EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

 

Housing census

AFTER a delay of three years, the first phase of a national census finally kicked off on Tuesday with the initiation of the house-listing operation. Pakistan has been quite tardy when it comes to conducting censuses. While the previous enumeration exercise — which is supposed to be a decennial event — took place in 1998, there was a 17-year gap between the last census and the one before it. So perhaps we are making progress. In the first phase, to be completed by April 19, each household will be counted along with the family’s head while a population census is to follow in August or September. Undoubtedly, conducting a census is a massive logistical operation requiring sound planning. And while governments in Pakistan are not known for the soundness of their planning, what complicates matters further in 2011 is the fact that hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed in last year’s floods while a large number of people were displaced. Many people are still living in temporary shelters and enumerators will have to consider this while recording data to reflect an accurate picture for future planning.

Nevertheless, it is good that the government has gone ahead with the house count and has not delayed the exercise further — although the census has not been free of hiccups. Some confusion reigned in Sindh as until Tuesday evening a census commissioner for the province had not been notified. Questions have also been raised about the enumerators’ capabilities in Punjab, specifically with regard to their training. It has also been asked if it would be possible for the enumerators to cover, on average, over 700 houses each in the period until April 19. There is no need to rush the exercise as inaccurate data is as bad as no data. This time around the house-counting exercise will be different from the past as apart from displacement caused by the floods, militancy has also rendered many homeless. The enumerators are enlisting the help of security forces in at least three tribal agencies. In fact, the civil authorities should seek the security forces’ assistance wherever access is an issue.

It is key that the house count is completely transparent and as error-free as possible as it will provide a baseline for the population census. Once data from both exercises is analysed it will help planners tackle Pakistan’s massive housing problem: World Bank figures from last year suggest that the housing shortage in the country is over 7.5 million units. The government should also launch an awareness campaign to encourage people to cooperate with enumerators as planning, service delivery, the sharing of resources and legislative representation all depend on accurate population figures.

Libya faces partition

UNLESS there is a diplomatic solution, for which moves are afoot, Libya could head towards partition. The rebels, in spite of Nato air strikes, have lost considerable part of the territory they had gained. Both sides now want a ceasefire — obviously to consolidate their positions. If it goes into effect, the rebels will get more western arms and sort out discipline and command problems to renew their offensive with greater vigour. There are indications that Muammar Qadhafi is willing to quit, but that his sons will oversee the transition. The ‘eastern’ rebels have rejected this and want the Qadhafi family to leave. The rebels’ diplomatic position has improved, with Italy joining France and Qatar in recognising the breakaway Transitional National Council. If more states recognise the Benghazi-based regime and the stalemate is prolonged, the oil-rich country will stand partitioned — the first Arab country to suffer this fate since the democracy wave began in Tunisia last December.

Turkey and Greece are now involved in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and find a peaceful solution that could end Libya’s misery. Civilians have suffered immensely, with neither side bothering to spare them. In fact, Nato has had to warn the rebels that if they do not stop bombing civilians in Qadhafi-held territory, its forces will target their troops just as they have hit Qadhafi forces to save civilian lives. As in Tunisia and Egypt, where the dissidents didn’t accept a transition process supervised by regime supporters, the Libyan rebels too are doing the same, even though privately revolt leaders admit that a military solution to the conflict is not possible. What they should note is that the sympathies of the world are by and large with them. A ceasefire followed by recognition by more states will strengthen their international status and erode Col Qadhafi’s power. Adopting a hard line will only prolong the conflict, add to casualties and aggravate the plight of the Libyan people. All one can hope is that better sense will prevail on both sides, that they will take care to avoid collateral damage and a ‘road map’ to peace is prepared to avert Libya’s partition.

Mass transit gap

FORTY passengers compete for each seat on Karachi’s public transport vehicles, according to the Karachi Mass Transit Cell. This remarkable statistic becomes less surprising when one learns, as reported in this paper last week, that public transport accounts for only six per cent of vehicles in the city but is used by over 50 per cent of the population. The enormous gap indicates clearly that significant demand for mass transit among the residents of this megacity is going unmet. Nor is Karachi the only Pakistani city to suffer from a lack of transportation options for those who cannot afford private vehicles or find it inconvenient to use them; this is a countrywide issue, and not even the capital has a mass transit system that meets its needs.

Beyond providing an essential public good for citizens, however, mass transit has obvious benefits that have been recognised the world over. It increases productivity and, by reducing traffic, lessens pollution and cuts down travel time. And at a time when oil prices are rising around the world — the government recently had to raise domestic prices of petroleum products by up to 13 per cent in response to global price hikes — improving mass transit is a key component of reducing dependence on an expensive fossil fuel. What provides some cautious optimism is that two studies are in the works, a local one that envisions a multi-pronged system including buses, a circular railway and light rail, and one conducted by foreign experts to examine how transportation in Karachi can be improved. These studies should be finalised as soon as possible and their recommendations taken seriously by the city administration. Nor should Pakistan’s other cities be forgotten; while they have significantly smaller populations, their mass transit systems are also in need of review with an eye to both improvement and expansion.