NO one is in opposition, everyone is in government.
We have as
well as do not have an opposition. ...PPP is in power; is PML-N not in
government? PML-F, PML-Q, MQM, ANP, legislators from Fata, JUI-F and
other religious parties are in one way or the other part of the
government. ...Even so, the problems of the common man remain unsolved.
...The PML-N says as the PPP is at the centre, it is responsible for
solv-ing all problems. Regarding the protests in Punjab, the PPP will
say that the PML-N is in government in the prov-ince, so why is it not
solving problems. In Karachi, regarding the law and order situation, the
MQM will say that it does not hold the home department portfolio and
therefore cannot do anything.... Strangely, everyone is responsible but
is not owning responsibility. It is for the first time in our country
that all opponents are in government at the same time. ...This is the
miracle of reconciliation. ...Five years have passed but the hard times
continue. ...[A]fter four years, the graph of problemshas not come down.
.People
would not have many complaints if there had been an undemocratic
government. But in the case of a democratic one, they have a right to
complain. Democratic governments are responsible to the people, they
have to go back to people.... Therefore political parties should not opt
for reconciliation to stay in power. They should opt for reconciliation
to solve the public`s problems. When someonesays that the country is
passing through difficult times it should be kept in mind that the
people are sufferingmore in these difficult conditions. ...In the
forthcoming elections, these political parties will again go to the
people and might win seats. But their lack of performance would result
in a low turnout. This would strengthen the idea held by undemocratic
forces that political parties have no capability to solve the problems
of the people. ...If problems remain unsolved, power is meaningless.
(June 26)• Selected and translated by Sohail Sangi
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
COALITION governments are by their very nature messy businesses
COALITION governments are by their very nature messy businesses: junior
partners demand their pound of flesh at every turn; pushing through
serious reforms is a fraught affair; and the senior coalition partner is
stuck walking a tightrope between the legitimate demands of the public
and the not-so-legitimate demands of its coalition partners. Having said
that, coalitions can and do deliver governance and policies when there
is the political will. Unhappily for Pakistan, a new prime minister and a
new cabinet have not translated into an iota of political will to try
and right the ship of governance and give it any forward momentum. With
the addition of 15 new ministers from the PML-Q on Monday, the federal
cabinet is within touching distance of the bloated Gilani cabinet.
Numbers only tell a part of the story: scroll through the list of
cabinet members and their portfolios and there is a distinct sense that
merit and aptitude were non-factors in selecting which minister will
handle which portfolio. Expecting a coalition disastrously unconcerned
with matters of governancefor over four years to become a paragon of
good governance overnight was perhaps too much. Then again, with a
general election around the corner and the country wracked by crises on
the economic, security and political fronts, there was some hope that
more attention would be paid to delivering on governance promises.
Of course, the motive behind the PPP`s capitulation to the PML-Q`s demands is fairly obvious.
In a patronage-driven electoral system where good governance is often a distant concern, the PPP is calculating that the PML-Q parliamentarians elevated to ministerial status will be able to leverage their clout inside the state system to defeat their opponents at the next election. And with Punjab set to be a crucial battleground, the more soldiers on the field the PPP-Q League combine has at the next election, the better its chances of securing re-election. It`s an approach borne out of a paucity of imagination. Arguably, a more competent cabinet in the final stretch would deliver more votes come election time than a patronage system being squeezed for another few drops of support.
Of course, the motive behind the PPP`s capitulation to the PML-Q`s demands is fairly obvious.
In a patronage-driven electoral system where good governance is often a distant concern, the PPP is calculating that the PML-Q parliamentarians elevated to ministerial status will be able to leverage their clout inside the state system to defeat their opponents at the next election. And with Punjab set to be a crucial battleground, the more soldiers on the field the PPP-Q League combine has at the next election, the better its chances of securing re-election. It`s an approach borne out of a paucity of imagination. Arguably, a more competent cabinet in the final stretch would deliver more votes come election time than a patronage system being squeezed for another few drops of support.
cross-border attacks in Fata
WITH the arrival of summer, cross-border attacks in Fata launched from
eastern Afghanistan have started once again. There have been three this
month, including one on Sunday in which six Pakistani troops were killed
in combat and another seven beheaded.
Four remain missing. If last year`s experience is anything to go by, there will be more assaults involving scores of militants attacking check posts along Fata`s northern border with Afghanistan, from Kunar province in particular. These get far less attention in the international press than attacks in Afghanistan allegedly launched by the Haqqani network from Pakistan.
But simply because no western troops are at risk in Fata does not mean the attacks here should be taken any less seriously as cross-border threats that are destabilising the region and disrupting relations between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US.
Islamabad has lodged a diplomatic protest, but thatisnotenough.Protests were also lodged, including by the army chief, after a similar spate of attacks last year. No action seems to have been taken in response. As much as Pakistan needs to get to work to eliminate safe havens in North Waziristan, Afghan and Isaf security forces need to figure out a way to eliminate them on their side. Isaf has scaled back its troop presence in eastern Afghanistan, and if it is not pre-pared to reallocate some of its soldiers to the area, Afghan security forces can step in. All three sides, perhaps through the framework of the Tripartite Commission, need to jointly chalk out a plan to dismantle safe havens, and the issue should be raised with the American commander in Afghanistan during his visit to Pakistan that starts today.
But this is not just an international problem.
Carried out by militants chased out of Swat during the 2009 operation there, these attacks represent what can go wrong even after a reasonably effective military campaign. For that operation to continue to be seen as a success, action will have to be taken here as well.
Security forces were already positioned in the affected border areas after last year`s attacks, but their continuation this year suggests more resources and a better strategy for guarding the area are needed. There is also the question of troop morale.
The loss of soldiers on Sunday comes after the beheading of seven troops in South Waziristan last week. Neither incident was followed by an official statement from the military leadership. At a time when Pakistani soldiers have lost so many colleagues, they deserve a public message celebrating their contribution and expressing the military`s resolve to combat the Taliban`s brutality.
Four remain missing. If last year`s experience is anything to go by, there will be more assaults involving scores of militants attacking check posts along Fata`s northern border with Afghanistan, from Kunar province in particular. These get far less attention in the international press than attacks in Afghanistan allegedly launched by the Haqqani network from Pakistan.
But simply because no western troops are at risk in Fata does not mean the attacks here should be taken any less seriously as cross-border threats that are destabilising the region and disrupting relations between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US.
Islamabad has lodged a diplomatic protest, but thatisnotenough.Protests were also lodged, including by the army chief, after a similar spate of attacks last year. No action seems to have been taken in response. As much as Pakistan needs to get to work to eliminate safe havens in North Waziristan, Afghan and Isaf security forces need to figure out a way to eliminate them on their side. Isaf has scaled back its troop presence in eastern Afghanistan, and if it is not pre-pared to reallocate some of its soldiers to the area, Afghan security forces can step in. All three sides, perhaps through the framework of the Tripartite Commission, need to jointly chalk out a plan to dismantle safe havens, and the issue should be raised with the American commander in Afghanistan during his visit to Pakistan that starts today.
But this is not just an international problem.
Carried out by militants chased out of Swat during the 2009 operation there, these attacks represent what can go wrong even after a reasonably effective military campaign. For that operation to continue to be seen as a success, action will have to be taken here as well.
Security forces were already positioned in the affected border areas after last year`s attacks, but their continuation this year suggests more resources and a better strategy for guarding the area are needed. There is also the question of troop morale.
The loss of soldiers on Sunday comes after the beheading of seven troops in South Waziristan last week. Neither incident was followed by an official statement from the military leadership. At a time when Pakistani soldiers have lost so many colleagues, they deserve a public message celebrating their contribution and expressing the military`s resolve to combat the Taliban`s brutality.
Spy Surjeet Singh to be freed soon
SLAMABAD, June 26: Indian prisoner Surjeet Singh is to be released after
spending 27 years in jail in Pakistan on spying charges.
There is confusion in Islamabad about the name of the prisoner Surjeet or Sarabjeet. Over the years all reports about the case have named him as Sarabjeet, but Law Minister Farooq H. Naek insisted on Tuesday that the prisoner being released was Surjeet Singh, son of Sucha Singh.
Mr Naek told Dawn that he had asked the ministry of interior that `Surjeet Singh must be set to liberty forthwith and return to India since he has already completed his sentence.
Surjeet Singh was languishing in Central Jail, Lahore.
`He (Surjeet Singh) deserves to be released since his death sentence had been commuted to life imprisonment by the president and which had also been accepted and concurred by the army, and since he has already completed his sentence,` Mr Naek quoted from the advice he hadsent to the interior ministry.
According to the law minister, Surjeet Singh would have to be released immediately otherwise his confinement would be considered `illegal`.
Giving a brief background, Mr Naek said that Surjeet Singh had been tried and sentenced to death under the Pakistan Army Act, 1962, on October 31, 1985, on spying charges and his mercy petition was rejected by the then army chief and president Gen Ziaul Haq.
Soon after taking over the government, then prime minister Benazir Bhutto declared on December 8, 1988, a general amnesty for all condemned prisoners in the country and advised president Ghulam Ishaq Khan to convert the death sentences to life imprisonment.
At that time, a legal question was raised whether the sentences given under the Pakistan Army Act could be commuted to life term. But in July 1989, Mr Naek said, the army also agreed on commuting the death penalty ofSurjeet Singh to life imprisonment.
When contacted, Presidency`s spokesman Farhatullah Babar denied reports that Singh had been pardoned by President Asif Ali Zardari. In fact, he said, the president had nothing to do with it.
`All I know is that the Indian prisoner had completed his life term in October 2010 and that the law ministry has directed the interior ministry to set him free and hand him over to India. He said Singh would most possibly be released next week following clearance by the interior ministry.
The release order of Surjeet Singh has been issued two months after the release of ailing Pakistani virologist Khalil Chishti, who had been in an Indian jail on murder charges since 1992, on the orders of Indian Supreme Court on humanitarian grounds.
However, the Pakistan government says that Singh`s release is not a reciprocal act and he is being released on legal grounds.
There is confusion in Islamabad about the name of the prisoner Surjeet or Sarabjeet. Over the years all reports about the case have named him as Sarabjeet, but Law Minister Farooq H. Naek insisted on Tuesday that the prisoner being released was Surjeet Singh, son of Sucha Singh.
Mr Naek told Dawn that he had asked the ministry of interior that `Surjeet Singh must be set to liberty forthwith and return to India since he has already completed his sentence.
Surjeet Singh was languishing in Central Jail, Lahore.
`He (Surjeet Singh) deserves to be released since his death sentence had been commuted to life imprisonment by the president and which had also been accepted and concurred by the army, and since he has already completed his sentence,` Mr Naek quoted from the advice he hadsent to the interior ministry.
According to the law minister, Surjeet Singh would have to be released immediately otherwise his confinement would be considered `illegal`.
Giving a brief background, Mr Naek said that Surjeet Singh had been tried and sentenced to death under the Pakistan Army Act, 1962, on October 31, 1985, on spying charges and his mercy petition was rejected by the then army chief and president Gen Ziaul Haq.
Soon after taking over the government, then prime minister Benazir Bhutto declared on December 8, 1988, a general amnesty for all condemned prisoners in the country and advised president Ghulam Ishaq Khan to convert the death sentences to life imprisonment.
At that time, a legal question was raised whether the sentences given under the Pakistan Army Act could be commuted to life term. But in July 1989, Mr Naek said, the army also agreed on commuting the death penalty ofSurjeet Singh to life imprisonment.
When contacted, Presidency`s spokesman Farhatullah Babar denied reports that Singh had been pardoned by President Asif Ali Zardari. In fact, he said, the president had nothing to do with it.
`All I know is that the Indian prisoner had completed his life term in October 2010 and that the law ministry has directed the interior ministry to set him free and hand him over to India. He said Singh would most possibly be released next week following clearance by the interior ministry.
The release order of Surjeet Singh has been issued two months after the release of ailing Pakistani virologist Khalil Chishti, who had been in an Indian jail on murder charges since 1992, on the orders of Indian Supreme Court on humanitarian grounds.
However, the Pakistan government says that Singh`s release is not a reciprocal act and he is being released on legal grounds.
Pakistan - Raja Parvaiz Ashraf as PM chairs first cabinet meeting Govt acts at last to ease power ordeal
SLAMABAD, June 26: Raja Pervez Ashraf chaired the first cabinet meeting on Tuesday since taking over as prime minister, setting for himself and his team a difficult task of streamlining the power sectorand toenforce atsource deduction of electricity dues from all those federal and provincial government departments which default on payments.
The energy crisis topped the agenda, with the new prime minister declaring he would not leave `any stone unturned` to rectify the situation and assuring the cabinet of bringing loadshedding to a manageable level within three months. However, learning from experience as power minister under former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, this time he didn`t announce any timeframe for ending loadshedding.
The prime minister directed the Ministry of Water and Power to recover outstanding dues of Wapda from all federal and provincial government departments and private sector entities without any discrimination, said a press release.
`If there is default by government departments, the Ministry of Finance should consider deducting the outstanding dues through federal adjuster,` the press release quoted the prime minister as saying.
The suggestion of at-sourcededuction had been made in the past too, but to no effect, said a Wapda official. He said the move had fallen victim to political expediency since major defaulters were the PPP-ruled Sindh government (Rs52 billion) and KESC (Rs42 billion). Therefore, the official said, only time would tell if the prime minister could really bring about some positive change in the power sector.
According to sources, Prime Minister Ashraf was so excited to chair his first cabinet meeting that he came to the Prime Minister Secretariat well on time. `The meeting was scheduled to start at 11am, but the prime minister reached the meeting hall at 10.55am. After waiting for half an hour for ministers to turn up,he opened the session,` said an employee of the prime minister`s office.
He said the latecomers apologised and praised the prime minister for his punctuality.
Once again, according to a participant of the meeting, cabinet members across party lines were up in arms against the crippling shortage of electricity and told the new prime minister that it was the last chance for the ruling coalition to improve the power sector before the general election.
Otherwise, they warned, `we will have to face serious repercussions` During the current month, residences of a number of PML-Q lawmakers, especially in Punjab, came under attack by people protesting against the prolonged loadshedding.
`If the situation persists, opposition parties will further exploit it and similar violent protests will spread to other parts of the country,` warned a minister.According to the press release, the water and power secretary briefed the meeting on the energy situation, saying that at present 12,410MW of electricity was being produced while there was a shortage of 5,733MW. He said that 460MW had been added to the national grid over the past three days and another 300MW would be included by Tuesday evening.
The addition of 2,100MW by Thursday would reduce loadshedding across the country, the secretary said, adding that people would get `substantial relief` next month because of an increase in power generation.
PAKISTAN-US TIES: Like his predecessor, Mr Ashraf got an opportunity to discuss the thorny issue of PakistanUS relations, but repeated the same old line: `PakistanUS relations are passing through a very delicate and critical phase and we will not take hasty and emotional decisions that do not augur well.
He also reiterated the government`s stand on Nato supply routes: `Nato supply routes to Afghanistan were blocked because of an unprovoked attack on the Salalah checkpost. An unconditional apology from the US for this blatant attack is the demand of parliament and we shall proceed keeping our national interests in view.
About extremism, he also didn`t utter anything different. `Let me categorically declare that we will not let our land to be used against any country for any terrorist activity. Simultaneously, we expect our neighbours and other powers to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Pakistan.
BALOCHISTAN ISSUE: The issue of Balochistan also came under discussion. The prime minister said: `Balochistan is our priority. I invite all Baloch leaders, in and outside Pakistan, to come and sit across the table with us in finding an amicable solution to the Balochistan issue.
The cabinet approved the Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Bill 2012 to further amend the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution to increase pension of widows of judges of the Supreme Court and high courts to 75 per cent from 50 per cent.
The cabinet gave its expost facto approval for negotiations and signing of MoU on railway link between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In order to expand bilateral, regional and transit trade cooperation and rail connectivity with Afghanistan, a joint declaration was signed during a visit by the Afghan president to Pakistan in March 2010 for the construction of Peshawar-Jalalabad rail link.
The energy crisis topped the agenda, with the new prime minister declaring he would not leave `any stone unturned` to rectify the situation and assuring the cabinet of bringing loadshedding to a manageable level within three months. However, learning from experience as power minister under former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, this time he didn`t announce any timeframe for ending loadshedding.
The prime minister directed the Ministry of Water and Power to recover outstanding dues of Wapda from all federal and provincial government departments and private sector entities without any discrimination, said a press release.
`If there is default by government departments, the Ministry of Finance should consider deducting the outstanding dues through federal adjuster,` the press release quoted the prime minister as saying.
The suggestion of at-sourcededuction had been made in the past too, but to no effect, said a Wapda official. He said the move had fallen victim to political expediency since major defaulters were the PPP-ruled Sindh government (Rs52 billion) and KESC (Rs42 billion). Therefore, the official said, only time would tell if the prime minister could really bring about some positive change in the power sector.
According to sources, Prime Minister Ashraf was so excited to chair his first cabinet meeting that he came to the Prime Minister Secretariat well on time. `The meeting was scheduled to start at 11am, but the prime minister reached the meeting hall at 10.55am. After waiting for half an hour for ministers to turn up,he opened the session,` said an employee of the prime minister`s office.
He said the latecomers apologised and praised the prime minister for his punctuality.
Once again, according to a participant of the meeting, cabinet members across party lines were up in arms against the crippling shortage of electricity and told the new prime minister that it was the last chance for the ruling coalition to improve the power sector before the general election.
Otherwise, they warned, `we will have to face serious repercussions` During the current month, residences of a number of PML-Q lawmakers, especially in Punjab, came under attack by people protesting against the prolonged loadshedding.
`If the situation persists, opposition parties will further exploit it and similar violent protests will spread to other parts of the country,` warned a minister.According to the press release, the water and power secretary briefed the meeting on the energy situation, saying that at present 12,410MW of electricity was being produced while there was a shortage of 5,733MW. He said that 460MW had been added to the national grid over the past three days and another 300MW would be included by Tuesday evening.
The addition of 2,100MW by Thursday would reduce loadshedding across the country, the secretary said, adding that people would get `substantial relief` next month because of an increase in power generation.
PAKISTAN-US TIES: Like his predecessor, Mr Ashraf got an opportunity to discuss the thorny issue of PakistanUS relations, but repeated the same old line: `PakistanUS relations are passing through a very delicate and critical phase and we will not take hasty and emotional decisions that do not augur well.
He also reiterated the government`s stand on Nato supply routes: `Nato supply routes to Afghanistan were blocked because of an unprovoked attack on the Salalah checkpost. An unconditional apology from the US for this blatant attack is the demand of parliament and we shall proceed keeping our national interests in view.
About extremism, he also didn`t utter anything different. `Let me categorically declare that we will not let our land to be used against any country for any terrorist activity. Simultaneously, we expect our neighbours and other powers to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Pakistan.
BALOCHISTAN ISSUE: The issue of Balochistan also came under discussion. The prime minister said: `Balochistan is our priority. I invite all Baloch leaders, in and outside Pakistan, to come and sit across the table with us in finding an amicable solution to the Balochistan issue.
The cabinet approved the Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Bill 2012 to further amend the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution to increase pension of widows of judges of the Supreme Court and high courts to 75 per cent from 50 per cent.
The cabinet gave its expost facto approval for negotiations and signing of MoU on railway link between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In order to expand bilateral, regional and transit trade cooperation and rail connectivity with Afghanistan, a joint declaration was signed during a visit by the Afghan president to Pakistan in March 2010 for the construction of Peshawar-Jalalabad rail link.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Bangla Desh - OSD
THE term officer on special duty (OSD) when applied to a government official is deemed ... a stigma ... as is evinced in our political culture.... Once an officer is made an OSD his services are put on hold indefinitely without assigning any reason....
OSDs used to be a phenomenon ... for administrative rea-sons. But in the last two decades under political governments in Bangladesh, they are per-ceived to be more the victims of political considerations....
A report in this paper on Sunday highlighted that 457 high-ranking government officers have been made OSDs during the tenure of the present government and this is their highest number ever under any government.
The ... practice of having to pay for OSDs ... is costing the public exchequer Tk2m every month. But money perhaps would be found as trifles if one realises the ... invisible loss to the country`s development had their services been utilised.On the other side, there is this human perspective as well ... the OSDs live a life of ... agony in the prime of their fitness and experience as they travel through a dark tunnel with no light in sight.... It is speculated that most ... cannot realistically expect posting under the remaining tenure of this gov-ernment. Thus, some of them have gone into voluntary retirement from sheer frustration. Ofcourse, the government can cite the example of its predecessors.... But ... if one accepts the principle that one wrong does not justify another, then the present huge tally of OSDs ought to ... lead to a quick response.... It would be only fair for the government to start immediately a process of impartial scrutiny of the background of the present crop of OSDs and those who would be found otherwise competent and possessing reasonable integrity should be given posting at the soonest. .
-(June 25) =
OSDs used to be a phenomenon ... for administrative rea-sons. But in the last two decades under political governments in Bangladesh, they are per-ceived to be more the victims of political considerations....
A report in this paper on Sunday highlighted that 457 high-ranking government officers have been made OSDs during the tenure of the present government and this is their highest number ever under any government.
The ... practice of having to pay for OSDs ... is costing the public exchequer Tk2m every month. But money perhaps would be found as trifles if one realises the ... invisible loss to the country`s development had their services been utilised.On the other side, there is this human perspective as well ... the OSDs live a life of ... agony in the prime of their fitness and experience as they travel through a dark tunnel with no light in sight.... It is speculated that most ... cannot realistically expect posting under the remaining tenure of this gov-ernment. Thus, some of them have gone into voluntary retirement from sheer frustration. Ofcourse, the government can cite the example of its predecessors.... But ... if one accepts the principle that one wrong does not justify another, then the present huge tally of OSDs ought to ... lead to a quick response.... It would be only fair for the government to start immediately a process of impartial scrutiny of the background of the present crop of OSDs and those who would be found otherwise competent and possessing reasonable integrity should be given posting at the soonest. .
-(June 25) =
Pakistan - YDA climb downs
WHAT was always a case fit for emergency treatment is finally getting the right kind of attention from those who can help provide a remedy. The Young Doctors Association in Punjab has climbed down from its position and appears more likely than at any other time in recent weeks to enter into decisive negotiations with the thus far unyielding Shahbaz Sharif government. The change in the YDA stance has come after the provincial government shot down an impossible Rs423bn service structure package proposed by the doctors.
Clearly, the young medics at Punjab hospitals who have developed a habit of staying away from work in recent years at the risk of public censure had stretched it a bit too far this time. By asking for the moon they exposed themselves to a strong and reasonable counterargument by the government.
Another factor that rais-es hopes for some kind of compromise is the alliance between the YDA and Pakistan Medical Association, a platform senior doctors work from. The YDA has in recent times widened the scope of its demands to cover the senior doctors also. This strategy brought the young doctors closer to the seniors who had so far kept away from the former`s protest.
The alliance between the YDA and PMA has given the doctors` movement a more comprehensive look, and in the process, it has provided the young doctors` drive with the cool, thinking heads it was so far accused of lacking for a workable solution. These senior doctors must now try and mediate a careful compromise between the young doctors and the government. It is not an easy task butitis one that can only be delayed at the cost of thousands of patients who turn up at government hospitals each day for want of an option.
Clearly, the young medics at Punjab hospitals who have developed a habit of staying away from work in recent years at the risk of public censure had stretched it a bit too far this time. By asking for the moon they exposed themselves to a strong and reasonable counterargument by the government.
Another factor that rais-es hopes for some kind of compromise is the alliance between the YDA and Pakistan Medical Association, a platform senior doctors work from. The YDA has in recent times widened the scope of its demands to cover the senior doctors also. This strategy brought the young doctors closer to the seniors who had so far kept away from the former`s protest.
The alliance between the YDA and PMA has given the doctors` movement a more comprehensive look, and in the process, it has provided the young doctors` drive with the cool, thinking heads it was so far accused of lacking for a workable solution. These senior doctors must now try and mediate a careful compromise between the young doctors and the government. It is not an easy task butitis one that can only be delayed at the cost of thousands of patients who turn up at government hospitals each day for want of an option.
Egypt- Muhamad Morsi has tough days ahead
EVEN though there were mutual greetings and thanks, the military junta and Mohammed Morsi, Egypt`s first freely elected president, must have been conscious of the difficulties involved in working together. Mr Morsi is the Muslim Brotherhood`s first leader to rule Egypt, and that makes his position unique and his task challenging.
While he thanked his people for the sacrifices in the cause of democracy, Mr Morsi also expressed his thanks to `the army and the police` whose brutal handling of the protesters had resulted in hundreds of deaths. While receiving congratulations from Field Marshal Hussain Tantawi, Mr Morsi could not have failed to note the irony in the situation because of the post-election decree that almost nullified all the democratic gains made since Hosni Mubarak`s ouster. The decree issued by the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces makes Mr Morsi an almost ceremonial head of state, for it denies him the title of the supreme commander of the armed forces, reserves budget-making for Scaf and protects the army from civilian over-sight. With the Lower House already dissolved by the constitutional court, Mr Morsi will be hamstrung by the absence of a legislature. That gives lawmaking to Scaf. A general election will now take another year, until a constitution is prepared, and here too the generals have made it clear it is they who will make the basic law.
The assembly`s dissolution and the sweeping powers assumed by the generals are clear indications that Mubarak loyalists are well-entrenched in the system. The generals had to hold an election because there was no other way in which the anti-Mubarak insurgents could be satisfied. But Mr Morsi`s victory upset all their calculations. Let us also note that proMubarak feelings still exist among the people, as is evident from the narrow margin of Mr Morsi`s victory, for Ahmad Shafiq, Mr Mubarak`s prime minister, secured over 48 per cent of the votes. The world will keenly watch how the Arab world`s most populous nation works in the coming months to make a success of a democratic experience already sabotaged by the generals.
While he thanked his people for the sacrifices in the cause of democracy, Mr Morsi also expressed his thanks to `the army and the police` whose brutal handling of the protesters had resulted in hundreds of deaths. While receiving congratulations from Field Marshal Hussain Tantawi, Mr Morsi could not have failed to note the irony in the situation because of the post-election decree that almost nullified all the democratic gains made since Hosni Mubarak`s ouster. The decree issued by the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces makes Mr Morsi an almost ceremonial head of state, for it denies him the title of the supreme commander of the armed forces, reserves budget-making for Scaf and protects the army from civilian over-sight. With the Lower House already dissolved by the constitutional court, Mr Morsi will be hamstrung by the absence of a legislature. That gives lawmaking to Scaf. A general election will now take another year, until a constitution is prepared, and here too the generals have made it clear it is they who will make the basic law.
The assembly`s dissolution and the sweeping powers assumed by the generals are clear indications that Mubarak loyalists are well-entrenched in the system. The generals had to hold an election because there was no other way in which the anti-Mubarak insurgents could be satisfied. But Mr Morsi`s victory upset all their calculations. Let us also note that proMubarak feelings still exist among the people, as is evident from the narrow margin of Mr Morsi`s victory, for Ahmad Shafiq, Mr Mubarak`s prime minister, secured over 48 per cent of the votes. The world will keenly watch how the Arab world`s most populous nation works in the coming months to make a success of a democratic experience already sabotaged by the generals.
Pakistan - way forward for Raja parvez Ashraf
THERE is resistance to the new prime minister, and the issue of the letter to the Swiss authorities still looms. But if the ruling coalition and the opposition are willing to display some cooperation and maturity, there is still a workable way forward.
Despite their seemingly being at loggerheads, there are glimmers of hope in what the prime minister and opposition politicians have said in recent days. The initial opposition response to Raja Pervez Ashraf was not particularly encouraging understandably so, given the prime minister`s record on the energy front. And his invitation to the opposition for talks on governance issues during his inaugural speech in the National Assembly was snubbed. But the PML-N spokesperson has now said the opposition would be willing to talk as long as the focus of talks is on appointing a chief election commissioner, creating an interim setup and holding early elections. And in that lies a potential middle ground that could benefit both the ruling coalition and the democratic system itself.
The wisest course for the PPP now is to announce a time frame for negotiations, asking for a specific period of time to govern before the start of talks on elections and related issues. This concrete proposal could stem some opposition impatience by displaying a will-ingness to bring elections forward. That, in turn, could buy time for the government to implement whatever improved governance is possible and try to improve its badly damaged reputation on that front before the next polls.
The PPP has little to lose by doing this it has nearly completed a full term, and by bringing elections forward it would lose at most a handful of months in power. In return for a reasonable time frame for the start of negotiations on polls, the opposition should tone down its rhetoric and let the ruling coalition try to implement some reforms.
If an arrangement like this can be worked out, that should be all the more reason for the Supreme Court to consider carefully the effects of pursuing the letter to the Swiss with the current prime minister as well. The upside of doing so is entirely unclear, given the position the ruling party has taken on the president`s immunity. The downside, though, is obvious: destabilisation of the system once again, a lack of clear answers on how to proceed and, in the worst-case scenario, further encouragement to extra-constitutional forces that so far haven`t taken matters into their own hands. If they are able to reach an agreement and schedule for the way forward, Pakistan`s politicians might yet be able to prevent this chain of events from taking place.
Despite their seemingly being at loggerheads, there are glimmers of hope in what the prime minister and opposition politicians have said in recent days. The initial opposition response to Raja Pervez Ashraf was not particularly encouraging understandably so, given the prime minister`s record on the energy front. And his invitation to the opposition for talks on governance issues during his inaugural speech in the National Assembly was snubbed. But the PML-N spokesperson has now said the opposition would be willing to talk as long as the focus of talks is on appointing a chief election commissioner, creating an interim setup and holding early elections. And in that lies a potential middle ground that could benefit both the ruling coalition and the democratic system itself.
The wisest course for the PPP now is to announce a time frame for negotiations, asking for a specific period of time to govern before the start of talks on elections and related issues. This concrete proposal could stem some opposition impatience by displaying a will-ingness to bring elections forward. That, in turn, could buy time for the government to implement whatever improved governance is possible and try to improve its badly damaged reputation on that front before the next polls.
The PPP has little to lose by doing this it has nearly completed a full term, and by bringing elections forward it would lose at most a handful of months in power. In return for a reasonable time frame for the start of negotiations on polls, the opposition should tone down its rhetoric and let the ruling coalition try to implement some reforms.
If an arrangement like this can be worked out, that should be all the more reason for the Supreme Court to consider carefully the effects of pursuing the letter to the Swiss with the current prime minister as well. The upside of doing so is entirely unclear, given the position the ruling party has taken on the president`s immunity. The downside, though, is obvious: destabilisation of the system once again, a lack of clear answers on how to proceed and, in the worst-case scenario, further encouragement to extra-constitutional forces that so far haven`t taken matters into their own hands. If they are able to reach an agreement and schedule for the way forward, Pakistan`s politicians might yet be able to prevent this chain of events from taking place.
Pakistan - PkMAP Chairman address
QUETTA, June 25: Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai warned on Monday that the country was passing through a dangerous phase and it was the need of the hour to take wise decisions to resolve contentious issues.
Addressing a public meeting, he said Pakistan comprised Pakhtuns, Baloch, Sindhis, Seraikis and Punjabis and a new social contract should be worked out among the nationalities in order to put them in control of their resources.
He said all divided areas of Pakhtuns should form a new province and until such time it should be ensured that they got the same rights in all spheres of life as being enjoyed by the Baloch so that both communities could live in harmony and peace.
The PkMAP chief warned that if equal rights of Pakhtuns in the province were not accepted then they could themselves declare their separate province.
He said the PkMAP was in favour of Islam and Pakistan but added that recognition of the rights of five nationalities would strengthen the federation.
He said Pakistan was isolated at the international level because of its wrong policies and emphasised that the country should revisit its policies.
Mr Achakzai said there should be no role for the military and intelligence agencies in politics and politicians should be allowed to deal with political issues and serve society.
He said the government had failed to solve problems being faced by people.
The PkMAP leader condemned the killing of innocent people, kidnapping for ransom and killing of Pakhtun traders and transporters in the Baloch-dominated areas of the province, adding that such inhuman acts would only deepen differences between the two communities.
Addressing a public meeting, he said Pakistan comprised Pakhtuns, Baloch, Sindhis, Seraikis and Punjabis and a new social contract should be worked out among the nationalities in order to put them in control of their resources.
He said all divided areas of Pakhtuns should form a new province and until such time it should be ensured that they got the same rights in all spheres of life as being enjoyed by the Baloch so that both communities could live in harmony and peace.
The PkMAP chief warned that if equal rights of Pakhtuns in the province were not accepted then they could themselves declare their separate province.
He said the PkMAP was in favour of Islam and Pakistan but added that recognition of the rights of five nationalities would strengthen the federation.
He said Pakistan was isolated at the international level because of its wrong policies and emphasised that the country should revisit its policies.
Mr Achakzai said there should be no role for the military and intelligence agencies in politics and politicians should be allowed to deal with political issues and serve society.
He said the government had failed to solve problems being faced by people.
The PkMAP leader condemned the killing of innocent people, kidnapping for ransom and killing of Pakhtun traders and transporters in the Baloch-dominated areas of the province, adding that such inhuman acts would only deepen differences between the two communities.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Pakistan - Deforestation
ACCORDING to research conducted by conservation activists, mangroves
have the highest rate of deforestationin the country. As per the study,
Vanishing Riverine Forests of Sindh, details of which were published in
this paper recently, forest cover in the country declined by 19 per cent
between 1992 and 2001. It is indeed tragic that Pakistan has one of the
highest deforestation rates in the world. The phenomenon is highest in
the Indus delta region; one of the major factors contributing to
deforestation in this area is thefact thatnot enough water is flowing in
the Indus downstream Kotri.
The ecological benefits mangroves provide are quite well known. These include protection against coastal flooding and erosion while the plants also act as barriers against storms and cyclones.
While dealing with some factors responsible for deforestation, such as climate change, is beyond human control, the state can sure-ly focus on aspects that can be managed, such as overexploitation of forests for wood. The research paper offers a number of solutions to stop this destructive process, such as a ban on conversion of forestland to other uses and the formulation of a forest management plan. Also, it is vital to involve and educate those communities living in or near forests on how to sustainably manage these valuable eco-regions.
We must realise that if Pakistan`s forests continue to disappear at current rates, an environmental disaster is bound to strike, with desertification and increased flooding being possible outcomes. Thus, deforestation is an issue that affects the ecological stability of the country. If the mangroves and forests of other varieties continue to be chopped down, it will also have a negative effect on wildlife. It is still not too late to act; it is a matter of the official quarters displaying the will and inclination to preserve the country`s biodiversity.
The ecological benefits mangroves provide are quite well known. These include protection against coastal flooding and erosion while the plants also act as barriers against storms and cyclones.
While dealing with some factors responsible for deforestation, such as climate change, is beyond human control, the state can sure-ly focus on aspects that can be managed, such as overexploitation of forests for wood. The research paper offers a number of solutions to stop this destructive process, such as a ban on conversion of forestland to other uses and the formulation of a forest management plan. Also, it is vital to involve and educate those communities living in or near forests on how to sustainably manage these valuable eco-regions.
We must realise that if Pakistan`s forests continue to disappear at current rates, an environmental disaster is bound to strike, with desertification and increased flooding being possible outcomes. Thus, deforestation is an issue that affects the ecological stability of the country. If the mangroves and forests of other varieties continue to be chopped down, it will also have a negative effect on wildlife. It is still not too late to act; it is a matter of the official quarters displaying the will and inclination to preserve the country`s biodiversity.
CJ remarks
ON the face of it, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chandhry`s remarks on
Saturday that parliament cannot enact any law that is repugnant to the
constitution, fundamental rights and Islamic provisions seems innocuous
and uncontroversial after all, few would argue that parliament`s right
to legislate is unfettered. But the comments of the chief justice have
come against a particular background. One, at no point has the present
parliament attempted to legislate against what can be considered the
basic features of the constitution. After the 18th Amendment, the
Supreme Court did question the new procedure for appointment of superior
court judges but legal opinion was divided on whether parliament had
exceeded its mandate or not. Two, it is the activism of the court, which
seemingly reached its apogee with the ouster of former prime minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani, that would appear to be the more immediate threat to
the democratic order not speculative acts by the government that may or
may not occur. In the face of unprecedented activism by the court, the
government has by and large remained unprovoked, even going so far as to
accept the loss of one prime minister and then its first-choice
replacement prime minister in a matter of days.
Crucial to the stability of the democratic order inthe days ahead, then, may well be the choices the Supreme Court itself makes.
The first test will be the fate of the new prime minister: will the court move to oust him too if he refuses to write the so-called Swiss letter, as is likely? Given that elections are now much closer than they were when the court reactivated the NRO issue in January, judicial restraint at this point in time may not necessarily be seen as a climbdown by a judiciary intent on carving out an equal space for itself alongside the traditional power centres in the country.
However, if common sense is to prevail, the political temperature will have to be brought down first and that would entail the judiciary following some of its own advice. As Chief Justice Chaudhry remarked on Saturday, `No one can claim supremacy over and above the law.` That is advice well worth reflecting on, for it is the court that seemed to make part of the constitution redundant by short-circuiting the disqualification process last week.
Finally, as whispers grow that some kind of quasior extra-constitutional arrangement is being contemplated in response to governance woes and in order to oust an unpopular government, the court, in line with its earlier commitment against such interventions, is expected to stand on only one side: that of the law and constitution.
Crucial to the stability of the democratic order inthe days ahead, then, may well be the choices the Supreme Court itself makes.
The first test will be the fate of the new prime minister: will the court move to oust him too if he refuses to write the so-called Swiss letter, as is likely? Given that elections are now much closer than they were when the court reactivated the NRO issue in January, judicial restraint at this point in time may not necessarily be seen as a climbdown by a judiciary intent on carving out an equal space for itself alongside the traditional power centres in the country.
However, if common sense is to prevail, the political temperature will have to be brought down first and that would entail the judiciary following some of its own advice. As Chief Justice Chaudhry remarked on Saturday, `No one can claim supremacy over and above the law.` That is advice well worth reflecting on, for it is the court that seemed to make part of the constitution redundant by short-circuiting the disqualification process last week.
Finally, as whispers grow that some kind of quasior extra-constitutional arrangement is being contemplated in response to governance woes and in order to oust an unpopular government, the court, in line with its earlier commitment against such interventions, is expected to stand on only one side: that of the law and constitution.
Issue in Arab world
IF somebody were to rely exclusively on our TV channels for news, he
would soon come to believe that Pakistan is the centre of the universe.
Events abroad unless they relate to our country are barely reported, and
hardly ever deemed worthy of comment or debate.
Thus, the ongoing civil conflict in Syria and its implications for the region and the world has hardly figured in any of the TV reports and chat shows that I have been watching these last few weeks. Although around 15,000 Syrian have been killed over the last year, the Pakistani response has been a deafening silence.
We in Pakistan are so gripped by our unending and entirely self-created political crises that we have little time for, or interest in, what`s happening around the world. This unhealthy preoccupation with our series of storms in the proverbial teacup has resulted in an inward-looking mindsetwhere conspiracies replace logic, and paranoid fantasies displace reality.
Had 15,000 Muslims including hundreds of children been killed, and thousands more tortured and wounded, by a nonMuslim power, we would have been demonstrating and attacking the embassy of the guilty state. Indeed, Pakistani politicians and clerics score points regularly by taking to the streets when an American drone strike kills villagers behind whom extremists shelter in our tribal areas.
But Muslim-on-Muslim killings go largely unreported and uncondemned. Whether the Taliban slaughter their fellow-Afghans next door, or jihadis kill Pakistanis by the thousands, there is scarcely a murmur of protest by the likes of Nawaz Sharif, Hameed Gul and Imran Khan.
So when Bashar al-Assad`s forces shell towns, or attack the opposition with helicopter gun-ships, few in the Muslim world are moved to protest. True, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are reported to be supplying arms to the opposition. But this is not out of any sympathy for Syrian civilians: the cold calculus here is that by removing Bashar, Iran will be deprived of a crucial regional ally.
This suits western powers as they try to cut Tehran down to size. Thus, the rising chorus to intervene in Washington and London. Had it not been for warweariness and the current economic crisis, I have little doubt that we would have seen Nato planes over Syria by now.
Meanwhile, beyond the scarcely concealed supply of arms to Syrian rebels by Saudi Arabia (and coordinated, we are told, by the CIA), the Muslim world seems to have no clear role or strategy. Turkey has come out strongly against the Assad regime, but is cautious about direct intervention.
The downing of a Turkish jetfighter flying over Syrian airspace will have sent out a clear message that the country is not another Libya. The fact that the Syrian army has remained relatively united under the Assad government is a reminder that any armed intervention will be fiercely resisted. Continuing Russian and Iranian support are the other factors that discourage a Libya-type attempt at regime change.
While I would dearly love to see the Syrian dictator leave, the reality is that his departure might cause more problems than it solves. With an Allewite minority ruling over a majority of Sunnis, there are already rising sectarian tensions between the two communities. There have been credible reports of groups of pro-Assad Allewite thugs killing and torturing civilians.
Should the regime collapse, there is a grave risk of a sectarian bloodbath as Sunnis settle scores.
Apart from Sunnis and ShiaAllewites, Syria is also home to Christians, Druzes and small numbers of Jews and Yazdis.
These minorities fear that once the brutal but secular government of Bashar al-Assad is deposed, the next one might not be as tolerant. They have reason to be worried, judging from the targeted killings of Christians in Egypt and Iraq. Indeed, around half of the country`s million-plus Christians have fled their homes in post-Saddam Iraq. The ancient, pre-Islamic Maronite community of Egypt makes up around 10 per cent of the population, and has been persecuted for years. But now, without the minimal protection they received from Mubarak, they fear the worst under an Islamic dispensation.
Libya today is witnessing regional fragmentation as local militias grab power, and confront a weak and chaotic Transitional National Council. Given the disunity and confusion, there are few prospects of a stable govern-ment emerging anytime soon. So clearly, it is easier to remove a despotic regime than it is to replace it with a democratic one.
Returning to Syria, it seems that a diplomatic solution is the only way forward if we are to avoid a messy endgame of the sort we saw in Iraq and are witnessing in Libya. Clearly, the Kofi Anan formula has collapsed under the weight of multiple breaches of the fragile truce by both sides. Britain and the US are now trying to persuade the Syrian dictator to go into exile with a guarantee of immunity from prosecution. This is known as the Yemen model whereby President Saleh stepped down after months of bloody street protests.
In an ideal world, a movement against dictatorship should culminate in the emergence of a freely elected, democratic government. Sadly, things are never that simple. Vestiges of the old regime continue to cling to power, as we are seeing in Egypt:with the military and security forces still entrenched, they are placing a series of roadblocks on the road to democracy.
How should the world react when faced with the kind of bloodbath we are witnessing in Syria today? Decent people want to see it end, and the only way to stop it seems to be the immediate removal of the dictator. Thus, the Nato campaign to rid Libya of Qadhafi was widely welcomed at the time. But few people are concerned with the disturbing aftermath. Similarly, hardly anybody in the West is aware of the disastrous impact of Saddam Hussein`s removal on women and the minorities in Iraq.
These are tricky moral and political issues, and there are no easy answers. Unfortunately, these questions are not properly discussed in Pakistan where, despite or because of our 24/7 rolling news and TV chat shows, we get more confused than ever.with the military and security forces still entrenched, they are placing a series of roadblocks on the road to democracy.
How should the world react when faced with the kind of bloodbath we are witnessing in Syria today? Decent people want to see it end, and the only way to stop it seems to be the immediate removal of the dictator. Thus, the Nato campaign to rid Libya of Qadhafi was widely welcomed at the time. But few people are concerned with the disturbing aftermath. Similarly, hardly anybody in the West is aware of the disastrous impact of Saddam Hussein`s removal on women and the minorities in Iraq.
These are tricky moral and political issues, and there are no easy answers. Unfortunately, these questions are not properly discussed in Pakistan where, despite or because of our 24/7 rolling news and TV chat shows, we get more confused than ever.
Thus, the ongoing civil conflict in Syria and its implications for the region and the world has hardly figured in any of the TV reports and chat shows that I have been watching these last few weeks. Although around 15,000 Syrian have been killed over the last year, the Pakistani response has been a deafening silence.
We in Pakistan are so gripped by our unending and entirely self-created political crises that we have little time for, or interest in, what`s happening around the world. This unhealthy preoccupation with our series of storms in the proverbial teacup has resulted in an inward-looking mindsetwhere conspiracies replace logic, and paranoid fantasies displace reality.
Had 15,000 Muslims including hundreds of children been killed, and thousands more tortured and wounded, by a nonMuslim power, we would have been demonstrating and attacking the embassy of the guilty state. Indeed, Pakistani politicians and clerics score points regularly by taking to the streets when an American drone strike kills villagers behind whom extremists shelter in our tribal areas.
But Muslim-on-Muslim killings go largely unreported and uncondemned. Whether the Taliban slaughter their fellow-Afghans next door, or jihadis kill Pakistanis by the thousands, there is scarcely a murmur of protest by the likes of Nawaz Sharif, Hameed Gul and Imran Khan.
So when Bashar al-Assad`s forces shell towns, or attack the opposition with helicopter gun-ships, few in the Muslim world are moved to protest. True, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are reported to be supplying arms to the opposition. But this is not out of any sympathy for Syrian civilians: the cold calculus here is that by removing Bashar, Iran will be deprived of a crucial regional ally.
This suits western powers as they try to cut Tehran down to size. Thus, the rising chorus to intervene in Washington and London. Had it not been for warweariness and the current economic crisis, I have little doubt that we would have seen Nato planes over Syria by now.
Meanwhile, beyond the scarcely concealed supply of arms to Syrian rebels by Saudi Arabia (and coordinated, we are told, by the CIA), the Muslim world seems to have no clear role or strategy. Turkey has come out strongly against the Assad regime, but is cautious about direct intervention.
The downing of a Turkish jetfighter flying over Syrian airspace will have sent out a clear message that the country is not another Libya. The fact that the Syrian army has remained relatively united under the Assad government is a reminder that any armed intervention will be fiercely resisted. Continuing Russian and Iranian support are the other factors that discourage a Libya-type attempt at regime change.
While I would dearly love to see the Syrian dictator leave, the reality is that his departure might cause more problems than it solves. With an Allewite minority ruling over a majority of Sunnis, there are already rising sectarian tensions between the two communities. There have been credible reports of groups of pro-Assad Allewite thugs killing and torturing civilians.
Should the regime collapse, there is a grave risk of a sectarian bloodbath as Sunnis settle scores.
Apart from Sunnis and ShiaAllewites, Syria is also home to Christians, Druzes and small numbers of Jews and Yazdis.
These minorities fear that once the brutal but secular government of Bashar al-Assad is deposed, the next one might not be as tolerant. They have reason to be worried, judging from the targeted killings of Christians in Egypt and Iraq. Indeed, around half of the country`s million-plus Christians have fled their homes in post-Saddam Iraq. The ancient, pre-Islamic Maronite community of Egypt makes up around 10 per cent of the population, and has been persecuted for years. But now, without the minimal protection they received from Mubarak, they fear the worst under an Islamic dispensation.
Libya today is witnessing regional fragmentation as local militias grab power, and confront a weak and chaotic Transitional National Council. Given the disunity and confusion, there are few prospects of a stable govern-ment emerging anytime soon. So clearly, it is easier to remove a despotic regime than it is to replace it with a democratic one.
Returning to Syria, it seems that a diplomatic solution is the only way forward if we are to avoid a messy endgame of the sort we saw in Iraq and are witnessing in Libya. Clearly, the Kofi Anan formula has collapsed under the weight of multiple breaches of the fragile truce by both sides. Britain and the US are now trying to persuade the Syrian dictator to go into exile with a guarantee of immunity from prosecution. This is known as the Yemen model whereby President Saleh stepped down after months of bloody street protests.
In an ideal world, a movement against dictatorship should culminate in the emergence of a freely elected, democratic government. Sadly, things are never that simple. Vestiges of the old regime continue to cling to power, as we are seeing in Egypt:with the military and security forces still entrenched, they are placing a series of roadblocks on the road to democracy.
How should the world react when faced with the kind of bloodbath we are witnessing in Syria today? Decent people want to see it end, and the only way to stop it seems to be the immediate removal of the dictator. Thus, the Nato campaign to rid Libya of Qadhafi was widely welcomed at the time. But few people are concerned with the disturbing aftermath. Similarly, hardly anybody in the West is aware of the disastrous impact of Saddam Hussein`s removal on women and the minorities in Iraq.
These are tricky moral and political issues, and there are no easy answers. Unfortunately, these questions are not properly discussed in Pakistan where, despite or because of our 24/7 rolling news and TV chat shows, we get more confused than ever.with the military and security forces still entrenched, they are placing a series of roadblocks on the road to democracy.
How should the world react when faced with the kind of bloodbath we are witnessing in Syria today? Decent people want to see it end, and the only way to stop it seems to be the immediate removal of the dictator. Thus, the Nato campaign to rid Libya of Qadhafi was widely welcomed at the time. But few people are concerned with the disturbing aftermath. Similarly, hardly anybody in the West is aware of the disastrous impact of Saddam Hussein`s removal on women and the minorities in Iraq.
These are tricky moral and political issues, and there are no easy answers. Unfortunately, these questions are not properly discussed in Pakistan where, despite or because of our 24/7 rolling news and TV chat shows, we get more confused than ever.
Male birds lose interest in fading females: study
PARIS: Not unlike some among their human counterparts, male blue tits lose interest when their mates` beauty starts fading, staying out longer and neglecting their offspring, a report said on Monday.
Scientists who dulled the bright blue head tinge that crowns the female of the species, subsequently noticed the males skulking off for more alone time and making fewer trips to feed their chicks.
`It seems that they stay around, but not in the nest,` study co-author Matteo Griggio said.`Probably they take a rest.... It is not a joke, probably they keep some energy, maybe for the next breeding season?` Both male and female blue tits, which usually have several mating partners in a lifetime, have feathers on the tops of their heads that reflect UV light.
For the purposes of the experiment, the team from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology in Vienna waited for chicks to hatch before smearing an oil containing UV-blocking chemicals on the crowns of the females.To confirm that it would not be the smell that put off the males, they applied the same oil, without UV-blockers, to a separate test group of females.
The scientists said they took care not to render the partners unrecognisable to each other.
`The UV reflectance of the crown plumage of female blue tits significantly affected male investment in feeding nestlings,` the team wrote in a study published in the BioMed Central journal Frontiers in Zoology.
`Males made less frequent feeding trips when paired with UV-reduced females.`While much has been written about male posturing and strutting to compete for female attention, this was a rare study to measure male response to female attractiveness in the animal kingdom.
The results showed that female blue tits must invest a lot of time in preening to remain attractive as sexual partners.
In nature, those birds with poorer personal hygiene risk losing their blue lustre under a coating of dust, pollution or parasites.-AFP
Scientists who dulled the bright blue head tinge that crowns the female of the species, subsequently noticed the males skulking off for more alone time and making fewer trips to feed their chicks.
`It seems that they stay around, but not in the nest,` study co-author Matteo Griggio said.`Probably they take a rest.... It is not a joke, probably they keep some energy, maybe for the next breeding season?` Both male and female blue tits, which usually have several mating partners in a lifetime, have feathers on the tops of their heads that reflect UV light.
For the purposes of the experiment, the team from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology in Vienna waited for chicks to hatch before smearing an oil containing UV-blocking chemicals on the crowns of the females.To confirm that it would not be the smell that put off the males, they applied the same oil, without UV-blockers, to a separate test group of females.
The scientists said they took care not to render the partners unrecognisable to each other.
`The UV reflectance of the crown plumage of female blue tits significantly affected male investment in feeding nestlings,` the team wrote in a study published in the BioMed Central journal Frontiers in Zoology.
`Males made less frequent feeding trips when paired with UV-reduced females.`While much has been written about male posturing and strutting to compete for female attention, this was a rare study to measure male response to female attractiveness in the animal kingdom.
The results showed that female blue tits must invest a lot of time in preening to remain attractive as sexual partners.
In nature, those birds with poorer personal hygiene risk losing their blue lustre under a coating of dust, pollution or parasites.-AFP
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Egypt - Morsi won the election
CAIRO, June 24: Muslim Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi was declared Egypt`s first freely elected president on Sunday, capping a tumultuous and divisive election.
Morsi, who ran against Hosni Mubarak-era premier Ahmed Shafiq, won 51.73 per cent of the vote after a race that polarised the nation.
`The winner of the election for Egyptian president on June 16-17 is Mohamed Morsi Eissa al-Ayat,` said the head of the electoral commission, Faruq Sultan.
Morsi`s victory marks the first time Islamists have taken the presidency of the Arab World`s most populous nation, but recent moves by the ruling military to consolidate its power have rendered the post toothless.
Tens of thousands of Morsi supporters celebrated in Cairo`s Tahrir Square, waving flags and posters of the Islamist leader, who was jailed during the uprising that overthrew Mubarak early last year.
`God is greatest` and `down with military rule` they chanted as some set off firecrackers minutes after the electoral commission formally declared the result.
Across Cairo, cars sounded their horns and chants of `Morsi, Morsi` were heard.
Morsi won with 13,230,131 votes against Shafig`s 12,347,380, Sultan said.
The election, in which more than 50 million voters were eligible to cast their ballot, saw a 51.8 per cent turnout.
Morsi resigned from his posts in the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedomand Justice Party, which he headed, after he was declared the winner, the Brotherhood announced.
Military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who took power when HosniMubarak was forced to resign in February last year, congratulated Morsi on his win, state television announced.
And the interim head of the Coptic church, many of whose faithful have expressed fears over the rise of Islamists, also congratulated Morsi.
Shafiq`s supporters who had gathered to hear the result with his campaign team in the suburbs of Cairo were devastated by the result.Some women screamed and others cried as several men held their heads between their hands in despair.
`It`s a very sad day for Egypt. I don`t think Morsi is the winner. I`m very sad that Egypt will be represented by this man and this group, Shafiq supporter Maged said.
The capital was tense before the announcement, with the city`s notoriously busy streets deserted and shops and schools closed.
Extra troops and police were deployed as military helicopters flew overhead.
The road to parliament was closed to traffic, and security was tightened around vital establishments as Egyptians waited nervously for the result.
The election has polarised the nation, dividing those who feared a return to the old regime under Shafiq from others who wanted to keep religion out of politics and who fear the Brotherhood would stifle personal freedoms.
Shafiq ran on a strong lawand-order platform, pledging to restore security and stability. He is himself a retired general, but as a Mubarak-era minister he is reviled by the activists who spearheaded the 2011 revolt.
President-elect Morsi was the Islamists` fallback representative after their deputy leader Khairat El-Shater was disqualified.
In campaigning he sought to allay the fears of secular groups and the sizeable Coptic Christian minority by promising a diverse and inclusive political system.-Agencies
Morsi, who ran against Hosni Mubarak-era premier Ahmed Shafiq, won 51.73 per cent of the vote after a race that polarised the nation.
`The winner of the election for Egyptian president on June 16-17 is Mohamed Morsi Eissa al-Ayat,` said the head of the electoral commission, Faruq Sultan.
Morsi`s victory marks the first time Islamists have taken the presidency of the Arab World`s most populous nation, but recent moves by the ruling military to consolidate its power have rendered the post toothless.
Tens of thousands of Morsi supporters celebrated in Cairo`s Tahrir Square, waving flags and posters of the Islamist leader, who was jailed during the uprising that overthrew Mubarak early last year.
`God is greatest` and `down with military rule` they chanted as some set off firecrackers minutes after the electoral commission formally declared the result.
Across Cairo, cars sounded their horns and chants of `Morsi, Morsi` were heard.
Morsi won with 13,230,131 votes against Shafig`s 12,347,380, Sultan said.
The election, in which more than 50 million voters were eligible to cast their ballot, saw a 51.8 per cent turnout.
Morsi resigned from his posts in the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedomand Justice Party, which he headed, after he was declared the winner, the Brotherhood announced.
Military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who took power when HosniMubarak was forced to resign in February last year, congratulated Morsi on his win, state television announced.
And the interim head of the Coptic church, many of whose faithful have expressed fears over the rise of Islamists, also congratulated Morsi.
Shafiq`s supporters who had gathered to hear the result with his campaign team in the suburbs of Cairo were devastated by the result.Some women screamed and others cried as several men held their heads between their hands in despair.
`It`s a very sad day for Egypt. I don`t think Morsi is the winner. I`m very sad that Egypt will be represented by this man and this group, Shafiq supporter Maged said.
The capital was tense before the announcement, with the city`s notoriously busy streets deserted and shops and schools closed.
Extra troops and police were deployed as military helicopters flew overhead.
The road to parliament was closed to traffic, and security was tightened around vital establishments as Egyptians waited nervously for the result.
The election has polarised the nation, dividing those who feared a return to the old regime under Shafiq from others who wanted to keep religion out of politics and who fear the Brotherhood would stifle personal freedoms.
Shafiq ran on a strong lawand-order platform, pledging to restore security and stability. He is himself a retired general, but as a Mubarak-era minister he is reviled by the activists who spearheaded the 2011 revolt.
President-elect Morsi was the Islamists` fallback representative after their deputy leader Khairat El-Shater was disqualified.
In campaigning he sought to allay the fears of secular groups and the sizeable Coptic Christian minority by promising a diverse and inclusive political system.-Agencies
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Egypt revolution betryaed
THE Egyptian military`s decision to arm itself with sweeping powers as the Muslim Brotherhood claimed victory in the presidential election must shock all those who wanted democracy to flourish in Egypt.
Official results of the second phase of the presidential election will be announced today, but Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi has claimed victory. While the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces reiterated its resolve to hand over power to the new president, the decree it has issued creates new hurdies in the way of the transfer of power. With the newly elected parliament already dissolved, the new president will be a lame-duck chief executive, unable to implement his legislative programme. Scaf has also declared that elections to a new parliament cannot be held till a new constitution is made; the new president will not be the supreme commander of the armed forces and that it is Scaf that will make the budget.
The Scaf decree makes it clear that the military junta, headed by FieldMarshal Mohammad Hussain Tantawi, has no intention of parting with power. Mr Morsi`s ceremonial induction as president may after all take place, but it will be a ceremony and no more. All presidential candidates, with the exception of Ahmed Shafig, the Mubarak lobby`s man, have denounced the Scaf manoeuvre, calling it a coup. But that is unlikely to disturb a military that has enjoyed absolute power in Egypt since 1952.
While the Egyptian people`s revolt did make Hosni Mubarak go after 18 days of street protests, we in Pakistan know from our experience how difficult it is to dislodge the military from power once it has an inebriating taste of it. The Scaf move deserves to be condemned, for it has betrayed the revolution.
What the Egyptian generals should know is that once the genie of revolution is out of the bottle it cannotbe putbackin.The dissolution of the assembly by the court and the assumption of sweeping powers by the military would add to the ongoing confrontation between the people and the Mubarak loyalists and lead perhaps to a bloodier revolution.
Official results of the second phase of the presidential election will be announced today, but Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi has claimed victory. While the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces reiterated its resolve to hand over power to the new president, the decree it has issued creates new hurdies in the way of the transfer of power. With the newly elected parliament already dissolved, the new president will be a lame-duck chief executive, unable to implement his legislative programme. Scaf has also declared that elections to a new parliament cannot be held till a new constitution is made; the new president will not be the supreme commander of the armed forces and that it is Scaf that will make the budget.
The Scaf decree makes it clear that the military junta, headed by FieldMarshal Mohammad Hussain Tantawi, has no intention of parting with power. Mr Morsi`s ceremonial induction as president may after all take place, but it will be a ceremony and no more. All presidential candidates, with the exception of Ahmed Shafig, the Mubarak lobby`s man, have denounced the Scaf manoeuvre, calling it a coup. But that is unlikely to disturb a military that has enjoyed absolute power in Egypt since 1952.
While the Egyptian people`s revolt did make Hosni Mubarak go after 18 days of street protests, we in Pakistan know from our experience how difficult it is to dislodge the military from power once it has an inebriating taste of it. The Scaf move deserves to be condemned, for it has betrayed the revolution.
What the Egyptian generals should know is that once the genie of revolution is out of the bottle it cannotbe putbackin.The dissolution of the assembly by the court and the assumption of sweeping powers by the military would add to the ongoing confrontation between the people and the Mubarak loyalists and lead perhaps to a bloodier revolution.
Gillani no more- what is next
PAKISTAN no longer has a chief executive, and the most urgent issue now is to have one in place as soon as possible and reactivate the cabinet. Aside from the legal and constitutional vacuum created by a missing prime minister, this is not a country that can afford to muddle along without a set of people monitoring it constantly. Accepting the Supreme Court`s judgment, having Mr Gilani step down quickly and calling a National Assembly session for Friday were the right steps for the ruling coalition to take, paving the way for quickly putting a new government in place.
But the matter doesn`t end there. The new executive thenneedstofocuson whatever governance is possible over the next few months. Disturbing as it has been to watch the judiciary unseat an elected prime minister, the reaction to this development should be a sobering moment for the ruling coalition. The bad-toworse trajectory of the country over the last four years has meant the man on the street was more than happy to see the prime minister go. Bad governance is not, of course, any justification for disqualification by the judiciary, nor was it made out to be that is a judgment that can only bemade in the people`s court. Which is all the more reason the country`s reaction is a warning to the ruling coalition that if it manages to spend the next few months in power, it will need to do whatever it can to at least try to improve the state of the nation. Playing the martyrdom or victim card will only go so far in the face of problems that range from loadshedding and economic mismanagement to poor law and order and limited success in counterterrorism.
Overshadowing all of this is the question of whether the SC will give the new prime minister a chance. This will not be easy to do, given how far the judiciary pursued the matter of the letter to the Swiss authorities during Mr Gilani`s tenure. But it is also important for the SC to consider what going after the issue again will realistically achieve. Institutional and legal concerns have their place, but should not be focused on to the exclusion of the country`s broader needs at a given time, in this case political stability and the need to strengthen the democratic process. At this point, so close to the end of the election cycle, it is best to let the people themselves determine whether or not the ruling coalition deserves to continue in office.
But the matter doesn`t end there. The new executive thenneedstofocuson whatever governance is possible over the next few months. Disturbing as it has been to watch the judiciary unseat an elected prime minister, the reaction to this development should be a sobering moment for the ruling coalition. The bad-toworse trajectory of the country over the last four years has meant the man on the street was more than happy to see the prime minister go. Bad governance is not, of course, any justification for disqualification by the judiciary, nor was it made out to be that is a judgment that can only bemade in the people`s court. Which is all the more reason the country`s reaction is a warning to the ruling coalition that if it manages to spend the next few months in power, it will need to do whatever it can to at least try to improve the state of the nation. Playing the martyrdom or victim card will only go so far in the face of problems that range from loadshedding and economic mismanagement to poor law and order and limited success in counterterrorism.
Overshadowing all of this is the question of whether the SC will give the new prime minister a chance. This will not be easy to do, given how far the judiciary pursued the matter of the letter to the Swiss authorities during Mr Gilani`s tenure. But it is also important for the SC to consider what going after the issue again will realistically achieve. Institutional and legal concerns have their place, but should not be focused on to the exclusion of the country`s broader needs at a given time, in this case political stability and the need to strengthen the democratic process. At this point, so close to the end of the election cycle, it is best to let the people themselves determine whether or not the ruling coalition deserves to continue in office.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Pakistan - BALOCHISTAN water issue
BALOCHISTAN has many problems besides its fiscal difficulties, but the
medium-term viability of the provincial economy depends on some key
reform measures. Unf ortunately, where the present provincial government
has shown some discipline in restraining provincial expenditures over
the last four years, it has not been able to do anything about the most
important reform required: the tube well subsidy and the growing water
scarcities that are confronting Balochistan.
The latest budget by the Balochistan government is the typical election year budget that all the other provincial governments have also announced.
Discretionary spending is up, with Rs300m given to each legislator to spend in their respective constituency. Spending on education is also up, but more than Rs2bn to spend on building schools is a way of using education funds to make hay with the construction mafia. No new revenue measures were announced, and the devel-opment budget that classic tool for buying votes has been hiked as in all the other provinces.
But Balochistan has one problem that sets it apart from the other provinces.
Water is disappearing from its water tables under the growing use of tube wells, electricity for which is subsidised by the provincial government. Almost twothirds of the electricity distributed in the province is consumed by tube wells that pump water from depths of almost 300 metres in some places. The provincial government has been asking international donors for help in dealing with the water scarcity. But what any potential donor would like to see are the steps the government is taking to help itself.
Unfortunately, the present budget will provide no answers. Elections will come and go, but the coming period of water scarcity requires serious attention from provincial authorities immediately. They have missed an important opportunity to start down that road in this budget.
The latest budget by the Balochistan government is the typical election year budget that all the other provincial governments have also announced.
Discretionary spending is up, with Rs300m given to each legislator to spend in their respective constituency. Spending on education is also up, but more than Rs2bn to spend on building schools is a way of using education funds to make hay with the construction mafia. No new revenue measures were announced, and the devel-opment budget that classic tool for buying votes has been hiked as in all the other provinces.
But Balochistan has one problem that sets it apart from the other provinces.
Water is disappearing from its water tables under the growing use of tube wells, electricity for which is subsidised by the provincial government. Almost twothirds of the electricity distributed in the province is consumed by tube wells that pump water from depths of almost 300 metres in some places. The provincial government has been asking international donors for help in dealing with the water scarcity. But what any potential donor would like to see are the steps the government is taking to help itself.
Unfortunately, the present budget will provide no answers. Elections will come and go, but the coming period of water scarcity requires serious attention from provincial authorities immediately. They have missed an important opportunity to start down that road in this budget.
Pakistan - Malik Riaz and CJ's Son
BOMBSHELL or damp squib? These are early days yet to judge the ultimate
impact of the extraordinary accusations levelled by Malik Riaz against
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. Today the SC will start
to grapple with the contents and fallout of Mr Riaz`s outburst on
Tuesday. Also scheduled for today is the next hearing in the case
between Mr Riaz and Arsalan Iftikhar, which could shed further light on
the alleged nexus between the judiciary, politics and powerful business
interests. Only this much is clear so far: both Mr Riaz and Mr Iftikhar
are guilty of at least some impropriety.
The claim by the Bahria Town magnate that he shelled out millions of rupees to the chief justice`s son because he was being blackmailed doesn`t appear plausible. It is far more likely that Mr Riaz was hoping his wealth would help bend court judgments in his favour.
Similarly, Mr Iftikhar appears to have no real explanation for the wealth he has accumulated in a short span of time. It seems likely that he did take money from Mr Riaz and what other reason would he have to accept under-the-table payments other than in return for a promise of illegal help to the Bahria Town owner who is fighting on many legal fronts to protect hisbusiness interests? At the very least, having claimed to have never met Mr Riaz, Mr Iftikhar will have to answer why the business tycoon has now claimed to have met him in the presence of the chief justice and others.
There is much more at stake, however, than the accusations and counteraccusations. The credibility of the SC is on the line in an era in which corruption and malfeasance have become the overwhelming norm. This is not a matter for a full court meeting scheduled for Friday but for something far more transparent and capable of cutting through conflicting claims that characterise such tawdry deals made in the shadows. Mr Riaz has claimed and Aitzaz Ahsan has confirmed that the chief justice was aware of the allegations against his son before suo motu action was taken by him after the stories appeared online.
So why the delay? And now that it has been revealed that the chief justice did meet Mr Riaz during the time he was fighting to return to office, the country deserves to know the full truth about the relationship between the country`s top judge and a powerful backroom political player. While we would like to believe that the chief justice had no role in the matter, sunlight is needed whatever the dark secrets kept hidden so far.
The claim by the Bahria Town magnate that he shelled out millions of rupees to the chief justice`s son because he was being blackmailed doesn`t appear plausible. It is far more likely that Mr Riaz was hoping his wealth would help bend court judgments in his favour.
Similarly, Mr Iftikhar appears to have no real explanation for the wealth he has accumulated in a short span of time. It seems likely that he did take money from Mr Riaz and what other reason would he have to accept under-the-table payments other than in return for a promise of illegal help to the Bahria Town owner who is fighting on many legal fronts to protect hisbusiness interests? At the very least, having claimed to have never met Mr Riaz, Mr Iftikhar will have to answer why the business tycoon has now claimed to have met him in the presence of the chief justice and others.
There is much more at stake, however, than the accusations and counteraccusations. The credibility of the SC is on the line in an era in which corruption and malfeasance have become the overwhelming norm. This is not a matter for a full court meeting scheduled for Friday but for something far more transparent and capable of cutting through conflicting claims that characterise such tawdry deals made in the shadows. Mr Riaz has claimed and Aitzaz Ahsan has confirmed that the chief justice was aware of the allegations against his son before suo motu action was taken by him after the stories appeared online.
So why the delay? And now that it has been revealed that the chief justice did meet Mr Riaz during the time he was fighting to return to office, the country deserves to know the full truth about the relationship between the country`s top judge and a powerful backroom political player. While we would like to believe that the chief justice had no role in the matter, sunlight is needed whatever the dark secrets kept hidden so far.
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