08 COMMENT Pakistan, India and Afghanistan Friendly ties between Pakistan, India an Afghanistan can usher in a new era of development and progress
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areNDra Modi’s reply to Nawaz sharif’s letter would encourage those who are keen to see south asia develop and prosper. The governments of the two countries armed with nuclear weapons owe it to their people and the world at large to act responsibly. They simply cannot allow any thoughtless move which has the potential to wipe out all the gains made by the people of Pakistan and India through hard work and self sacrifice spread over decades. The two sides can realise their immense potential only if they maintain friendly ties and go for mutual cooperation. enhancement of regional trade can bring down costs of inputs and reduce prices of finished goods, generate more jobs and provide opportunities to the youth. Confidence building measures, combined with resolution of outstanding disputes, can lead to reduction in defence expenditure and diversion of extra funds to economic and social development and curtailment of poverty. Border incidents should be immediately brought under control by energising the existing mechanism, as was agreed in December between the two DGMos. The fire that was ignited on LoC on Friday must not be allowed to spread to other places as happened during the last two years. agreements related to economy and visa liberalisation should be enforced and talks on substantive issues revived. Islamabad needs to welcome and reciprocate the sentiments expressed by afghan presidential hopeful abdullah abdullah who has said he would seek Pakistan’s cooperation. Weeks before, he told a questioner that he was looking forward to improving relations with Pakistan. Pakistan should not let this chance of developing good neighbourly relations with afghanistan slip out of hand. Friendly ties between Pakistan, India an afghanistan can usher in a new era of development and progress. With better avenues for the release of energies made available, it will be possible to wean away the youth of the three countries from extremism and terrorist activities.
Some sense in Achakzai’s sermon
The need to put the house in order
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erhaPs implying democracy was in danger was going a step too far, but there was some sense in Pakhtunkhwa Milli awami Party chief Mehmood Khan achakzai’s speech at the National assembly the other day. There are definitely strains on democracy. But those are not the kind that require making “a front for democracy”, rather developing a service delivery framework that directly impacts the people. representative government must be seen improving lives of people. so far the government’s focus has been institutional superiority. But mere transfer of power means little to the man on the street. and if he remains disenfranchised, the ‘democratic system’ will indeed be derailed. Mehmood Khan was also spot on that we need to turn our energies inwards, suggesting, of course, that our focus now must move away from threats across eastern and western borders, and putting the house in order must take precedence. and would that he could really, like he said, get hamid Karzai or abdullah abdullah to sign a non-interference commitment. There are too many preventive layers. Both countries’ agencies support proxies against each other, and, just like achakzai said, both host sanctuaries on their sides of the border. Unwinding this web will take deep rooted government and institutional engagement. The region will turn a new leaf when the americans leave later this year, and a security vacuum will develop along the Durand Line. It is in both countries’ interest to go the extra mile to ensure that the transition is handled amicably. Both countries face insurgencies that can tear societal fabric apart if not handled properly. and if these problems snowball, then democracy will indeed be in jeopardy, and not just in Pakistan. This is the sort of advice the PM should receive from his closer circle of advisors.
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami Editor
Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Saturday, 14 June, 2014
Waking from the slumber Government is content that terrorist foot soldiers were killed in Karachi airport attack while no one is talking about apprehending the mastermind
Abdul QuAyyum KhAn Kundi
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oMeTIMes it feels that our whole nation is in a constant state of slumber. at each terror incident we are jolted from that slumber, we move our limbs violently for a few moments and then get back to it. I am always surprised by the reaction we express at these incidents. When politicians are nothing but glorified municipal council members more interested in their development budgets that they can use to recoup their election expenses and seek committee memberships to earn perks; when Generals are more interested in politics than soldiering as reuters reported few weeks ago quoting an anonymous military source that the army chief would prefer to save the institution rather than the constitution; when media is more interested in getting the best shot for their eye balls even at the cost of jeopardising a counter offensive against a terrorist attack; when judges are indifferent towards delays and injustices in the judicial system to punish hardened criminals; when those responsible to seek advance knowledge of terror plots to prevent them from happening don’t feel the shame of failure in discharging their duties, then in these conditions terrorists and criminals roam free. God has informed us that the condition of a nation cannot change until they change themselves. We want the situation to improve without making any effort to improve ourselves in our attitude towards society and our social responsibility. This is not a sustainable condition and cannot go on forever. What are our options? our options are simple but difficult to implement as it requires character and will. The role of the parliament and elected government is to hold civil and military establishment responsible for delivery of services. They have to set policy direction and budget allocation based on their election promises. The government has failed to initiate a parliamentary oversight system so that subcommittees can call the intelligence and law enforcement officials to brief them about security threats and fail-
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ures. The reports prepared by these subcommittees have to be shared with public so that they can judge those that are held accountable for these failures and corrective actions are taken to prevent future incidents. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar ali Khan promised some months ago that a special federal force will be created to fight terrorists. This is not the first time that we are creating such a force. some years ago the sindh government created an elite Commando police force but political hiring, lack of discipline and resources resulted in total failure of that experiment. It is fine to try one more time to create such a force but what is the guarantee that it will not become another avenue to provide jobs to members of the political party. Immediately after the Karachi airport incident, senior law enforcement officers issued press statements that terrorists had sophisticated weapons of Indian origin. a day later we learnt that those terrorists were Uzbeks. This means that this was an incident of cross-border terrorism. This raises the question which intelligence agency is responsible to prevent these kinds of incidents and why the officials of this agency are not called by the government to show cause for their failure. secondly, these terrorists travelled from North to south using domestic transportation but no one tracked them. someone transported their weapons as well as provided boarding and lodging while they planned their attack. This kind of attack requires detailed planning, training and resources. This means that someone provided them financial support as well. Domestic intelligence and investigation of federal crime is the responsibility of Intelligence Bureau and Federal Investigation agency (FIa) respectively. Why government and parliament has not called these officials for questioning and find reasons for their failure? Why is it that not a single high official has lost their job despite repeated failures to prevent these terror incidents? It is the responsibility of the parliamentarians and elected government to hold them accountable. If they can’t do this then they are not suitable for elected offices. No counter-terrorism intelligence operation can succeed unless and until there is a strong bond of trust and partnership between the agencies and people. People have to become eyes and ears for the agencies and provide information about suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods. Most of these terrorists have sympathisers among the civilian population who provide them intricate information about the area as well as offer them dwelling during the planning stage. Intelligence agencies need to improve their communication with the people through electronic and social media as well as set up a call centre to gather leads. right now people are too scared to come forward
with information as they feel they are mistreated and their identities could be revealed to the militants who could take revenge from them. It is the role of the media to inform the nation about facts that state functionaries try to hide to protect their jobs. our investigative journalists are too busy chasing the money looted by petty criminals rather than write detailed reports about intelligence and security failure. It is true that there are risks in pursuing that path but if we ask our soldiers and policemen to risk their lives then journalists have to come forward too. Coercive power of the state has to be used against all those militant factions that claim responsibility for these terrorist acts. There is no way dialogue or peace negotiations can be held with these factions. on the other hand, militant groups that are willing to reconcile with the state should be given an opportunity to lay their arms and provided support to rehabilitate. We also have to find a political solution to FaTa and most of the people from that region have expressed their desire to be given the status of a province. a parliamentary committee should be established to initiate preparatory work for an eventual political solution. a military operation without a viable political solution will only produce more grievances and recruits for the militants. There is an international dynamic to the terrorism in Pakistan. It is important that government should organise a foreign minister level regional security conference in which all stakeholders have to be invited including Iran, afghanistan, India, Usa, China, russia, eU, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. We need to inform India that in last five thousand years of south asian history almost all invasions of India originated from Kabul. It is in their, as well as Pakistan’s, interest that situation in afghanistan remains stable after the departure of IsaF forces. Pakistan has a strategic interest in afghanistan as a neighbour and India has to recognise it for their own economic and social stability. It is important that a regional platform is developed that guarantees respect for sovereignty of each nation, economic development of the region in which everyone participates, and providing security guarantees to all members of the region. This is the only way this region can get out of over four decades of wars and turmoil and embark on stability and prosperity. It is our shared responsibility. sometimes complex problems have easy solutions. all it takes is to rise above the narrow self-interest and willingness to make sacrifices for the larger interest. Abdul Quayyum Khan Kundi is former president of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, USA, and member PTI Advisory Committee.
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Misplaced priorities after Nawaz sharif’s recent meeting with Narendra Modi, hardliners on both sides of the border started their hate-campaign to discredit the peace move initiative between these two arch rival countries. I just wonder what our politicians’ real priorities are and who the forces are which influence the politicians to change their mind. Last week, Nawaz sharif was very rightly questioning in a seminar that how come Pakistan, a nuclear state, is facing power breakdowns of 6-8 hours duration on daily basis. In Pakistan, general public is on the streets demanding power and gas to run their daily chores in industries, offices and homes. Pakistan wastes tens of MaF of fresh water into the sea instead of storing it for power generation; lack of trust among provinces on building new dams leads to expensive thermal power generation option. same goes for India – Narendra Modi promised during the elections campaign — ‘Toilets first, Temples later’. India, another nuclear state, wherein half-a-billion people, about 48% of the population, have no access to basic sanitation and defecate in the open. In villages, 65% people have to defecate in the open fields, same goes for slums and shanty towns around the major metropolises. Increased number of reported/unreported rape and sexual assault cases have been blamed on vulnerability of women and girls while off to public toilets or open fields. I wonder what the real priorities of these two states are which take pride in equipping themselves to teeth with nuclear weapons and missiles. Who will choose between stockpiles of nuclear weapons and improved law and order, economic growth, basic sanitation and
clean water for the general public? sadly, the policymakers have no clue what it is like to spend a summer day without electricity, or to walk to an open field to defecate. MASOOD KHAN Jubail, Saudi Arabia
A cultural display Lahore is the cultural heart of Pakistan as it gathers most of the arts, cuisine, festivals, film-making, music, gardening and intelligentsia of the country. This spring the city is decorated by beautiful lights and colours. The Lahore Branch Canal was constructed by the Mughals and upgraded during the British raj. This canal is surrounded by the roads form both sides and each side is called Canal Bank road. Canal Bank road passes through a variety of localities including farmland (from Khaira to Mughalpura) and some of Lahore’s older and most expensive residential areas including Garden Town, Gulberg, shah Jamal and Zaman Park. Punjab University’s Quaid-eazam Campus is also located alongside Canal Bank road; the hostels and faculty departments afford scenic views of the canal. Canal holds importance in the culture of Lahore. relevant to the festivals, on the local and national events such as eid, Basant, Pakistan Day, Jashan-e-Baharn, Independence Day etc, the canal is decorated with different lights and other objects. on these occasions the canal presents a view worth watching that delights the hearts of the viewers. This year the canal in Lahore was beautifully decorated with different art pieces and historical monument to welcome spring in the city. Masjid Wazir Khan, Bab-e-azaadi, Quaid tomb and many other models of important buildings were on display. Models depicting a man and monkey, various animals, peacock, and
CMYK
women using charkha and others were in display. The poor people come to canal for their refreshment along with their families. Children especially are found to enjoy this colourful exhibition of history and culture. The canal is an essential part of Lahore’s historical and cultural identity. The government should encourage such cultural activities not only to enjoy but also to promote the culture. These types of activities encourage people to like their culture. UMER SAEED Lahore
Energy solution for Pakistan Pakistan is facing a severe energy crisis in terms of inverse relationship between its demand and supply while keeping the influential factor ‘price’. In order to overcome such highly expensive mode of energy production, development of indigenous energy resources is the best suitable option. The ‘Thar Coal project’ lies under this category where hundreds of billions of tons of coal lies beneath the sand in Thar region of sindh, which can be utilised in a skilful manner by our own people in order to provide positive and fertile results; more cost-benefit, more chances of employment, long lasting effect etc. There will be only one time expense in the initial stage of this effort unlike importing it again and again which makes this a very expensive trade. If we value the importance of Thar Coal project then we can get rid of many problems as it has the ability to produce 50,000 MW of energy for the next 50 years which will definitely enable us to strengthen our economy and our energy security. HADIQA AMIN Karachi