The fight against polio

After facing embarrassment earlier this year due to its poor efforts in eradicating polio, the government’s emergency efforts on fighting polio are starting to bear fruit. On World Polio Day over this past weekend, the Ministry of National Health announced that the number of polio cases reported this year had dropped by about 62 percent. Despite the good news, the fight against polio is far from over. Fifteen new cases of polio were still recorded over the last year as polio teams remained under threat in a number of areas. But the weekend’s optimism would have been tempered by the news on Tuesday that another law-enforcement official guarding a polio vaccination team was killed after twin blasts in Peshawar targeted the team. The death toll could obviously have been much worse. Threats such as these have meant that the number of children missed by polio vaccination is still around one percent, although it is down from last year’s 1.5 percent. Much of the new coverage is due to efforts to rid previous ‘no-go’ zones from militant groups.

The attack on the polio team in Peshawar shows that there is still a serious security threat to efforts to eradicate the disease. Seventy-one members of polio teams have been killed since 2012. The security situation in the country has not improved enough for an all-out effort against polio to succeed. Moreover, conspiracy theories about polio workers being foreign agents are still widespread and have not been countered. This is part of the larger problem of a failure to develop a national narrative against terrorism. Our leaders remain ready to use any issue possible to deflect attention from the failures of strategy and commitment. The fact that Pakistan joins Nigeria and Afghanistan as the only three countries where polio is endemic should be a matter of severe embarrassment. It also represents our failure to secure the future of our children from debilitating illnesses. The fight against polio requires much greater resolve. Right now, it is the efforts of the brave men and women who walk from house to house to administer polio drops despite threats and social stigma that must be appreciated. There may have been statistically lower cases of polio this year but this is no indication that this pattern will be followed next year. Polio can only be eradicated when Pakistan wins the war against terrorism. It is important for us to win both wars for the fate of our children.

Iconic image

The image of Sharbat Bibi, the teenage Afghan girl with the piercing green eyes, whose photograph on the cover of National Geographic became one of the best-known icons in the world, may have mesmerised millions. But her fame, for many years as an unidentified Afghan refugee photographed at the Nasir Bagh camp near Peshawar, did nothing to improve the life she led or the suffering she still shares with millions of other Afghans who fled the Soviet invasion of their country after 1979. Sharbat Bibi, now a middle-aged woman, was arrested in Peshawar a few days ago on charges of document fraud. The case, brought about in 2014, involves her acquisition of a Pakistani CNIC along with similar cards obtained for two young men who were identified by Nadra officials as her sons. The case against her states her identification was obtained on the basis of false statements and the young men were not her sons at all. Sharbat Bibi now faces up to 14 years in jail and a hefty fine if she is found guilty of fraud.

Her case essentially highlights the situation of the 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees and at least a similar number of other non-registered Afghans who still remain in Pakistan. Some years ago, Sharbat Bibi, rediscovered 17 years after 1984 by the Nat Geo photographer who had first captured her haunting beauty, had returned to Afghanistan but was driven back across the border by the poverty she and her family faced. Now a married woman and reportedly the mother of three, Sharbat Gulla as she is known in Afghanistan, was reportedly ready to join the 350,000 Afghans who returned to their country from Pakistan last year. However, before she could depart, news of growing Isis influence in her home village which had driven out many who lived there, compelled her to stay back. Other Afghans too remain caught in identical dilemmas. Pakistani authorities have made it clear that they are no longer welcome guests and while a tripartite agreement between Islamabad, Kabul and the UNHCR permits them to remain in the country till the end of this year and possibly into June 2017, Afghans in Peshawar and other places have faced increased harassment. Many of them, like Sharbat Bibi, essentially have no place to call home. Others have been arrested too on accusations of petty theft or involvement in militancy. The Afghan embassy in Islamabad has complained they are unfairly targeted. The growing strains between the two neighbouring countries will only add to the suffering that has continued now for decades and does not seem to be ending.

The shutdown

For many weeks, everyone has known that a violent storm was gaining momentum in Islamabad. The PTI had thrown the gauntlet down when it announced its plans to shut down the capital on November 2. There was always a lot more than just a hint of violent menace in the PTI’s call for protests and the party and its allies had never hidden their real intention of bringing down the government. The initial fight may have been over the ToRs for the Panama Papers commission but this has always been about toppling Nawaz Sharif – no matter what. Now the PML-N has delivered its riposte. It has arrested many PTI workers and surrounded Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence. The Islamabad High Court had also weighed in on the shutdown before the government made its move. It told the PTI to restrict its protest to Parade Ground and said the right to protest does not permit shutting down an entire city. The court’s decision to restrict the physical location of the protest took into account the right to peaceful assembly but, after recordings were played of inflammatory speeches given by Imran Khan, the judges decided the PTI’s intentions were far from peaceful. The court also took into account the government’s responsibility to maintain law and order in such a fraught situation. The PTI predictably refused to listen to the court. Imran has never hesitated to include the judiciary in the conspiracies he believes were brewed to keep him out of power, and so the party’s announcement that it would go ahead with the rally in violation of the court’s orders are in keeping with its past conduct. There has been a general sense of fear that Islamabad would see a replay of 2014 – but in a much more violent form. The government is in a tricky position where it too does not want to let matters get out of hand the way they did in 2014. It could have waited for the protest to start and see if it got out of hand, but it decided to strike after the high court restriction, perhaps perceiving that the violent rhetoric of Imran Khan and his allies even after the order made it easier for it to justify the government’s actions. The government must have been aware that the move might be reprimanded by the court and would certainly be criticised by the media and other political parties, notably the PPP which at least needs to keep up appearances. Clearly, there was some plan involved – or was there? Did the government act foolishly or did it have a clear goal? The purpose seems to have been to create problems for Imran Khan after the court orders. Effectively, the arrests disrupted his planning, which is what the government might be attempting. It is impossible to know if the PTI had worked out any strategy to counter such a move.

Imran Khan has given a call for a countrywide protest, and statements from other PTI leaders appear to translate protests as shutdowns. This is a development which will be watched with interest from every quarter. The PTI is not known as a well-organised entity. This is not something the PTI has ever been able to pull off before since it simply doesn’t have the kind of nationwide political structure required to bring the whole country to a standstill. This is why all its protests are confined to one venue at a time. A rally in Islamabad is quite different to a countrywide movement, and what does countrywide mean in the PTI’s context? Does the PTI have the capacity to stage such an action? Earlier reports had suggested that Imran had been banking on other more militant and organised groups for the Islamabad protest. If Imran Khan is joined by mainstream parties in opposition to the arrests, the shape of his Panama politics could change, at least for the moment. If he is supported primarily by entities like the Difa-e-Pakistan Council, the Darul-uloom-Haqqania etc, then what form his protest will assume is again an open question. The success or otherwise of Imran Khan’s call, and whether such protests are sustained over a period of time or not, will demonstrate if the government’s strategy was successful or not. Still, for now the ball is in the IHC. Imran Khan might eventually have to convince the court that his protest will be peaceful, which is difficult to promise when his stated intention is shutting down the city. This is another thing the government seems to be after. PTI leaders like Shah Mehmood Qureshi have now said that the party is anti-violence but this is hard to square with the past, and present, rhetoric and action of the PTI. It may just be the court which decides what form the protest takes since the government and the PTI have shown they are incapable of putting out the fires that arise from their disputes.

The challenges for the government still remain the same as those which arose during the Islamabad dharna or those it would face in Islamabad in case of a shutdown. With so much still up in the air, tensions can be toned down if all parties concerned start acting sensibly. Unfortunately, reasonableness has been in short supply. The government should not fool itself into thinking the PTI threat has been contained. So far, despite the terrible optics of the police going after political workers, the potential for violence has been bottled up. But, just as it did in 2014, it could escape at any time. The government needs to ensure it does not overreact if emotions are occasionally sparked which is why ministers need to stay diplomatic at all times and the use of police force avoided. Using unnecessary force on ordinary workers or allowing government ministers to say whatever they like is not going to improve its image. The challenge for Imran is that PTI protests in the past have struggled to stay peaceful and passions are stoked by Imran’s own tendency for hyperbolic rhetoric. Putting his followers in danger for his own personal ambition would be highly irresponsible. The sight of his supporters not even sparing families in their wrath will do the PTI no good. Neither the PTI nor the PML-N should hurtle towards a situation where another Model Town incident becomes possible. There is still a way out for everyone involved. All sides should always stay open to the possibility of negotiations; and the PPP too has taken some legislative initiatives to address the corruption issue. But the most important thing is that the Supreme Court has formed a larger bench to hear the Panama Papers case. There is no reason for artificial deadlines to be set for the government’s removal when an impartial body is taking up the matter. There is really no reason for such deadlines to be accompanied by thinly veiled calls or invitations to a third force. There should never be any reason to call for such intervention.

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To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)

Multiple fronts

As tensions between India and Pakistan continue to climb higher, multiple fronts have been opened up. Since October 27, there have been several cross-border firing incidents, with claims and counter-claims pouring in. India’s assertion that it killed 15 Rangers personnel in firing on Thursday after its BSF forces came under attack from across the border has been firmly denied by the ISPR. Pakistan says six civilians, including two women have been killed in the Shakargarh and Nikial sector as a result of unprovoked firing by Indian troops and that the BSF has been consistently adopting hostile tactics on this constantly volatile line. As a result, there have been over 20 injuries to civilians and villages in the line of fire on both sides of the border are suffering as persons most at risk move away. These people who live close to the border are always the innocent casualties of hostility between the two neighbours. For the first time in many months, there has also been another manifestation of this. On October 27, India accused a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi of involvement in spying and asked him to leave the country. On the same day, Pakistan expelled an Indian diplomat on the same charges. Such expulsions were especially common in the 1990s. The fact that they have begun again simply demonstrates the new low to which Indo-Pak relations have sunk.

At the present moment, there seems to be little constructive effort to lift them to a more even plane. India has rejected negotiations offered by Pakistan over Kashmir and the tone of the Modi government remains particularly hostile and particularly bitter. Modi’s failure to win support for his stance on Kashmir at several international meetings over the past month may be contributing to this. Certainly, the Indian media is playing its part, regularly accusing Pakistan of false accusations and of deliberately stirring up trouble as well as of intervention in Kashmir. The unfolding scenario shows just how unstable the relationship between the two countries is and the extent to which it keeps the region unsafe. As a consequence, people living along the long border that separates the subcontinental neighbours are suffering once more and it does not appear any reduction in aggression hangs around the corner.

Let compassion not be hanged

The fate of Imdad Ali, a prisoner on death row suffering from schizophrenia, appears to be sealed after a Vehari sessions court issued his death warrant. This comes after the Supreme Court ruled that schizophrenia did not fall within the legal definition of mental disorders. The one other hope for mercy Imdad may have had left was exhausted last year when the president denied his plea for clemency. Pakistan is a signatory to international agreements which prohibit the execution of mentally ill prisoners and there is no doubt that Imdad is severely mentally ill. His wife, Safi Bano, hadn’t even appealed to the court to set aside the verdict; she merely wanted the execution postponed so that he could get treatment and settle his affairs. The Ministry of Human Rights has written to the interior ministry asking it to halt the execution on humanitarian grounds but a presidential pardon is the only way to overturn a Supreme Court decision and Mamnoon Hussain had already denied a pardon last year. Now that Imdad’s plight has received more media attention and we are better educated about his condition, the president needs to revisit the case and grant him either a pardon or a commutation. The Supreme Court too should reconsider the case and listen to another appeal, with mental health professionals at hand to explain the severity of schizophrenia.

Imdad’s lawyers are arguing that the overcrowded, unhygienic conditions in prison made his condition worse which, if true, would only add to the culpability of the state. The head of psychiatry at Nishtar Hospital testified that Imdad suffered from paranoid delusions and his illness was “chronic and disabling”. The problem was that he was only diagnosed with genetic paranoid schizophrenia by government doctors in 2012, a decade after he committed the murder for which he was convicted. Imdad, though, shouldn’t have to pay the price for government tardiness. His family knew he had a mental illness but being too poor to afford good healthcare, they never had it diagnosed. To execute him because of that would be tantamount to admitting that those who are poorer are less likely to receive justice. Instead, his sentence should be overturned and law-enforcement officials taught to have suspects medically examined so that they are given a fair shot at justice. It is obvious that Imdad, with his crippling schizophrenia, is unable to understand the gravity of his actions. He needs professional help and not death by hanging.

Banning the ban

The administrative and ideological confusion in our country, capable of creating chaos at all kinds of levels, has been exhibited most recently by a notification which apparently went out to schools in Sindh two weeks back ordering them to stop dance classes for their pupils. Amidst an uproar from experts in the performing arts, writers and social activists, the Sindh chief minister announced that any ban on dance was being undone and that the art form would continue in schools and in fact be encouraged as a means to develop the talent and potential for children and counter extremist ideas.

It is extraordinary that a debate over dance should have taken place in this day and age in the first place. In Sindh, a province seen as relatively more progressive than some others, the issue seems to have arisen from a letter written by a PTI lawmaker, one of three from the party in the 168-member strong Sindh Assembly to the education minister seeking a ban on dance at schools. From this, some sequence of events appears to have unfolded leading to the education department ordering schools to stop dance classes. The Sindh CM also promised a probe into the matter and made it clear he felt strongly that nothing regarding the curb on dance should have gone out from any government department. Of course, this should never have happened. The reality is that dance is embedded deep in our culture and tradition, going back to the Mughal times and even before that, with many traditions of classical dance admired across the world rising in the Subcontinent. It is also true that dance is an important form of artistic impression and seen by experts as crucial to child development in many ways. Any talk suggesting it is inappropriate adds to the confusion already at stir in the minds of people. Music, dance and art need to become a part of the lives of all, including our children.

__________________
To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)

Both mountain and molehill

The commotion caused by the Dawn story on the civilian government supposedly telling the military to take action against militants claimed its first victim as Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed’s resignation was accepted by the prime minister because the enquiry conducted by the interior ministry has found a “lapse” on his part. It is clear then that he is not at this point being accused of actually leaking the story and, in that respect, little headway has been made. Another enquiry now is underway by a team of representatives from the IB, the ISI and the MI, and whether one head is enough or more are about to roll has yet to be seen. For now quite a few media commentators are seeing the affair as a case of scapegoating one individual. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar says that Rasheed, when he was approached by the journalist, should have convinced him not to run the story – although how a minister can get an independent newspaper to suppress stories was unexplained. The judgement, or lack thereof, shown by the news organisation in publishing the story can be kept separate from the issue being investigated and the summation of the views expressed by prominent lawyers and senior journalists appears to be that the newspaper under question can be asked to prove certain contents of the story while choosing not to disclose its source of information. There is also the reasoning that any enquiry into the matter has been already rendered biased by terming the story planted before the completion of an enquiry into the matter.

Several other questions have also been raised. The story has been denounced, particularly by the army and the government, as damaging to our national security. Yet, political observers have noted that no one has been able to describe articulately what damage was done by the story – except, we might add, that it appears to have put the civilian government under immense pressure at a time when it is already facing an open and violent ‘movement’ which is very obviously designed to overthrow it by fair means or foul. But it can be safely said that a civilian government facing such a problem has never figured in the definition of national security in vogue in this country. Analysts have argued that if the story was false, then there are no issues between the government and the military and everyone can go on as normal. If it was true then the government was simply repeating a truism in saying we will be internationally isolated should we not take on militancy. Chaudhry Nisar says that there has always been a consensus between the civilian and military leadership over non-state actors. If that is the case then there was no reason for the matter to be blown out of proportion. The government and military could have issued a stern denial – as they did – and moved on. The claim that the story gave succour to our enemies also has the effect of showing our weaknesses and insecurities, internally and externally. What gives true succour to our enemies is the impression that perceived precarious balance, or imbalance, between the army and the civilians is dangerously worsened even at a time when we face possible international isolation – all because of one suspicious news story.

Nowhere to go

In recent months, the Afghan refugee population in Pakistan have been made to feel unwelcome. We only extend the deadline till which refugees are allowed to stay in Pakistan by a few months a time so as to leave them in a state of permanent insecurity. Politicians frequently scapegoat Afghan refugees for our crime, drugs and gun problems. And then Sharbat Bibi, who became the face of Afghan refugees when she was featured on the cover of National Geographic back in 1984, was arrested by the FIA for allegedly possessing a forged ID card. Reportedly, Sartaj Aziz has assured the Afghanistan ambassador that she would be released and she has her first court hearing scheduled for November 1 so that matter should be settled soon at least. The truth is that Afghan refugees who have been here for decades are left with little option but to pay bribes to get identification since we have denied them the right to ID cards. Sharbat Bibi now symbolises not only the initial suffering of those who were displaced by war in Afghanistan but the ravages of having to get by in a country that is now unable or willing to help these refugees get by. The closure of the border at Torkham for a few days in the summer and our insistence on building a gate have greatly inconvenienced Afghans who either live in Pakistan or come to work here. The result has been a mass exodus of Afghans from Pakistan, with an estimated 170,000 having left through the Torkham border crossing alone. In total, more than half a million refugees have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran this year. Now, the Afghan government and aid agencies are struggling to cope with the influx of refugees. For many of the refugees, Pakistan or Iran are the only home they’ve known for most of their lives. They have no homes in Afghanistan and need to seek shelter in temporary camps provided by the UN. The UN has asked for $150 million to look after these refugees but has only been able to raise less than $50 million. That simply is not going to be enough to look after so many people.

Winter is fast approaching and the temperature can drop to below freezing in Kabul and the western part of the country. That will only increase the cost of resettling the refugees. It is now time for the international community to step up and help the people who were displaced from their home country, especially by countries like the US and Russia which were chiefly responsible for displacing them in the first place. We should also cease the campaign of harassment against refugees. Making their lives so miserable in Pakistan so that they are forced into leaving is inhumane, even more so because we played a large role in creating the refugees too. Afghan refugees in Pakistan have jobs and family here and they should be allowed to be productive members of society instead of being shunned. Afghanistan’s neighbours have a duty to take care of the refugees until they are truly able to return. Afghanistan itself has an equal responsibility to ensure the country these refugees return to is one which can reintegrate them. The onus should be on Afghanistan and all these countries who have involved themselves there – a list that includes not only Pakistan but the US, the EU, India and the Gulf States – to provide returning refugees a home which is safe and peaceful. Pakistan should not expel refugees so long as war ravages in Afghanistan but Afghanistan too needs to work even harder to end this war.

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To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)

The KE deal

When the Abraaj Group bought the majority of K-Electric’s shares from a Saudi and Kuwaiti consortium in 2009 and took full operational control, it never hid its plan of trying to quickly turn around the utility company’s financial performance and sell it at a profit. It comes as no surprise then that K-Electric will be sold to Shanghai Electric Power for $1.77 billion, which represents a significant profit for the Abraaj Group who paid $361 million to originally acquire the company. Whatever else may be said about the group’s handling of K-Electric, it certainly managed to make it profitable. Before it took over, K-Electric had been languishing in the red for over a decade; it now banks a profit of nearly Rs22 billion a year. In assessing the Abraaj Group’s handling of K-Electric more than profit needs to be taken into account. It claimed to have invested more than a billion dollars into the utility but that money has not been seen in the crumbling power infrastructure. The slightest rain plunges the city into darkness and claims that transmission and distribution losses have been significantly reduced are challenged by experts. It boasted about ending loadshedding in areas where residents paid their bills but that translated into a kind of electricity apartheid where Karachi’s wealthiest areas would receive uninterrupted electricity and others would suffer regular loadshedding.

Shanghai Electric Power, with the experience of providing power to a major urban centre, should be capable of handling K-Electric. But before Nepra approves the sale, it should extract some promises from the new buyer. Shanghai Electric Power needs to promise not to carry out massive layoffs and, unlike the Abraaj Group – which faced labour troubles for its heavy-handed, strong-arm tactics when it tried to downsize – treat K-Electric unions as equal partners. The proposed new owners will also have to invest significant amounts in upgrading the power infrastructure to reduce losses and build up electricity generation capabilities. Right now we are still buying electricity from the national grid and the other provinces keep threatening to cut us off since it increases loadshedding in the rest of the country. As the business capital of Pakistan, Karachi has to be able to generate enough electricity to power itself. Above all, the sale should make the government reconsiders the entire privatisation process. One of the main arguments made in favour of privatisation is that the private sector is more capable of running business than the government. Yet somehow so many of our privatised companies, such as PTCL which was sold to the UAE government-owned Etisalat, seem to end up in the hands of government-owned entities. It’s just that they happen to be foreign governments instead of our own. We can now add K-Electric to that list too.

A step behind

Pakistan’s slide down global rankings on development, parity and attainment in the social sector is becoming increasingly disturbing. The recent World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap Report 2016 shows that for the second year in succession, Pakistan is next to last on the list of countries in terms of gender inequality. It finishes at 143rd place on the ranking of 144 countries, with only Yemen finishing below it. Worryingly, Pakistan lags a long way behind its regional neighbours, including Bangladesh which stands at a respectable 72nd place and India which finishes at 87th place. This is despite the fact that Pakistan shares tradition, culture and history with both these countries. The break away from them in terms of gender disparity should be a particular cause for alarm. Pakistan has also fared worse than Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan, with Nepal rated as one of the top five countries in the world which have attained greatest success over the last decade in closing the gap in education.

While Pakistan too has shown some progress in improving access to education for girls, it has failed dramatically in other areas. The female to male literacy ratio continues to put men far ahead of women, while the discrepancy is especially apparent in specific regions of the country including Balochistan and the tribal areas. There has also been a failure to ensure equality of pay. Representation in federal and provincial cabinets is also extremely poor. There are complexities in analysing all these figures. But all of us who live in the country cannot doubt that the gender gap in Pakistan has worsened over the years. In 2006, the country had stood at 112th place on the list. Since then, there has been a fall each year, most notably in the economic and political spheres. This pulls down the overall ranking of a country which continues to struggle to give women the rights guaranteed to them as equal citizens by the constitution. The constitution however is clearly not enough without the requisite will to implement its content and provide women the platforms they need to gain greater access to education, healthcare, political participation, economic activity and other areas of life central to all persons.

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To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)

Thanks

The worst-case scenario has been averted for now. The Supreme Court has asked both the government and the opposition to submit their terms of reference for a commission to probe the matter of corruption allegations that have been a source of so much political heat of late. Imran Khan has jubilantly taken this development as a vindication and even did a victory lap – conveniently forgetting that this is square one for him and actually a vindication of those who have been advocating such a line for the last eight months, and that it is actually the PTI brand of meaningless adventurism and its politics of vulgar abuse that have been the greatest hurdle to such a headway being made. Instead of shutting down Islamabad Imran will now hold what he called a day of thanks at Parade Ground, incidentally the venue where the Islamabad High Court had ordered the PTI to hold its protest. Despite all he has done, one can at least be magnanimous to Imran and agree that he has, at long last, done the right thing - for now – and removed the tension and instability that had ground our politics to a standstill. It is certain that he would not have done so had the government not decided to take the fight to the PTI. The PTI seemed to be hoping for a rerun of 2014 when the government was passive in the lead-up to the PTI dharna. Imran once again did little to hide his by now all too familiar fantasy to see the elected setup go down as a result of chaos caused by his dharnas designed, in his mind, to invite a ‘third force’. By blocking off access to Islamabad and taking the fight to the PTI, the government showed it wasn’t going to be a doormat this time. Both sides now have the opportunity to calm down and reflect on what they should do next. The PTI has now said it believes only in peaceful protests. It will have the opportunity to show that today and in the future. The government needs to immediately remove the containers which Chaudhry Nisar, speaking to the media after Imran called his protest off, said were meant to prevent Islamabad from becoming a battleground. PTI workers should also not be subject to harassment.

The government’s greatest test will come once the Supreme Court gives more details about its commission. It is also not clear if the Supreme Court itself will choose the members and set their terms of reference or if the commission will be restricted just to the Panama Papers or will take into account other such leaks that have come before and after the Panama ones. Ideally the political parties would be able to agree on the terms of reference among themselves but we have already seen how difficult that is to pull off. Now all the political parties need to work constructively. For the PML-N that means it should not drag its feet to try and delay any probe indefinitely while the PTI will have to be more patient, a trait that has never been associated with Imran. Legislation on corruption needs updating and the only way to get laws acceptable to all is if they work together.

Hockey challenge

For Pakistan hockey fans what happened in the Malaysian city of Kuantan last week was disappointing, to say the least. The green-shirts went there as defending champions of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament. Despite Pakistan’s low international rankings, expectations were high as the two-time champions had a near perfect track record in the brief history of the event, having played in all three of the previous finals. But in Kuantan, Pakistan flirted with disaster and almost didn’t make it to the last four after losing to hosts Malaysia and India. But a much-needed win against higher-ranked Korea took them to the semis where Pakistan managed to tame spirited Malaysia in a shootout to set a mouth-watering finale against old rivals India. Once again, hopes were high back home where many preferred to watch the final instead of the ongoing third cricket Test between Pakistan and the West Indies. But for the second time in the tournament their team failed to rise to the occasion. Though disappointing, the twin losses against India didn’t come as a surprise for hockey aficionados. In recent years, while Pakistan have failed to lift their team the Indians have improved by leaps and bounds. The hockey players on the other side of the border have been training the under the winds of Dutch master coach Roelant Oltmans, who almost a decade ago was at the helm of the Pakistani team. At No 6, India are currently the top-ranked Asian team in international hockey rankings way ahead of Pakistan, who are languishing at 13th place. Even the Koreans are ranked higher at No 11. Pakistan needed to punch above their weight in their bid to defend the coveted Asian crown, something that they failed to do.

What happened in Kuantan should serve as an eye-opener, considering that a series of more challenging and far more important assignments are facing Pakistan in the near future. They have to feature in the qualifying rounds for the World Cup and later the Olympic Qualifiers for Tokyo 2020. Pakistan, former world and Olympic champions, failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and the Rio Games held earlier this year. Those were among the most shocking episodes in the history of Pakistan hockey and all out efforts are needed to make sure that such failures won’t happen again. Pakistan’s players have shown potential by reaching the Asian Champions Trophy final but in the meantime their multiple weaknesses were also aptly underlined especially in the defeats against India and Malaysia. The players lack the sort of fitness required at the highest level while the performance of our coaches was also questionable. These are the areas we will have to focus otherwise disappointment and heartbreaks will continue to stalk our national sport.

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To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)

Tragedy at Gadani

Ship-breaking, in addition to being a dying industry, is also one of the most hazardous professions in the world. The slightest mistake can lead to the deaths of all on board. That is what appears to have happened at the Gadani ship-breaking yard as a gas cylinder explosion, apparently caused by oil that had not been fully drained from the ship, killed at least 16 people and injured dozens of others, with at least 50 people still missing. Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri has promised rescue efforts will be speedy. He also needs to hold an immediate enquiry although he could just ask the workers at Gadani and they will tell him that safety measures are barely existent at the ship-breaking yard. Indeed it was only this past Sunday that workers from Gadani held a protest in front of the Karachi Press Club calling on the federal and Balochistan governments to provide better working conditions. They pointed out that a worker had died as recently as October 21 after falling off a ship. Among their demands was that the government should ratify the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships of 2009. While that should be a bare minimum step for the government to take, we have a habit of ignoring even our international obligations as enforcement tends to be close to non-existent.

Industrial accidents have become routine in the country because little attention is paid to occupational safety, particularly for manual labourers. As an example, the Baldia Town factory fire of 2012 has become associated with political violence and so we tend to forget that the reason more than 250 people perished in the fire was because they were working in a death trap that had only one exit and entry point. That very same day, another 25 people had died in a fire at a shoemaking factory in Lahore after sparks from a faulty generator, installed at the only place for people to leave the factory, flew in chemicals. The first step which needs to be taken at Gadani and other industrial sites is to have routine surprise inspections and for the inspectors to be regularly rotated so that they cannot be paid off. We also have to improve emergency services. We do not know how many lives were lost at Gadani because only one fire engine reached the site. Most importantly, we need legislation protecting the rights of labour, particularly their unfettered right to organise. Only empowered unions can demand the safety that the rest of the country has denied these workers.

Paying pensioners

After a lifetime dedicated to toil and labour, the least the workers of this country deserve is a dignified and comfortable retirement. The Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution Act of 1976 was meant to do just that, providing pensions to workers in both the public and private sectors. It hasn’t quite worked out as intended. The Supreme Court has taken notice of complaints by employees of the federal government that their pensions and general provident funds are not being paid out on time, and asked the government to provide a list of every employee who has not been paid pension as mandated by law. The problem is both one of typical bureaucratic inertia and structural problems. Apart from the usual — though still inexcusable — delays that we have all come to expect from the government, further problems have been caused by the introduction of ATM cards to withdraw pensions. Previously, senior citizens had to go to designated branches of the National Bank of Pakistan and get their money in person and now they have to register for an ATM card with Bank Al Falah. What has happened, according to complaints by multiple pensioners, is that both banks are telling them they should get their money from the other bank, leaving the pensioners struggling to make ends meet as a result. Belatedly, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar took notice of the situation and directed the accountant general Pakistan Revenues to ensure technological and coordination glitches do not prevent pensions from being disbursed on time.

Even if such problems are sorted, we need to rethink the provision of social security to senior citizens. People who rely on a fixed income that is not indexed to inflation see the value of their pension fall every year. Ideally, the EOBI would link pensions to inflation but it has been stingy in its increases. The minimum pension, which is what two-thirds of the over half-a-million EOBI pensioners receive was increased from Rs3,600 a month to Rs5,250 a month last year but that was the first increase in more than three years. The reason the minimum amount is so low is that employers make only a token contribution to pensions. The employer’s contribution to a pension is five percent of the minimum wage which equals about Rs500 a month. That amount cannot be increased at the moment since jurisdiction over the EOBI is being fought in the courts. The 18th Amendment devolved pensions to the provinces but the process has been delayed. Now the provinces want control of the EOBI and its Rs290 billion fund, and till the issue is resolved there can be no increases in pensions. Still, the least the government can do in the interim is ensure that the money which is owed is always paid out on time.

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To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)

Talking to the Taliban

The recent resumption of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, overseen by the US, in Doha had one notable absentee. Pakistan was long thought to be indispensable to any eventual leverage because it was the only country thought to have any leverage over the militant group. Now, however, the Afghan Taliban have been moving away from Pakistan after many of their members were targeted in Operation Zarb-e-Azb and their chief Mullah Mansour was killed in a US drone strike in Balochistan. Taliban sources told the media after the talks in Doha that they no longer saw Pakistan as integral to any eventual agreement. With the Afghan government still trying to freeze Pakistan out for what it sees as patronage of the Taliban, and the Quadrilateral Coordination Group making no progress, it looked like Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan had been diminished. Still, after the meeting in Doha, a delegation of the Afghan Taliban, including members of the Qatar-based Taliban Political Commission, visited Pakistan where they were reportedly told to either seek a peaceful solution with the Afghanistan government or face action by Pakistan. The delegation, reportedly, didn’t commit to peace talks and to giving up the military option, saying they needed time to consult with Taliban commanders in Afghanistan. This is where Pakistan may still hold some sway over the Taliban since many of their members are in our custody and it would likely take a final peace settlement with Afghanistan for us to release them.

An eventual peace deal is the only way to end the war in Afghanistan. The Afghan army, even with significant Nato air support and troops, has shown that neither it nor anyone else can militarily defeat the Taliban. If anything, the presence of foreign powers makes peace even more unlikely. Afghans are naturally angered, and some radicalised, when Nato forces massacre civilians, as they did on Thursday during a special forces mission in Northern Afghanistan which killed 30 people. Nato follows these missions with massive bombing campaigns to clear the area which only kills more civilians. It also, in contravention of international law, bombs hospitals where Taliban members may be receiving treatment and also attacks funerals of suspected militants. All of this contributes to a justified hatred for the US and its allies – and that hatred extends to the Afghan government. But the Taliban cannot defeat the Afghan army and take over the country either. They are too entrenched in Afghanistan and capable of fighting both conventional battles and guerrilla warfare. And the Taliban can, likewise, hold the Afghan army at bay but cannot take over the entire country. An endless stalemate is the only outcome should the Taliban not agree to a political solution. Pakistan’s role in this should be to support the Afghan government and nudge it in the direction of peace whenever it wavers. The US is another wildcard, which is why Pakistan has been urging the Taliban to get the peace process in motion before a new president is sworn in the US. Barack Obama’s likely successor Hillary Clinton is even more hawkish than him. And, while no one knows what Donald Trump would do, one can be reasonably sure it would be nothing good. Obama may like to burnish his legacy with a successful political agreement before leaving office in January. Pakistan needs to use any influence it has with the Taliban to work towards that goal.

Train tragedy

Just one day after a gas cylinder explosion at the Gadani shipbreaking yard killed at least 16 people, disaster struck again when two passenger trains collided near the Landhi Railway Station in Karachi. The collision led to the death of at least 21 people, while more than 65 were injured. The two tragedies share the familiar common problem of insufficient safety procedures directly leading to massive loss of life. According to an adviser to the Sindh labour minister, the accident was caused after railway officials gave a green signal to a train which then went on to hit a stationary train in front. Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique gave a different version of events when he said the correct signals were given but had been ignored by the driver and assistant driver of the train coming from behind. It is irresponsible of officials to give contradictory statements at a time when the death toll is still rising and Rafique’s remark seem like a way of deflecting blame from Pakistan Railways. Whatever the cause of this accident may have been, Pakistan Railways has an awful safety record with a major accident taking place nearly every month. In October, a freight train collided with a passenger bus in Pattoki killing four people after the railway crossing line was left open. The month before that six people were killed and 150 injured when two trains collided in Multan when both were using the same track. In July, a train derailed and overturned in Khanewal, injuring 20 people. The list of accidents is endless and unacceptable.

Pakistan Railways has been all but destroyed by a culture of corruption and inefficiency. Both the resources and the will to adopt standard safety measures are not in place because the railways have been run into the ground. The accident in Karachi could have been prevented had Pakistan Railways abandoned the outdated analogue signal system and switched all trains to the digital model railway control system which can detect crossings and approaching trains and control speed. Most train accidents in Pakistan take place because the signal has not been properly transmitted to the drivers or they have not picked it up. A digital system would significantly reduce the risk of that happening and allow for real-time interaction between the driver and the control centre. The other major cause of accidents is dangerous crossing points, with one recent report alleging that over 2400 crossing points in the country have been deemed dangerous. Fixing these will require expenditure that Pakistan Railways is just not willing to make because it is in financial dire straits. As the Karachi accident has shown, money should not be an issue when people’s lives are at stake.

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To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)

Spies

Spying is known as the second oldest profession in the world. It has continued for centuries, involving both friends and foes, with nations desperate to gather information on the activities of others. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that Pakistan and India would spy on each other. The mechanisms we are hearing about are also not new, with diplomatic missions used as a place where persons assigned to gather intelligence converge in the guise of diplomats. This has probably been the case for decades, and the expulsion of diplomats from the two countries by the other was a noted feature in the 1990s. The spying battle this time, however, comes with added vengeance and possibly added menace. This is because of the growing hostility between New Delhi and Islamabad, with both the civilian and military leaders on either side of the border making increasingly antagonistic comments and statements about intervention in their country. A few days back when India expelled a Pakistani diplomat for spying and even went so far as to name him and release footage of him, it was inevitable Pakistan would respond in kind. We have now expelled eight Indian diplomats, confirmed their identities and leaked photographs of them to the media. The recent heightening of tensions between the two countries has come about on account of India continually ramping up its campaign to demonise Pakistan. It’s defence for its campaign of violence in Kashmir is to blame Pakistan for orchestrating militant attacks in Kashmir and then accuse the liberation movement, which is organic and home-grown, of being directed by Pakistan. In turn, Pakistan responds to every militant attacks at home by hinting at Indian involvement and speculating that it is trying to undermine the CPEC.

It is very much possible that India would do everything to undermine the CPEC since it brings closer together its biggest political rival and biggest economic rival. Even if one were to accept this unfortunate situation, the responsibility lies with the rulers of both countries to be more responsible and try to keep tensions to a minimum. Yet, Modi continually ramps up the aggression, both on the diplomatic front by trying to isolate Pakistan internationally and on the military front through unprovoked firing along along the LoC prettied up in the garb of ‘surgical strikes’. Yet, eventually, Islamabad and New Delhi have to move towards talks once again. They cannot survive without dialogue and without negotiation on the issues that divide them. The spying business we are seeing simply adds to the brew cooking on the burner. It must not be allowed to spill over and create a situation which cannot be salvaged. Given the harsh approach seen from Modi, it is hard to see how the Indian government can be persuaded to show greater flexibility and a readiness to talk matters over. So far, it has shown no signs of a readiness to move in this direction, despite the fact that it has essentially failed in its mission of turning the world against Pakistan. There are dangers ahead in the region. These must be circumvented carefully and cautiously to save the billions of people who live in the region from the ill-effects of greater instability and greater tensions.

Twilight zone

For the past two days Lahore has been blanketed in a thick cloud made up of dust, toxic gases and other materials which according to experts pose a hazard to human health. Reportedly, 19 people have already died in smog-related traffic accidents. This smog is not a natural phenomenon but the result of man-made activities and the failure to control air quality standards. There are many theories on where the smog came from. The easiest has been to blame the Diwali fireworks in neighbouring Indian Punjab. But while Diwali may have had some part to play, it makes for only one of hundreds of ways in which we have made our cities and our environment dangerous for ourselves. Fumes from industrial emissions, coal plants, the brick kilns in and around Lahore and vehicular emissions are believed to be the worst culprits in releasing tiny materials into the air which are scientifically known as Particle Matter or PM. Soot, smoke and industrial emissions most often contribute to PM in the air and can be absorbed to some degree by trees, green spaces or open land. Lahore has lost many of these over the past decade. It seems the citizens of Lahore are now paying the price for a very skewed model of development. Already, global concern is being expressed about what is being called the Asian Brown Cloud, a layer of dust and smoke which seems to hang over the subcontinental region partially due to weather conditions, partially due to heavy pollutants in the air, and can be seen from the air by landing aircrafts. We need to try and understand why we, and other nations in the region, have failed to tackle pollution.

As we see people in Lahore don masks and rush to medical stores for drops to relieve rampant eye irritation, what is most disturbing is that the Pakistan Meteorological Department has reported these conditions could persist for up to two months. This is terrible news and also means that there will be no improvement in a situation which is causing a growing number of problems for almost every resident of a city that houses at least 10 million people. Other cities in the region, including at least five in India, as well as Rawalpindi and Peshawar, also have dangerously poor air quality. Medical experts in Lahore are already reporting a large number of cases of worsened asthma, notably among infants and children. Warnings have been issued to avoid outdoor exercise or play. Those who spend long periods of time outdoors, including security guards or traffic policemen, are most at risk. Our unpreparedness for such a situation can be indicated by the fact that no Air Quality Index measurements from any government source have been shared. The Punjab chief minister has set up a committee to assess the smog and advise people on precautionary measures. This however has done little to dampen anxiety and anger in Lahore, a city which many of its citizens complain has fallen victim to such ills as a result of poor planning, governmental failure to control industrial growth and policies which involve the shutting down of open space across the Punjab capital.

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To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)

For journalists

While hundreds of journalists have been killed around the world over the last decade, with violence spiraling upwards in many countries including Pakistan, the murderers often escape without punishment. The International Day Against Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked on November 2, is intended to highlight this problem. Over 700 journalists have been killed globally since 2013. Motives vary from action by state agencies, criminal gangs and mafias to the death of reporters and cameramen invariably at the front line of conflict and war. To end such crimes, it is essential that those responsible be penalised under the law. We can see that this does not always happen in our own country. In fact, most often, it does not happen at all. In 2005, Hayatullah Khan was kidnapped in North Waziristan, his body found six months later handcuffed and mutilated. Despite protests led by his small children, we still do not know clearly who killed him. The same is true in other cases, including that of Saleem Shahzad murdered in Islamabad in 2011, as well as other deaths which seemed to have resulted directly from the professional action of these media professionals.

The problems journalists face in Pakistan have been highlighted by the ‘most resilient journalist’ award given to Geo TV’s senior journalist Hamid Mir by the prestigious UK-based International Free Press organization. Mir had survived an assassination attempt in 2014 as well as facing other threats with courage while refusing to give up his determination to present the truth before audiences. This is the primary role of journalists. It is unfortunate that so many have been killed simply for performing what is their duty. Governments around the world, including our own, have failed to do enough to protect media professionals. The fact that those who murder them are so often not successfully prosecuted can only embolden others to target journalists. Such killings have taken place all over the country. We need to find ways to protect journalists better and allow them to bring forward the information that every citizen has the right to access.

Karachi killings

Questions over what the priorities of NAP in Karachi are were raised once again after a spate of apparently sectarian killings hit the city. On Friday, three members and two apparent sympathisers of the ASWJ – a banned sectarian organisation – were shot dead within half an hour in two separate incidents. These killings came a week after five members of the Shia community were shot dead at a religious event. Law enforcement seemed to make little progress in connection with the incident. However, following Friday’s murders both the police and the Rangers were immediately spurred into action, arresting ex-PPP senator Raza Abidi. The politics of Karachi is uniquely conducive to aggravating ethnic and sectarian tensions. That the groups here are all armed to the teeth acts as a multiplier. Thus, when there are incidents of target killings, the toxic brew of turf politics and sectarianism comes to boil. In the matter of Abidi’s arrest, it is unclear what kind of connection has been established by the security outfits involved, but in this case quite a few have found the high-profile arrest a bit strange only a day after the incidents. The ASWJ is itself a banned extremist organisation that nonetheless is able to hold rallies openly and even contest elections.

It is not just about impressions. The Sindh government has refused to name the 93 madressahs it has put on the terrorism watch list as madressah representative bodies have begun to exert pressure on the government to stop ‘intrusion’ in their affairs. By not naming the madressahs under suspicion, it has opened itself to criticism from both religious groups and the broader citizenry. The Sindh government had recently warned that militant groups are closely tied to many madressahs and use them for fresh recruits. It has a responsibility to ensure that madressahs are only being used to impart education, and not to instil hate. The responsibility of tackling sectarianism extends to the law-enforcement authorities too. When the Rangers-led operation began, it was also targeting the TTP and other militant groups but now it seems to be focusing almost exclusively on the political parties in the city. While getting these parties to change their violent ways is important, so too is putting an end to sectarian violence. Militant groups which have been banned should not be permitted to operate so openly and their well of recruits has to be dried up. This is a question both of political and law-enforcement will with the government working hand-in-hand with the Rangers before more needless blood is shed. This must be done if Karachi is to avoid becoming the heart of sectarian strife in the country once again like the 1990s. If one looks at the increasing number of attacks and counter-attacks, this is a real possibility.

Sharbat Gula

The fate of the iconic ‘Afghan girl’ Sharbat Gula has now been decided. A special anti-corruption and immigration court has ordered Sharbat to be deported and also sentenced her to 15 days in prison, including time served, after she pleaded guilty to illegally staying in Pakistan, forgery, tampering with documents and cheating. The decision has been met with outrage both internationally and locally. Amnesty International called it a grave injustice and accused Pakistan of violating the principle of non-refoulement – sending a refugee back to a country in which they are liable to be persecuted. Sharbat Gula had to be shifted from prison to hospital because she is suffering from Hepatitis C, a common affliction among refugees living in squalid camps. The Afghan government reacted to the deportation order by promising to roll out the red carpet for her and international attention to her case should hopefully ensure that she is at least given a home and protection. Ultimately, though, Pakistan has still made the decision to deport a refugee to a country in the midst of a war. This is in violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Even though Pakistan has refused to ratify that convention, primarily because of the rights it would give to Afghan refugees, we should still aim to live up to its principles. In this case, we have sadly failed.

There are at least tens of thousands of Afghan refugees stuck in the same position as Sharbat Gula. They are unable to return to their home country and end up acquiring fake identification because that is the only way they can get jobs to feed themselves. If the state is serious about cracking down on fake identification which may be used by militants, it needs to target not genuine refugees but those who accept bribes in return for issuing fake IDs. We have the responsibility to respect the rights of the refugees who are already in Pakistan, not just on humanitarian grounds but also because we have been so deeply involved in the wars fought in Afghanistan since 1979. But the Afghan government too has a responsibility to ensure conditions are improved so that refugees can return home. The special treatment it is promising Sharbat Gula should be given as a matter of course to every refugee who comes back to Afghanistan. And the Western world needs to realise that just because every other refugee wasn’t on the cover of National Geographic doesn’t make them any less worthy of their attention and concern.

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To succeed,look at things not as they are,but as they can be.:)