[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Israeli crimes in Gaza[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Thursday, 17 Sep, 2009[/B]

IT took the UN eight months to tell us what the world already knew — that Israeli forces committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity on a wide scale in the Gaza Strip during their December-January blitz. In early January, while Israeli forces were continuing their slaughter of Palestinian civilians, Human Rights Watch revealed that Israeli troops were firing shells containing white phosphorus on civilian population centres. This incendiary agent sets fires and burns the skin, and HRW said its workers watched “hours of artillery bombardment” by Israeli troops on the Jabaliya refugee centre. As with their periodic invasions of Lebanon, where Israeli forces as a matter of policy attack refugee centres, especially Qana, the Israelis attacked places where Gazans had gathered to seek refuge. On the whole, the 22-day blitz by Israel damaged or destroyed 22,000 buildings and left 1,300 people dead, 40 per cent of whom, according to impartial observers, were women and children. Also attacked was a mosque at prayer time. The UN body also accused Palestinian militias of war crimes, and possible crimes against humanity, for their rocket attacks on non-military targets in Israeli cities.

Israel, which did not cooperate with the UN’s fact-finding commission headed by a man who is himself a Jew from South Africa, rejected the report. Such censure by the UN is not going to make Israel think and behave responsibly. The Jewish state is immune to criticism, because it knows it is the region’s most powerful state militarily and can get away with all manner of crime because it enjoys America’s support. Washington’s Middle East policy is hostage to its domestic politics, for Tel Aviv knows the powerful Jewish lobby in the US will always bail it out of trouble, no matter what crime Israel commits.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Communal tensions[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Thursday, 17 Sep, 2009[/B]

THE religious chauvinism that has become rampant in the country is nowhere in better evidence than in the case of Fanish Masih. On Friday, in village Jaithikey near Sialkot, allegations spread that Masih and four other young men had desecrated a copy of the Quran. Requiring no proof, a slavering mob burnt down a church and ransacked nearby houses. The terror felt by the area’s Christian residents was such that the entire community — some 30 Christian households amongst over a 100 Muslim homes — abandoned their dwellings and fled. Masih was found dead in his cell on Tuesday, with jail officials claiming he had committed suicide. The exact circumstances of Masih’s death are shadowy and merit a thorough inquiry: the method of ‘suicide’ described so far by the jail authorities raises many questions. Moreover, having taken him into custody, it was the duty of the authorities to keep Masih safe. The protection of all citizens is a fundamental responsibility of the state and its subsidiaries.

Outbreaks of communal tension — especially that stoked by allegations of blasphemy — can have a snowball effect. This incident comes on the heels of the tragedy in Gojra, where several Christians were killed and many homes were torched by a similarly enraged mob. The country cannot risk these attacks turning into a pogrom against minorities, particularly given suspicions that certain banned sectarian outfits had a hand in the Gojra violence. By neglecting to protect minority community members and failing to take action against rampaging mobs, the law stands in danger of signalling that such violence is tolerated by the state. As the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan pointed out in a recent statement, “allegations of blasphemy and defiling of religious scriptures … do not warrant vigilante attacks. Nor do they absolve the government of its primary duty to protect all citizens.” In the Jaithikey incident, a case has been registered against unknown people for burning down the church. Effective prosecution would serve as a deterrent to future attacks of this nature. The majority Muslim community must also learn to adhere to the law and demonstrate self-restraint.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Militancy and the law[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Thursday, 17 Sep, 2009[/B]

ACCORDING to a report in this paper, the government is preparing to amend anti-terrorism laws to eliminate loopholes that may allow terrorists and militants to walk free on technicalities and/or lack of evidence. Operation Rah-i-Rast in Swat may have been the catalyst for the impending changes, but there is a general problem with the law and its implementation is found wanting when it comes to punishing militants. Undoubtedly there is a social and political element in this debate, for it is demoralising and frightening for the people when the state seems unable to prosecute and punish those involved in terrorism. Yet laws must not be tinkered with in haste and every effort should be made to ensure that changes are thoroughly thought out and well designed. At the moment though it is not clear if the proposed amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 meet those criteria.

Firstly, the primary stamping ground of the militants lies outside Pakistan proper in Fata and Pata, areas where the applicability of the 1997 act is not clear. And in the case of Malakand specifically, the latest Nizam-i-Adl regulation may have displaced anti-terrorism laws. Secondly, even if the militants are captured elsewhere and then moved within the jurisdiction of anti-terrorism courts, that very process may create legal loopholes that defence lawyers could exploit. For example, state prosecutors would have to rely on evidence gathered by the security forces in a war zone rather than on police investigators who are trained in such matters. Thirdly, the proposed reversal of the burden of proof, so that militants under trial are presumed guilty and have to prove their innocence, is unlikely to pass muster with the courts. When such ‘special laws’ have been enacted in the past, the courts have found ways to either water down the reversal of the burden of proof or ignore it altogether. This makes sense, for whatever the urgency in seeing that militants are punished there is little doubt that the country’s judicial system does accidentally, and sometimes wilfully, net the innocent.

We suggest therefore that the government seek the input of legal and constitutional experts and thoroughly debate the proposed changes before implementing them. There is also the option of directly referring the matter to the Supreme Court under its advisory jurisdiction set out in Article 186 of the constitution. We remain mindful that in the bigger picture it is essential that militants be prosecuted successfully and not walk free. Whatever the balance that needs to be struck, it must be done sooner rather than later.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="DarkGreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]OTHER VOICES - Middle East Press RAND report[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Thursday, 17 Sep, 2009[/B]

… A CASE in point of international diplomacy at its arrogant worst is the new RAND Corporation report…. The … research … urges the US Obama administration to threaten Turkey with “negative consequences” to its European Union bid should any incursion into northern Iraq impede American withdrawal from that … war-torn country….

… [W]e have consistently and vigorously supported the government’s initiatives to resolve the long-suppressed issue of Turkey’s Kurds who have been denied many civil rights.

So we take great offence that RAND believes Turkey should be muscled into continuing this policy as insurance against a military incursion by Turkey in the wake of an Iraqi civil war sparked by the American exit. Such a report … is simply a guarantee that the legitimacy of the “Kurdish opening” will be … probably derailed.…

… RAND should “understand” Turkish sentiment. It is clear this institution does not. And this is why we can only summon contempt for a report that reeks of arrogance. — (Sept 13)

[B]Fumbling at the bureau[/B]

… AHEAD of the Knesset elections Netanyahu boasted of his ‘First 100 days’ team’, which was meant to prepare his smooth takeover…. … It’s been more like 100 horrors….

The Netanyahu bureau is divided and caught in the chaos of factions, infighting, battling for a position close to the prime minister and access to information — including the lie detector that hangs like a sword over their heads. Except the polygraph test is meant to reveal when lies are told, but apparently in Netanyahu’s bureau it is necessary to check when someone is actually telling the truth.

The most characteristic example of the raucous in his bureau was provided by the prime minister himself during his secret trip abroad, which was so classified that even the air force could not be relied on.

The same air force whose pilots may be asked to risk their lives and fly to Iran could not be trusted — thus a great deal of money was spent on a private jet to transport the prime minister to Moscow… — (Sept 11)

[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Pakistan’s perspective[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Friday, 18 Sep, 2009[/B]

IF ever there was a time that the US has appeared to ‘get’ Pakistan’s approach to regional security, this may be it. Adm Mike Mullen has made two telling statements at a hearing of the US Senate Committee on Armed Services this week. First, Adm Mullen has accurately summarised Pakistan’s approach by stating that our strategy for dealing with militancy is affected by the “principal” and “existential” threat from India, though the army is seriously concerned about the threat of militancy and is addressing the problem to an extent. Setting aside the issue of apportioning blame for the mess of militancy for a minute and taking a hard look at the overall security environment of this region, Adm Mullen’s frank call for ‘realism’ is the right one. Pakistan has serious and legitimate interests to defend vis-à-vis India.

First and foremost, with or without Pakistani-sponsored or -encouraged jihad in Kashmir, the Kashmir issue is very much alive and it needs to be resolved. Denying or downplaying the dissatisfaction in Indian-administered Kashmir will not change that fact. Other serious issues include the fair use of the two countries’ dwindling water supplies, Indian ‘interference’ inside Pakistan, its expanding interests in Afghanistan and the lingering suspicion that the Indian political class remains in thrall to hawkish elements who are opposed to the normalisation of ties with Pakistan. Until and unless these issues are resolved to the mutual satisfaction of both countries, India will loom large in Pakistan’s ‘threat perception’. It is not a threat on the part of Pakistan to demand to be released from those concerns before it can fully turn its attention to defeating militancy inside Pakistan and in the region generally. Nor does it mean that Pakistan can demand, or is demanding, that the Pak-India and militancy issues be addressed sequentially. It just means that long-term peace in the region will only be possible if Pakistan and India can resolve their differences.

Second, Adm Mullen has correctly pointed out that there is real uncertainty in Afghanistan and Pakistan over whether the Americans remain committed to the region. Part of that uncertainty, which breeds fear and perhaps causes the Pakistani and Afghan governments to baulk at full cooperation with the US, is created by the way the US has defined its goal in the region i.e. eliminating safe havens for Al Qaeda. Suppose the Americans do achieve that goal, will that mean cutting and running like they did two decades ago? Notwithstanding long-term aid commitments, the US needs to do more to reassure Pakistan and Afghanistan of its commitment to the region.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]The real issues [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Friday, 18 Sep, 2009[/B]

PEOPLE are dying queuing for grain in Pakistan. This is a country where food inflation is forcing parents to pull their children out of school — they can eat sparsely or be educated, not both. Lives are being lost to ailments that are easily curable. Street crime is rampant across a country where human life is worth less than a cellphone. Yet our political leaders appear oblivious to the misery that is everywhere. They seem to have no perspective, no grip on reality. Does a man who can’t feed his children really care whether or not Pervez Musharraf is tried for treason? Is a mother whose child has died of gastroenteritis likely to give much thought to America’s military presence in the region? Will a jobless person be impressed by the president’s much-touted ‘achievements’ during his first year in office? Our leaders have clearly lost sight of the core issues.

This is a country where religious minorities are targeted by Muslim mobs while the law-enforcers look on. Deadly attacks against Christians, in particular, are on the rise in Punjab. As is usually the case in such incidents, the violence has been triggered by unproven allegations of blasphemy. Robert Fanish Masih, who had been arrested last Saturday on blasphemy charges after Muslims went on the rampage in village Jaithikey near Sialkot, was found dead in his cell on Tuesday. The next day his family and community members, who had all been forced to flee Jaithikey, were prevented from burying him in their native village. And this heartless, inhumane act wasn’t the work of Muslim vigilantes alone. The local police also told the mourners to turn back, on the grounds that their presence could fan violence. In short the victims were punished, not the aggressors.

The Punjab government needs to take urgent steps to protect minorities in the province for the situation there is deteriorating. Its stance on minority rights will be gauged by its response. The centre, meanwhile, should start working towards the repeal of the blasphemy laws. For too long they have been used to settle personal scores, grab land — and to kill. These draconian laws must be struck off the books.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Assault on minors[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Friday, 18 Sep, 2009[/B]

THE abduction and rape on Thursday of an eight-year-old girl in Karachi is a crime of sickening proportions, all the more disturbing since it occurred on the heels of a similar case: that of three-year-old Sana, who was raped and killed by two policemen. These, together with another rape case — that of a four-year-old girl in Balochistan — are not isolated incidents. Reports appear with distressing frequency with regard to sexual assaults on minors. There is therefore a great need for the state and society to step up their efforts to protect children, both boys and girls, from crimes, especially those of an extreme nature.

It is also incumbent on the state to formulate stricter legislation that deals specifically with various levels of assault on minors, and for the purposes of the law delineates the rape of a child from the crime of rape in general. After a recent amendment to the relevant section of the country’s Code of Criminal Procedure, there already exists the provision for courts to hand down the death sentence in case the rape victim is a minor. Indeed, Sana’s murderers were sentenced to this maximum penalty. The trial of Sana’s murderers was unusually prompt, due to the brutal nature of the crime and the immense public outcry it provoked. Usually, however, rape and assault trials are torturously slow. Provisions for a time-frame for handing down judgments, and stricter punishments for differing levels of assaults against minors may prove of immense value in deterring potential offenders. They would also go some way towards assuaging the misery of the victims’ families. Pakistan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, and legislation such as the Domestic Violence Bill is encouraging. It is now time to formulate laws that deal specifically with the assault and murder of minors.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="DarkGreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]OTHER VOICES - Pushto Press Don’t forget the Mujahideen![/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Friday, 18 Sep, 2009[/B]

IN the eighth decade of the 20th century, Allah honoured the Afghan nation by [allowing it] to raise the standard of jihad … and attract Mujahideen from across the world. The West … came to life once again on account of the Afghan jihad which spurred an exemplary movement that saw the toppling of Lenin’s statues and the fall of the Berlin Wall….

… [T]he Afghan jihad … buried not only the Soviet empire but also its communism in Afghanistan…. Now look at the ‘shameless’ US and the ‘shameful’ Europe: now that their avowed enemy has been defeated by the proud Mujahideen, they have unleashed a propaganda against the freedom fighters. When the whole region was about to enjoy the fruits of the Afghan jihad, … the US created war hysteria and attacked Afghanistan. Europe also jumped on the American bandwagon to impose a crusade on the war-battered country.

The same Mujahideen who until yesterday were the torchbearers of a freedom struggle are now called terrorists who are up in arms in the mountains and ravines of Afghanistan against the US and the West. These are the Mujahideen who willingly offer their heads for their religion, their country … knowing full well that their children and wives will suffer when they are no more around. … If these Mujahideen had not stood by us, how would the Americans have played with our honour? Let us do some soul-searching so that we know what we have done for the kith and kin of those who have embraced martyrdom while fighting the US…. [T]he Mujahideen are still chasing the enemies of Islam in every corner of Afghanistan.

… Have we ever thought how tough is the going for the families of the Mujahideen when the US and its western allies rain bombs on their homes? Let us … help the families of the Mujahideen. … [I]f you have performed Haj once, there is no need to go again and again; if you have not yet paid zakat pay it now in the way of jihad and become a part of it…. It will help chase out the western forces…. — (Sept 16)

[B]Saturday, 19 Sep, 2009[/B]

[B][U][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=5]
[/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/B][CENTER][B][U][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=5] Stock market rally[/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/B]
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THE rally at the Karachi Stock Exchange — on Friday, the KSE-100 share index closed at a year-long high of 9,436 points — should be cautiously welcomed as a sign that investor confidence is returning. After the crash of 2008, the market has rallied and climbed over 60 per cent since the start of the year. Unusually, the latest rally since the beginning of August has been led by foreign investors who have bought shares worth approximately $200m, giving rise to questions about whether the investors are in fact ‘foreign’. But two facts suggest that they may well be in this case. First, ‘foreign’ investments which are in fact Pakistani in origin historically tend to come from the Far East and the Gulf states, whereas this time there has been significant investment from the US. Second, there has been a general rebound in emerging-country stock markets as western investors recover their poise and hunt for bargains in underpriced shares.

The Pakistani market’s late entrance into the rally can perhaps be attributed to the law and order crisis and general political instability. But with the macroeconomic indicators having stabilised and foreign donors helping shore up the economy, foreign investors are now being tempted back. Encouragingly, local investors who were watching from the sidelines have also entered the market and are hopeful that the monetary policy to be announced at the end of this month will result in a further cut in the State Bank’s discount rate. And from a stability perspective, the present rally does not bear the hallmarks of the badla-powered bubbles of years past which helped cause the stock market to yo-yo so disastrously. Of course, the very process that makes quick investment inflows possible also allows skittish punters to pull out rapidly, but the cash-based nature of the present rally in stock prices suggests the risk may be lower at the moment.

Having said that, from the broader perspective of the economy the stock market continues to suffer from fundamental problems. The basic purpose of a stock market is to raise capital from investors and channel it towards productive activities — something the stock market here does not appear to do. Registered companies prefer to stay unlisted, partly because of the lack of tax incentives and partly the disincentive of complicated corporate governance requirements. Furthermore, the investor base of the stock market is narrow and the market itself needs more depth. Until those problems are addressed, the direct relevance of the stock market to the wider economy will be minimal.

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[U][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4][B]A major shift[/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/U]


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THE American decision to shelve plans for a missile shield in Eastern Europe is not simply a shift in strategic policy. It will have profound political implications for US foreign policy and international politics. The missile shield was announced in 2006 by the Bush administration to defend Europe and America from a supposed Iranian missile attack. The shield envisaged placing 10 interceptor rockets in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic. President Obama has abandoned the plan for the time being, ostensibly in view of his intelligence reassessment of Iran’s ballistic programme that is believed to be focused on developing short- and medium-range missiles. Now the US will opt for a mobile system that will be sea-based.

As always happens, strategic moves are determined by political considerations and conversely they affect political ties as well. It seems that the politics of the missile shield — which has its roots in Ronald Reagan’s abortive ‘Star Wars’ project — have been set aside. Obama’s softer line rejecting his predecessor’s hawkish policy may help tone down the rhetoric of the postcold-war years. The missile shield had angered Moscow which saw it as Nato’s intervention in Russia’s ‘front yard’. Washington, it is said, has certain expectations of Moscow following this major development. America will most likely be hoping for a Russian quid pro quo, namely support in areas such as Iran’s nuclear programme and the conflict in Afghanistan. The decision on the missile shield has come after Obama’s advisers reaffirmed the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that Tehran stopped work on nuclear weapons in 2003, though President Bush had chosen to ignore this assessment. Coupled with the IAEA’s positive report on Iran’s cooperation in the matter of safeguards, Mr Obama’s moderation in Washington’s policy towards Tehran should have a positive effect on America’s relations with its old foe, which is currently preparing for talks with the ‘Iran Six’ on Oct 1. That said, the East Europeans fear Russia and regard with scepticism any move towards a Washington-Moscow détente. This issue should be jointly addressed by the two big powers if world peace is to be promoted.


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[CENTER] [U][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4][B]Rampaging trailers[/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/U]
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THE findings of a recent survey detailing the poor regulation of heavy vehicles using Karachi’s roads might be frightening but there is nothing revelatory about the report. It reaffirms the commonly held belief that rashly driven trucks, trailers and dumpers are allowed to rampage about the city with little oversight. The study — conducted by the Karachi Port Trust and a private concern — lists a number of shocking statistics, such as the fact that 100 per cent of heavy vehicles in the city are fitted with non-standard axles made from scrap metal, while it says that 60 per cent of vehicles have poor brakes. The survey adds that around 100,000 trailers are plying the roads without any checks, while containers are often attached to trailers with nothing more than rope.

What does this translate into? More often than not these poorly maintained, wildly driven vehicles end up crushing fellow road users in smaller vehicles. The papers are filled with reports of motorists and motorcyclists, as well as pedestrians, being trampled under the wheels of trailers and other long vehicles. The latest grisly episode occurred a few days ago when two men and a little boy were killed as a truck rammed into their car at Quaidabad, while on the same day two young children were run over by a truck near their house. So what is to be done? The KPT says 90 per cent of trailers operate outside the port, and thus outside its purview. The traffic police say the law is too weak to rein in errant drivers. They claim they cannot impound vehicles, while the fine for heavy vehicles violating the rules is a paltry Rs100. A concerted effort needs to be made by the traffic police especially, as well as other stakeholders, to ensure that only roadworthy heavy vehicles are allowed to operate to prevent further loss of life.

[B]Sunday Sep 20, 2009 [/B]


[CENTER] [B][U][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4]Israel cornered by IAEA[/SIZE][/FONT][/U]
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ISRAEL need not have said what its delegation head announced after it was cornered if not snubbed by the IAEA memberstates’ annual conference in Vienna on Friday. Passed by a narrow majority — 49 to 45 — the IAEA resolution asked Israel to sign the NPT and put all its nuclear installations under international supervision. This legitimate demand was like showing a red rag to a bull. Said Israeli chief delegate David Danieli, “Israel will not cooperate in any manner” because … and what followed was the usual diplomatic sophistry designed to perpetuate Israel’s nuclear monopoly in the region and justify its defiance of the international community. Most western nations voted against the resolution, which the Arab states had managed to have passed after 18 years of unsuccessful attempts, with Chinese and Russian votes adding to its global character. That it was a non-binding resolution makes no difference, for Israel has treated even binding resolutions, especially those concerning its withdrawal from occupied territories and its annexation of the Golan Heights and Jerusalem, with contempt.

Israel is the Middle East’s only power with an arsenal of nuclear weapons estimated at between 200 and 400. Israel is also the only country in the region which has waged war on all its neighbours, stolen their territories and engaged in gross violations of human rights and committed war crimes on a large scale. Thanks to western powers, especially the US, the Jewish state’s conventional forces have made it invincible militarily. For it, nuclear weapons are a luxury and meant essentially to blackmail and browbeat the Arab states and the Palestinian people and perpetuate its occupation of the West Bank. Yet the same West which has nightmares over Iran’s nuclear programme not only tacitly approves of Israel’s nuclear arsenal but also brazenly defends it in international fora as demonstrated by Friday’s vote. While Iran called the resolution “glorious”, the American delegate said it was “redundant”. Little does the US-led bloc realise that it practises double standards when it condemns Iran for its uranium enrichment plans while turning a blind eye to Israel’s nuclear arsenal.


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[CENTER] [U][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4][B]Quibbling over the moon[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
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EVEN four decades after man landed on the moon, this celestial body has not failed to stir controversy in the Muslim world. In Pakistan it acquires an intensity beyond comprehension. With Islamic religious festivals linked to the lunar calendar and no consensus on the criteria to be adopted in determining the start of a new month, confusion reigns supreme on the occasion of Eid and Ramazan. This year matters have reached new extremes. NWFP’s local and zonal Ruet-i-Hilal committees have decided to strike out on their own to meet on Saturday — a day before the central Ruet-iHilal Committee is to convene — to give a ruling on the sighting of the Shawwal moon. A proposal that Pakistan should follow Saudi Arabia so that the entire Muslim world observes Eid on the same day has also received a nod of approval from the provincial government.

Conventionally, the physical visibility of the new moon has been used to chalk out the lunar calendar. But given the growth in technology this is not enough to ensure uniformity of the calendar because many astronomical factors — the age of the moon, its angle and altitude above the horizon as well as weather conditions, the height and location of the place where the ‘moonsighter’ is positioned — determine the crescent’s visibility. Since the idea of different parts of the country observing Eid on different days is not an attractive one, and quite understandably so, it is time we agreed on a single principle to determine the lunar calendar. Some have found a solution by following Saudi Arabia’s lead (as is the case for Haj) to create a sense of unity and brotherhood in the Muslim world. Others have laid down clear guidelines for the sighting of the new moon. Whatever we choose must have the weight of national consensus behind it.


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[CENTER] [FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4][U][B]Kohat attack

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YET more carnage has visited Kohat district where a suicide bomber killed at least 40 people in a bazaar on Friday. The victims were mostly Shia. Meanwhile in Hangu district, which borders Orakzai and Kohat, the district nazim and head of an aman committee trying to broker peace between Sunnis and Shias was also killed on Friday. Together the attacks are another grim marker in the longrunning feud between militant Sunnis and Shias in the area. But there is more. A hitherto unknown faction of the Lashkar-iJhangvi, Al Almi, has claimed responsibility for the bombing in Kohat and, perhaps unsurprisingly to knowledgeable observers, the call was placed from a public call office in North Waziristan. The caller apparently spoke fluent Urdu, adding weight to the argument that the Waziristan agencies have become a haven for militants from south Punjab. So what we appear to have are sectarian attacks being launched inside Pakistan from a base in the tribal belt by groups that are not indigenous to those areas.

Which raises the question, is the state’s strategy — or what is known of that strategy — against militancy in Waziristan on the right course? At the moment, it appears the state is making two demands of the Waziristan tribes: root out the foreigners and Al Qaeda types living in their midst and stop their fellow tribesmen from attacking targets, particularly security targets, inside Pakistan. But it is increasingly clear that the south Punjab militant nexus is a growing presence in the Waziristan agencies and that they may be providing the manpower to execute attacks on behalf of other networks in addition to continuing their own ‘jihad’ against Shias inside Pakistan. So whatever the successes against the Al Qaeda and tribal networks, and there have been significant ones, a third emerging monster appears to be escaping the state’s attention for now. That must change.

The state’s patchy record against militancy has certainly improved over the last year, but there is a lingering suspicion that the state only acts when a crisis has peaked and its effects become unbearable. Baitullah Mehsud, Fazlullah, the foreigners and Al Qaeda elements in Fata — each has been attacked or weakened after they had grown in strength and could project their power outside their originally small bases. We cannot afford a repeat with the south Punjab militants setting up a base in the Waziristan agencies. They must be tackled directly as well as indirectly with the help of the local tribes. And they must be tackled now, before the country is sucked into the next vortex of violence.

[B]Monday, 21 Sep, 2009[/B]


[CENTER] [U][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4][B]Security and threats[/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/U]
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THE raid on the office of a Pakistani security firm providing security to the American embassy in Islamabad has raised more questions than it answers. The paperwork for the weapons seized by the police, including those requiring special permission, appears to be in order and as yet no official has explained the illegalities the security firm is suspected of committing. A section of the media, however, appears convinced of the ‘guilt’ of the security firm and the Americans and has frenziedly reported the ‘threats’ from their activities. But it is a deeply problematic position. First, American officials in particular face serious threats in Pakistan and they certainly need extra security. Since the possibility of marines protecting American officials has been vociferously rejected by the media and denied by the government only recently that leaves the option of private security guards. Second, private security companies operate by the dozen in Pakistan, protecting countless private citizens and properties, and every company trains its employees and provides them with weapons. So unless there is something in particular that the security firm assisting the Americans is doing wrong, there is little sense in op posing a firm that is after all providing jobs and training to Pakistanis.

It appears though that the ‘wrongs’ allegedly com mitted are less about legal ities and technicalities and more about politics and turf wars. There is zero risk of Islamabad being overrun by ‘American’ se curity. This isn’t Iraq or Afghanistan, there is no occupation and, frankly, it is embarrassing to suggest that the state and national assets could be at risk from a handful of private guards. But the leaks of ‘suspicious’ activities are sustained enough to sug gest that a faction in the government or the intelli gence/security apparatus is worried. Perhaps be cause the state has not fully worked out what is and isn’t permissible for the growing number of for eign nationals to do inside Pakistan and the tendency for the Americans to push the envelope on occasion to see how far they can go has some Pakistani offi cials trying to push back through the media. If that is indeed the case, then it needs to be sorted out at the earliest at the highest levels of officialdom. We cannot afford Pakistanis regarding every white man as an American and every American as a spy or ma rine, for the last thing we need is to become more iso lated from the world busi ness, development and aid communities.

the raid on the office of a pakistani security firm providing security to the american embassy in islamabad has raised more questions than it an- swers. the paperwork for the weapons seized by the police, including those re- quiring special permis- sion, appears to be in or- der and as yet no official has explained the illegali- ties the security firm is suspected of committing. a section of the media, however, appears con- vinced of the ‘guilt’ of the security firm and the americans and has fren- ziedly reported the ‘threats’ from their activi- ties. but it is a deeply pro- blematic position. first, american officials in par- ticular face serious threats in pakistan and they certainly need extra security. since the possi- bility of marines protect- ing american officials has been vociferously rejec- ted by the media and de- nied by the government only recently that leaves the option of private se- curity guards. second, pri- vate security companies operate by the dozen in pakistan, protecting cou- ntless private citizens and properties, and every company trains its em- ployees and provides them with weapons. so unless there is something in particular that the se- curity firm assisting the americans is doing wrong, there is little sense in op- posing a firm that is after all providing jobs and training to pakistanis. it appears though that the ‘wrongs’ allegedly com- mitted are less about legal- ities and technicalities and more about politics and turf wars. there is zero risk of islamabad being overrun by ‘american’ se- curity. this isn’t iraq or afghanistan, there is no occupation and, frankly, it is embarrassing to suggest that the state and national assets could be at risk from a handful of private guards. but the leaks of ‘suspicious’ activities are sustained enough to sug- gest that a faction in the government or the intelli- gence/security apparatus is worried. perhaps be- cause the state has not fully worked out what is and isn’t permissible for the growing number of for- eign nationals to do inside pakistan and the tendency for the americans to push the envelope on occasion to see how far they can go has some pakistani offi- cials trying to push back through the media. if that is indeed the case, then it needs to be sorted out at the earliest at the highest levels of officialdom. we cannot afford pakistanis regarding every white man as an american and every american as a spy or ma- rine, for the last thing we need is to become more iso- lated from the world busi- ness, development and aid communities.


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[CENTER] [FONT=Georgia][U][SIZE=4][B]Risk of reprisals[/B][/SIZE]
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IN cautioning the government against depending on private militias for fighting the Taliban, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has raised a valid point of concern. As the HRCP conceded, it is true that the government faces enormous law and order challenges in Swat and other parts of Malakand. While the military has been largely successful in breaking the hold of the Taliban, pockets of resistance remain. The affected areas consist of remote settlements and large swathes of unpopulated mountainous regions, making it easy for terrorists to vanish at will. And then there’s the fact that a Taliban sympathiser is overtly indistinguishable from a peaceful citizen until he chooses to show his true colours. These circumstances render daunting the task of eradicating the militant menace for good.

That said, over-reliance on highly armed private militias may prove to be a step that the country comes to regret. Given the great anger that exists among the local population against the Taliban, there is a danger the lashkars may morph into uncontrolled reprisal armies.

As the HRCP pointed out, “it is difficult to control the private militias and neither the government nor the military can vouch for their conduct.” Already, there have been reports of the lashkars perpetrating not only reprisal attacks but also being used as tools for settling private scores. In some cases, the killings are disturbingly reminiscent of Taliban tactics. The region cannot afford to turn the effort to root out the Taliban into a witch-hunt. As Gandhi observed, ‘an eye for an eye leaves us all blind.’ The responsibility of ensuring peace in the region must rest with the state and its functionaries. While the involvement of civilians with local knowhow has proved valuable — and may continue to do so — limits must be laid on the scope of their participation. The government must find means of ensuring that any suspected terrorist is produced after his capture before a competent court of law, and that every death is fully investigated. Ordinary citizens, who lack the constitutional authority to conduct trials, must not be placed in the role of judge, jury and executioner.

in cautioning the gov- ernment against depend- ing on private militias for fighting the taliban, the human rights commis- sion of pakistan has raised a valid point of concern. as the hrcp conceded, it is true that the govern- ment faces enormous law and order challenges in swat and other parts of malakand. while the mili- tary has been largely suc- cessful in breaking the hold of the taliban, pock- ets of resistance remain. the affected areas consist of remote settlements and large swathes of unpopula- ted mountainous regions, making it easy for terro- rists to vanish at will. and then there’s the fact that a taliban sympathiser is overtly indistinguishable from a peaceful citizen un- til he chooses to show his true colours. these cir- cumstances render daunt- ing the task of eradicating the militant menace for good. that said, over-reliance on highly armed private militias may prove to be a step that the country comes to regret. given the great anger that exists among the local popula- tion against the taliban, there is a danger the lash- kars may morph into un- controlled reprisal armies. as the hrcp pointed out, “it is difficult to control the private militias and neither the government nor the military can vouch for their conduct.” already, there have been reports of the lashkars perpetrating not only re- prisal attacks but also be- ing used as tools for set- tling private scores. in some cases, the killings are disturbingly reminis- cent of taliban tactics. the region cannot afford to turn the effort to root out the taliban into a witch-hunt. as gandhi ob- served, ‘an eye for an eye leaves us all blind.’ the responsibility of en- suring peace in the region must rest with the state and its functionaries. while the involvement of civilians with local know- how has proved valuable — and may continue to do so — limits must be laid on the scope of their partici- pation. the government must find means of ensur- ing that any suspected ter- rorist is produced after his capture before a compe- tent court of law, and that every death is fully inves- tigated. ordinary citizens, who lack the constitution- al authority to conduct tri- als, must not be placed in the role of judge, jury and executioner.

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[CENTER] [U][B][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4]Remnants of war[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/U]
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DANGER to civilians in parts of the NWFP and Fata is far from over. Besides continuing IED attacks by the Taliban, people in these areas also face the threat posed by landmines and other unexploded remnants of the war between the military and the militants. In the case of Fata, this problem dates back much further to the 1979-89 Soviet-mujahideen conflict on the Pak-Afghan border. Particularly vulnerable are curious children who come across these unexploded ordnances while playing, as reportedly happened in Buner and Wari Dir recently. Some 20 places in Swat are also believed to be infested with landmines. The greatest risk here is faced by men as they cut wood, graze animals or tend to farming.

Ideally, the conflict zones should have been cleared of mines and unexploded or abandoned ordnance before the IDPs were allowed to return to their homes and everyday routines. Of utmost importance now is educating people in the conflict-af fected zones about these hazards, through direct local contact as well as the media. Mine-clearing operations also need to be carried out quickly in these areas to save lives and limbs. Our troops, who have undertaken numerous such operations as part of UN peacekeeping missions, are well-equipped to carry out this pressing task. At the same time, every kind of assistance should be extended to survivors of incidents involving landmines and unexploded ordnance. This includes ensuring first-aid facilities close to the affected areas, adequately equipped local hospitals, timely and effective physical rehabilitation, and economic reintegration in society. Pakistan is still not a signatory to the international Mine Ban Treaty of 1997 which requires member states to cease production of antipersonnel mines and destroy existing stockpiles. But this should not hinder efforts to ensure an effective response to the threat posed by unexploded debris of war.

danger to civilians in parts of the nwfp and fata is far from over. besides continuing ied attacks by the taliban, people in these areas also face the threat posed by landmines and other un- exploded remnants of the war between the military and the militants. in the case of fata, this problem dates back much further to the 1979-89 soviet-mu- jahideen conflict on the pak-afghan border. parti- cularly vulnerable are cu- rious children who come across these unexploded ordnances while playing, as reportedly happened in buner and wari dir re- cently. some 20 places in swat are also believed to be infested with land- mines. the greatest risk here is faced by men as they cut wood, graze ani- mals or tend to farming. ideally, the conflict zones should have been cleared of mines and un- exploded or abandoned ordnance before the idps were allowed to return to their homes and everyday routines. of utmost impor- tance now is educating people in the conflict-af- fected zones about these hazards, through direct lo- cal contact as well as the media. mine-clearing op- erations also need to be carried out quickly in these areas to save lives and limbs. our troops, who have undertaken nu- merous such operations as part of un peacekeeping missions, are well-equip- ped to carry out this press- ing task. at the same time, every kind of assistance should be extended to sur- vivors of incidents involv- ing landmines and unex- ploded ordnance. this in- cludes ensuring first-aid facilities close to the affec- ted areas, adequately equipped local hospitals, timely and effective phys- ical rehabilitation, and economic reintegration in society. pakistan is still not a signatory to the in- ternational mine ban treaty of 1997 which re- quires member states to cease production of anti- personnel mines and de- stroy existing stockpiles. but this should not hinder efforts to ensure an effec- tive response to the threat posed by unexploded deb- ris of war.

[B][RIGHT]Saturday, 26 Sep, 2009 [/RIGHT][/B]

[B][U][CENTER][SIZE="4"][COLOR="darkred"]US Senate approves aid [/COLOR][/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B]

THE long-drawn-out process of congressional authorisation for $1.5bn a year of aid to Pakistan over the next five years is near an end. On Thursday, the US Senate voted to approve a compromise bill negotiated by Senator Kerry and Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, overcoming perhaps the trickiest hurdle in the process. Given the comfortable majority the Democrats enjoy in the House of Representatives, a positive vote there is nearly a foregone conclusion and the final bill is expected to arrive soon on President Barack Obama’s desk for signing into law. The aid is meant predominantly for social development, capacity-building and democracy-related projects. However, the bill also authorises “such sums as are necessary” for military assistance to Pakistan and it was this aspect that caused some in Congress to baulk at approving without conditions. But it appears that the sting in those conditions has been removed; earlier versions of the bill made direct references to A.Q. Khan and India, whereas the final conditions include Pakistan’s cooperation in dismantling nuclear supply networks and combating terrorist groups and ensuring that the security forces do not subvert the judicial and political processes in the country. These do not appear to be unduly onerous or unfair.

Perhaps more worrying are developments outside the aid package being put together for Pakistan. On Friday an article in TheWashington Post made an unsettling disclosure: “A new wave of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan has slowed the arrival of hundreds of US civilian and military officials charged with implementing assistance programmes, undermined cooperation in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and put American lives at risk, according to officials from both countries.” The article goes on to note that while at the “highest levels” cooperation is “running smoothly”, “just below the top … the relationship is fraught with mutual suspicion and is under pressure so extreme that it threatens cooperation against the insurgents”. So while approval of the Kerry-Lugar bill may be an important step, the US and Pakistan governments must work harder to ensure that their best intentions are not thwarted by hawks in both countries.

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[B][U][CENTER][SIZE="4"][COLOR="DarkRed"]Resolution 1887 [/COLOR][/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B]

BILLED in glowing terms as “historic” and marking “a fresh start towards a new future”, the UN Security Council resolution on a nuclear arms-free world has generated a lot of euphoria. For that we have to thank President Obama who presided over the session. But given the ground realities, it is unlikely that global atomic arsenals are about to be wholly dismantled soon. Pious hopes for nuclear disarmament have been expressed from time to time — the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty itself speaks of it. But the challenge of bottling the nuclear genie has proved daunting mainly because the nuclear-haves have deemed it strategically unwise to renounce the privilege they have acquired by virtue of their atomic possessions.

Even Resolution 1887 adopted unanimously on Thursday hedges the disarmament resolve by seeking “to create the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons”. Who will decide whether the appropriate conditions have been created? With the NPT being reaffirmed as the cornerstone of world “security for all” there is no doubt that the nuclear club will continue to control the future of the disarmament process. The focus of the resolution is also overwhelmingly on nuclear non-proliferation rather than arms reduction. Obviously these features of the resolution will not please those who stand for total disarmament and consider it essential for all states — big and small — to dismantle their arsenals.

The resolution is not of a binding nature. But as a political statement from the nuclear club, this document will be welcomed. It at least defines the goals towards which the nuclear powers will ostensibly try to move. Moreover, by reaffirming their commitment to nuclear disarmament, the big powers have created a moral obligation for themselves. Thus the US and Russia, which will be negotiating a new agreement to replace START that will expire at the end of the year, will have to show progress if their commitment to the nuclear disarmament principle is to have credibility. The US must ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which it didn’t in 1999, to show its good faith. Were the big powers to start dismantling their nuclear weapons in earnest, they would at least have the moral right to exert pressure on others who tend to be hawkish on the matter. It would also give them greater clout at the various disarmament conferences that are on the cards, such as the NPT review conference, the conference of signatories of treaties establishing nuclear weapon-free zones, the IAEA-sponsored conference on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the disarmament conference in Geneva.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkred"][SIZE="4"]Cultural offensive [/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

AFTER a gap of three years, two cinemas reopened this Eid in Swat with people thronging to them to see the three daily shows. This speaks volumes for the extent to which the Taliban’s hold in the area has been broken. As the militants consolidated their influence earlier on, the purveyors of popular culture — cinemas, theatre halls, music and CD shops — became their first targets. People from these professions were issued death threats or killed; as recently as early this year, the Taliban killed the dancer Shabana and strung up her body from a lamppost. The resulting exodus of performing artists and musicians left the Taliban-haunted areas in a cultural abyss that the militants filled with their extremist ideology.

There can be no denying that popular culture wields strong influences — indeed, the recent furore in the National Assembly about Indian films corroborates this. Ideologies and ideas can be communicated through film and the performing arts, which can encourage audiences to question long-held assumptions. Therefore, popular culture that promotes liberalism, peace and tolerance could prove of immense value in bolstering the state’s efforts to enforce its writ in the trouble spots of the northwest. There is a need for the government to not only support cinematic and thea- trical activity in the area by affording protection against possible attacks, but also to help the film and theatre industries achieve quality standards. As film actor and director Ajab Gul pointed out in Peshawar on Thursday, sufficient funds should be allocated for the revival of quality cultural activities in the region. He also criticised the government’s censor policy for preventing the production of films focusing on terrorism and its causes. Such restrictions must be revised. What the country needs is a means of understanding its recent, horrifying experience. A cultural offensive promoting tolerance could go a long way towards achieving this goal.

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[U][B][COLOR="darkred"][SIZE="4"]Afghanistan’s poll conundrum [/SIZE][/COLOR][/B][/U][/CENTER]

[I]Mankind need government, but in regions where anarchy has prevailed they will, at first, submit only to despotism. We must therefore seek first to secure government, even though despotic, and only when government has become habitual can we hope successfully to make it democratic.

— Bertrand Russell.[/I]

PEACE in the world hangs from a thin thread, and that thread is a stable, democratic Afghanistan. Or at least this is what the US and the West think.

Hence the interest that the Aug 20 presidential elections in Afghanistan generated in most world capitals. However, instead of creating confidence at the global level, the elections have ignited many controversies.

The 5.6 million votes counted have seen the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, leading with 54.6 per cent. His main competitor, Abdullah Abdullah, could garner only 28 per cent of the vote. Although the Independent Election Commission (IEC), composed of three international observers and two independent Afghans, has declared Karzai the preliminary winner, European Union observers have alleged massive electoral fraud.

The EU Observation Mission to Afghanistan says that around 1.5 million votes cast in the elections were suspicious, including 1.1 million for Karzai and 300,000 for Abdullah. However, Karzai says rigging was “small” and “happens all over the world”.

Karzai’s information and culture minister Abdul Karim Khurram was more brazen when he accused western powers of trying to manipulate the process and of putting pressure on the incumbent to accept a power-sharing arrangement with his rivals. “The purpose of this pressure is to have a weak and dependent government that cannot stand on its own feet,” the media quoted Khurram as saying.

The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has already ordered a recount and forensic audit of ballot boxes and ballots in any district where the turnout was 100 per cent (or more) or one candidate won more than 95 per cent of the votes. If Karzai stays with his current tally of votes — after the recount — he, and of course Afghanistan, will escape a run-off between him and Abdullah.

According to the complaints received by the ECC, ballot box-stuffing has been noted in Kandahar, Paktika, Faryab and Kabul provinces, which were won by Karzai, and Badghis and Ghor, which were won by Abdullah. The western media has reported that Karzai had hired 10,000 tribesmen to secure the polling stations in 21 out of 34 provinces “to ensure an orderly election”.

But the dilemma is that if a run-off is ordered, which is not expected before the second week of October, balloting will be impossible before April 2010 because of the arrival of the cold weather, which will keep people from trekking to the polling stations to cast their vote. This means that Karzai will be an ‘unconstitutional’ president till that happens.

The credibility of the elections came under scrutiny when at one of the polling stations all the votes were cast in favour of a single candidate whose rival got nothing. In a country like Afghanistan, even if elections are fair and transparent, this is entirely possible. Afghanistan’s being a tribal society and having elections only for the second time in its entire history, tribes could have made a collective decision in favour of a candidate in the disputed areas.

Apart from the rigging charges, the most important question is who — Karzai or Abdullah — can hold Afghanistan together. Also, the result of this election is going to determine the fate of democracy in Afghanistan. If the transition to power is smooth, democracy may take root and win public trust in Afghanistan. But neither Karzai nor Abdullah are national leaders of calibre and can hardly transcend the boundaries of ethnicity.

If Abdullah — who comes from a minority ethnic group — comes to power, it may cause the ranks of the Taliban to swell because the extremist group draws its numerical strength from the majority Pakhtuns who comprise more than 40 per cent of the Afghans. If they feel they have been robbed of power in Kabul even secular and nationalist Pakhtuns will look for their identity in the Taliban.

Any government in Afghanistan must enjoy a degree of confidence in the region, especially where neighbouring countries, specifically Pakistan, are concerned. Abdullah in the saddle can set off alarm bells in Islamabad because of his close ties with India and strong anti-Pakistan feelings. In such a situation the US cannot expect Pakistan to lend it its all-out support.

The war in Afghanistan is not for territory. It is to win over the common Afghans, which Nato and Karzai have so far failed to do. The Taliban see Karzai as a stooge of the Americans while ordinary Afghans see Karzai as an inept and corrupt ruler. The latter view is also shared by the US and the West. Considering the type of situation Afghanistan is passing through, the war-shattered country needs a father figure. Unfortunately, no one can fill that slot.

Therefore what is needed now is a government which may be ‘despotic’ to a degree but that can extend and impose its rule outside Kabul and across Afghanistan; one which can cobble together the ethnically fragmented Afghanistan and revive the nationhood of Ahmed Shah Abdali’s times. According

to The Economist, Karzai is still the closest thing Afghanistan has to a national leader. Abdullah, or for that matter any other person, is nowhere close to that category of leadership.

Although a Pakhtun, Karzai has never played the ethnic card. Also, he seems to be equally acceptable to Pakistan and India whose rivalries intensify when it comes to Afghanistan. President Asif Zardari has already expressed his readiness to support Karzai. Therefore, Karzai is the bitter pill everyone has to swallow until his government has become ‘habitual’ to be successfully made democratic.

[email]faiz.jan@gmail.com[/email]

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[B][U][LEFT][CENTER][COLOR="darkred"][SIZE="4"]Dead walruses [/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/LEFT][/U][/B]

“SOME experts have doubts about the missile shield concept,” as the more cautious reporters put it. (That example comes from the BBC website.) A franker journalist would say that the ballistic missile defence (BMD) system that the Bush administration planned to put into Poland and the Czech Republic, and that President Barack Obama has just cancelled, has never worked and shows few signs of ever doing so.

Obama has done the right thing. It saves money that would have been wasted, and it repairs relations with Russia, which was paranoid about the system being so close to its borders. And the cancellation also signals a significant decline in the paranoia in Washington about Iran.

‘Paranoia’ is the right word in both cases. Iran doesn’t have any missiles that could even come within range of the BMD system that was to go into Poland and the Czech Republic, let alone nuclear warheads to put on them. According to US intelligence assessments, Iran is not working on nuclear weapons, nor on missiles that could reach Europe, let alone the United States. Washington’s decision to deploy the system anyway was so irrational that it drove the Russians into paranoia as well.

The intelligence people in Moscow told Russian leaders that the US system was useless junk that had never managed to intercept an incoming missile in an honest operational test. (All the tests were shamelessly rigged to make it easy for the intercepting missiles to strike their targets, and still they failed most of the time.)

So why did the Russians get paranoid about it? Because although they knew how the military-industrial complex worked in the United States (and they have similar problems with their own domestic version), they simply could not believe that the United States would spend so much money on something so stupid and pointless. Surely there was something they were missing; some secret American strategy that would put them at a disadvantage.

No, there wasn’t, and almost everybody (except some Poles and Czechs who want US troops on their soil as a guarantee against Russian misbehaviour, and some people on the American right) was pleased by Obama’s decision to pull the plug on the project. As Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s ambassador to Nato, said: “It’s like having a decomposing corpse in your flat (apartment) and then the undertaker comes and takes it away.”

But why did the Bush administration choose to deploy this non-functioning weapons system in Eastern Europe? Indeed, the same BMD system has already been installed in California and Alaska (to intercept North Korean missiles that cannot actually reach the United States either). It’s as if Ford or GM designed a car with faulty steering, and decided to put it on the market anyway.

The answer lies in another weapons project that began in 1946: the nuclear-powered airplane. It could stay airborne for months and fly around the world without refuelling, its boosters promised, and that would give America a huge strategic advantage. There was only one problem. The nuclear reactor needed a lot of shielding, because the aircrew would be only feet away. The shields had to be made of lead. And lead-filled airplanes cannot fly.

When Robert McNamara became defence secretary in the Kennedy administration in 1961, he was astonished to discover that the nuclear-powered aircraft was still in the defence budget.

It was, he said, “as if I came down to breakfast in the morning and found a dead walrus on the dining-room table”. It took McNamara two more years to kill the programme, against fierce opposition from the air force and defence industry. The fact that the nuclear-powered aircraft did not and could not work was irrelevant. President Obama has killed the most pointlessly provocative of the BMD deployments, but he still cannot take the political risk of admitting that the system doesn’t work.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkred"][SIZE="4"]Jinnah’s Supreme Court [/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

“The Privy Council have on several occasions absolutely murdered Hindu law, and slaughtered Mohammedan law; with regard to common law, the English law, of which they are the masters, undoubtedly they command the greatest respect of every practitioner and of every judge in this country.” Mohammad Ali Jinnah had good reason for making these remarks in the Central Legislative Assembly on Feb 17, 1925.

He had begun his career as a legislator with a success few have achieved. He got overturned a ruling of the Privy Council in 1894 by successfully piloting in the Imperial Legislative Council the Mussalman Wakf Validating Act, 1913 to validate the family trusts known as the wakf-alal-aulad which the Privy Council had held to be void.

Moving the bill on March 17, 1911 he noted that “It has long been felt by the Mohammadan community that the result of certain decisions of the judicial committee of the Privy Council in cases of Mohammadan family settlements which have gone up before them on appeal from Indian courts has been the breaking up of an institution which rests upon the highest religious and social sanctions and which in the past has saved a large number of Mohammadan families from destitution while it has at the same time enabled pious Mohammadans to practise what they look upon as an act of great religious merit.”

In a rare success for a private member’s bill, it was inscribed on the statute book in 1913. Twelve years later Jinnah renewed his censures. Dr Hari Singh Gour had moved in the assembly on March 26, 1921 a resolution calling for the establishment of a supreme court of appeal in India leaving the Privy Council with a vastly reduced workload. The resolution was circulated among the high courts and the provincial governments. Opinion was divided. Among those who supported the proposal were Sir Abdur Rahim, Sir Shah Muhammad Sulaiman and Sir C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar. When the matter returned to the assembly in 1925, the resolution was defeated; but not before Jinnah had delivered his censures of the Privy Council.

A fine opportunity was missed. The Privy Council went on to commit worse wrongs, especially on vital issues of civil liberty. If a supreme court had been established in India, two decades before independence, the study of constitutional law would have received a boost as also a sound interpretation of the Sharia. The Privy Council ruled in 1903 that it would follow the dicta of “the ancient doctors of the law” rather than construe the Sharia itself.

English judges knew little of Islam or the Sharia or Hinduism or Hindu law. Hence the “butchery”. The Supreme Court of Pakistan broke the shackles and interpreted the Sharia for itself, enriching jurisprudence.

The missed opportunity is a subject of lament. Jinnah’s exposition in the subcommittee on the federal structure at the Round Table Conference in London on Oct 27, 1931 is of current relevance. The supreme courts of India and Pakistan are groaning

under the weight of arrears thanks to the vast jurisdiction conferred on them by the framers of the constitutions of both countries. The basic law of Germany (1949) establishes the Federal Constitutional Court as well as the Federal Court of Justice, the Federal Administrative Court, the Federal Finance Court, the Federal Labour Court and the Federal Social Court. They do not impair the dignity of the Constitutional Court one bit.

At the subcommittee, Jinnah received little support but what he said then makes great sense today. He said that “any question that relates to the federal constitution or arises out of the federal constitution should vest in the Federal Court”. But he baulked at giving it a wide jurisdiction over “federal laws”. After all the Penal Code, the Civil and Criminal Procedure Codes and the Transfer of Property Act were also central laws.

He added: “I maintain that it should be open to any subject, if his right is invaded or attacked — relating to the constitution, of course, or arising out of the constitution — to go to the Federal Court direct”. With such a limitation, the Federal Court “will not be so overworked and, therefore, the cases can be expeditiously disposed of”.

There would be another advantage “if you separate your Federal Court, and if you will, in making the appointments, select the personnel of that court which will be specially qualified in matters arising out of the constitution, you will then, I think, set up a court which will be the most desirable court. We know, sir, that this is an age of specialists. In India, we have not yet risen to that height. You will be surprised to hear — and I think my friends here will bear me out — that in India, in the morning, you are arguing a complicated question of Hindu law, and in the afternoon, you are dealing with a case of light and air and easements, and perhaps the next day you are dealing with case of a commercial kind, and a third day, perhaps, you are dealing with a divorce action, and a fourth day you are dealing with an admiralty action.”

He repeated his plea for a separate supreme court to “take the place of the Privy Council” and “a regular criminal court of appeal just as you have in England”. In short, three apex courts — the Federal Court for constitutional matters and enforcement of the citizen’s fundamental rights; the Supreme Court with appellate jurisdiction over the high courts and a Criminal Court of Appeal. Each would be manned by judges who had acquired high reputation for specialisation. The spectacle of judges, skilled in civil or criminal law but innocent of constitutional law, trying complex issues of constitutional law is not an edifying one.

The writer is an author and a lawyer.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkred"][SIZE="4"]Battling clouds [/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]
CHINA’S air force is gearing up for its biggest-ever assault on the clouds to ensure blue skies above Beijing for the 60th anniversary of the communist revolution.

Eighteen cloud-seeding aircraft and 48 fog-dispersal vehicles are on standby to intercept rain clouds that threaten to cast a shadow over the festivities, which will include the biggest display of military power in at least 10 years. The weather modification could exceed the huge cloud-busting operation for the opening ceremony of the Olympic games last year, when more than 1,100 rain-dispersal rockets were fired into the sky.

“It is the first time in Chinese history that artificial weather modification on such a large scale has been attempted,” said Cui Lianqing, a meteorologist, speaking to the Global Times newspaper.

Meteorologists will coordinate the mission using satellite data. The Beijing Weather Modification Office will supplement the campaign with rockets and planes that load clouds with silver iodide or liquid nitrogen — dry ice — to induce precipitation above reservoirs and rivers.

China has the world’s most extensive rain creation infrastructure, employing about 50,000 people nationwide. Their job is usually to alleviate droughts in the arid north of the country. For National Day they would have to encourage rain to fall from clouds before they reached Beijing.

The National Day events mark the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct 1, 1949. The Communist Party wants to use the occasion to showcase its achievements since Mao Zedong took power. The centre of the city will be closed for a huge parade, musical performance and show of military power.

— The Guardian, London

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkred"][SIZE="4"]Germany’s dull election scene [/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

THERE’S tension and suspense in the air as European Union policymakers wait for the results of the make-or-break Irish referendum on Oct 2 on a new reform treaty for the 27-nation bloc. True, the Irish vote will determine whether or not the EU can shrug off its institutional paralysis and re-engage with its citizens and the rest of the world.

But shouldn’t the same EU movers and shakers be paying similar attention to the polls on Sept 27 in Germany, the EU’s largest country and most powerful economy? Apparently not. The German elections are being described by most commentators as an uninspiring, unglamorous and an even boring run-off between conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democrat foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

There’s no doubt that Germany’s pre-election landscape appears dull and unremarkable. Merkel is virtually assured of a second term in office. The only issue still undecided is whether the 55-year old German leader, described by some as the world’s most powerful woman, will have to stick with her current Social Democrat coalition partners or whether her centre-right Christian Democrats can win enough votes to form their preferred alliance with the business-friendly Free Democrats.

In any case, whatever the colours of the next coalition, little is expected to change in German domestic or foreign policy — including the country’s domestically unpopular participation in international efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.

Shrugging off German politics and politicians as insignificant would be a mistake, however. Twenty years after reunification and the fall of the Soviet empire, it’s worth noting that Germany is standing tall in Europe, its leaders breaking from past practice and not only demanding a stronger say in running the EU but also seeking a more powerful international profile.

It was not always thus. For years under Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Germany went out of its way to keep a low profile in Europe and concentrated instead on spearheading EU-wide integration efforts.

Chancellor Kohl and his French counterpart Francois Mitterrand, along with European Commission president Jacques Delors, acted as the “European locomotives”, pushing forward the bloc’s plans to tear down internal borders and even more ambitiously to create a monetary union.

Germany remains the EU’s largest paymaster — and nothing can still be done at the European level without its full support. But former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who succeeded Kohl, was no pushover when it came to EU or global policies. Remarkably, given Germany’s traditional post-war ties with the United States, Schroeder opposed the Iraq conflict. He also dared question Brussels on a range of EU-related issues, including environmental legislation.

As chancellor, Merkel has largely mended relations with the US. But Berlin’s participation in the international stabilisation force in Afghanistan remains unpopular within the country and the country is still reluctant to send soldiers into the volatile southern part of Afghanistan.

Increasingly, politicians face an uphill battle to convince the public their country needs to stay the course in Afghanistan. Demands for a withdrawal of soldiers are expected to grow following a controversial German-ordered air strike near Kunduz in which Nato says civilians died.

The German chancellor famously fell out with the Obama administration earlier this year over economic and financial policies and still bristles over US demands that Berlin increase domestic spending to spur demand. Instead Merkel — backed by her French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy — wants to focus on increasing financial regulation and surveillance to prevent another financial meltdown.

Merkel and Sarkozy also oppose EU membership for Turkey and say that Ankara should instead be offered a “privileged partnership”. The German leader angered some of her European neighbours recently by playing a leading role in forging a deal between US automotive giant General Motors and a Canadian-Russian consortium that is expected to preserve jobs in car plants in Germany but cause redundancies in Spain, Britain and Belgium.

Still, the lack of excitement over the polls on Sunday is usual. It could be because neither Merkel nor Steinmeier, the country’s 53-year-old vice-chancellor and foreign minister, are charismatic. Also, having governed together for the past four years, they have shied away from personal attacks.

Their polite and passionless sparring during the one and only television debate held recently prompted one exasperated moderator to exclaim: “You two are like an old married couple.” Voters have struggled to separate the policies of the two main parties as their manifesto pledges differ only slightly on the key issues of the day, including Germany’s involvement in Afghanistan and the financial crisis.

As a result, the campaign is built around Merkel’s personality and reputation, with the emphasis on portraying the chancellor as a responsible, cautious and caring “mother of the nation”. Her shy smile beams out of election posters and billboards pasted across Germany. The chancellor has certainly transformed her dour, staid appearance over the years in office and now sports a new hairdo and wears brightly coloured jackets.

In fact, in her own way, Merkel is a trailblazer. She is a female politician in a country where the political scene is dominated by men. She is a Protestant in a political party with traditionally Catholic roots. And while most of Germany’s top politicians were born and raised in West Germany, Merkel grew up in East Germany.

She entered politics only in her mid-30s as the communist system crumbled, after earning a degree in physics from the University of Leipzig. “I really enjoyed being a physicist,” Merkel said recently. “But after the (Berlin) wall fell, politics became my passion.”

Merkel has certainly risen up the ranks to dominate German politics. But in recent years at least, she has certainly managed to hide the “passion”.

The writer is Dawn’scorrespondent in Brussels.

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[B][U][CENTER][SIZE="4"][COLOR="DarkRed"]OTHER VOICES - Sri Lankan Press Moon and Earth [/COLOR][/SIZE][/CENTER][/U][/B]

…WITH just 75 days to go for the … UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen … [UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon] has to deliver the goods…. He knows very well that striking a green peace deal with the US, China and other major polluters is the only way to save his face as well as Mother Earth.

… One of the biggest challenges that [Ban Ki-moon] faces in his attempts to save the planet is the limitations of US President Barack Obama, whose unwavering determination to cut down US emissions faces stiff resistance from [the] Republicans. … In contrast, Hu Jintao of China … is at a greater advantage. For instance, if the Chinese government decides to stop coal power tomorrow there won’t be anybody to oppose this.

However, it fell short of expectations with its insistence that the world should go by per capita emissions and not by national rates. China, in other words, says that despite being the world’s biggest carbon emitter [it] still [has] a right to stretch the limits given the fact it has a 1.3 billion population and [hasn’t] exhausted its carbon quota as has been done by the US. … But in what way will that help … human civilisation…?

… While India with its mammoth 1.2 billion population can still claim more, if one goes by the Chinese logic it is not going to be the case with the 142 million-strong Russia, the world’s fourth largest polluter, which has exhausted its quota. While an emotional Nicholas Sarkozy … reminded the UN that “We are on the path to failure if we continue to act as we have”, the EU, [the] world’s third biggest polluter … too is sharply divided…. France’s proposal to impose a carbon tax on products from countries that fail to reduce carbon emissions has been strongly rejected by Germany … [which] has pointed out that while the tax would be a violation of WTO agreements … it also runs the risk of creating an impression … that [the] EU is promoting eco-imperialism.

Moon’s attempts to save Earth [have] run into hot water. — (Sept 24)

[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Iran’s intentions[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Monday, 28 Sep, 2009[/B]

IRAN’S disclosure about its upcoming uranium enrichment facility has expectedly upset the US and its western allies. As it is the two sides have been trading charges and counter-charges since 2003 when Iran’s nuclear programme came to light. The UN Security Council has even imposed sanctions on Iran and now there is talk of tightening them in a bid to check Tehran’s ‘nuclear ambition’. It is a pity that the issue has acquired crisis dimension and become a major destabilising factor in Middle East politics. While the West, particularly the US, has been extremely sceptical and refused to believe Iran’s assurances that its programme is designed to generate power for civilian use, Iran has not been sufficiently reconciliatory and open in its dealings with the IAEA either. It has not submitted all its plants to comprehensive inspection by IAEA investigators. This has left the on-again, off-again dialogue between the P5+1 and Tehran on the rocks. An additional difficulty came in the form of the Bush administration’s ham-fisted style of conducting foreign policy. Even though US intelligence certified that Iran had not been producing nuclear bombs since 2003, Washington continued to engage in polemical exchanges that only escalated the tension between the two countries.

The silver lining in the Iranian nuclear cloud is that the US under Barack Obama has extended the olive branch to President Ahmadinejad and expressed his willingness to enter into negotiations. On Oct 1 the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany will be meeting Iranian negotiators in Geneva to discuss their differences. The disclosures about the new enrichment plant near Qom could be so timed as to enable the two sides to flex their muscles before they enter into a serious dialogue. There is much to discuss and now this new dispute has erupted. Whether Iran was required to inform the IAEA about its new facility much before it did so on Monday would depend on the terms of its safeguards agreements, the additional protocols and subsidiary agreements with the atomic agency. Iran believes it has done nothing wrong and insists that its uranium enrichment will not be of weapons grade. Resorting to a lot of hair-splitting arguments, the West has been strongly critical of Iran and called for stronger sanctions. The US has managed to persuade Russia to harden its stance somewhat but China is still insisting on a negotiated settlement. Beijing is averse to sanctions which will affect its booming trade with Iran. A lot will now depend on the degree to which Iran is prepared to cooperate with the IAEA inspectors who alone can reassure the US and the others about Iranian motives.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Foreign travel expenses[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Monday, 28 Sep, 2009[/B]

ACCORDING to documents obtained and published on Saturday by this newspaper, the Senate secretariat spent over Rs22m in just four months, funding senators’ participation in various international events. The expenses were incurred between April and July this year and covered air tickets, foreign exchange, communications and transport charges as well as miscellaneous expenditures. While justifying the sum before the Senate finance committee, which approves such expenditures, Senate Chairman Farooq H. Naek pointed out that these foreign visits were undertaken so that senators could participate in important international events. Their purpose was to present at these platforms Pakistan’s stand on various issues, including the war on terror, nuclear assets and the country’s internally displaced persons. It is difficult to deny this. The sum, staggering though it is, may well have been spent on legitimately incurred expenses during foreign excursions that are vital in representing the country’s interests before the global polity.

Nevertheless, the Senate finance committee’s observation while endorsing the expenditures is also valid: that the volume of expenditures could have been reduced. The fact is that the country’s senators and parliamentarians have, over the years, acquired the reputation for needlessly spending enormous amounts from the country’s exchequer on foreign trips. While the trips themselves may arguably be necessary, there have often been allegations of delegations being larger than they need to be, and needlessly lavish travel, accommodation and transport arrangements. In some cases, there have been allegations of corruption and favouritism in terms of the foreign travel undertaken by various functionaries of different governments. What is needed, therefore, is a system of transparency where all such expenditures are listed in detail. Given the huge sums of money involved, the citizenry cannot help but contrast this seeming lavishness on the part of elected representatives with the economic realities of the country. More and more people, after all, are slipping below the poverty line, and there is a worsening shortage of daily essentials. In this situation, the public must be given no grounds to suspect mismanagement or corruption. While needless extravagance must be curtailed, absolute transparency and public accountability are also required.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Looking to be clean[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Monday, 28 Sep, 2009[/B]

A CITY is known for its looks. The cleaner the look, the easier it is for the city’s places and people to attract attention. But this is not the only reason for a city to look clean. Clean cities are also known to have healthy residents. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s instructions to create solid waste management units in all the cities in Punjab should therefore be warmly welcomed. His desire for Lahore to emulate the Iranian city of Mash’had as a model of cleanliness is also a well-directed nudge for city officials. But look at the ground realities. For a population of more than seven million, Lahore has only 8,000 solid waste management officials and only a few of them are trained for the job. The number of cleanliness staff and level of its expertise are much higher in Mash’had, with only 2.5 million people. Lahore also does not have a scientifically developed, environment-friendly site to dump the solid waste that is daily swept off its streets and bazaars. The three current sites provide no protection against dangerous waste materials seeping into ground water, nor do they have arrangements for ensuring waste disposal in a way that it does not become hazardous for those living close to these sites. In fact, a recent official survey in localities near one of these sites has shown abnormally high incidence of respiratory and abdominal diseases there.

Isn’t it unfortunate for Lahore that this improper waste dumping is taking place because procedural and financial problems are delaying the acquiring of a site earmarked for a proper landfill? Besides improving the strength and technical know-how of the solid waste management officials in Lahore, Shahbaz Sharif should step in to cut the red-tape involved in the development of this landfill. This one step alone can bring Lahore closer to Mash’had in terms of cleanliness. Without it, Punjab’s capital may be only half as attractive as its people and places suggest it should be.


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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="DarkGreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]OTHER VOICES - North American Press Volcano upgrades[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Monday, 28 Sep, 2009[/B]

The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is often the subject of funding and jurisdictional debates. For example, the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Centre was closed in 2007 because of federal funding problems. ….A second debate centres on whether the volcano should be moved from the supervision of the US Forest Service to the National Park Service.

….Meanwhile, the Forest Service continues to improve the monument in meaningful ways…. Many people who have visited the Johnston Ridge Observatory remember a small plaza outside the main entrance where interpretive programmes are presented. No formal seating exists there, and often it’s difficult for visitors to see the speakers. Fortunately, a $400,000 amphitheatre is being planned… On the other side of the volcano the Forest Service is planning a $175,000 parking area for Ape Cave. — (Sept 23)

[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Women — the victims[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Wednesday, 30 Sep, 2009[/B]

AS violence against women in Pakistan continues to grow, every new incident is eerily reminiscent of an earlier event that was equally if not more shocking. Two reports from Punjab on Monday are a blot on society’s collective conscience. One pertained to the public humiliation of three women in Phoolnagar village by a mob that held them guilty of prostitution. The other detailed the horrendous case in Zafarkay where a young girl’s nose and ears were chopped off because she had turned down an offer of marriage. What is most appalling is that such incidents take place with unfailing regularity, notwithstanding the laws upholding women’s rights and attempts by advocacy groups to raise the status of women. Statistics from one human rights organisation show that violence against women has registered an increase of 237 per cent over the period 2000–08, with 8,445 cases being reported in 2008. These figures are undoubtedly the tip of the iceberg. Murder, rape, torture and kidnapping top the list of crimes.

With the media in Pakistan enjoying an unprecedented degree of freedom and with communication facilitated by modern technology such as the Internet and text-messaging such gender crimes should no longer be brushed under the carpet. But the pertinent question is: even if they are not, then what? If misogynists are in a position to inflict their perversity on women, without the state doing anything about it because it lacks the will to act or provide protection to its female citizens, criminals will remain safe in the knowledge that they will not be punished. Under such circumstances, there will be no let-up in violence against women.

There is a need for a two-pronged strategy. First, it is important that pressure must be brought to bear on the law-enforcement agencies to improve their performance and not allow the victimisation of women. Existing laws, even those that are not women-specific, should be stringent enough for the state to prosecute those who have committed an act of violence, irrespective of the victim’s gender. What is even more important is the political will to enforce such laws. Secondly, there is an urgent need for efforts to change centuries-old perceptions. It is disturbing that one man should be able to incite a mob of 200 to publicly degrade women in a despicable way. It is time the media and civil society put in serious efforts to educate people about their individual responsibility to enforce human rights and stand up for the victims.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]The wrong stance[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Wednesday, 30 Sep, 2009[/B]

THE attempt by the Punjab government led by Shahbaz Sharif to postpone by-elections to a total of four National Assembly and Punjab Assembly seats is wrong and against the spirit of democracy. The contention of Punjab’s chief and home secretaries before the Lahore High Court on behalf of the provincial government is that there is a risk to the “larger national interests, the security of the state and the safety of the individuals involved in the election process” were elections to be held on Nov 7 as per the schedule mandated by the Election Commission. But the claim that the government of the largest province of Pakistan is not in a position to ensure the security of elections to four seats in a province which directly elects 297 provincial and 148 national representatives is bewildering. Yes, there are security concerns, but the situation is relatively more stable than it was a few months ago and certainly more stable than it was in February 2008 during the general election. Moreover, it is arguable that rather than cow before the terrorists, the Punjab government needs to send them a signal that it will not be intimidated.

Given the unconvincing position of the Punjab government, speculation has centred on ulterior motives that may be at work. One theory is that the Punjab government wants to delay local government elections until the new year, when the subject will come within the provincial domain, and therefore is pushing to postpone the provincial and national by-elections in the province first. Another theory is that the PML-N is not keen to field its leader, Nawaz Sharif, in a by-election and would rather wait for a general election, the implication being that mid-term elections are around the corner. Whatever the truth behind the bid to postpone the by-elections, the fact is that the PML-N will be hurt politically if it does not reverse its stance soon. There is little doubt that the PML-N is a formidable force in the province, but its power comes through the ballot box. Frustrating the people’s right to vote is at odds with the PML-N’s self- proclaimed democratic principles.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Clean water challenge[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Wednesday, 30 Sep, 2009[/B]

THE new National Drinking Water Policy is a step in the right direction but entails formidable challenges. Devised by Unicef in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, the policy assigns the latter a massive task that includes increasing the availability of and access to clean drinking water, conserving water resources, ensuring water treatment and establishing new drinking-water systems. This is an important development since, in addition to being a matter of basic human rights — every citizen has the right to safe drinking water — this is also an economic issue. The lack of clean drinking water has taken a massive toll on the country’s economy: the World Bank’s 2007 country assessment report for Pakistan estimates that drinking water- and hygiene-related illnesses cost the national exchequer some Rs112bn annually — or over Rs300m a day. Environment and natural-resource damage cost the economy an additional Rs365bn annually. Any successes under the new policy, therefore, will represent a reduced burden on the country’s economic and national resources in addition to fulfilling a basic requirement of the social contract between the citizenry and the state.

That said, success will depend on the state’s ability to overcome daunting challenges. Even as the federal cabinet announced the policy on Monday, it conceded that the goal could not be achieved before 2025. During this period, not only will the population have increased to an estimated 300 million, Pakistan will also be facing water-stress and the desertification effects of climate change. As observers have noted, ensuring an adequate supply of safe drinking water will require the government to make large budgetary allocations for the implementing departments and invest in water-provision infrastructure such as piping networks and water-filtration plants. The source of these funds needs to be identified and made public.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="DarkGreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]OTHER VOICES - European Press Angela Merkel must dare to be radical[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Wednesday, 30 Sep, 2009[/B]

GERMAN grand coalitions … have not proved inert over reform. But their parliamentary weight has stifled the cut and thrust … from a healthy democracy. The eclipse of the Social Democrats (SPD) and the rise of the Free Democrats (FDP) in Sunday’s election is … to be welcomed.

In the FDP, Angela Merkel now has a more congenial partner. The challenge for the two parties … is to provide new impetus to job creation by a combination of tax cuts, further labour market deregulation, a rise in educational standards … and reform of the health service. Given the size of the budget deficit, the room for manoeuvre is small, but the popularity of the chancellor and the liberal instincts of the Free Democrats open the way to structural changes….

The unknown quantity in this equation is Mrs Merkel herself. The … recent crisis has pushed her into Left-leaning solutions…. At a time when voters crave reassurance, she has become the dependable Hausfrau …. That cosy image is not one that a country with a colossal deficit and a shrinking workforce can afford. With a comfortable parliamentary majority, she needs to show a more steely side, and there the influence of the FDP… could prove decisive. An early test of her mettle will be reversal of the SPD/Green coalition decision … to phase out all nuclear reactors by 2020.

The future of Europe’s largest economy and the direction in which the new coalition leads foreign policy are of obvious importance to Britain and the wider western world. The need for further economic reform has already been stated. Overseas, one would hope that a centre-right coalition would be more forceful … in persuading a sceptical electorate of the value of a military presence in Afghanistan … and in treating more warily the growing dependence on Russian gas…. Sunday’s election leaves Mrs Merkel as the most powerful political figure in Europe ….She now has the chance to show what she is made of. — ( Sept 28)

[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]The ISI’s view[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Thursday, 01 Oct, 2009[/B]

DAVID Ignatius, in his latest op-ed column for The Washington Post, ‘The view from Pakistan’s spies’, has made a number of observations that should be heeded by American policymakers. Granted access to top officials at the ISI, including Gen Shuja Pasha, Ignatius has zeroed in on the existing operational/ strategic dichotomy: “At an operational level, the ISI is a close partner of the CIA. Officers of the two services work together nearly every night on joint operations against Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s tribal areas…. But on the political level, there is mistrust on both sides. The United States worries that the ISI isn’t sharing all it knows … The Pakistanis, meanwhile, view the United States as an unreliable ally that starts fights it doesn’t know how to finish.”

Given that, as Ignatius notes, Pakistan and the US “share common interests” this is self-defeating and both sides are to blame. The ISI’s claim that after 9/11 ‘everything changed’, policies of old were discarded overnight and the intelligence apparatus has never looked back is questionable and there is a mountain of circumstantial evidence to suggest otherwise. But that does not mean that the ISI, which takes its cue from the army high command, is as rigid on and ideologically wedded to militancy as the Americans often claim. Indeed, Ignatius’s column makes a remarkable revelation that indicates the extent of the army high command/ISI’s pragmatism: “In the ISI’s view …. In Afghanistan, it should work with President Hamid Karzai, who, for all his imperfections, has one essential quality that American strategists lack — he’s an Afghan.” This is the same Karzai who has been one of the ISI’s foremost critics, accusing it of all sorts of crimes against the Afghan government and people. For the ISI to suggest that the Americans work with an avowed enemy of the ISI suggests that its primary goal in Afghanistan is indeed to achieve “the limited aim of rough political stability” and it is willing to work with whatever forces that can help achieve that.

Moreover, the access granted to Ignatius is part of a wider attempt by the ISI to get across Pakistan’s genuine strategic concerns, indicating its awareness of the need to improve ‘optics’ and building a case for the fact that it is not a hidebound agency reflexively clinging to the past in a changed strategic environment. This should be reflected in the US’s public stance. As Ignatius points out: “People want to help America more than we sometimes think. But they want to be treated with respect — as full partners, not as useful CIA assets.”

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[B]In the economy’s interest[/B]

[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Thursday, 01 Oct, 2009[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

ALTHOUGH the State Bank’s decision to not meddle with the interest rates has been criticised, it appears to be the correct one given the risks to the economy. Inflationary risks, fiscal uncertainty, the energy crunch and the financial strain created by delay in the release of the $5.7bn pledged at the Tokyo meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan earlier on has inspired this rather tough decision against the market expectation of a minimum 50bps cut in the key policy rate to 12.5 per cent. These issues, as also pointed out in the monetary policy review, are likely to determine the bank’s monetary policy in the months to come.

Nonetheless, the decision has given critics of the tight monetary stance an opportunity to censure the bank on at least two counts. Many analysts confirm the popular belief that the bank frames its monetary policy according to the diktat of the IMF. While there should be no illusions about the ‘independence’ of the bank, there is evidence that it has on occasion acted ‘against’ the Fund’s ‘advice’ — in January the policy rate was left unchanged despite IMF pressure to raise it and in April it was cut by 100bps against the IMF advice to maintain a freeze.

The bank’s monetary stance has been criticised for failing to reduce inflation. Hence the popular demand that the credit price should be cut substantially to curb inflation by removing supply-side constraints and spurring production. But the advocates of this theory must realise that if rising global commodity markets spawned inflation initially, it is the government’s failure to control food prices, its borrowing needs and controversial decisions such as a 100 per cent increase in the wheat procurement price in less than a year that are keeping the policy from working effectively. With global oil prices edging up again and the government phasing in higher power rates, the chances of prices spiking remain. Just imagine how prices would react if the bank cut interest rates. That could be extremely harmful to both the economy and ordinary people with prices shooting through the ceiling.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]A joint health strategy[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Thursday, 01 Oct, 2009[/B]

VIRUSES, bacteria and parasites do not recognise international boundaries. That is why diseases originating in one region of the world spread rapidly to other parts. Hence it is logical that governments should join hands to fight malaria, flu, AIDS, TB, polio and other diseases which have now emerged as a major challenge to public health systems across the globe. This was first realised six decades ago when the World Health Organisation was set up to enable member states to work collectively. Subsequently, countries joined hands regionally to address health issues. It is therefore encouraging that Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan are working trilaterally to eradicate malaria. In their fourth border coordination meeting on Tuesday, the Pakistan health minister was spot on when he said that “collective efforts at the regional and global level are the key to success in controlling communicable diseases”. If extensive coordination had existed Pakistan would have been polio-free in 2004 as originally planned. This didn’t happen because infected children entered the country from Afghanistan. Campaigns against other diseases have suffered for similar reasons.

This reality is well known in the world of medicine and science where health professionals and scientists have worked together to achieve common goals. If there have been problems in adopting this strategy these were at the political level and mainly in the public health domain. Governments have allowed international politics and their lack of political will to implement policies to act as obstacles in the way of success of joint programmes. Thus health policymakers and professionals from Saarc have been coordinating their efforts for several years now. Agreements have been concluded on malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, diarrhoeal diseases, rabies, maternal and child health and population activities but enough of an impact has not been created because after the conferences, follow-up actions were not concerted or effective.

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="DarkGreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]OTHER VOICES - Middle East Press Feminising poverty[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Thursday, 01 Oct, 2009[/B]

… [A]T least 35 per cent of Yemenis live on less than $2 a day. Women have the greater share in shouldering this economic burden, mainly because they are under-qualified, oppressed, and do not have access to financial institutions as men do.

One reason for this is that men control policies and are the decision-makers… [S]ince women are less qualified or poorer than men, financial institutions hesitate greatly before giving them loans. … The rate of poverty for families headed by women is higher than that of families headed by men.…

Despite that, poor women understand the importance of education for economic empowerment and make it a point to educate their children, especially the girls. The level of children’s education in poor families headed by women is more than that headed by men.

Financial institutions providing micro loans also admit that women are more trustworthy and have a more reliable payback probability. ... What we really need are national plans and budgets to be more sensitive to women’s needs and cater to their interest, with special focus on those living in rural areas… — (Sept 26)

Healthy choices

… MANY processed foods contain too much sodium and too few nutrients. … [C]lear labelling of the benefits or dangers of the contents is often lacking in the UAE. … According to a study by Datamonitor … nearly 80 per cent of people questioned in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are placing greater importance on their health than they did two years ago. Campaigns … warning of the dangers of an unhealthy diet may well be making their mark.

Serious medical conditions that have become widespread … are clearly linked to eating too much of the wrong thing.

… However … that people want to be more healthy does not mean that their eating habits have improved. … [T]oo many sweet fizzy drinks are being swilled and too many hamburgers being gobbled.

In some countries they are talking about taxing unhealthy foods; in others … there is a ‘traffic light’ system, with packaging labelled with either green, orange or red stickers.

Products … which appear innocuous, often carry red warning labels because of their high salt content. — (Sept 29)

[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]Coping with disaster[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Friday, 02 Oct, 2009[/B]

THOUSANDS are feared dead in the aftermath of Wednesday’s earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra which was also hit by powerful aftershocks. Extensive damage to power and communications networks has made the task of locating and treating the injured all the more difficult. Meanwhile, a massive undersea earthquake triggered tsunamis that slammed into the Pacific islands of Samoa and Western Samoa, obliterating coastal settlements and flattening tourist resorts. The tragedy comes on the eve of the anniversary of a powerful earthquake that caused similarly massive destruction in parts of Kashmir and northern Pakistan in 2005. The need for disaster management preparedness must be underscored as we revisit the tragedy that killed thousands four years ago. Rescue efforts launched by the military, the government and the citizenry at large were hampered not only by the damage to power, transport and communication networks, but — significantly — by the fact that there was no standard operating procedure to cope with such a disaster. As a result, rescue efforts were initially piecemeal and often at cross-purposes, thus worsening the plight of the victims.

Years later, there is little evidence that an effective response plan has been devised. A national disaster management authority was set up during the Musharraf government; yet the state’s slow response to relatively smaller crises such as the widespread flooding of the coastal parts of Sindh and Balochistan in 2007 testify to insufficient planning.

There is an urgent need to not only prepare response procedures to natural disasters, but also to acknowledge the danger and build safeguards. Parts of the country, including the capital, lie in known seismic zones. Yet the law does not require all new buildings to be quake-proof. Pakistan could take a leaf out of Japan or San Francisco’s book. Here, new construction technologies make multi-storey buildings more flexible and tremor-resistant. Safeguards such as fire-escapes and reinforced shelter spots need to be introduced, particularly in public buildings such as schools, offices and hospitals where large numbers of people congregate. People in coastal areas vulnerable to tidal waves or severe storms need to be made aware of basic methods that can save their lives. Most importantly, the state needs to devise a comprehensive plan that can instantly be acted upon in case of a natural disaster that, by its very nature, is unforeseen. True, there is little man can do to prevent natural disaster, but preparedness and effective disaster management systems can go a long way towards mitigating the scale of damage and reducing the loss of life.


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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]US withdrawal[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Friday, 02 Oct, 2009[/B]

THERE are two reasons why America has quickened the pace of troop withdrawal from Iraq. One reason is obvious: the top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, wants 40,000 more troops. Without this ‘surge’, he says it would be difficult for him to defeat the Taliban. The second reason is the Pentagon’s belief that Iraq’s own security forces have reached a level where they can maintain peace when the American pullout is complete. There is no doubt violence has registered a steep decline during the last two years. In August 2007 there were 4,064 acts of terrorism; last August there were 594 — an 85 per cent drop. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Gen Ray Odierno, head of the American military mission in Iraq, said America had decided on a quicker withdrawal because the Iraqi security forces were operating effectively, with the US troops playing a supporting role. Earlier last month, the American ambassador in Baghdad, Christopher Hill, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the Iraqi security establishment had substantially improved its efficiency and that the common man believed it was cap- able of doing its job.

While security is no doubt better, Iraq’s politics remains fractious, with its people, parties and leaders hopelessly divided along ethnic and sectarian lines. An inquiry into the escape from a Tikrit prison of 16 Al Qaeda men showed that some insiders helped them. The real test of the security forces’ efficiency and impartiality will be the general election due three months from now. The campaign is likely to be bitter, because changes in the election law have widened the voters’ choice, for they will now be called upon to vote for candidates instead of ‘blocs’ as in the 2005 general election. This is likely to heighten political tensions and lead to possible violence. The ethnic issue in the north remains intractable, and Kirkuk was excluded from provincial elections last January for fear of violence. While an American withdrawal deserves to be welcomed, Iraqi politicians have to prove they do not take controversies to a level where the country plunges into anarchy yet again.


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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="darkgreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]KESC’s dilemma[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Friday, 02 Oct, 2009[/B]

THE KESC’s ongoing drive to recover Rs13bn in outstanding dues has reached sensitive areas. Over 1,200 mosques in Karachi have been served notice to pay up their dues — in many cases they have been defaulting for two years. Under the rules, the KESC can disconnect power supply to a consumer after serving it with a disconnection notice. Hence the mosques should have no reason to complain if they are left without electricity. It is inconceivable that an institution that is looked upon as a role model when it comes to performing social responsibilities should be going against this perception by not paying its utility bills. However, the KESC needs to be grilled over its performance and recovery strategy. Why has it allowed dues from defaulting customers to accumulate for such long periods? The action now being contemplated should have been taken much earlier. Is the recovery drive aimed at all defaulters or is the KESC being selective? It is quite evident that the KESC’s billing department has been tardy and not very efficient for reasons best known to its bosses.

The recovery drive has other serious implications. We know that the loadshedding inflicted on Karachiites is to a large degree on account of the utility’s financial inability to pay the IPPs for the power that could supplement the electricity company’s generation shortfall. Loadshedding irritates consumers many of whom refuse to pay as a gesture of retribution. Here again the KESC is at fault. A major source of the problem lies in the corruption and ineptitude that mark its working. Line losses to the tune of 34 per cent of its transmission eat into its resources. Why have they not been attended to especially when the company received a large amount for renovation, maintenance and repairs at the time of its privatisation?

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[B][U][CENTER][COLOR="DarkGreen"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Georgia"]OTHER VOICES - Pushto Press A disheartened US official[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/U][/B]

[B]Friday, 02 Oct, 2009[/B]

US DEFENCE Secretary Robert Gates has said that setting a deadline for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan at this time would be a blunder and that if America is defeated in the war-shattered country the consequences would be dire. US commander Stanley McChrystal has warned that if additional forces … are not Daily Wahdat, Peshawar

sent, chances of winning the Afghan war would diminish. Before dispatching more troops [President] Obama wants to know whether or not the current Afghan policy can deliver.

The apprehensions of Mr Gates and Gen McChrystal show that America is losing hope for a victory in Afghanistan. … [H]istory shows that whosoever has stepped into Afghanistan has tasted only defeat, and it seems that the US is faced with the same situation. But before withdrawing, US and Nato forces must help the Afghan army, police and other institutions to stand on their own feet. If Afghanistan is left to itself at this stage, it will become anarchic … endangering regional and world peace. — (Sept 29).

Abdullah’s demand

AFGHAN presidential candidate Dr Abdullah Abdullah, who garnered far less votes than the incumbent Hamid Karzai in the Aug 20 elections, has asked for a repoll…. He has vowed not to rest until a national government, which can guarantee the rights of “his people”, is put in place. Abdullah has alleged that the current rulers had not served the people and [had] rigged the elections which had given “Afghanistan a bad name” … It does not suit a candidate to impose his own opinion … Abdullah’s demand … will economically burden Afghanistan…. Political conditions … were not conducive even for the Aug 20 elections. How can [Afghanistan] afford a run-off? Elders … have already announced that they would not take part....

Now that Mr Karzai has won a majority, it should be accepted…. If there was any rigging, the people ... cannot be held responsible…. They have voted for their candidate and they should see their rights guaranteed by an elected government … — (Sept 29)

— Selected and translated by Faizullah Jan