US-India ties
In Delhi, the India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue; in Washington, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, one of four so-called foundational pacts the US signs with defence partners.
Taken together, this is yet another step towards a closer US-India strategic, defence and commercial relationship, a process kick-started a decade ago under a Congress-led coalition and now accelerating under a BJP government.
In the US, meanwhile, there is rare bipartisan consensus on deepening ties with India — hence, US Secretary of State John Kerry’s fulsome praise for India and the absence of any substantive comments on India-held Kashmir in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, a trilateral US-India-Afghanistan talks process is also to be restarted. Inside Pakistan, the developments are sure to be keenly followed in security circles, though perhaps India’s internal political opposition to deepening military ties with the US and concerns about unduly antagonising China are likely to be discounted.
Do the Indo-US moves really amount to a challenge for Pakistan’s security situation, however?
While it is to be regretted that not only has the US ignored the violence in IHK and India has aggressively tried to blame Pakistan for allegedly seeking to stoke trouble inside IHK, there is another reality that must be addressed.
On the terrorism front, it is true that Pakistan has suffered violence from the now Afghan-based anti-Pakistan militants and it does appear that India is willing to intrude deeper into Balochistan’s troubles. Yet, it is also true that Pakistan’s fight against militancy has not extended to anti-Afghan and anti-India militant groups operating from its soil.
That duality, whether implicit or officially unacknowledged, is problematic because these groups predate and post a bigger challenge to regional stability than anything the anti-Pakistan militants have been able to threaten.
The immense suffering of Pakistanis is equal to — in some cases even greater than — what neighbouring populations have endured, but the commonality is that all have suffered.
The foremost duty of the Pakistani state is to secure the homeland and the people of this country — but the security threat cannot be fought in isolation.
Consider that the Mumbai trials and Pathankot probe have effectively stalled and while there may be narrow, legalistic explanations for why that is the case, it appears to be a lack of will on the part of the state.
Troubling too is the space being accorded to pro-Kashmir, anti-India militants groups and their leadership here. When in many cases those leaders are either banned or indirectly linked to militancy, why are they being allowed to address public rallies and engage in political discourse?
Pakistani authorities rightly bristle at any attempt to sideline this country internationally. But security is neither one-dimensional nor country-specific. Terrorism is a common threat to the region and little will change if a piecemeal, ad hoc approach continues to prevail.
Jailed Karachi mayor
THE Pakistani political scenario is known for its frequently strange occurrences. One can add one more episode to the list: on Tuesday, Waseem Akhtar, the mayor of Pakistan’s biggest city, was let out of jail briefly in order to take the oath of office. Earlier, Mr Akhtar had been elected Karachi mayor from jail — a first in our chequered political history. He has been in custody since July and faces a number of cases — all bailable according to him. These include involvement in the May 12, 2007 violence in Karachi. At the time of the ugly events, Waseem Akhtar held the portfolio of home adviser to the Sindh chief minister. These and other charges the mayor faces are serious and must be probed impartially. If he is found guilty, Mr Akhtar must face the penalty under the law and would obviously have to leave the mayor’s office. However, as the highest elected official of Karachi, it is unacceptable that Mr Akhtar runs the metropolis’s affairs from inside prison, especially if the charges are bailable. Besides, it appears a tad strange for the mayor to be locked up for his alleged role in the May 12 mayhem while retired Gen Musharraf — who ruled the country unchallenged at the time — enjoys his liberty. Until the charges against Waseem Akhtar are proved, he should be allowed his freedom.
However, even if the Karachi mayor were to be released, it would be fair to ask if Mr Akhtar would have the necessary powers to administer the city. As the provincial government has kept many civic powers, such as solid waste management, we can safely say that the elected heads of municipal bodies in Sindh will not have full authority over their respective jurisdictions. This situation needs to be reversed as municipal bodies must have more than just ceremonial powers to carry out their tasks. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has brought vigour to the erstwhile moribund provincial government in many ways. He must realise that empowered and active local governments are essential for the prosperity and progress of Sindh, which is why he ought to make it a priority to transfer all civic duties to the elected municipal bodies. It will take a long time to address all the issues that have cropped up in the long absence of elected local bodies. But with responsive local leaders and a supportive provincial government, the rot can hopefully be reversed.
Tobacco advertisements
THE proceedings at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services in Islamabad on Tuesday could well be described as a theatre of the absurd. On the agenda was a discussion on The Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health (Amendment) Bill 2016, which calls for a ban on tobacco advertisements. The proposed legislation, tabled by PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain, seeks to prevent retailers from putting up advertisements for cigarettes inside their outlets that can tempt the youth. If passed into law, it would also ban tobacco companies from sponsoring health camps, tree plantation campaigns, and sporting and other events. In other words, the participants at the meeting had a more or less straightforward task at hand. However, most of those present outdid themselves in defying logic and science to oppose the bill.
The worldwide trend against smoking began in the West decades ago with the emergence of incontrovertible data showing the link between smoking and various diseases. Studies have found that up to 50pc of smokers die of a smoking-related illness, and smoking decreases lifespan by up to 10 years. As it does in Pakistan today, the powerful tobacco industry in Western countries used a range of tactics, which included issuing outright denials, manipulating facts, co-opting lobby groups to influence policy, etc — all to avoid government regulation of its products and protect its colossal financial interests. That battle has now moved to the shores of developing countries. However, given the benefit of hindsight, it is outrageous that we are revisiting old, discredited arguments, and that our public representatives can see fit to tout the tobacco industry’s ‘contribution’ to our economy while ignoring the enormous cost it exacts on public health and productivity. Instead of pandering to powerful corporate interests, the government must strictly enforce the ban on public spaces in the country and follow through on its decision to enhance pictorial warnings on cigarette packs. Every attempt by tobacco companies at marketing themselves must be firmly resisted.
Source:
Editorials
Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2016