A weakened democracy
The truth is before us. We have learned nothing from history. Nothing at all, repeating once more the follies that plunged us into so much trouble in the first place. The Pakistan Army, watching and waiting at the sidelines for weeks has been asked by the government to play a part in resolving the crisis. The step taken at a meeting on Thursday between the army chief and the prime minister pushes democracy a little deeper into the quicksand where it had been trapped for many days. Whether it can pull itself out remains an open question. Even if it does so, it will emerge weakened, with space given away to the military, which once again moves into the driving seat. Unsurprisingly, the role of the military as mediator has been quickly, indeed instantly, accepted by both Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan. This indeed seems to have been the moment they were waiting for, with cryptic references to ‘umpires raising fingers’ or proclamations that the ‘awaited’ moment was approaching. Both the PAT and the PTI have agreed to give the army 24 hours as it begins its role as ‘mediator’. What terms it will mediate and what direction it will adopt is to be seen. Dr Qadri has also made it clear he wishes the military to act as ‘guarantor’ of any deal. The fervent attempts of the government to reach an agreement with the two parties had run aground essentially because of their refusal to back away from the demand that the PM resign, despite the lack of legal ground for this. From the PAT camp, the goal-posts too continued to change constantly. It is to be seen where they will be placed now.
The announcement that the army had been asked to play a ‘positive’ role, made by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is also not insignificant. Nisar, known to be close to the military and also Imran Khan, is expected to play a more significant role from this point on. Matters like Imran’s election rigging allegations, Qadri’s demands in the matter of the FIR lodged in Lahore against those named in the Model Town killings case, and of course the PM’s fate still need to be sorted out. With army boots now heard within offices occupied by the executive it is to be seen how these matters are settled. But despite the efforts of most parties in parliament, a few have walked down that dangerous road we have followed before. We wait to see where it takes us.
The brain eater
The death toll from Naegleria fowleri – the brain-eating amoeba virus that has spread through Karachi and Hyderabad – reached eight last week but the authorities don’t even seem to recognise it as a problem. The virus is waterborne and thrives in water that hasn’t been sufficiently chlorinated or boiled. Around the world the most common way of contracting the virus is by swimming but most of the victims in Sindh, including a baby less than a year old, are not believed to be swimmers. This means the fault lies entirely with the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, which is unable to provide clean water to its residents. What is truly alarming is that the KWSB doesn’t even seem to have taken notice of it. That is probably because the solution, while readily apparent, requires the kind of work, dedication and resources that the authorities are simply not willing to expend. The right to clean drinking water should in theory be sacrosanct but it is not a right the government has ever taken seriously. Our water supply is contaminated by industrial waste, sewage and other contaminants and is not treated before being delivered to residents.
The problem is particularly acute in low-income areas. People often don’t have a working water supply and so have to rely on polluted standing water – which attracts all kinds of bacteria and viruses apart from the brain-eating amoeba – for daily use. The water that is supplied does not conform to any recognised standards and pipes are often rusted and damaged. The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination did write a letter to the provincial health departments in July asking them to take preventive measures such as educating people to avoid swimming in stagnant water, submerging their heads in water while bathing and not taking water up their nostrils while performing ablution. No such action has been taken. The massive infrastructure overhaul it would require to replace pipelines that are too close to industrial plants and repair dysfunctional lines will take time but the process has not even begun. Ensuring the optimal level of chlorination in the water supply should be a simpler task but there too the authorities have been neglectful. Most of the deaths attributed to the brain-eating amoeba have shown low levels of chlorination in the water. These deaths were unnecessary and preventable. The responsibility for them lies with uncaring authorities.
Published in The News, August 29th, 2014.