Ties with Saudi Arabia

GIVEN the long history of friendly ties between the two countries, the identity of views expressed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in Monday’s joint statement at the end of Prince Salman bin Abdel Aziz bin Saud’s visit was to be expected. Besides being host to a large Pakistani expat community, Saudi Arabia has bailed out Pakistan in moments of acute economic crises. The relationship acquired new dimensions with the return to power of the Sharif family as evident from the high-level visits by Saudi royals in recent weeks. However, foreign policy is a different ball game, and Pakistan has to prioritise its national interests instead of getting carried away by emotions. In this respect, certain aspects of the joint statement are somewhat disturbing because they suggest a possible shift in Pakistan’s Syria policy. As always, we believe that in the Syrian conflict, as in other regional flashpoints, Islamabad needs to maintain a certain level of neutrality and perform a fine balancing act so as to avoid distortions that may offend friendly states.

The situation in the Levant is far more complex than what is stated in the joint statement. For instance, the call for a withdrawal of foreign forces should have been a bit more specific, as Syria is now home to a multilateral conflict with several regional states backing militias working at cross-purposes. The anarchy in Iraq has served to aggravate the Syrian crisis because Al Qaeda and other militant groups have moved into the country and changed the very character of the Arab Spring. So far, Pakistan has avoided taking sides in the Syrian charnel house. However, in the joint statement Pakistan seemed to agree with Saudi Arabia that President Bashar al-Assad must go, because it called for “the formation of a transitional government with full executive powers” to take over Syria. Given the failure of the Geneva talks and the hard positions adopted by all sides, it seems well nigh impossible how a plan calling for President Assad’s exit can be agreed upon and put in place through talks. This shows Pakistan is in no position to discard neutrality and be a party to a regional conflict that shows no signs of abating. The joint statement coincided with an Iranian warning that Tehran could send troops into Pakistan to recover kidnapped border guards. The statement should not be taken literally, but it does convey Iran’s unease if not anger over the higher level of Saudi-Pakistan ties with security implications.

It is ironic that, in these difficult times, Pakistan has no foreign minister, and our external relations go lurching from crisis to crisis. Parliament is obviously the forum for discussing foreign policy, and it is appalling that serious matters involving potential changes in external relations should not be debated by our legislators before a policy is formalised.

Attacks on the media

GIVEN the threats to the media from various actors — chiefly extortionists and religious extremist groups — Monday’s attack came as no surprise. A bomb exploded near the gate of the building that houses the offices of Business Recorder and Aaj TV in Karachi; another that targeted the premises of Waqt TV and The Nation and Nawai Waqt newspapers was defused. While no group had claimed responsibility at the time of writing, the attacks will no doubt aggravate existing fears, especially as the latest incident follows the killing of three employees of the Express Media Group last month. The responsibility for their deaths was claimed by the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, that reissued a ‘fatwa’ against the Pakistani media some weeks ago. Not only that, the group also prepared a hit list naming some journalists and publishers, from owners and anchors to field staff. The 29-page fatwa accused the media of siding with “disbelievers” and, to quote Khalid Haqqani, deputy TTP chief and one of the edict’s main authors, of “continuously lying about us and our objectives”.

From the state and its representatives there has been only a muted — if any — response to the increasing dangers from various groups that the media must contend with. This has turned an already fraught situation into one of grave proportions, for it sends out the signal that journalism can be silenced — whether by organisations that deal in terror or others that imitate their methods — with impunity. Yet what is at stake is of critical importance: the ability to faithfully and accurately inform. Freedom of speech already stands greatly compromised in a country where a large section of society has followed the slide to the extreme right; the list of things that can no longer be safely referred to is growing longer. When the state stands by as media houses face those who use terror tactics to muzzle journalists, it adds significantly to the vulnerability felt by the latter. While the state must support media houses and the latter themselves must take security measures, it is also important that a collective voice is raised by the journalist community against the growing threats. Unless journalists are unified, the media’s hard-won liberties will be lost.

Doctors under threat

IN Pakistan, hardly anyone’s life or property is safe. However, belonging to certain religious groups, living in certain areas or even one’s profession can increase a person’s chances of meeting an unnatural end. Doctors are among the professionals in Pakistan that have found their security severely compromised; many leading medics have been killed in cold blood, while others have been abducted by criminals. Still others face threats from extortionists. Prof Javed Iqbal Qazi is the latest casualty. The senior physician was gunned down on Monday as he left the Karachi Medical and Dental College, where he taught. Police have termed it a targeted killing, though investigators are unsure of the motive. A respected professional, Prof Qazi was said to be the only renal and hepatic pathologist in Pakistan. Regardless of the motivation for the murder, the country has been deprived of an accomplished medical professional. Karachi isn’t the only city where doctors live under the threat of violence. A doctor was killed, apparently on sectarian grounds, in Rajanpur, Punjab in January, while last year Lahore witnessed the tragic killing of Dr Ali Haider and his young son, also reportedly gunned down by sectarian killers. Meanwhile, the kidnapping of physicians is a major concern, especially in Balochistan; cardiologist Dr Munaf Tareen was released by kidnappers last year after the reported payment of a heavy ransom.

Most doctors can easily jump ship and move to lands where their lives and those of their family members will be much safer. In fact, some in the medical community have already begun planning exit strategies. Hence, doctors serving in such hostile conditions deserve society’s gratitude and extra protection from the state. It is not a pleasant thought to imagine a large-scale exodus of medical professionals from Pakistan, driven out by violence and criminality. But unless the state takes action to safeguard the lives of doctors, our best medical minds will be lost to us. As always, the common man in Pakistan will be the biggest loser.

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Sufficient for us is Allah , and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.