivals need to understand that such political gimmicks aren’t going to work for either of them. The challenges, including energy shortages, confronting the country are too big for any one party to tackle alone. Both parties should stop playing games with the people. While it is advisable for the PTI to help Islamabad in controlling power theft and recovering unpaid bills, the PML-N must avoid giving statements that add to political friction with rival parties and, instead, help address public problems.
Courage personified
AS the militants’ war on Pakistan grinds on, new tragedies unfold nearly every day. By now, we have become so numbed by violence that suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism have begun to be accepted by Pakistanis as a fait accompli. Yet once in a while ordinary citizens demonstrate such courage that it inspires us to stand up to the onslaught of the militants. Malala Yousafzai’s defiance of the outlawed TTP is a case in point. Similarly, young Aitezaz Hussain’s ultimate sacrifice on Monday deserves to be highlighted for the selfless bravery the ninth-grader displayed. As reported, the young man arrived late for school in the Ibrahimzai area of Hangu and had to wait outside the premises. Noticing a suspicious individual approach the school building Aitezaz signalled him to stop. However, upon the intruder’s refusal to do so the student ran after him. The young lad’s suspicions were correct; as soon as Aitezaz accosted the intruder the individual blew himself up, killing the schoolboy too. Hundreds of students and teachers were reportedly inside the school building at the time of the incident and the carnage can be well imagined had the youngster not challenged the suicide bomber.
There is very little that can console Aitezaz Hussain’s family. But perhaps they can comfort themselves with the thought that their son gave his life so that hundreds of others could live. We must never forget Aitezaz and those like him — both civilians and those in uniform — who have sacrificed life and limb in the fight against militancy. In this case, the militants may have snuffed out a promising young life; but there is little they can do to subdue the spirit which drove the young man to sacrifice his life in order to resist tyranny and fanaticism. The state must condole with the young man’s family and offer them all possible assistance. Equally important, those in power should learn a thing or two from a young schoolboy about courageously standing up to violent extremism.