Dated: March 14, 2015

Release of Mumbai suspect?

ZAKIUR Rehman Lakhvi`s crawl towards judicially permitted freedom appears to be near an end. The federal government may yet try to impede the release of the Lashkar-e-Taiba leader and alleged architect of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, but it is unlikely to be anything more than a shoddy ad hoc measure to cover up gross failure over the past six years. Lakhvi should not be a free man. That he may soon be free is entirely the fault of the state, and especially the security establishment, whose only real intention appears to have been to take the LeT leader out of the global spotlight when the international pressure on Pakistan was intense and then do little of note. Be it an energetic pursuit of evidence against Lakhvi and his co-accused, appointing prosecutors with vigorous intent, providing the necessary protection to the court or ensuring that the defence team`s manoeuvring is swiftly and adequately countered, the state has failed in nearly every area. How, for example, as long rumoured and recently confirmed by media reports, has it been possible for Lakhvi to spend his time in prison in relative luxury and with access to his network of supporters unless the state itself is complicit? Surely though the judiciary must shoulder some responsibility for this unhappy state of affairs. While the judiciary cannot be expected to simply allow the state to indefinitely hold an individual, there do appear to be strong reasons not to allow Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to walk free. There are several examples where the courts themselves have urged the prosecution, the police and the government to do more than they are at the moment. Were it not for judicial intervention there would be little movement on local government elections. Were it not for judicial intervention several high-profile crimes, like the lynching of a Christian couple in Kot Radha Kishan, would probably have been quietly dropped by the authorities. There are other instances as well, such as the case of the missing persons where the judiciary`s interest and activism have been positive and welcomed. A similar approach is needed in the case of Lakhvi. The Islamabad High Court`s decision to nullify the conviction of Mumtaz Qadri on terrorism charges has already resulted in uncertainty. And further controversy could follow its latest orders. In such cases, surely the Supreme Court ought to take notice, seek answers and suggest the necessary changes.

There is a further problem: if Lakhvi is set free, will he be allowed a hero`s welcome and made available for LeT/Jamaatud Dawa/ Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation propaganda events? It is well known that the state has many tools available to it to keep militant groups from emerging from the shadows and taking centre stage. Already there appear to be attempts to hijack March 23 as it was last year by radical groups. A repeat should not be allowed.

Mystery of weapons

THE US State Department has categorically said that lethal supplies, including weapons and ammunition meant for Isaf, the Nato-led force in Afghanistan, are not transported from the Karachi port, indicating that the facility is used only to bring in non-lethal supplies. The same clarification had been issued in September 2013 by the US embassy, when the case regarding stolen containers carrying lethal supplies meant for Nato forces was being heard by the Supreme Court and there was much comment in the media. Given two clear statements to the effect that lethal supplies like guns and ammunition are not transported from the port, what do we make of the Rangers` claims, following Wednesday`s raid on the MQM headquarters in Karachi, that a large cache of weaponry and ammunition was discovered on the premises, and must have come from stolen containers carrying Nato supplies? Footage of the weapons and the ammunition was released to the media. Some of the arms appeared to have been stored in cardboard boxes sealed with masking tape. The footage seems to confirm that these weapons and ammunition were indeed present, but questions still linger as to how they got there in the first place.

If Nato supplies that arrive in Karachi port do not contain weapons, as the US government has indicated, then where did this cache come from? The MQM claims that it was planted, although as yet there is not much to suggest that this was the case. Meanwhile, the Rangers` version too appears debatable in light of the State Department`s consistent claim. What we are left with is a mystery that has persisted for a long time now. Both the Rangers and the MQM need to provide answers to the natural questions that arise about the presence of these weapons in the party`s headquarters. The Rangers must back up their allegation with facts and figures and make clear how they arrived at this conclusion, while the MQM, that is often accused of employing strong-arm tactics in urban Sindh, also has a lot of explaining to do. The case should be thoroughly investigated to get to the root of the matter and to prosecute those suspected of having committed crimes. But attempts to sensationalise the issue and make allegations without evidence will only create confusion and detract from the effort to nab suspected militants, whether they belong to a religiously motivated, political or ethnic group.

Vaccines` wastage

THE difficulties faced by the country in vaccinating every single child against polio are widely known and place a formidable question mark over the health of new generations.

Less talked about, though, is the fact that the deficiencies of the health sector in terms of protecting children against preventable diseases are myriad, and so deeply entrenched as to make a change of course appear difficult. If at one end of the spectrum there is the problem of the slowdown in the rates of routine immunisation, at the other are the glaring gaps in supply, storage and oversight, which may cumulatively negate what little success the country does manage to achieve in this area. The latter point was underscored by the news that came to light a few days ago that a large consignment of the pentavalent vaccine, worth some $1.3m, that was being stored on the premises of the National Health Services Ministry had spoiled because the required temperature had not been maintained. To put this into perspective, the vaccine, which protects against five potentially deadly diseases in a single shot, was of a quantity that could have been administered to 400,000 infants.

The story has only come to light because of the actions of a whistleblower, and the health authorities have on their part instituted an inquiry and promised suspensions when those responsible for this lapse are identified. That is all very well, but hardly goes far enough. That such an eventuality occurred at all provides further evidence of what a survey undertaken by WHO and Unicef last year concluded: urgent improvements are needed in most areas of vaccine and supply management systems, while the country is meeting the required standards only in the area of vaccine and commodity arrival procedures. As it is, Pakistan`s vaccination efforts are aided in no small part by international organisations; it is shameful that even so, the country cannot get things right at its own end, even when its own future is at stake.

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A still tongue keeps a wise head.