Date: Monday, October 3rd, 2016
A call for help
As relations between Pakistan and India continue to deteriorate, the top military and political leadership in Pakistan has come together to present a united front. Most recently, after cross-border firing which resulted in the deaths of two Pakistani soldiers in what was termed a ‘surgical strike’ by the Indian establishment and media, the government of Pakistan has categorically denied that any such strikes took place. Amidst the war mongering that is being led by the Modi government, several false reports made the rounds regarding these so called surgical strikes which later had to be taken back due to lack of supporting evidence. Meanwhile, the PM called a cabinet meeting during which the government clarified its intentions to resolve the issue without resorting to force, however, it also vowed to defend the country’s borders against such violations. The Indian government’s attempts to take attention away from its atrocities in Kashmir by vilifying Pakistan as an instigator were also deplored. India’s attempts to shift the blame for the Uri attack on Pakistan and to try and take revenge were severely criticised. During the meeting, the Pakistan army’s response to Indian aggression was also praised and the military was assured of the government’s and public’s full support.
A call was made to the international community to take notice of the escalation of aggression as well as the human rights violations taking place in Indian-held Kashmir. Top-level meetings, including the inter-provincial National Action Plan gathering which is expected to be attended by the provincial and military leadership, are scheduled for next week. Despite all the calls to peace during the past several weeks and Pakistan’s attempts to raise the option of resolving the Kashmir issue through dialogue rather than yet another conflict, there does not appear to be any similar response from India. The Modi government has whipped up war hysteria and is now having to follow through with its grandstanding, a course of action which could end very badly for the entire region. The Pakistani leadership’s decision to exercise restraint is a wise one.
Protecting minority rights
September 27 marked a historic day for Pakistan’s minorities. Previously, Pakistani Hindu citizens had no means to register their marriages, reflecting a system that wilfully neglected to acknowledge them as citizens with equal rights in the country. However, the National Assembly finally passed the Hindu Marriage Bill-2016, which will provide a system for the country’s two-and-a-half million Hindus, by which to register their marriages and handle other matrimonial matters dealing with legality and the state. The number of Hindus may since have dwindled, since the Hindu community have been marginalised by the system for decades. Nevertheless, the passage of this bill is an exemplary step by Pakistani lawmakers. The hope is that it remains in focus until it is implemented as a legal act.
One of more consequential aspects of the Bill, even greater than the registration of Hindu marriages, is the goal to end abductions of married Hindu women and their forced conversions. Registration of marriage and divorce is an ordinary matter of the state, but the blatant violation of human rights in the way of abductions and forced marriages is sordid and needs to end at all costs. Nonchalant attitudes towards violations that rob citizens of their free will cannot continue while our leaders continue attending UN general assemblies year after year, because a basic tenet of UN membership is to protect the rights of all people. The passage of the Bill is timely with the recent attendance by our PM at the UN General Assembly. This time should also serve to allow our lawmakers to review other laws that deliberately seek to sideline minority and other smaller communities of Pakistan: the Ahmadis, the Christians, and the Zoroastrians among some of them. We will not see a denouement to the persecution of precious Pakistani communities until lawmakers and law enforcement not only openly denounce violations but end the systemic marginalisation through protective laws and their implementation, as this Bill hopefully seeks to do.
Feeling the heat
Pakistan faces threats and challenges that in terms of being existential as in a threat to the viability and very existence of the state, are far greater than terrorism or even incompetent governance — though the latter is unlikely to in any way mitigate the oncoming disaster. It is global warming that is rolling towards us; indeed Pakistan is already experiencing the effects of this inexorable phenomenon and is in the top-ten states globally of those going to be most adversely affected by the phenomenon. Note the use of the phrase ‘going to be’. There is no ‘if’ or ‘but’ or prevarication to be had in this matter. Global warming is an accomplished reality. There are still a minority that argue that the impact of human activity in the last two centuries is not the primary driver but the arguments either way are today virtually irrelevant. It is happening, it is happening fast and Pakistan is indifferently prepared for it.
The latest information on the warmer world comes from the UN Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). The job of IPCC is to collate and synthesise a range of reports and aggregate them into a big picture that is digestible for scientists as well as the common man — and even more importantly in the local context for government policymakers. The 2°Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold for the increase to be termed ‘dangerous’ is going to be exceeded by 2050, and a leading climate scientist says that there is ‘no chance’ of the increase being pegged back to 1.5°C, and 2°C may be attained before 2050. This is extremely bad news for every government for the next 33 years, whatever their political hue. Floods, droughts, intense storms, heatwaves and forest fires are all going to increase, in all likelihood both quickly and dramatically. Extreme weather is advancing and it is here to stay. The year 2015 was the hottest on record and 2016 is shaping up to be even hotter. Steps to mitigate what has the potential to be overwhelming need to be planned and taken now. We are not holding our breath.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2016.