Savagery in Sialkot

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Two young men have been beaten to death in public in Sialkot. After the brutality their bloodied bodies were then dragged to a place where they were hung upside down. Their murder was watched by a crowd of hundreds, not one of whom lifted a finger in protest. Within the crowd were uniformed policemen, who likewise did nothing to stop those who were wielding the sticks and throwing the rocks. The edited footage, with the worst of the imagery masked out, has been aired on TV channels. Raw unedited footage is available on the internet and it reveals horror within the horror. At least 28 persons took part in hitting the men or throwing rocks at them, with the individuals identified by their clothing. The faces of at least eight men taking part in the murder are clearly identifiable. The men were assaulted in two locations, and had been badly beaten before arriving at the place where they were finally killed. At least three people filmed the incident on their mobile phones. The background to the murders is predictably murky and confused, with reports of the young men having been involved in crime, perhaps murder. Other reports say they were innocent victims caught in a rivalry between two groups that had an enmity. Still other reports say that "powerful figures" connived at their death. Or it may have its origins in something as trivial as a disputed cricket match.
Is this what we are? Savages? So utterly bereft of a speck of humanity that a crowd of ordinary men are passive spectators to public murder? Was there not a single man among those present who did not think to himself that what he was witnessing was wrong and should therefore be stopped? Did none of the police present think it their professional duty to arrest the men doing the beating before their very eyes? Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has taken suo moto notice of the killings, admonished the relevant DPO and demanded a report to his court every day as to progress in the investigation. The SHO allegedly involved in the lynching has reportedly been allowed to escape by fellow policemen and five people are said to have been 'nominated'. Beyond that -- and the expected outcry from civil society organisations -- there is and will probably be, nothing. So benumbed are we by excess and the collapse of our moral framework that this appalling crime may quickly fade in the public mind and be forgotten.

Aid from India

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Pakistan has finally accepted an Indian offer of $5 million to help with flood relief and made the necessary gestures of acknowledgement. However, we cannot get away from the fact that the decision to accept came only after a statement from the US State Department that it expected no politicisation of the flood assistance effort and wished for Pakistan to accept the Indian funds. It is unfortunate that we waited so long to do so. The deadlock over the matter was completely unnecessary and, if anything, has made Islamabad look rather petty. After all, its priority at this time must be to help its people, rather than pick and choose where money desperately needed for this purpose comes from. At the moment this luxury is not available to us.
There is also ample evidence that the offer by New Delhi was made in good grace. As a country that has faced all kinds of natural catastrophe, India is well aware of the challenges these pose. Such times also offer an opportunity to make friends. This should have been seized by Pakistan, given that better ties with India are crucial to the future of the region as a whole, and particularly to Pakistan's role within it. The whole matter is also something of a mystery. It is hard to say why the government found it necessary to ponder for so long over the matter. Its leaders have, after all, made more than one call for funds. It seems especially foolish, then, to reject help when it comes in. Or to await "orders" from Washington, which does nothing to boost our standing or our dignity. It is good the Indian money will join other cheques deposited in accounts. But the quite unnecessary fuss over the whole matter raises further doubts over the manner in which foreign policy is being handled in Islamabad, as well as about government priority when it comes to doing everything possible to help the desperate victims of the calamity.

Sin of denudation

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The flood disaster we face has been termed by many as an act of God, against which man can do little. As happened after the 2005 quake, some clerics have blamed the disaster on sins committed by people. This makes little sense, given that those who have suffered most are poverty-stricken villagers who already had piteously little, and that too has now been snatched from them. But the notion that the disaster is, to some extent at least, caused by the follies of humans is not entirely erroneous. The impact of a degraded environment on the disaster and its scale has yet to be assessed. But some environmentalists have pointed out that the stripping of forests that has taken place across the north over many years contributed to the torrents which raced down hills and destroyed everything that stood in their way. It is no secret either that, in many cases, politicians have patronised timber mafias operating in Swat, Shangla, Azad Kashmir and elsewhere. There should be a probe into how much of the situation has been caused because barrages, dams and dykes had been defectively built and into the breaching of walls along watercourses that led to specific areas being inundated.
While man cannot stop rain, he can contribute to the havoc it creates through measures that–for the sake of profit–act to create environmental destruction, regardless of the possible consequences. At a wider level, bringing up an issue that extends beyond our borders, the UN has suggested that the impact of global climate change on the floods in Pakistan should be examined. This too is important. As global citizens we need to be aware of the need to do all we can to prevent global warming, and by doing so make the Earth--as well as our own country--a slightly safer place for everyone who occupies it.

Aafia's suffering

Saturday, September 25, 2010
Shawwal 15, 1431 A.H.

Condemnation has come in from political parties, religious groups and others over the sentencing of Dr Aafia Siddiqui in New York. The judge of the US federal court sentenced Dr Siddiqui to 86 years in prison on Thursday. The lawyers of the neuroscientists, who appeared in ill-health through much of the proceedings, had sought a 12-year term. Dr Siddiqui lashed out at US courts during the hearing, but asked Muslims around the world to remain calm. She also stated that she was not being tortured--a statement which will at least offer some solace to her distraught family in Karachi. Calm, though, may not prevail at home in the reaction to the sentencing. Street rallies seeking the repatriation of Dr Siddiqui, who appeared on a 2004 FBI list of "most wanted" persons, have already been called and held. While the public wrath in the case has so far centred around the US, protesters could also do well to raise questions that can best be answered at home. We still do not know, for instance, who was involved in the abduction of Dr Siddiqui and her three small children from Karachi in 2003. Her family was warned to maintain silence when they attempted to pursue the matter. The possibility that Dr Siddiqui was handed over to the US authorities by our own agents needs to be explored.
While a furore will naturally rise at home over the case, human rights activists should also use the affair to direct attention towards the fate of other Pakistanis who have also landed up in foreign jails. Some are certainly innocent or guilty of little more than immigration offences. They too, like Dr Siddiqui, deserve justice. It is important also that the details of Dr Siddiqui's story should be explored in greater depth. It is undoubtedly an immensely sad one. No one should suffer the fate she has suffered. There is reason for the anger we see. But perhaps the tale of the young woman can also offer us insight into how extremist networks operate and why the best and brightest in our land may be targeted by them. Perceived and real injustice perpetuated by the US plays a role in this. But it is important to rise above emotion and examine all these factors--so that others can be spared the same suffering.

A solution at last

Saturday, September 25, 2010
Shawwal 15, 1431 A.H.

The hammering out of a solution between the HEC and the Planning Commission, which will lead to teachers at 72 public-sector universities going back to the lecture halls, is welcome. The formula devised is simple enough and involves the grant of sufficient funds to universities to allow them to pay staff. No new scholarships will be offered this year, but students studying abroad will receive their stipends and projects nearing completion will be funded. It is strange that it took strike action from academic staff for the agreement to be reached. Surely it would have been possible to reach the agreement without this becoming necessary. The unpleasantness at the meeting between the vice chancellors and Federal Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh could also, quite easily, have been avoided. It's strange why bad blood was created when a solution seems to have been possible all along. There is little sense in all this.
But we should be glad that a longer strike, one disrupting education for thousands of students, has been avoided. However, in the course of the row, the attitude of the government has been revealed. Its approach to higher education is not encouraging. This is especially true as funding is not the only issue faced by this sector. There are many more, related to the need to push up standards and to do away with vices such as plagiarism. More money is required to tackle these issues. The grant made now consists of little more than a subsistence sum. For the future we need more thinking and a better strategy. Our public-sector universities desperately need support to overcome the problems they face and to move on with the task of bringing quality education to students who represent the future of our country.

Bad business

Saturday, September 25, 2010
Shawwal 15, 1431 A.H.

Federal Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has shared with the National Assembly the alarming news that our banks have written off Rs50 billion of bad debts over the last two years. Putting this into perspective, the banks have done the equivalent of assembling a pile of money worth Rs50 billion, and then systematically torn it up. In ironic juxtaposition to this news, and speaking in the same question hour on Thursday, Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for the Economic Affairs Division, told the House that we were currently paying $3.6 billion in interest payments to our three principal international lenders every year. Our total borrowing from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund has now reached $31billion.
These two statements are illustrative of the rot at the heart of our own banking sector. On the one hand, we beg for money internationally, while on the other we are so unable to adequately manage our own internal business affairs that we casually tear up money. Our banks need to be a lot tighter in their lending procedures, and a lot more circumspect as to the risks they expose themselves to. Doubtless, there must have been political pressure behind the making and subsequent default of many of these loans, but that is no excuse. Bad business is bad for all of us, and our banks are irresponsible, poorly managed and politically manipulated. This bad business must end for the sake of all of us.

__________________
Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________

Unwise moves



26-09-2010



The actions taken by the government over the past few months have led us straight where we had feared they would. The Supreme Court is clearly un-amused by the latest antics and has made this clear in no uncertain terms that the prime minister and others should be aware what the consequences would be of any decision to deviate from court orders on implementing the NRO. The chief justice, in his remarks, called the prime minister a ‘wise man’. We wonder, judging by all that has gone on, if this is really true. Any group of individuals who were truly wise would have done all they could to prevent the state falling into such grave a crisis. Outlandish people and statements like that of Mr Qayyum Jatoi prove this point. The apex court has made it obvious that it will not take further defiance lying down. As it has stated, it will be a huge mistake to do so unless we want a situation where criminals think nothing of court verdicts. We have, then, that clash of institutions that so many warnings had been issued about. The failure to take heed has led us to the point on the very edge of a crumbling cliff where we stand today.
The court has made its stance quite clear. It is unimpressed by the notion of presidential immunity cited again and again by the government. If we look at the institution of immunity for heads of state in a historical context, it is also true that — while the purpose is to ensure stability — it is not to protect acts of corruption. The apex court, under our Constitution, is of course also the interpreter of provisions laid down in it, such as immunity. It had always been clear that the court’s ruling on the NRO could not be defied indefinitely. The government’s stubborn refusal to accept this reality has led to the crisis we now face with two institutions standing face to face and up against each other. The time for solutions, for remedies or for calming words seems to have run out. This is worrying. The options available now are limited and the government, right now, seems to have no cards in its hand. No one yet has taken the prime minister’s advice and stepped down in cases where they face charges under the NRO, and the court’s terse warning of other actions to defend its decisions is one that cannot be dismissed as things stand now.

Millions missing





26-09-2010



Barely is the ink dry on the agreement to monitor the money given to us under the Kerry-Lugar Bill and we hear of $133 million going walkabout, current whereabouts unknown. The money had been given to us as ‘cash aid’ to alleviate the suffering of IDPs from Swat and Malakand in 2009, among other things. The revelations came at the confirmation hearings for the new US ambassador to Pakistan. The ambassador designate was being asked about what he would do to ensure that aid given by the US would get into the hands it was destined for. His questioner was none other than Senator Lugar, who had to hand a report by the US inspector general which said that $44 million had not reached that IDPs as planned and a further $89 million were missing under a cash transfer programme initiated early in 2010.
Is it any wonder that governments around the world have shied away from giving us cash in hand, directly to the government, in the current flood crisis? With this most recent news we may expect a strengthening of the position of those who argue that giving to us ‘in kind’, with aid delivered through local partners or international NGOs, makes a lot more sense than actually putting money in the hands of a desperately corrupt and dissolute government. Ambassador designate Cameron Munter (later confirmed) replied to Senator Lugar that as the local custodian of US aid in Pakistan he would do all in his power to prevent leakage. One part of his reply is worth quoting, and he said that concerns may be “... addressed through such mechanisms as the pre-award assessments, the insistence that either the institution or...the ministry has proper auditing facilities, and if not, that we will actually supply that auditing and that we will do comprehensive reviews.” Decoded, does this mean that we can expect US monitor teams actually inside line ministries checking on how their money is being disbursed? We live, as they say, in interesting times.



Postmortem

26-09-2010







The body of Pakistan cricket has been flown home to a muted welcome, and a postmortem is to be held to determine the cause of death. The pall-bearers landed at Karachi and Lahore looking very glum and heavily guarded by an assortment of security people and police as much to ensure that their wayward tongues did not land them in trouble as to protect them from the public. The manager of the Pakistan Cricket Board is presumably incarcerated in a soundproof box somewhere beneath three feet of concrete in the hope that he too does not talk the team and himself even deeper into the hole they are already in. Chief pall-bearer Waqar Younis said that it had been a punishing tour “on and off the field’ — which is probably one of the few statements by anybody concerned with this sorry business to have the hallmark of truth stamped on it.
Few can have imagined when it departed these shores four months ago that the body of Pakistan cricket would be returned to us in such a pathetic state. Who could have guessed that it would be struck down by what commentators are calling ‘fix-itis’ — a disease found where there is corruption and a tendency for sport and criminality to cross-fertilise. The final cause of its demise will be determined by a panel of well-connected ‘friends’ of cricket. They will report that they saw conspiracies everywhere riddling the body of Pakistan cricket; that the box it was carried home in was stuffed with hidden hands in every corner; that cricket was done to death by wicked Indians who fed it poisoned banknotes in a hotel in England and that those good and upstanding men who were members of the team had led spotless lives hitherto and there was not a shred of evidence to connect them to anything so base as fixing a part of a match for money. The funeral will be attended by 170 million mourners — none of whom will believe a word of the postmortem report on their much loved sport. Rest in peace — Pakistan cricket.

__________________
Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________

Senseless rant

Monday, September 27, 2010

Whilst the bandying about of nebulous tales of ‘conspiracies’ to undermine ‘democracy’ is one thing, actually falling on your own sword in public before an audience of several million is quite another. Rarely have we witnessed such senseless and silly rant as that which flowed from the mouth of Abdul Qayum Jatoi, the (now ex-) federal minister for defence production, on Saturday. Jatoi made an extraordinary set of accusations – extraordinary for a sitting minister – at a press conference in Quetta covered extensively by both the print and electronic media. Among other things he accused the army of killing Benazir Bhutto and Nawab Bugti; and went on to claim that corruption was an equal-opportunity activity and that there should be fair shares for all of any corruption that might be lying around unattended. He accused the chief justice of Pakistan of having a fake domicile certificate for Balochistan and left his audience wondering if he had taken leave of his senses.
Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Gilani was a little peeved with Mr Jatoi, and summoned him to the PM House on Saturday evening. The meeting was said to be brief but it ended with Mr Jatoi tendering his resignation, which under the circumstances he had little choice but to give. The PPP mandarins were quick to recognise the damage that Jatoi had done, and equally quick to distance themselves from him and what he had said. But the damage is done. The press conference at which Jatoi made his remarks is going to get re-cycled across the news channels for days to come and chewed over by political analysts for weeks. Such an attack from within the federal cabinet itself is an indicator of the weakness at the heart of the government that is hard to camouflage any longer. The wider question is whether Mr Jatoi he has inflicted lasting damage on the PPP government, and in so doing opened a door for the opportunists rumoured to be seeking its downfall.

Nepotism today

Monday, September 27, 2010

Nepotism and corruption go hand in hand. Today we see both in evidence everywhere. Cronyism has been the hallmark of the PPP government since the day it took office and, half way through its term, nothing at all has changed. While the courts have repeatedly pointed out the crassest examples of nepotism and ruled against them, nothing much has been done by the government to implement SC orders or to break away from the established pattern. The recent arrest of OGDCL managing director Adnan Khwaja, who had been appointed to the post despite being an NAB convict, highlights this. What we all knew, well before this government took office, is that nepotism has destroyed many institutions and organisations. The story of PIA is a case in point. The national carrier — once rated as among the best of Asia’s airlines — now struggles to survive. Statistics show it notches up among the highest number of delays and cancellations and questions have been raised about its safety standards. There are plenty of other examples of institutions destroyed by nepotism. The Pakistan Railways is among these, as are other “giants” which should be bringing in profits rather than acting as a burden on the exchequer.
The impact of nepotism also moves along further down the hierarchy, resulting in flawed mechanisms that take root in many places. The failure to adhere to merit has had a negative impact on education, on healthcare and on many other spheres of life. Even the appointment of bus drivers or postmen is not free of nepotism and the practice at the top gives rise to a culture which today permeates almost every layer of society. It is no accident that the few institutions which have been able to avoid succumbing to it rank as the most successful in the country. The rot which has set in needs to be carefully scraped away bit by bit. This is essential if we are to save our society and its institutions. As a first step, orders of the courts need to be implemented. But there is also a great deal more to be done. The norms we have become accustomed to need to change, and for this to take place the right examples need to be set at the very top.

Not enough

Monday, September 27, 2010

We now have on our statute books laws that are intended to prevent domestic violence. The PPP government made it a particular point to ensure these laws were passed. For this it deserves credit. Governments in the past had failed to do anything at all to promulgate such laws, with some legislators taking the view that these were matters best decided between families. We have seen the consequences of this in the many incidents of burning, beating and other kinds of abuse that surface from time to time.
We need, however, to make some kind of assessment of just how effective the laws have been. The indications are that even now violence continues in one form or another. Accounts of cases of burning surface every few weeks. It is possible that a very large number is not reported at all, because there is no way of knowing the actual number of such cases in our society. But it seems quite apparent that laws, on their own, are not enough. There is no evidence at all that the police are showing any more inclination than before to investigate such cases or intervene to save lives. The notion that what happens within homes is a matter not to be touched remains, and this means that — despite the laws intended to protect them — women are as unsafe as ever.

__________________
Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________

A longer wait

September 28, 2010

We will now all be holding our breaths that much longer. Accepting a plea from the government, the Supreme Court bench hearing the case on the NRO implementation has granted an adjournment till October 13. What happens after this date is anybody's guess. But the government -- especially the prime minister who is the central player as the chain of events continues to unfold -- will have more time to ponder its options. The PM must now consider if his suggestion that around NRO beneficiaries call it a day will be sufficient to meet the SC's order that its verdict be abided by. Mr Gilani has made it quite clear that the president will not be included among those. Much will hinge then on the court's interpretation of the issue of presidential immunity. Mian Nawaz Sharif has said that the court must determine this. The government holds to its position that Mr Zardari enjoys immunity and does not, or should not, fall under the court's ruling.
The delicacy of the current situation is highlighted by the meetings, the phone calls and the discussions taking place. Their intensity has increased dramatically over the past few days. In Islamabad the COAS, the president and the prime minister have met to discuss the prevailing situation in a high-powered session which is being regarded as immensely significant. How the various participants at that gathering have viewed matters could determine a great deal in the future. The Punjab chief minister has been in regular contact with the PM and other key politicians have also been putting in their varying pieces of advice. For the government there seems no choice but to abide by the court ruling. The court has also made it obvious -- in its orders that the Swiss cases be re-opened -- that it should not be taken for granted that the president is immune. Most people in the country, were there to be a survey, would agree. The clause on presidential immunity, we can be quite certain, was not intended to protect those who may have taken freely from the exchequer as the president is accused of doing. These are all matters for the PM and his aides to consider over the next days.

The Apache attack

September 28, 2010

The US remains locked in a struggle to gain popularity in Pakistan. This has been emphasised by special envoy Richard Holbrooke on several occasions in recent weeks. While the aid coming in from Washington for flood relief may indeed have some humanitarian motive, there can be no doubt at all that a political purpose is also involved. Washington needs to ponder how this fits in with the attacks in the north. The unusual inroads made into North Waziristan by two manned Apache attack helicopters on Friday goes a distinct step beyond the unmanned drone attacks we have become accustomed to. Thirty people are dead. While some of them may be insurgents, others may be innocent people who simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, like the innocents who have died before in US attacks. There will, quite naturally, be anger over the deaths. What is also true is that such rage extends beyond the northern areas, given that most Pakistanis see them as an attack on their country's sovereignty.
The government has so far failed to devise an adequate strategy to deal with such attacks. Its stance has so far been unconvincing. Almost everyone in the country believes -- as US officials have stated -- that, quietly at least, the authorities have agreed to the drone attacks. While the latest Nato action may not fit in this strategy, strictly speaking, it does form broadly a part of the same plan of action. We need to carefully consider whether it is a wise one, given its impact on the thinking of people and the rage it gives rise to. Although there is an argument that drone attacks also take out key operatives, the merits and demerits of the moves across the Durand Line need to be carefully considered.



Dirty games

September 28, 2010

All does not seem to be well at the site of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Last week a pedestrian footbridge collapsed injuring over twenty workers. A dog was photographed soiling a bed in the athletes' quarters. A cobra was found in the tennis centre and the latest in what seems to be a daily twist is that the organisers cannot decide who, in the absence of Queen Elizabeth, should open the games. Should it be her son, Prince Charles, or should it be the Indian president? The representative of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in New Delhi said that he was "extremely disappointed" by the condition of the athletes' accommodations and described them as "uninhabitable." However, Lalit Bhanot, the representative of the Indian organising committee, has his own opinion on the subject of hygiene. He declared that sanitary conditions were "subjective", and that different cultures had different standards. An Australian TV crew has made a mockery of the security arrangements by hauling a suitcase-sized potential bomb through one of the main gates -- unchecked.
This is a mess, both literally and figuratively. Bidding to hold the Commonwealth Games is highly competitive and the winner is saddled with the very considerable task of building the venue to international (rather than local) standards, and then marketing them effectively in order to defray the massive costs. Costs that, arguably, a developing nation like India can ill-afford and which has standards in many things that fall well below the international minimum standards – such as in the fields of hygiene and bridge construction. A large question mark is now going to hang over the issue of whether developing nations within the Commonwealth have the capacity to stage an event such as this. The games were to have showcased India's growing global political and economic interests, and to have rivalled the outstandingly successful 2008 Beijing Olympics. This now seems unlikely and the games have become a major embarrassment to the Indian government. India has to learn that if it wants to play Big Boys' Games then it has to learn Big Boys' Rules. Of this there is scant evidence thus far.

__________________
Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________

Decoding the raids

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Attempting to understand exactly what might be the significance of the increased US incursions into our airspace by drones and now manned aircraft is an imprecise art. There seems to be no agreement as to how many people were killed and injured in the course of three attacks. Perhaps six died and eleven were wounded in an attack in Kurram Agency in the early hours of Monday morning. Last Sunday there was an attack in North Waziristan which killed between 30 and 60 depending on which report you read. Last Saturday between 49 and 60 were killed in another strike in North Waziristan according to a spokesman for ISAF. Nor is there agreement between Pakistan and ISAF as to the number of incursions. What is startlingly clear is that a line has been crossed both literally and metaphorically – the Durand Line literally and the line which contained ISAF ground and air actions in Afghanistan.
During the last month drone strikes have increased as well, with reports in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday saying that this was linked to a complex plot to attack European cities. There have been about 20 drone strikes in the tribal areas this month alone, surpassing the previous high of 12 in January of this year. Adding together drone strikes and manned incursions a picture begins to emerge of an escalation of ISAF (American) activity against the militants they are fighting in Afghanistan. The area that militants here use is not confined to the thin strip of villages and outposts strung along the border; they have a presence right across the tribal areas. There is no published limit to how far ISAF forces may go in 'hot pursuit' -- indeed there is no published agreement between our government and ISAF that they are going to be allowed 'hot pursuit' anyway. The interior minister was evasive about the matter when questioned about it in the Senate on Monday -- refusing to confirm or deny if the government had a deal with the ISAF forces as to just how far inside Pakistan they were to be allowed to come. We have sent a demarche of protest to NATO headquarters in Brussels, saying that we may be 'constrained' to consider response options if our sovereignty is further violated. But what does it mean? Are our forces going to be ordered to shoot down American helicopters? Engage American troops on Pakistan soil? America, it seems, is going to fight its war wherever it wants -- and damn the consequences.

Do the right thing

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

We are told that Monday's meeting of the PPP parliamentary party opted for a reconciliatory approach and the avoidance of further confrontation with the judiciary. Information released from the closed-door meeting chaired by President Zardari also says PPP lawmakers were asked to avoid making statements on the NRO, while President Zardari emphasised -- as he has before -- that the PPP had fought hard for democracy and had every intention of defending it. All this is familiar rhetoric. The facts though are simple; if it is to avoid a clash, the government needs to implement judicial orders on the NRO. Its foot-dragging has led us straight to the present crisis. As the president said, there are immense problems facing the nation which need attention. But if attention cannot be directed towards the problems, the fault lies squarely with the government and the actions it has taken to open up a front with the judiciary.
It is also far from clear that any genuine effort is on to ensure that the Constitution is adhered to and the disregard for the judiciary ended. News from behind the scenes, brought by Geo TV and other sources, is disquieting. We are told that during the meeting the president used harsh language against the judiciary. The crucial issue hinges on the NRO beneficiaries and the decision as to their future. Again, the omens are not good. Interior Minister Rehman Malik -- reportedly taking the line that he is not an NRO beneficiary at all -- has refused to resign. It is to be seen if he will be made to do so in the next few days. The intentions of the government will become clear during this time. The court has sought a full list of the NRO beneficiaries and made it clear that it is not focusing on just the president. It is obvious, however, that the cases against him are central to the matter. The issue is not really one of reconciliation or of putting in place measures to build confidence, as the PPP has portrayed the problem. It is really one of doing the right thing and the meeting did not address this. The PPP should have the courage to do so.

Homecomings

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

People displaced by floods have begun returning to their villages in Sindh and Balochistan. Over the past few weeks, those in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had in most cases already made their way back. While the homecomings are welcome, they have also highlighted the challenges that lie ahead. A key issue is that of livelihood and the extent to which people have been deprived of their ability to earn it. The massive loss of livestock and the destruction of crops are key factors in this. The question is what can be done for these people. The "Watan Card" scheme, introduced for the grants of Rs20,000 to the flood victims so they can at least begin the task of rebuilding lives, is said to be riddled with massive corruption. The service introduced by NADRA -- which allows people to SMS their identity card numbers to enable the organisation to ascertain if they are on the list of beneficiaries -- will not serve much purpose. To begin with, the victims in some cases lack identity cards and there are doubts over how many possess the ability and technology to access this scheme.
This issue needs more consideration. Means to ensure that people can get back on their feet need to be put in place from Swat down to Dadu. This is admittedly a massive task which the government alone cannot manage. While it can try to persuade international agencies and governments to help out, this assistance can come only if the government can first set up a mechanism to distribute aid equitably. It needs to come up fast with proposals that can help the maximum number of people. These people's very survival depends on their ability to generate enough cash, on an immediate basis, to buy the essentials they need; food, for one.

__________________
Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________

Our financial fragility

September 30, 2010

Three convergent reports about money, its use, abuse and availability come together to illustrate our extreme financial fragility. The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the authority and jurisdiction of the State Bank of Pakistan to write off loans worth Rs256 billion over the thirty-nine years between 1971 and 2009. This has been going on for over half the life of the nation and spreads across military and civilian regimes alike. It appears that the write-off of a loan depends on the interpretation of section 33B of the Banking Companies Ordinance which sets out the pre-requisites for write-offs. The chief justice noted that SBP policy appeared 'open-ended' and that the relevant regulations were variably interpreted by successive managements of the SBP. The write-offs by state-sector banking were not alone, as the private sector has been merrily tearing up wads of money as well, with Rs50 billion written off in the last two years. It was further noted that the private banks are not paying their taxes on the massive profits that they are making.
The second area of convergence is around the remarks made by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at the US Global Leadership Coalition Conference. Speaking bluntly, she said that either Pakistan started to tax its elites -- hitherto untaxed or minimally taxed -- or the US would review its aid commitments to us. This position had already been laid out a week ago, with aid now conditional upon a range of compliances, and unless the rich are finally brought into the tax net we are going to find ourselves in the ranks of the undeserving poor -- and a lot poorer as a result. The third fiscal convergence concerns the reality coming down the tracks like a runaway train -- after making payments for defence, subsidies, interest on loans and pensions there is nothing left in the bank to run the federal government. It is not the overheated imagination of financial correspondents and hyped-up anchors telling us this, the word is coming from the Asian Development Bank in its Outlook 2010 report of Tuesday. The combined outlays for these sectors were gobbling up the taxes collected by the Federal Board of Revenue, which means that the operating costs of the federal government at 2.9 per cent of GDP were only sustainable via foreign aid and loans. Taking the three together -- fiscal irresponsibility by the banks, a tightening of aid conditionality linked to revision of the tax system, and the imminent bankruptcy of the federal government -- our financial crisis acquires a new depth. Sadly, most of the population never learned to swim.

The Aafia affair

September 30, 2010

The 86-year sentence meted out to Dr Aafia has aroused acute concern with human rights groups questioning the justification behind so long a term. The issue of her repatriation meanwhile echoes loudly through the country, with protesters taking to the streets and MQM Chief Altaf Hussain joining the chorus of voices condemning the US for its treatment of the young neuroscientist. The interior minister has said that Washington has agreed to repatriate her but, given the lack of credibility around Mr Rehman Malik, it is impossible to know if there is any truth in what he says. The issue has become one with a potentially big impact on Pak-US relations. Any goodwill Washington may have succeeded in building up among the people here has been nearly shattered by the case -- and also by the manner in which it has been played on by local groups giving it an anti-US twist.
For these reasons it may be worth some while for the US to consider extraditing Dr Aafia. A number of legal provisions need to go into place to make this possible, but these can of course be expedited with cooperation between Islamabad and Washington. Such a move may do more to combat the growth of terror than the incarceration of a woman who has quite obviously suffered a great deal already and seems to be in a mentally distressed state, judging by her appearances at the Manhattan Court. Islamabad needs to persuade the US that, to a very large extent, militancy is driven on by fierce anti-US feelings. The repatriation of Dr Aafia would help ease these. If Dr Aafia cannot be allowed to walk away free and if there is evidence she that is not entirely innocent, then 'justice' might demand that she be penalised under the law. But humanity does demand that this penalty should not be excessively harsh. As a person in need of both physical and psychological support Dr Aafia may fare better at home -- close to her family. Efforts must also be made to reunite her with her children whose fate is still a mystery. The return of Dr Aafia could also offer a valuable opportunity to explore the many mysteries in the case -- including how she was taken away from Karachi.

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Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________

Burning anger

October 02, 2010

When you have NATO/ISAF helicopters crossing your internationally recognised border and killing and wounding members of your military; the news that the CIA has promised to respect your sovereignty commands a degree of incredulity. Yet Leon Panetta, chief of the CIA and master of The Dark Arts, told our leaders just this tale when he met them on Thursday. He was speaking on the tail of a developing story that the increased drone strikes in September were linked to a plot being hatched in our Tribal Areas to unleash a Mumbai-style attack on European cities. We cannot comment on the veracity of this latest plot one way or another, but suffice to say that it is more than likely that radicalised western-born Muslims will gravitate in this direction, characters in search of an author, like the misguided Americans who were picked up tried and jailed last year. Notwithstanding this, the use of manned aircraft to raid into our territory is a significant upping of the ante and in a different league to the drone strikes that have become a part of the landscape of warfare.
But is it really an upping of the ante or merely the exercising of an agreement of which we are unaware? There has been no 'taking into confidence' of the population outside the upper echelons of government and the military as to just what has been agreed with NATO/ISAF in terms of their operational envelope, terms of engagement and depth of penetration. Simply, we do not know what our government has agreed with NATO/ISAF regarding their actions on our soil. Are there agreements which allow foreign forces to operate at will inside our borders? It is not enough for the government to deny that such agreements exist; it needs to actually prove their non-existence by revealing to us precisely what has and has not been agreed. How else are we supposed to make any informed judgment as to the violation of our sovereignty? Was parliament involved in the making of any agreement or were these agreements made unilaterally without reference to any legislative body? The blocking of NATO/ISAF convoys will be a temporary 'protest' measure. Anger was seen to burn bright in the speech to parliament on Friday afternoon by PM Gilani who said that 'other options' would be considered if our sovereignty was similarly violated in the future. If we are to read between the lines this could be an indication of a stiffening resolve, and a signal to ISAF/NATO that they really have crossed a line too far.

Divisive verdict

October 02, 2010

The ruling by an Allahabad court on the Babri Masjid issue has solved nothing at all. The verdict, which pleases neither Hindus nor Muslims, splits the site between them -- granting two-thirds to Hindus, accepting the extremists' plea that a temple once stood there which marked the birthplace of Rama. The case is a reminder of 'modern' India's obsession with theology and its tendency to descend into communal violence. There are fears that what happened in 1992 could happen again. The demolition of Babri Masjid was followed by frenzied rioting in which some 2,000 died -- majority of them Muslims.
The matter will now go to the Indian Supreme Court. The Indian prime minister, anxious to avoid any unrest while his nation hosts the Commonwealth Games, has said that nothing will change till the apex court's verdict. But will peace hold for so long? It is a question many in India will be considering. The country still remains locked in a struggle to keep peace between its religious groups and even a single irresponsible remark could incite anger in groups already riled up. The statement from Hindu extremists that a temple will be built on their portion of the land adds to the angst. Leaders from all communities need to act with responsibility. We hope communal violence that has proved so devastating in the past can be avoided and India, as a modern nation, finds a way to move beyond communalism.

Watan Card

October 02, 2010

The post-floods "Watan Card" scheme has become a source of raging controversy. Riots have been reported at Nadra offices where the cards are distributed, with people infuriated that their names did not figure among those entitled to receive the cards. Suspicion that there may be corruption involved in the schemes intended to assist them, that government functionaries are being favoured, has given rise to anger. The scheme was established to compensate flood victims for damages suffered as a result of the calamity that hit the country in July and is only now beginning to recede. But people who lost homes and properties claim their names do not appear on the lists of those eligible for the card which can be used to draw Rs20,000 from banks. Even though this sum is paltry, all the more so because of the soaring inflation, the need for the cash is desperate, at a time when some 20 million people are returning to destroyed homes as they go back to their villages. The UN has stated that most people have now gone home, but many face a dismal situation there.
We need to take these signs as the first pieces of evidence of just how much could go wrong. Nadra has attempted to streamline the system, but people seek more than efficiency; they seek honesty too. The perception that this is absent is creating a wave of unrest. So far it seems to be most acutely felt in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, but it could spread. The government, astonishingly, has still to react. Can there be any further demonstration of ineptitude? How can our leaders be so indifferent to their own people? The issue is not merely a humanitarian one. It has very distinct political contours. Since 2008, when the government was elected, we have been hearing accusations of corruption. The volume has grown. So too has the anger of people who have been forced to face dramatic inflation. Even the poorest have not been spared, with the cost of kerosene -- used by so many to light cooking stoves -- pushed up mercilessly. The new scandals linked to the floods will only add to the anger. The government, though, remains blind and deaf, and this could prove to be its undoing

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Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________

Musharraf again

October 03, 2010

Political analysts and psychologists have written extensively on the phenomenon of power – and how it can nurture a hunger for more. In the case of Pakistan's leaders, there is a marked reluctance to accept that their days in power are over. From his flat in London former president Pervez Musharraf continues to lay plans for a return to power, though it is far from certain if these are shared by anyone other than the few cronies he retains. But this does not deter the retired general from expressing, yet again, his 'vision' for Pakistan – a country with a "constitutional role" for the army. As we knew already, for him this is the panacea for Pakistan's instability. He would like to remake Gen Kayani in his own image and would have him effect a coup. How that will lead to stability is a secret known only to Musharraf, unless he has redefined the word stability to mean the havoc his regime played with this country's institutions. May we remind the retired general that for all his tough talk during the days he held sway, about not shedding his "skin"– i.e., his military uniform – he had to lose it, and with it his teeth too, in terms of power. The army has had to make a conscious effort to repair the damage done to its standing and reputation under his misrule.
Musharraf apparently hopes to use the new party he has launched, the grandiosely named All-Pakistan Muslim League, as a means to propel himself back into political office and to the power he was always reluctant to part with. To his credit, the general, at the press conference he addressed in London, did confess to having made "mistakes" – notably the NRO. To describe the NRO as a mistake is something of a coy understatement, given the terrible repercussions it has had and for which Pakistan continues to suffer to this day. Other wrongs too were spoken of and an apology made for them, call it graciousness. What Musharraf does not appear to realise, continuing to predict new military coups and other events in typically bombastic fashion, is that almost no one wants him back. While they may indeed by fed up with President Zardari and a government that has failed to deliver on virtually every front, this does not necessarily mean they wish to have their own future and that of their country thrust into Musharraf's hands once more. After all, his last stint in power amounted to little less than a disaster. The militancy, despite his claims that he was combating it, witnessed a sharp growth: it was under his watch that terrorism degenerated into suicide attacks. Among the tactics he used to create a political vacuum and sideline popular mainstream parties, he oversaw the establishment of the MMA. A large number of Pakistanis believe that the results of his hidden deals with Washington were tantamount to Pakistan's surrendering its sovereignty to the US. What makes his talk of "constitutional role" for the military infuriating, and annoying, is the way he behaved with the judiciary, doing everything in his power to destroy it. It is for this specific purpose that he staged his virtual coup of Nov 3, 2007– which ultimately led to his own political demise.
It is no surprise, therefore, that successive surveys in the past have demonstrated Musharraf's lack of popularity, as did the general elections of February 2008. There is no reason for us to believe that he has somehow become popular now. This is a reality the 'exiled' leader needs to accept. Today he remains a man rejected by the people of his own land. He would do them and himself a service by rather pursuing the games of golf and cards with which he reportedly occupies his time. He should leave politics for those better able to lead Pakistan out of its crisis, much of which is his legacy.

PM torpedoed

October 03, 2010

Prime Minister Gilani is diligent in his attendance in both the Senate and parliament, but after the events of last Friday he may choose to examine the notice of the day's business a little more closely before turning up. To say that the PM was discomfited by a NAB Ordinance issued by President Zardari on September 16 understates the situation considerably. He was not just discomfited, he was embarrassed and made to look either a fool or party to a conspiracy to deceive parliament. A real conspiracy this time, not the smoke-and-mirrors type of conspiracy so beloved of his lord and master the president. The cause of his discomfort was the fact that he appeared to know nothing of this ordinance despite it having been signed by him before it went to the president. So how come he was ignorant of it if he was supposed to have signed it – or did another hand, not his, do the signing before passing it to the president? If the latter is the case then – does the one who did the signing have delegated powers to do so?
Such was the obvious difficulty of the PM and so blatant the manipulation that the opposition staged a walkout, somewhat surprisingly accompanied by Senator Raza Rabbani of the PPP, who left in silence, doubtless ashamed to be associated with the shenanigans that led to the PM taking a torpedo in the vitals. And who pressed the button that fired the torpedo that caused the PM such difficulty? Why none other than our old friend Bomber Babar Awan, the federal law minister, who had cobbled together the amendment to the NAB Ordinances in such a way as to curtail the power of the NAB chairman. This was then – supposedly – signed by the PM and passed to the president's office where it sat for a fortnight before suddenly appearing in the last day of business of the current session. Odour of prime rat was smelled by one and all, and the PM, floundering and off-balance at being outflanked by the law minister, said that if there was any wrong done in the promulgation of this ordinance then he was ready to rectify it. Hot words were exchanged on all sides and Bomber Awan disclaimed all knowledge or intent of anything remotely resembling a conspiracy or cover-up. No matter what is said or done we once again see the president's men undermining the prime minister and ensuring that Mr Gilani gets the message as to who is in charge of the torpedo locker. So did the PM sign the ordinance?

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Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________

What onslaught?

October 04, 2010

Planet Zardari is an odd world. It orbits a dead star in one of the least developed corners of the galaxy and is ruled – for the time being – by a man who sees conspiracies under every cooking-pot and, most recently, ‘onslaughts’ coming around the corner like runaway trains. The president, a man who hardly lets a day pass without bestowing upon his subjects the benefits of his oratory, has now told us that ‘parliament is supreme’ (it isn’t, he is…or so he thinks) and knows well how to defend itself against an onslaught. An onslaught? Is there any sign of any onslaught or any indication that parliament is in any way threatened as an institution? And who might the attackers be? The army? The Americans or the Indians are the other likely candidates at first sight, but diving deeper into the presidential rhetoric we find that the ‘onslaught’ may be the work of ‘political orphans’, whoever or whatever they may be. These orphans, who had hitherto wandered the wilderness bereft of parental love and attention, have now joined hands with political actors and been adopted by them. Their mission is to destabilise the existing government, but they are apparently doomed to be frustrated because they will be tackled at the front gates by none other than the president himself wielding a sword forged from 24-carat democracy.
When we attempt to decode all this, it looks like the president is taking a swipe at his erstwhile political partners, especially those partners in Sindh who have of late been making ‘revolutionary’ rumblings and threatening to string up those feudals who get in their way as they go about establishing their own version of democracy. Poor democracy, sweet thing that she is, has been getting a good kicking from successive governments for the last sixty years or so, with the present dispensation introducing the novel tactic of wearing a democratic veil over the form of unreconstructed feudalism. We have to tell you Mr President that political protest of itself does not constitute, by any definition, a conspiracy. We realise that this may come as a shock to you but you are not, Mr President, universally loved or admired. This is a normal state of affairs in any democracy. Your detractors and political opponents constitute what is known in the democratic model as ‘the opposition’. ‘The Opposition’ is not a conspiracy; it is a legitimate and necessary part of democracy itself. It is the job of the political opposition to disagree with you and your party and its rule, and to seek to turf you out of office by that other peculiarity of democracy – the ballot box. So let us leave aside these opaque references to onslaughts and conspiracies and devote some of your time to saving an order which is crumbling beneath your feet. Or is that a wish too far?


October 04, 2010

The killing of Dr Muhammad Farooq Khan, a noted religious scholar and vice chancellor of Islamic University Swat, cuts another tragic knot in the ever-growing list of the victims of extremism. There are many reasons why the extremists would find him guilty of ‘heinous crimes’. He advocated the liberal and true face of Islam, spoke out against obscurantism, termed un-Islamic the killing of innocent human beings by suicide bombers; and the list of the slain scholar’s ‘sins’ goes on. Men like Dr Farooq must not be forgotten as another cold statistic — because that is precisely what his killers would want. Their objective is to turn the educated, the brave, and the moderate voices of Islam into mute statistics; for it is only when what is good is eliminated, and wisdom silenced, that evil and ignorance prevail.
Surely, the traditional strong condemnations from those at the helm have already come, with the promises of finding the guilty and making them pay for their crime. However, judging from the dismal record of the government, it is unlikely to ever happen. But merely because the murderers roam free, should they also be allowed to win? The killers of Dr farooq, and many other people of courage and conviction before him, must never emerge victorious in their macabre schemes. The voice of good must not be throttled by the hand of evil. A resounding message must go to these inheritors of darkness — that they may cut down those bearing the torch of reason, but they can never eliminate their ideals and their conviction; that the state and the people will stand by the loved ones of those who were felled while standing tall for the cause of reason and rationality in the face of the darkest kind of insanity and inhumanity. The government could make a meaningful beginning by launching a National Academia Endowment Fund. This fund must provide financial aid and other support including educational scholarships etc to the deserving dependants of the martyred men of letters. The funding could easily come through joint resources of the state and other donors. The unstated logic behind the targeted killing of educationists and scholars by religious fanatics and certain other kinds of extremist elements in different parts of the country is clear: to eliminate the alternative enlightened thought. The killing of an educationist, a scholar, is unlike that of any other professional; for here it’s not just the killing of a man but of an entire thought process resulting in the gradual throwing of our young generation at the mercy of the merciless. Can we allow this to happen?

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Be shak, Main tery liye he jeeta hoon or tery liye he marta hoon.....!(Baba Fareed)
____________Punjab Police Zindabaad____________