24/05/2013

Common ground: Better PPP-PML-N ties?

IT wasn`t quite akin to turning back the clock to the first half of 2008, but the amicable meeting between President Zardari and prime minister-to-be Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Chinese premier`s visit is another small step towards a smooth transition of power in Islamabad. Mr Sharif had already made clear that neither is he averse to taking the prime ministerial oath of office from Mr Zardari nor is he interested in cutting short the president`s fixed term and both public reassurances have gone some way in quelling the possibility of political discord and a constitutional crisis at the very outset of Mr Sharif`s incoming government. Now, in publicly meeting Mr Zardari at the presidency, the incoming prime minister has through his actions raised another possibility: could the PMLN and PPP work together on key structural areas in the next parliament? There is a practical necessity here that has been overlooked in the aftermath of the PML-N`s unexpected success, at least in terms of the margin of victory, on May 11.

The upper house of parliament, the Senate, is locked in until March 2015 and its present configuration will give the PML-N much to think about: with a dozen senators compared to the PPP`s 45-odd senators, the PML-N willfind it impossible to pass legislation on its own in the upper house. There are some important caveats to this: the Senate is not required for the election of the prime minister; it does not have a binding vote on the federal budget; and Article 70(3) of the Constitution allows for a joint sitting of parliament to circumvent a recalcitrant Senate on legislative matters.

However, given that one of Mr Sharif`s explicit goals is the strengthening of parliament, following proper form and normal procedure in legislative matters will be an important benchmark and for this, the PPP`s nearmajority in the upper house will surely need to be kept on side by the PML-N when it comes to key debates, resolutions and pieces of legislation.

In fact, the PML-N and PPP need only revisit recent history to find common ground between themselves: the Charter of Democracy signed by Benazir Bhutto and Mr Sharif in 2006 still has important aspects left to be fulfilled, particularly when it comes to establishing civilian control over national security and foreign policies. A formal PML-N and PPP alliance is unlikely in the extreme but in their common commitment to the democratic project, there is some room for a common approach on some matters.

New promise: National Assembly first-timers

THE arrival of 119 new faces in the National Assembly is a welcome occurrence within the larger effort for improvements in the country`s political culture. Among these newcomers are those who have fought the election for the lower house before but without succeeding, and some of these lawmakers have graduated to the national stage after having sat in the provincial legislatures. In any case, the infusion, which must be accompanied by the fresh batch`s ambition to stand by their electorate, promises to lend greater vitality to the Assembly proceedings. The fresh faces do not only raise hopes for generation of fresh ideas; just as in any other group, they are expected to have an impact on the old guard in the house, which could always do with a nudge or two to prevent them from being too complacent and too mired in tradition.

A decade ago, Gen Pervez Musharraf tried to create a parliament of his liking by introducing his Bachelor`s degree bar.

This brought in some new faces, largely belonging toold political families.

Many of the first-timers now are also carrying forward the family tradition of sitting in the Assembly but many others have emerged out of the changes in the Pakistani political landscape where the stalwarts have come under increasing pressure from new hopefuls over the unsatisfactory pace of pro-people development.

Politics has undergone many changes since Gen Musharraf`s times. The political parties have been forced to embrace new local players, many of them thrown up by the country`s latest experiment at the grassroots, the local governments.

The demand for legislators to debate their ideas in the media has in no small measure contributed to a situation where, unlike the unsung, unrecognised back-benchers of the past, no member of the Assembly today goes unheard and unnoticed.

The newcomers are expected to play their role in boosting the quality of debate in the house and as the newly appointed guardians of its standards, outside the Assembly.

Back in the game: Imran Khan`s recovery

IT`S good to see Imran Khan back on his feet.

The PTI leader was discharged from hospital on Wednesday and shifted to his Lahore home, though doctors say it`ll take another six to eight weeks before the former skipper is back in full form. His dramatic fall from a forklift as he was being hoisted onto a stage to address an election rally on May 7 in Lahore sent shockwaves across the nation and brought electioneering to a temporary halt. Horrified audiences viewed the repeated TV footage of the fall and the subsequent shifting of a bloodied, semi-conscious Mr Khan to hospital. The fall elicited sympathy not only from his supporters and the general public, but also from bitter political rivals. Considering the height of the fall and the fact Mr Khan received injuries to his backbone and chest, the recovery is remarkable. It is said the impact of thefall was mitigated by the bullet-proof vest he was wearing. The expert medical care he received aided his recovery while the respectable performance of his party at the polls must have given Mr Khan additional vigour.

Imran Khan had also battled injuries during his cricketing career. He suffered a leg injury in the mid-1980s, while he went into the 1992 World Cup final which Pakistan won nursing a bad shoulder. While his politics attracts derision and praise in equal measure, Mr Khan is a survivor. Now that his party is due to take power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and sit in the opposition in the centre, he`ll be faced with many more slippery slopes and potential falls of the political variety. To survive, he needs to display maturity and a sportsman`s spirit while he needs to lead his team by example, backing up his talk of good governance with action.

25.05.2013

Shared goals: Ties with China

THREE points — energy, Afghanistan and counter-terrorism — stand out among the number of issues on which Pakistan and China reached understanding during Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s two-day visit. Quite understandably, the incoming prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, laid stress on seeking Chinese help in resolving Pakistan’s serious energy crisis when he met Mr Li on Thursday. With parts of the country denied power for as long as 19 hours, Pakistan’s energy crisis needs to be tackled on an emergency basis.Mr Li, of course, promised help in conventional, renewable and civilian nuclear power technology. But basically it is Pakistan’s problem. While we cannot review the entire gamut of Pakistan’s energy problem here, it goes without saying that we have thoroughly bungled the energy sector and are paying the price for it. The PML-N government, thus, has to draw up a comprehensive programme for self-sufficiency in energy, because China can help only up to a point.

In Mr Li’s visit to South Asia — his first tour abroad since the transfer of power in Beijing — China observers can detect many messages. With its economic boom and rising political clout, China has pursued towards South Asia a policy which blends economic considerations with restraint in dealing with its main Asian rival, India. The circumspection shown by China during the recent stand-off in the Ladakh region underlines Beijing’s resolve to not up the ante in a region that is already tense. At the same time, while going for increased trade relations with India, successive Chinese governments have taken pains to emphasise that Beijing’s relations with New Delhi are not at Islamabad’s expense. In fact, as the joint statement averred, strengthening the “strategic partnership” was the two countries’ “shared objective”. The joint statement and Mr Li’s address to the Senate testify to the two countries’ commonality of views on a number of key problems, including security, Afghanistan and what the joint statement called “three evil forces” — terrorism, separatism and extremism.

China is rightly concerned over acts of terrorism by separatist elements in its Xinjiang province bordering Pakistan. Saddled with its own twin problems of terrorism and insurgency, Islamabad has cooperated with Beijing in earnest and denied the use of its soil for terrorism. China appreciates this, and — as the joint statement points out — Beijing “respects” Islamabad’s counter-terrorism strategy: something that Islamabad should welcome, given the criticism of its counter-terrorism policy by some quarters. There is no doubt that strategic ties and friendship between Pakistan and China are in the two countries’ mutual interest.

Realisation on drones: Obama’s speech

IT was a widely anticipated and hyped speech and President Obama did on Thursday say many important things, to his own public and to the wider world, on his administration’s approach to national security issues. For Pakistan, being a frontline state in the fight against terrorism and intrinsically linked to the outcome in Afghanistan post-2014, there were both words of encouragement and concern. The American president acknowledged the “cost to our relationship with Pakistan of the unilateral May 2011 Osama bin Laden raid and admitted that “we are just now beginning to rebuild this important partnership”. Even if the ultimate choice would be no different a second time round, it is at least encouraging to note that the commander in chief of the US is both aware of and understands the ripple effects that his decisions can have on Pakistani state and society — especially since he has the power to greatly destabilise both with ill-advised actions.

However, on his comments about the “Afghan war theatre”, which the US takes to include Pakistan and its tribal areas, the president suggested that it would be business as usual on drone strikes until the end of 2014, the deadline for the handover of Afghan security to Afghan forces and for the withdrawal of most foreign troops. Drone strikes, for all their efficacy as acknowledged by even Pakistani military and civilian leaders, have become a bit like the tail wagging the dog, a tactic that has narrow military dividends but has come at the cost of poisoning the overall Pak-US relationship not least because the unilateral strikes violate the principles of sovereignty. Given President Obama’s resolve to exit the war in Afghanistan and the consensus in US foreign-policy circles that Pakistan is ‘more important’ or the ‘greater concern’ going forward, it is an unhappy realisation that the US still does not have a coherent Pakistan policy. Killing ‘enemies’ on Pakistani soil surely cannot be a meaningful substitute for a deeper engagement with the “more important” country in AfPak.

Proceed with caution: Talks with militants

THE brutal ‘logic’ of the Pakistani Taliban was witnessed once more on Thursday. According to media reports, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, while adopting a wait-and-see stance, did not spurn Nawaz’s Sharif offer of talks, saying that the option of dialogue would be discussed by the militant group’s leadership. But in the same breath, the TTP spokesman claimed responsibility for the bombing which killed at least 12 people — mostly policemen — in Quetta. Ehsan said the law enforcers had been targeted because the Balochistan police had arrested and killed TTP fighters from Swat. Such actions reveal the Taliban’s arrogance and the fact that they want to negotiate with the state from a position of strength. While expressing the desire for dialogue the militants are capable of excessive destruction. The extremists, to put it mildly, can be very slippery, and have no qualms about shedding blood. Hence any effort at negotiations where the militants have the upper hand cannot be very promising. This is a stark fact that Nawaz Sharif should realise, as should Imran Khan, Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Munawar Hasan, who have all supported the idea of talks with the religious extremists.

Indeed the nation is tired of years of deadly militant violence and battle fatigue is affecting all segments of society. Any talks ‘offers’ by the TTP should be thoroughly scrutinised by the state and red lines must be clearly drawn. Peaceful negotiations to end a bloody conflict are always a preferable option to violence. But there must first be an unambiguous willingness on the militants’ side to renounce bloodshed. The incoming government needs to proceed with great caution on this front. The state cannot be browbeaten and cowed into talking to the extremists on their terms and under the shadow of their swords.

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

26.05.2013

All are responsible: Van fire tragedy

REACTING to the tragic van fire near Gujrat town on Saturday, a local official said lives could have been saved if the driver of the vehicle had shown some courage. That statement provides the starting point of a probe to identify all those responsible for the heartbreaking, horrible tragedy. The killing of at least 15 young school-bound children and a teacher in the fire was no accident. This was nothing short of murder or at least manslaughter.

The guilty include money-minded transporters who justify the low safety standards they maintain by boastfully stressing on the affordability factor. Never is their greed more obscenely manifested than in the hot summer months. The routine sight of children crammed in rundown vehicles in the suffocating heat is the worst advertisement for our education system. It is a horrifying throwback to those dark times that we would like to pretend we have left far behind. Sadly, the same era of ignorance and negligence continues, frequently throwing up tragedies of this sort. Those responsible also include school administrations and the officials who run the affairs of government. Finally, cruel though it may sound considering the grief of those whose children have perished, parents too must bear part of the blame for not demanding a better deal for their offspring, for being the meek of the earth who accept their fate unquestioningly.

In a saner country, the Gujrat fire would be the only news worth pondering over for days and weeks if not months. In Pakistan, it is likely to be quickly overtaken by other, ‘more pressing’ events, as has happened in the aftermath of similar incidents in the past. Such incidents have included the killing of children in gas cylinder blasts, deaths of school-bound students at a railway crossing at one place and a bus overturning during a school excursion at another. After a period of initial mourning, these tragedies are forgotten in the interest of the continuation of the system. A similar pattern appears to be emerging now and the design could succeed once again unless a genuine effort is made to devise and enforce safety measures in transport used by our schoolchildren — and urgently. The blaming of one individual — the driver of the van — and the convenient, standard identification of short-circuiting as the cause of the fire are dire signs of the guilty seeking to take the old escape route. They are no less than murderers. If they are allowed to flee now, they will return to kill again.

Zero-tolerance needed: Depriving women of voting right

TRADITION, particularly those pernicious aspects of it that serve to empower one segment of the population at the expense of the other, is never easy to counter. But countered it must be if human rights are to be uniformly applied across Pakistan. That is why the ECP should resist the determined attempts in parts of the country to keep women voters disenfranchised despite the re-polling held on its orders on May 23 at two polling stations in Battagram after receiving complaints that women voters registered there were not allowed to cast their ballot on May 11. Reportedly, not a single woman came to vote throughout the day of re-polling either. As a consequence, according to the local election official, the previous result would be retained.

The ECP had acted correctly in ordering the re-poll, thereby sending the message that women must be able to freely exercise their right of franchise. It should do the same wherever misogynistic tactics were employed in the recent elections, and several instances of agreements between local chapters of political parties to restrain women from voting have come to light. However, for the ECP to accept the outcome of the re-poll in the Battagram constituency as a fait accompli is to hand victory to the regressive mindset that sees women as having no right to public space and no voice in the political sphere. Moreover, to believe that women willingly did not even take the second opportunity to exercise their right of franchise is to allow hidebound elements to pull wool over our eyes. The fact is that those who restrained women from voting on May 11 could have ‘persuaded’ them otherwise this time around, had they chosen to do so. The ECP should take an unequivocal stand on the issue and annul the results of this constituency. Those who have won the election by depriving women of their vote do not deserve a place in the assemblies.

Muttahida in flux: Organisational restructuring

THE national political landscape has rapidly changed following the general elections and as recent events have shown, one of the parties under-going considerable internal changes is the MQM. The incident that kicked off the current crisis seems to be Altaf Hussain’s impolitic statement (later clarified) targeted at PTI supporters protesting against alleged rigging soon after the elections. From that point on, one dramatic event after another involving the Muttahida has unfolded. Following Imran Khan’s unsubstantiated allegation holding Mr Hussain responsible for the murder of a PTI leader and the subsequent uproar, MQM workers turned on many of their leaders at the party’s headquarters in Karachi. On May 21, the Karachi Tanzeemi Committee, a key body in the party’s organisational structure, was disbanded while on Thursday, the main Coordination, or Rabita, Committee was dissolved. Altaf Hussain told his party workers that he was cleansing the party of “corrupt and unwanted elements”, and that those collecting ‘donations’ on the MQM’s behalf or involved in land-grabbing would be expelled.

The issues rightly pointed out by Mr Hussain, coupled with the reputation for high-handedness that has dogged the MQM for many years, seem to have had an impact on voters in Karachi. Though the MQM managed to bag nearly all the seats it contested from the metropolis, the PTI’s candidates put up a decent show, finishing second behind the MQM on many seats. ECP figures confirm the MQM’s vote bank has shrunk — though slightly. This shows the voter cannot be taken for granted. The time has come for the MQM to do some soul-searching and address the negative perceptions about it. Unless the issues confronting the MQM are addressed in a forthright manner, there’s no guarantee the party will continue to dominate politically in urban Sindh.

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

27/05/2013

Killing fields: Journalists under fire

FOR years now, Pakistan has been considered amongst the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. The impunity factor is used to demonstrate the depth of the problem: the state`s lack of interest in pursuing cases of journalists being murdered or harassed. This is apparent through just the bald facts: more than 20 journalists have been murdered in reprisal for their work over the past decade but not even one case has been solved. Why this is the case is fairly well recognised, even if challenging to address. Between the various forces that hold sway in the country from the state and political parties to the security establishment, as well as the militant/extremist network and crime rings there are linkages at play and there exists a web of shifting alliances. This means that this range of actors can and do, in different combinations, look away or collude to bury the cases of journalists being targeted,in orderto suppress information in an otherwise vibrant media landscape.

If much of this was speculation earlier, it has come closer to substantiation with a special report published recently by the Committee to Protect Journalists, Roots of Impunity: Pakistan`s endangered press and the perilous web of militancy, security and politics.

With the investigation using the prism of thekillings of two journalists in particular Wali Khan Babar in Karachi in January 2011 and Mukarram Khan Aatif in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a year later the report illustrates in a chilling fashion `the culture of manipulation, intimidation, and retribution that has led to this killing spree [of journalistsj`. Members of this profession are targeted by any quarter that feels that too much information, or information they consider `wrong` is being reported, with the persecutors even being affiliated with political parties, state-sponsored agencies and the military establishment.

The problems facing Pakistan are vast. Resolving them requires `a government willing to go head-to-head with the allpowerful security forces.

By demanding accountability from the government, journalists can play one of the most important roles`, notes the report.

Does the state have the will to do what it can to ensure that journalists are in a position to operate without fear? Given the apathy towards cases involving journalists` deaths as well as the indications that state-sponsored agencies are involved in the harassment, it would appear not. Unless this pattern changes, there is danger that those in the media particularly in conflict-hit areas will have to work with so much circumspection as to render themselves impotent.

The right note: PPP`s support

IN power, the PPP was unable to deliver on governance, but that has long been the party`s Achilles` heel. Now about to return to the opposition after five years, the PPP is continuing to demonstrate its consistent commitment to the democratic project a vital commitment that for better or worse was subsumed by its abject performance on the governance side over the past five years. Nominated by the PPP as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly on Saturday, Khursheed Shah has started off on the right note. He has spoken of the PPP`s hope that the incoming assemblies complete their terms and that the PML-N gets a full five years in office. He has even promised that the PPP will not be a legislative impediment and will even consider further amendments to the Constitution if they are in the public and national interest a significant comment given that the PPP will enjoy a near veto in the upper house of parlia-IN power, the PPP was unable to deliver on governance, but that has long been the party`s Achilles` heel. Now about to return to the opposition after five years, the PPP is continuing to demonstrate its consistent commitment to the democratic project a vital commitment that for better or worse was subsumed by its abject performance on the governance side over the past five years. Nominated by the PPP as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly on Saturday, Khursheed Shah has started off on the right note. He has spoken of the PPP`s hope that the incoming assemblies complete their terms and that the PML-N gets a full five years in office. He has even promised that the PPP will not be a legislative impediment and will even consider further amendments to the Constitution if they are in the public and national interest a significant comment given that the PPP will enjoy a near veto in the upper house of parlia-IN power, the PPP was unable to deliver on governance, but that has long been the party`s Achilles` heel. Now about to return to the opposition after five years, the PPP is continuing to demonstrate its consistent commitment to the democratic project a vital commitment that for better or worse was subsumed by its abject performance on the governance side over the past five years. Nominated by the PPP as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly on Saturday, Khursheed Shah has started off on the right note. He has spoken of the PPP`s hope that the incoming assemblies complete their terms and that the PML-N gets a full five years in office. He has even promised that the PPP will not be a legislative impediment and will even consider further amendments to the Constitution if they are in the public and national interest a significant comment given that the PPP will enjoy a near veto in the upper house of parliament until the next Senate elections in the first quarter of 2015.

Dismal tourist scene: Liquidating PTDC assets

NEWS about the caretakers` move to liquidate the assets of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation has coincided with a damning BBC report that places this country nearly at the bottom in terms of positive global influence. Despite the Eighteenth Amendment and the consequent devolution of powers to the federating units, the PTDC insists it has not played out its role and that it will continue to look after the `nondevolveable` aspects of the `devolved subjects`.

As to its union`s claim that the interim government should have waited for the elected set-up to be in place, a PTDC spokesman said the liquidation process had nothing to do with the transfer of power, and the evaluation of the corporation`s assets was being done under the said constitutional amendment. These assets include 39 hotels and motels at places that few countries in the world can rival in terms of scenic grandeur.Can we expect a turnaround in tourism now that the provinces will run those assets? To have a booming tourism industry on modern lines, a country need not be in league with Switzerland or Germany; even developing countries like Egypt and Sri Lanka earn billions of dollars because of their modern, tourist-oriented infrastructure. In Pakistan, unfortunately, even domestic tourism has never been what it should have been, given the country`s potential. But whatever was there was destroyed by terrorism. Swat, the tourist paradise, is no longer occupied by the Taliban but it will take time to reach pre-2009 levels. Frankly, it would be unfair to solely blame the federal and provincial tourism outfits for the lack of foreign arrivals. So long as Pakistan is stigmatised by suicide bombers and militants, no foreigner in his senses would consider this country his tourist destination.

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Janoon say or Ishq say milti hay AAZADI

28/05/2013

Rigging concerns: What ECP should do

TWO weeks after the general elections, allegations of rigging from various quarters refuse to die down. Some politicians have held aloft `ballot papers` on TV while others have uncovered them from garbage dumps papers that are meant to be in the ECP`s possession.

Meanwhile, poll monitors have asked the ECP to publicly release detailed election data. Perhaps the best way to address these valid concerns is for the ECP to upload the various forms that serve as documentary evidence of the polling process on its website. These include Form XIV (Statement of count), detailing how many votes were cast at each polling station, and Form XV (Ballot paper account), which lists how many ballot papers were used.

Making the forms public will allow for an objective evaluation of what might have gone wrong at a particular polling station, helping to determine if erroneous data was entered and if it was due to a mistake or otherwise.

The various forms can be reconciled with each other. For example, claims of stuffing and rigging can be addressed if the numberofvotespoHed atacertain station is crosschecked with the number of ballot papers issued.

The ECP can order repolling if discrepancies are found.

The electoral process onMay 11 was largely fair and the ECP did improve on previous elections. Yet bugs remain in the system and allegations of irregularities and rigging need to be addressed. There are more long-term issues which need the ECP`s attention. For example, reports have emerged that polling staff at some stations was not properly trained. Admittedly, the training of tens of thousands of individuals deputed at nearly 70,000 polling stations across Pakistan is a mammoth task. But elections are an ongoing process and that is why training of polling staff should be undertaken periodically by the ECP so that the training process is not rushed through a couple of months before an election. Another issue that requires attention is the fact that some polling stations were changed at the eleventh hour, which added to the voters` confusion.

Better management of the electoral process and capacity building of electoral staff is essential for the conduct of credible polls. People need to be taken into confidence by the ECP that should release the detailed election data while corrective measures need to be taken now for better elections next time. Only if such irregularities are meaningfully addressed can there be hope of a better-managed election in future.

MBS or KCR? Karachi mass transit plans

ILL-INFORMED they both may be on the subject, Shahbaz Sharif and Qamar Zaman Kaira have nevertheless pleasantly surprised many people by taking an interest in a mass transit plan for Karachi. The PPP leader`s criticism of the statement by Punjab`s former chief minister, now poised for another term, was political in nature. Reacting to Mr Sharif`s declaration that launching a metro bus service for Karachi was one of the PML-N government`s top priorities, Mr Kaira said a Lahore-style MBS for Karachi would need a subsidy of more than Rs1billion per month.

If the MBS would prove a white elephant for Karachi, Mr Kaira didn`t tell us what alternative he had in mind. Mr Sharif, too, it seemed had heard little about the plans for the revival of the Japanesefunded Karachi Circular Railway, and did not appear familiar with the story of Karachi`s mass transit scheme.

First proposed in the 1970s by the PPP government, the Karachi mass transit scheme involved a 9km underground `spine`from Liaquatabad to Tower. The military government scrapped the scheme in 1977. It was retrieved by the Junejo government, and the project accommodated the requirements of a Karachi that had fast expanded physically and demographically. But the scheme never saw the light of day.

In the 1980s, an Indus Mass Transit Company, with technology and funds coming from many countries, was set up. But the scheme remained a pipe dream. Now we have been hearing about the KCR`s revival, and it seems assuming there will be no bureaucratic sabotage Karachi may after all see the completion in 2017 of its first phase, providing service to 700,000 commuters daily. Quite understandably, the PML-N leadership is keen to create political space for itself in urban Sindh. But, in his haste, we hope Punjab`s would-be chief minister will do nothing that will delay or scuttle the Japanese plans for the KCR.

Surely we do not want to see the KCR revival abandoned without the MBS scheme materialising.

Up in smoke: Public health and tobacco

THE figures are shocking enough in themselves: since the revenue department established the AntiIllicit Tobacco/Cigarettes Trade in Pakistan cell in February last year, around 50 million sticks of smuggled foreign or locally manufactured but untaxed cigarettes have been confiscated. With the market across the country flooded with such tobacco products that have paid no tax the money going into the pockets of shopkeepers and dealers the illicit trade steals around Rs10bn annually from the country`s earnings. Entering the country through several routes including the porous border with Afghanistan at Chaman and Torkham, each truck that carries an untaxed cigarette consignment causes a loss of some Rs3.5m to the exchequer.

Yet much more crucial than the monetary angle is the health risk that this irresponsible practice poses. Most such smuggled cigarette packets do notcarry the health advisories that Pakistani law mandates, such as pictorial warnings, messages in Urdu, the limitation on sale to underage children and the price. This means that this industry of death in effect neutralises efforts the country has made to deter citizens from smoking, including legislation such as the bar on smoking in public spaces and the campaign to highlight the risks of this evil practice. The same argument can be used for this industry as that used in the fight against drugs: given the very serious issue of public health that is at stake, while the authorities must continue to do what they can to curb the smuggling and catch the offenders, those peddling the products must also be brought to book.

Such cigarette packets are widely available across the country, at upmarket hotels and roadside stalls alike; the owners of these concerns, too, should be held responsible for endangering people`s health.

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Janoon say or Ishq say milti hay AAZADI

29.05.2013

People’s misery: Power woes

MOST parts of the country were without electricity when incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif delivered a speech at a function in Lahore to mark the 15th anniversary of the nuclear tests. The persistent power cuts of the past several months led him to remark that it was a tragedy that a country with a nuclear arsenal was facing chronic electricity shortages. But he could not give a definitive time frame for when the shortages would end, and instead warned the people against harbouring too many hopes that the formation of his government would lead to an instant solution. How the voters, especially in Punjab, who have returned his party to power with an emphatic majority, are going to react to his appeal for patience will become clear in the next several weeks, given that the party’s pledge to end the power crisis was a key plank of the PML-N’s poll strategy.

For now, many people in different parts of the country are protesting against unannounced blackouts of up to 18 hours a day.

In Mirpur, where scores of demonstrators had clashed with police, Mr Sharif’s own party called for public protests against the power cuts. Indeed, growing power shortages have not only crippled daily life, they are also disrupting industrial production. The incessant power cuts are estimated to cause an economic loss in excess of 4pc of GDP a year. Hundreds of factories have been forced to close down while others are operating far below their capacity. Thousands of jobs have been lost.

The reasons for the country’s power sector woes — mismanagement, corruption, lack of investment, etc — are well known. So are the solutions to the power crisis — deregulation and privatisation of generation and distribution companies, change in the energy mix, reform of the pricing structure of different fuels, investment in hydel and coal generation, etc. The crisis has worsened ever since the caretaker government took over. But it would not be fair to fault it for doing too little as it has had neither the mandate nor the money to carry out reforms. Meanwhile, considering the extent of the crisis, it is hardly likely that the problem will go away soon. Yet the incoming government will have to move swiftly to minimise shortages by implementing power sector reforms and ensuring optimal utilisation of the available generation capacity to revive growth. Those who voted the PML-N into power in the hope that it could end the crisis will be watching the government’s performance closely on this front.

Dangerous connection: The internet and crime

THANKS to timely action on part of the police department and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, Mustafa Dossal has been rescued in Karachi from the clutches of his captors. As the CPLC chief pointed out, this was a particularly sensitive case since the kidnapper was known to the victim, thus putting the latter’s life in jeopardy. In the first crime of its kind, the 13-year-old was kidnapped by the older brother of an acquaintance he met on Facebook, shanghaied away under the pretext of a lunch invitation and handed over to Lyari gangsters who then made the ransom calls. The kidnapper was identified through photographs that he had uploaded online, and he was tracked down late Sunday night. Had the 25-year-old captor planned his crime a little better, it might have proved a much harder task to trace Mustafa.

Given that this is a country where kidnapping for ransom has become a distressingly common crime, there are lessons here that must urgently be learned by young people and their parents or guardians. The dictum of ‘never talk to strangers’ is, in the online world, more valid than ever. In virtual social communities, identities and age-demographics can easily be masked, information manipulated and gleaned — and these can be used to commit any sort of crime. The Western world, where online activity has been the norm for a longer period of time, has already learned this after crimes from paedophilia to abduction or fraud were found to have been engineered through internet contact. Urban Pakistan, where the social media is becoming increasingly popular, must also recognise the risks and make young people aware of them. In terms of online content that is unsuitable for children, filters can be put in place to restrict internet access in the home. But filters don’t work in terms of social networking sites such as Facebook. The answer lies, therefore, in parents having friendly relations with their children and engaging in discussion about the benefits and risks of the virtual world.

Looking the other way: Culture of plagiarism

THERE is no shortage of irony in this country. Take, for example, the University of Karachi’s draft policy on plagiarism. As pointed out by a Dawn report, KU’s document designed to fight the menace of plagiarism itself appears to be plagiarised. Material for the document has been taken from the Higher Education Commission’s plagiarism policy without accreditation. The document has been approved by KU’s academic council, though it needs to be passed by the syndicate. What is more, penalties for plagiarism have been toned down as compared to an earlier draft policy, which was also apparently plagiarised. The problem is not with KU alone as high-profile cases of plagiarism have also been reported from Punjab University and Quaid-i-Azam University. The root of the problem is that plagiarism is tolerated by society, specifically the higher education sector — and the policy adopted by many in academia regarding unethically copied work is to look the other way. In the past plagiarists have either been let off the hook or have received light penalties. Apparently, to many students and teachers in our universities there is no shame in claiming
someone else’s work as your own.

While positive changes have been made in Pakistan’s higher education sector since the Musharraf era, the fact is a lot more needs to be done by the HEC and the universities to crack down on academic dishonesty, specifically plagiarism. Not only does plagiarism smear the reputation of Pakistani higher education as a whole, but those researchers who genuinely put in hard work to conduct original research get a rough deal, getting tarred with the same brush. For the sake of higher education in Pakistan and to safeguard the reputation of our genuine scholars, the HEC needs to enforce its ‘zero-tolerance’ policy on plagiarism in letter and spirit.

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

30.05.2013

Question of priorities: N-arms vs development

A NUCLEAR power but with little electric power: incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s apt observation on Tuesday is worth dwelling on. Guns versus butter — the apparent trade-off between arms and development — can be and often is grossly oversimplified. Pakistan exists in a tough neighbourhood, the need for a strong military, particularly to deal with the internal security threat, is very real and to wish away defence expenditures altogether is
unrealistic. But it is also a question of gradation, of degree, and Mr Sharif’s words can be interpreted as a need to recalibrate the state’s priorities.

In theory, once Mr Sharif assumes office early next month he will preside over the National Command Authority, the apex body that guides Pakistan’s nuclear strategy.
In reality, of course, the army controls nuclear policy entirely. But as prime minister, Mr Sharif has also made clear his intentions to seek a broader and faster normalisation of ties with India that has been attempted by other governments and regimes — and given that Pakistan’s nuclear programme is entirely predicated on the threat from India, it puts the incoming prime minister in a unique position to directly and indirectly address the tilt towards guns instead of butter in the region. Aside from occasional alarm in international circles, there has been very little focus in India or Pakistan outside the strategic community on the complex calculus of nuclear deterrence between South Asia’s two nuclear powers. Pakistan’s seeming push towards acquiring tactical nuclear weapons has been decried as unwise because it threatens to lower the nuclear threshold — tactical nuclear weapons essentially being battlefield weapons that must logically be placed in the hands of commanders several rungs down the chain of command. But Pakistani nuclear strategists have long argued that the provocation is really on the Indian side — because of India’s growing conventional warfare capacities, its push towards acquiring a missile defence system and flirtation with warfare ideas like Cold Start.

Who is right and who is wrong is a matter of great consequence but of even greater consequence is the notion that Mr Sharif alluded to on Tuesday: arms alone do not bring security. Creating some elbowroom for civilians at the nuclear policy table may be the hardest of tasks for Mr Sharif but in his India policy could lie the seeds of regional de-escalation in the medium and long term. It will require both boldness and the most delicate of touches but this at least is a fight worth fighting.

An active threat: Renewed sectarian violence

AS two events demonstrated on Tuesday, the incoming governments will have their hands full dealing with the threat of sectarian militancy. In Peshawar, at least three people were killed when a motorcycle bomb went off in Imamia Colony, a Shia-dominated area. Though no one has claimed the attack, there are strong indications the bombing had sectarian motives. Meanwhile in Karachi, a Shia lawyer, together with his two young sons, was gunned down as the man was dropping his children to school. This is the latest in a chilling trend in which killers have targeted members of a family. Earlier this month, another Shia father and son, also lawyers, were gunned down in the same area of the metropolis.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says 69 people have been killed in sectarian attacks in Karachi between January and April. In Peshawar, over a dozen victims have fallen prey to sectarian targeted killings since the beginning of the year; KP police have failed to make a breakthrough in any of these cases. The range of the threat shows that efforts are required at both the provincial and national levels to counter sectarian militancy. Clamping down on such violence will be a formidable challenge for the PTI-led KP government. Imran Khan has criticised groups like Lashkar-i-Jhangvi in the past; it is now time for his party to take action against sectarian killers in the province. Meanwhile, the previous PPP-led Sindh government completely failed to control sectarian violence in Karachi. It is hoped the PPP vastly improves its record this time around. Sectarian violence in the metropolis seemed to dip when the caretaker set-up took over and some Sindh police officials have said the ‘targeted operations’ initiated against criminals yielded results. If this is the case such opera-tions must continue in order to bring sectarian militants to justice. On the national level, all newly empowered political forces must forge consensus and a plan to tackle the monster of sectarian militancy.

Peace prospects dim: Pouring arms into Syria

THE international community seems to have abandoned its duty to end the slaughter in Syria; instead, the rivals are being armed. With the European Union lifting its arms embargo on Syrian rebels, and Moscow confirming the sale of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to the regime, ground has been prepared for more bloodshed in the Levant. Both the EU and Russia have criticised each other’s move, trading accusations that more arms to the belligerents will mean a prolongation of the conflict.
Critical they might be of each other, both must know they are contributing to a widening and worsening of the Syrian conflict.

Israel, which has already fired missiles on its northern neighbour three times, has declared it will not allow the Russian missiles to reach Syria, because they could fall into Hezbollah’s hands. The Shia militia is already a factor in the conflict. It is fighting on the side of the Baathist government, raising fears that Lebanon could be sucked into the conflict. Just recently, three Lebanese soldiers were killed by suspected Hezbollah guerrillas. With three regional states — Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — on the rebels’ side, with the EU pledging more arms for them and Russia offering missiles to Damascus, there is every possibility the conflict could widen and add to Syria’s misfortunes.
Already, 1.3 million Syrians have become refugees. Instead of arming either side, the Western powers and Russia should do spadework for the proposed peace talks in Geneva. Earlier this month, Washington and Moscow agreed to convene a peace conference with the avowed aim of forming a transitional government and holding general elections. However, the moves made by the EU and Russia have all but sabotaged the conference. The ones to suffer will be the Syrian people.

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

31/05/2013

Now is the time: TTP leader`s death

IN death, Waliur Rehman has caused almost as much controversy as he did when he was alive. The TTP second-in-command appears to have been taken out by an American drone strike, triggering consternation in public and more considered costbenefit analyses in private.

For all the cries about yet another violation of Pakistan`s sovereignty, however, one fundamental point must not be overlooked:it appears that the US knew how and where to find the militant, whereas the Pakistani security and intelligence apparatus did not.

Waliur Rehman had in the past been cast as a `moderate` Taliban, someone the state here could do business with, but the truth was that he was a moderate only in that he was determined to attack inside Afghanistan too meaning his attention was split between Pakistan and Afghanistan, unlike, say, Hakeemullah Mehsud who is known to focus most of his attention on attacks inside Pakistan. So here was a highly dangerous, highly motivated and highly effective militant leader in the form of Waliur Rehman and the Pakistani state appears to have had little clue of his whereabouts, appearing to believe that he would likely be hiding out on the border between North and South Waziristan. This is where the role of the secu-rity establishment should be questioned.

The drone argument also has the unhappy effect of deflecting attention to a far more serious issue: what the Pakistani state intends to do about North Waziristan, now the last redoubt of militants in which they can operate and plan largely unmolested. The incoming civilian leadership has talked up talks again while the military leadership has tried to indirectly warn about the futility of negotiations but then the army high command has not shown any decisiveness when it comes to North Waziristan for years now either. Now, with the Taliban once again `suspending` their offer of talks in the wake of Waliur Rehman`s killing, there is one of two ways to proceed:nounder in the face of a continuing threat or take strength from the decisiveness showed by the electorate in rejecting the Taliban path. For all the reasons for inaction, to avoid a military operation in North Waziristan, to further delay establishing the state`s writ there, there is a simple truth: the TTP and Pakistan as imagined by its people, and endorsed in the recent elections, are incompatible. How to take on the TTP militants in North Waziristan is an important question but it is secondary to the need to take them on now not later.

Regressive approach: CII`s recommendations

NEARLY 25 years have passed since the death of Gen Ziaul Haq but the legacy of the mischief he wrought refuses to go away. The latest example of the manner in which the chessboard he designed is set up to pull Pakistan backwards is shocking in its lack of logic. The Council of Islamic Ideology, which can make observations on laws and constitutional mechanisms on the basis of religious interpretation, declared on Wednesday that DNA test results are not acceptable as primary evidence in cases of rape.

The meeting also made several other debatable points for instance, the blasphemy law needs no amendment but these pale in comparison with the outrageousness of the remark regarding DNA testing. It has been conclusively established that DNA testing is an entirely accurate means of establishing identity and it is admissible as primary evidence in courts across the world. According to the CII, there are, from an Islamic point of view, procedures to determine thecommission of rape, but to ignore the benefits of science would amount to regression. It is in the light of such examples that it becomes difficult to refute the views of those who say that Pakistan is where logic comes to die.

In the larger scheme of things, it is worth asking why the CII is necessary at all. With an elected parliament in place to examine all aspects of proposed and existing legislation, and with the courts and the media to vet and/or criticise these, there is little to be gained from an additional advisory body whose pronouncements, as in this case, often do little to demonstrate or further the country`s commitment to progressiveness.

That the latter exists is evident in the manner in which various elements, from those in the assemblies and the courts to those on the street, have energetically pushed for and achieved change on several fronts. The ghosts of the past need to be exorcised. The newly elected government must recognise this as a top priority.

Needless deaths: Measles outbreak

ONCE everyone is through with their views on the more obvious challenges such as energy shortages, there is much else in Pakistan for the rulers to lose sleep over.

The death of over 120 children in Punjab because of a measles outbreak will, hopefully, also get noticed. Many of these young lives could have been saved with some responsible work at the governmental level. The measles vaccination could not be procured on time, a major reason being the lack of coordination between the centre and the provinces to which the health sector has been devolved. The centre wanted the provinces to arrange for the vaccine on their own whereas the provincial governments maintained they were not fully equipped to take up the job post-devolution. In the end, the centre agreed to provide the vaccination to the provinces for the period ending June 2013, after which the provincial units were to obtainthe medicine themselves.

Then, there were no funds, an inability to rope in international donors exacerbating the crisis.

Precious time was thus lost and a vaccination drive that should have been launched last winter could only be initiated many months later, and that too partially.

The caretaker Punjab government`s vaccination drive was quite visible yet it has failed to have the kind of impact that was expected of it. Also, numerous cases from the suburbs continue to surface, adding to those still being reported in Lahore.

The summer viruses make it worse, as does malnutrition, which has been observed as contributing significan ly to the lack ofproper immunity among many children struck down by measles. There must be greater official emphasis on the fight against the measles outbreak now and better coordination among federal and provincial governments in future to avoid a repeat.

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Janoon say or Ishq say milti hay AAZADI

01.06.2013

Room for improvement: Pakistan-US ties

WITH the incoming government just days from taking office, the pace of diplomatic activity has picked up and, as ever, leading the pack are the Americans. The newly appointed Af-Pak special representative James Dobbin met Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on Thursday and made the usual noises about commitment to a strong bilateral relationship. In truth, however, the Pak-US relationship is entering a new phase and while its contours can be guessed at, only the weeks and months ahead will reveal how exactly Mr Sharif intends to reshape the bilateral relationship. The incoming prime minister is not exactly an unknown variable: he has of course ruled twice before and over the past five years has frequently met American officials. But during the campaign Mr Sharif said precious little about what could prove to be a critical aspect of at least the first third of his prime ministership: the transition in Afghanistan revolving around the December 2014 cut-off date for most foreign troops to leave that country.

The good news is that Mr Sharif is inheriting a bilateral relationship that has stabilised somewhat and recovered from the dangerous lows of a couple of years ago. While there has been no obvious movement forward in developing an arrangement that can see Afghanistan remain relatively peaceful post-2014, the US and Pakistan appear to at least have understood each other’s positions better. So, for example, while drones continue to fly over Pakistan, the frequency of missiles fired has gone down. And while North Waziristan and the Haqqanis remain a serious concern for the US, demands to ‘do more’ have receded. Almost as importantly, as the country’s economic stewards grapple with the necessity of returning to the IMF or not, the US has not tried to nudge the country in a particular direction beyond advising sensible reforms — a low-key approach that can help mollify suspicions here that the US wants to have economic leverage over Pakistan, be it for the Afghan project or some broader security reasons. So there is genuine room for Mr Sharif to negotiate mutually beneficial ties with the US.

The most obvious problem is that domestically there are two power centres when it comes to foreign policy and national security. With US considerations in the short and medium term security-related, they could be tempted to encourage Mr Sharif to wrest space back from the army quickly. Or they could decide the army is the only institution to do business with in the time frame available. Both would be a mistake.

Grave risks: Safety of CNG vehicles

AS in so many other areas that are problematic in Pakistan, the issue is not that safety codes and standardisation guidelines aren’t in place regarding CNG cylinders and kits. The devil lies in the detail, which is vigilant enforcement of the rules and ensuring that there are no violations. Though kits are imported and safety standards are on the books, in practice both cylinders and kits are often mishandled by improperly trained mechanics and welders, used beyond their recommended life and fitted into locations on vehicles where they should not be. While the law allows for just one cylinder in the prescribed place, buses and wagons often carry several, stashed away under seats or on the roof. In short, what should be a highly regulated area has, in Pakistan, become a cottage industry, and the cost of this is evident in the horrifying deaths of children in a recent van fire in Gujrat.

It is encouraging, therefore, that on Thursday two bodies raised this grave public safety issue. Following up on an earlier letter sent to provincial administrators and the police, the chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority wrote to the petroleum ministry reiterating his demand for a ban on the use of CNG and LPG in public vehicles given the authorities’ inability to ensure that uncertified vehicles were kept off the roads. The Lahore High Court, meanwhile, issued a ban on the plying of commercial vehicles with substandard gas and fuel conversion kits in Punjab. Though motivated by good intentions, both these moves miss the central point: what we need is a thorough and sustained countrywide drive to examine all commercial vehicles in light of safety standards and ensure that each vehicle owner obtains a fitness certificate. In this effort, provincial administrations, transport authorities and police departments would have to share equal responsibility. The task is challenging, but it is the only way to ensure that faulty CNG kits or cylinders do not extract a further toll.

Bridging the divide: Coalition politics in Sindh

AS the new Sindh government settles in, all indications are that the MQM, the PPP’s former coalition partner, will not join the party on the treasury benches. The MQM fielded Syed Sardar Ahmed for the post of leader of the house, though the Muttahida candidate eventually lost to Qaim Ali Shah during Thursday’s chief ministerial election. Earlier, the PPP did make overtures to the MQM in order to persuade it to join the government, but its efforts bore no fruit. Yet knowing the unpredictable nature of Sindh politics and the love-hate relationship between the PPP and MQM, the situation can change at any time.

Despite pre-poll predictions that the PPP would face a tough time in Sindh, the anti-PPP vote never materialised. In keeping with the established pattern the PPP largely won in the Sindhi-speaking interior while the MQM, with its mostly Urdu-speaking support base, maintained its electoral hold over urban Sindh. This reflects the reality of Sindh’s politics. So with the MQM choosing to opt for the opposition, questions arise about the viable functioning of a government dominated by one party. Simply put, coalition politics is the need of Sindh. The PPP has the numbers to comfortably lead the government. However, governance in Sindh is not about numbers alone but having representation of all the province’s communities. The MQM’s reasons for snubbing the PPP’s offer are not known, though previously the Muttahida has sparred with its former coalition partner over the local government system, and accused it of supporting ‘criminals’ in Lyari. Rhetoric aside, for a strong provincial government that can handle Sindh’s myriad issues, especially lawlessness and militancy, which have caused hundreds of deaths in Karachi and adversely affected trade and industry, the MQM should reconsider its stance while the PPP should continue reaching out to its former ally.

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

02.06.2013

Democratic project: New National Assembly

WHAT a difference five years have made. Five years ago, a surprisingly credible and reasonably acceptable parliament was elected in the dying months of the Musharraf regime but took office in an atmosphere fraught with uncertainty. Would the government last more than a few months, many wondered, and was it really possible for parliament and the provincial assemblies to complete their terms? Five years on, the class of 2013 have entered their names in the history books amidst an unprecedented consensus that this parliament has an unprecedented chance to complete its term. The democratic project is well and truly on its way and for that thanks must go to both the previous coalition at the centre, for paving the way to contin-uity and gracefully accepting its recent electoral defeat, and to the PML-N for steadfastly supporting the democratic project in opposition and now appearing to be responsible custodians of democracy as the ruling party.

As with all things democracy and statecraft, however, the ‘work in progress’ sign cannot yet be taken down. Far from it in the Pakistani context actually, where the electoral process may be maturing but other democratic institutions have still a long way to go before establishing their durability and substantive role. Parliament in particular can only be said to perform one of its
functions reasonably well: electing a government. For much of the rest — holding the government and the state apparatus accountable; legislating on social, economic and security issues; and vetting the federal budget to keep it in line with the country’s needs and aspirations — parliament will need to do much more. The details can seem technical and obscure — the function and role of parliamentary committees; call-attention notices; private members’ bills; etc — but as with all complex institutions, the details are almost as important as the overall structure and sense of direction.

In the newly inducted parliament, dominated as it is by right-of-centre representatives, there will also be an extra onus to not only protect but also nudge forwards social and legal protections for swathes of the population that are normally a focus of the left: women, non-Muslims, and workers and peasants. The PML-N’s focus is rightly on growth, the power sector and stabilising the macro-economic environment but Pakistan is a vast mosaic and different segments of the population have different, though equally important, needs. Balochistan too ought to be a focus, a decade-old, low-level insurgency there having rendered most of the province a no-go area. The political capital has been collected; now the people’s representatives must spend it judiciously.

All eyes on PTI: New KP government

THE tone of the new government in KP is remarkably different from the more cautious approach being adopted by the emerging set-ups in Islamabad and Karachi, the one in Quetta requiring further thought before it can materialise. The PTI government in Peshawar is decidedly more vocal in its vows, which can be ascribed to the enthusiasm of a party that has come to power for the first time. Chief Minister Pervez Khattak says his government will prove itself in two months’ time. Perhaps the party needs to come out of its election mode and be a little circumspect about the promises it makes to the people now that it is at the helm. Mr Khattak says the voters have “thrown out garbage and elected clean and credible people”. This is surely not a statement becoming of a man who has sat in the assembly for many terms. He is a seasoned enough politician in a province that harbours all kinds. He must not require a reminder of how crucial it is to take everyone along on a road beset with problems.

The PTI’s pledges will take some fulfilling. Among the items on its daunting agenda, the early holding of local government polls will be a real test as will be the restoration of law and order — which Mr Khattak wants to address urgently to attract foreign investment. Along with these two crucial subjects, the PTI’s performance on the whole will determine the course of politics not just in KP but the entire country. An inability to effectively tackle the issues that PTI leaders have spoken about, such as the US drones, could just as quickly reinvigorate its opponents. This would not only benefit the PML-N, but also raise the hopes of the PPP and ANP, even the MQM in Karachi, to regain some lost ground. KP will to a large extent determine the future course of Pakistani politics, and the PTI, a party with national aspirations, is on the front line.

From the slums to Harvard: An inspiring journey

A GIRL from the slums works her heart out through her academic career and earns a place in the summer programme of an Ivy League university that students from elite backgrounds all over the world aspire to join. It’s the kind of endearing story that has universal appeal, and for good reason. The young lady in question, 23-year-old Anum Fatima, lives with her family in Ismail Goth near Karachi’s Steel Town. Her father, a driver for a private com-pany, could only afford to educate his five children at substandard schools until The Citizens Foundation came to his notice. This non-profit offers highly subsidised yet quality education at purpose-built schools in underprivileged areas across Pakistan. Anum’s sterling academic performance at the TCF school first earned her a place at the local Institute of Business Management, and now a three-month summer term at Harvard University.

Uplifting though this news is for a nation weary of largely bleak tidings, there’s a sobering sub-script to this story. In education, as in health, the government has increasingly taken its foot off the pedal, preferring instead to relegate to the private sector services that are its duty to provide and for which funds — however insufficient — are allo-cated in the budget. The decline in the quality of education offered by most government schools, and even private schools in low-income areas, is such that children who study there scarcely have a hope of a better future. Anum’s journey illustrates how quality education can unlock a child’s potential and transform his/her life. Government education too must be a vehicle for the younger generation to meet the challenges of the times, rather than function as an obstacle to progress.

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)