EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Insult to injury

IT was like rubbing salt on an open wound. Barely had Raymond Davis been released and flown out of the country when a drone strike on Thursday killed at least 40 men at a jirga in North Waziristan. The insensitivity of this attack is shocking on multiple levels. First, the timing could not have been worse. Whatever one might think about the US claim of immunity for Mr Davis or the blood money settlement, the fact remains that an American shot dead two Pakistanis in broad daylight and a large section of Pakistani society was intensely angered by the incident. To launch any drone attack barely 24 hours after he had been whisked away would have been insulting enough. But this wasn’t an ordinary attack; it was a poorly targeted one that took 40 lives. This area of North Waziristan is home to some militant groups but it is highly unlikely that all, or even most, of those attending the jirga to discuss local mining rights were militants. In a rare move, the army chief has publicly condemned the loss of civilian lives. Thursday’s incident belies claims that America makes a serious effort to avoid human casualties when launching drone strikes. It shows that such attacks are carried out with poor knowledge of local sensibilities and with complete disregard for human life in areas the US considers its war zones.

It is also hard to imagine what good can come of the attack for either Pakistan or the US or their relationship. The blood money solution may have been imperfect, but it provided a way out that both administrations could have lived with. Reportedly, it was also the first step of a broader resolve to improve cooperation between the CIA and the ISI. A senior Pakistani military official had recently told journalists that he thought drone strikes were effective, a sign that the Pakistani state was perhaps willing to become more transparent about its stand on these attacks. Thursday’s strike threatens to detract from this progress.

Then there is the even trickier issue of public diplomacy. For almost two months, Pakistan has been gripped by the Davis saga which had whipped up anti-Americanism to perhaps unprecedented levels. Anger at the drone strikes now threatens to make partnering with the US even more challenging for the Pakistan government in political terms. Any retaliation could make life more difficult for Pakistani security forces or hamper America’s efforts to prevent militant attacks against itself. A TTP spokesperson has already vowed revenge, and undoubtedly this strike will win the Taliban some more support for their cause.

Census delay

A NATIONAL census is long overdue. Though the exercise was supposed to be carried out in 2008, it has been delayed several times. In this context, a section of Sindhi nationalists have criticised calls by other nationalists to delay the census due to the displacement of people caused by last year’s floods. Speaking at a conference on the subject in Hyderabad on Thursday, one leader rightly said that the census is a matter of “resources as well as representation”. The prime minister, earlier in the year, affirmed the government’s intention to carry out the census on time; hence the state should stay committed to this resolve. The exercise is due to be carried out in two phases: a house-listing operation is scheduled for April while the population and housing census will start in August. In the past, politics and the fragile law and order situation have been used as excuses to delay the census. While it is true that the nation has suffered from political instability and insecurity, the fact remains that the census cannot be put off indefinitely.

Credible population data is essential for framing public policies and future planning. At the moment, we are working with estimates based on figures that are over a decade old as the last census took place in 1998. The nation’s demographics have changed and are changing, among other reasons, due to internal urban migration. Hence some political groups fear that changed constituencies may affect their vote banks, as the census records geographical and migration characteristics. Yet the process cannot be held hostage to this fear. As for security concerns, as per the website of the Population Census Organisation, the government body tasked with carrying out the enumeration exercise, the army can provide security to field staff. It is correct to say that everything is linked to the census, from the distribution of resources to allocations for health, education and other sectors. Hence it is essential that the exercise is carried out this year on schedule. As voters’ lists will be prepared on the basis of the census, the process should ideally be completed before the next election.

Shoaib bids farewell

LOVE him or dislike him, Shoaib Akhtar will be remembered decades down the line. Shoaib, who announced on Thursday that he will retire from all forms of cricket after the ongoing World Cup, is possibly the most colourful character to ever don the Pakistan cap. Fearsomely fast in his heyday, Shoaib could rip apart any batting side when on song. He once touched the 100mph mark and, on the whole, was remarkably accurate for a man of such awesome pace. But sadly for both Shoaib and Pakistan cricket, the highs have been interspersed with far too many lows. In terms of years Shoaib’s has been a lengthy career. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ couldn’t always pull out of the station, however, and the number of matches Shoaib managed to play is not commensurate with his talent. He has often failed to make the team, for a variety of reasons. Injuries or poor fitness, physical and verbal spats with team members, run-ins with the cricket board, ball tampering, doping and numerous fines for indiscipline have all featured in the saga that is Shoaib Akhtar.

Flamboyant till the end, Shoaib’s lifestyle hasn’t always meshed with the regimen expected of a professional cricketer. But for some that is part of the charm. He is as much a sportsman as a mega-hit celebrity, the rock star of Pakistan cricket. He lives life on his own terms and revels both on and off the field. As a senior cricket writer put it the other day, Shoaib is “a man who has travelled the world and taken it in, not kept it out as so many of Pakistan’s players have”. He may rub a few people the wrong way but is admired by millions around the world and that is what counts in the end. Thank you, Shoaib, for both the entertainment and the wickets.