EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Mohali ‘summit’

THAT the two prime ministers met at Mohali on Wednesday in an environment enlivened by what by any standards was a carnival is itself an achievement. Their second meeting since February in Thimphu, this get-together should serve to help revive the ‘composite dialogue’ so rudely shattered by the Mumbai episode. A breakthrough was never expected, and nobody seemed to share the misplaced optimism generated by some TV channels on both sides. Nevertheless, we can detect a modest diplomatic gain: an invitation was sent by India, and Pakistan accepted it, the grace being mutual. This should be a matter of satisfaction seen against the background of the mistrust that has characterised India-Pakistan ties for six decades. More significantly, the Mohali meeting is a clear indication of the two prime ministers’ resolve to pursue the peace process despite the hurdles in the way, not the least of which is the opposition from the hawks in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet to a soft line towards Pakistan, and his weakened position because of the corruption scandals now rocking Indian politics. The interior secretaries’ accord in New Delhi must have gladdened the two chief executives, because they agreed to set up a ‘terror hotline’, coupled with the declaration in the joint statement that they will “remain engaged on outstanding issues”.
Last July’s talks in Islamabad were an unmitigated disaster, for the two foreign ministers achieved nothing, with the then foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi blaming the Indians for coming unprepared. But, as irony would have it, the same G.K. Pillai whose haste in blaming Pakistan for the Mumbai crime while the talks were going on was criticised by his foreign minister acted with greater wisdom and clinched on Tuesday with Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, his Pakistani counterpart, a deal on many thorny issues, including a pledge to share information on Mumbai and the Samjhota Express. Both sides also agreed on visits by Pakistani and Indian delegations in connection with the Mumbai probe, and there was a marked understanding on what is a perennial problem — fishermen’s arrest and ‘inadvertent crossers’. It has not yet been decided when the interior ministers will meet. This obviously means that a meeting between the foreign ministers and a visit by the Indian prime minister belong to a distant and — given their accident-prone relationship — hazy future.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Gilani’s visit to Mohali and the interior secretaries’ work constitute a step forward, especially because the joint statement makes it clear that both Islamabad and New Delhi regard terrorism as a common enemy. There is still a long way to go, however. The deep mistrust remains, and may not go away unless the two sides also agree on the definition of terrorism.

Balochistan killings

IN another tragic loss that forms part of a disturbing trend, the bulletriddled body of a student believed to be a Baloch activist was found in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district on Sunday. He had reportedly been missing for some time. The news came a day after the discovery of eight bodies in Balochistan. These recent examples represent only a handful of extrajudicial killings out of the scores that have been reported over the last few months. While people have been going missing in Balochistan for years, their dead bodies are now being found, opening up a new chapter in the long running, low-intensity conflict between Baloch activists and security agencies. Separatists do contribute to violence in the province as well; they have attacked
security forces, government officials, non-Baloch residents of the province and public infrastructure. But the party affiliations of those whose bodies have been found indicate that the killings are unlikely to have been carried out by insurgents. This, and the fact that many of those found dead were among the province’s missing persons, has created the suspicion that security agencies are involved. As a result, the insurgency has intensified, leading to incidents such as the gunning down of at least 10 men at a Frontier Works Organisation camp in Gwadar last week.
The government’s Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan package is meant to address some of the grievances of the Baloch, although nationalists argue its implementation has been slow. Pakistan’s military has also made conciliatory gestures by hiring Baloch youth and establishing educational institutions. The 18th Amendment promises more provincial autonomy, and the seventh National Finance Commission Award has increased the province’s share of federal revenue and acknowledges Balochistan’s right to profit from its natural resources. But these efforts will not be enough as long as security agencies and law-enforcement personnel continue to exert as much influence in Balochistan as they do; the chief minister has himself admitted that he has limited control over the province. Until the issue of the missing persons is resolved and the civilian administration allowed to truly govern the province, no concessions will be enough to bring these retaliatory attacks and killings to an end.

Waste of funds

A RECENT report, Education Emergency, told us that the situation in education is critical. Now we learn, as reported by this newspaper, that every fourth college in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been established in an area that is unfeasible for its operation. Of the functional colleges, 40 out of 153 do not manage to enrol the numbers of students required to avail of their capacities, which means that they are functioning to great cost and little gain. According to government policy, to make it viable a college for boys should be established in an area where 350 students qualify for the Secondary School Certificate examination, while for a girls’ college 250 students should be available. These 40 colleges have been established in areas where the number of students is less 200. This means the provincial government spends around Rs10,000 per month on every student in the colleges in unfeasible areas, versus Rs1,500 per student on colleges with a sufficient number of students.
It is shocking that resources are going to waste in a country where the state of education is critical. Reportedly, public representatives have pushed through the establishment of colleges in unfeasible areas in order to oblige voters. The construction of each such college can cost up to Rs200m. Meanwhile, there is an insufficient number of colleges in cities and towns. Peshawar alone needs 10 more institutions to cater to the needs of a growing student body that comes from across the province. This is devoid of sense. There is no denying that remote areas need educational institutions. However, colleges that do not have enough students to function viably yield no benefit either. The government and elected representatives need to come up with an effective solution to ensure that funds from the public exchequer are not wasted.