Elusive and vague
sep/11/2008
SOON after taking oath, President Asif Zardari addressed a joint press conference along with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This was rather unusual as people expect the newly elected President, during his first public exposure, to underline his priorities. President Karzai leads neighbouring Afghanistan, a country with which we share common faith, culture, and ethnicity along with also a number of serious problems. Of late his government has unleashed a smear campaign against Islamabad. Only a day before his arrival in Islamabad, his Foreign Minister had advised the US troops to take their war on terror inside Pakistan.
To many Pakistanis, the joint press conference indicated that President Zardari's foremost priority was the pursuit of the War on Terror in collaboration with Kabul, and the US and NATO troops. There are many who see the War on Terror as America's war and insist that national interests, rather than Washington's concerns, need to be given priority. There is also a perception that the government has gradually abandoned the multi-pronged approach to fight militancy that best suits the country in favour of military operations, under American pressure. Others think that instead of lodging half-hearted protests, as President Zardari also did, Washington needs to be told firmly that its attacks inside Pakistan's tribal areas, which have increased during the last few days, are in violation of the country's sovereignty and are simply unacceptable. If the government wants to change its strategy vis-à-vis dealing with the militants or on how to respond to Kabul's provocations, it has to take all domestic stakeholders, Parliament being the most important, into confidence.
President Zardari was not as prepared for questions as many had expected. He was by and large vague while responding to questions about inflation, abrogation of the 17th Amendment and an indemnity to former President Musharraf. He failed to mention how the government was going to fulfill its election pledge of roti, kapra aur makan. He remained non-responsive when asked about the restoration of the remaining deposed judges. His response to a question about the proposed gas pipeline with Iran was evasive and created doubts about the government's intentions. What he said about 'good news' regarding Kashmir within a month was promptly countered by an Indian spokesman, who displayed ignorance of any move in the direction, and said no talks had been held with the PPP's present leadership on the issue. Hopefully, President Zardari would be better prepared and more precise when he addresses Parliament in days to come.
Washington's word
WHILE greeting President Asif Zardari on telephone after his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, President Bush pledged full support to Pakistan in its efforts to meet the challenge of terrorism, but his spokeswoman expressed her confidence that President Zardari would do what was right for the country "regardless of public opinion." The blatantly undemocratic advice, openly tendered, by the country that is never found wanting to praise the absolute necessity of adopting democratic principles sounds, in the first flush, quite bizarre. But then Mr Bush has for long been ignoring the majority view in the US on the unjust war in Iraq and one could not have expected anything better from the White House spokeswoman; rather, where American interests are involved, the US is known for not bothering about matters like the popularity of rulers or their policies.
Nevertheless, if President Zardari has to take the nation along, he must pay heed to what the people think and feel. Mr Bush, coming to the end of his term at the White House, might be in a hurry to score points with his people to boost the prospects of the Republican presidential hopeful. However, the Pakistani leadership ought to do things that clearly are in the national interest. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is right in engaging in plain talk about the deaths of innocent civilians as a result of American attacks in Pakistani territory. Loss of human lives cannot simply be explained away, as Mr Bush did during his speech at the National Defence University, by words like the history of human warfare proved its inevitable occurrence and that the US "mourns every innocent life lost". When there is an element of deliberate disregard of life, his point loses all value and recalls the era of barbaric warfare when the idea of human rights was pooh-poohed.
The nascent political set-up of Pakistan must not bow before the US wishes and make sure that national interests are under no circumstances put on the line.
A working relationship
PM(N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif should be complimented for responding positively to Mr Asif Ali Zardari's elevation to the office of President. Highlighting the need for both parties to develop a consensus on various issues, he said that it was now up to the PPP to decide about the fate of their partnership. His plea that all should extend support to the PPP to complete its term deserves praise. This would surely help assuage the rising temperature on both sides. While one hopes that President Zardari will react earnestly to Mian Nawaz' call, there is nonetheless need to focus on other pressing matters raised by the latter, like removing Article 58(2b) and restoring Parliament's sovereignty.
With its own prime minister and president, the onus is on the PPP to bring the country back on the rails. Among the most vexing problems, so far as relations between centre and provinces are concerned, is the acrimony between the PPP and the PML(N), with Punjab becoming the main fault line. Apparently, the ball is in the PPP's court and, as the PML(N) chief has said, it depends on the party bigwigs' response to the country's challenging tasks, notably the judicial crisis. That is precisely the point where the shoe pinches and must therefore be addressed on a priority basis. Keeping in view the President's statements on various occasions, it seems he is willing to go in the right direction: his efforts at reducing the tension in Punjab between the governor and the chief minister and clipping his own powers. It nevertheless remains to be seen how he would take on the uphill task.
Pushing the engine
THE government's economic performance so far remains dismal, though there are reports that it plans to push the economic engine with renewed vigour in the coming days. At present inflation is breaking all records, with the rupee dipping to unprecedented lows against the dollar. To begin with, the government should make concerted efforts to bring down the budget deficit, for that is where the trouble starts. The current deficit, standing at a staggering Rs 777.7 billion, only shows its failure to meet the deficit target set at 4.2 percent. Another area in need of urgent reform is that of revenue collection. The government should ensure that its decision to tax heavily the import of non-essential and luxury items is strictly implemented and no exception is made, and should also seek to raise exports. It bears repeating that our export industrial units should have state-of-the-art machinery. A great deal has been done in the context of textile manufacturing units but a lot more needs to be done. Efforts on war footing are required to lighten up this bleak scenario.
source :
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...sive-and-vague