EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

 

US report

DO we really need the US to inform us about the deficiencies of our government? Its frailties and alleged wrongdoings are well known to the citizens of Pakistan, thanks primarily to a largely free media as well as an inbuilt cynicism fuelled by a series of dubious dispensations in Islamabad. The latest biannual report submitted to Congress by the White House paints a bleak picture of governance in Pakistan and points to the shortcomings of an administration that is apparently so involved in political wrangling that it cannot address core issues such as the economy. Again, this is not news for the people. At the same time it should be noted that such reports are mandatory, a routine affair, and need not be construed as a terminal indictment of Islamabad. The US needs Pakistan in the fight against militancy, and what the White House says in public may not be reflective of negotiations taking place behind the scenes.

And that`s a key point here. The US may have concerns about the viability of the Pakistan government but such matters are best discussed in private. Airing its displeasure in public helps neither Islamabad nor Washington. A government that is not short of critics at home only comes under increased pressure when an ostensible ally such as the US chooses to point out its shortcomings, be they real or not. Washington would also do well to remember that there is no shortage of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan and there are plenty of conservative and right-wing politicians here who will jump at the chance to exploit any perceived slight. As it is, there are deep suspicions among the public about America`s role in Pakistan and many are convinced that we are fighting someone else`s war. That is not entirely true, for this is our own battle as well, but inflammatory statements do not help either side`s cause.

Questioning the Pakistan Army`s commitment to the fight against militancy, such as its reluctance to begin a full-fledged operation against the Taliban in North Waziristan, is another sore point. While our military`s services in countering the Taliban have often been acknowledged by US commanders and some top officials in Washington, such praise is routinely followed by criticism that can only strain the relationship between the two countries. Consider this: Pakistan`s armed forces have deployed close to 150,000 troops in the tribal areas and a significant number of servicemen have died in the battlefield. What more can this country do? The US-led alliance, which is now mulling over its Afghan exit strategy, must respect the resilience shown on this side of the Durand Line.

Tax on agriculture

THE State Bank of Pakistan has estimated the rupee value (at current prices) of agricultural goods — including crops and livestock — produced during the last fiscal to be Rs3tr, or a little less than the industrial output of Rs3.2tr. This reflects what SBP Governor Shahid Kardar recently described as a “structural shift” of incomes towards the untaxed sectors. There is no denying that rising rural incomes have sustained industrial growth during the last couple of years in the face of one of Pakistan`s worst economic slumps. However, agricultural incomes remain out of the tax net. Mr Kardar worries rightly that this shift will defeat efforts to increase the country`s tax-to-GDP ratio of less than nine per cent — one of the lowest in the world. Thus, the shift of incomes away from taxpaying sectors demands that non-taxpaying sectors like agriculture be immediately brought into the tax net. Big growers hold that the implementation of agricultural income tax is not feasible because of fractured landholdings, especially in central and lower Punjab. What about the incomes of big landholders in south Punjab and Sindh? Why should they be exempted from paying tax? This is against the principle of an equitable tax system.

They also argue that the agriculture sector is already burdened by indirect taxes. The unwillingness of the provinces to levy income tax on big landholders has led to the imposition of various indirect federal levies on farm inputs. This is unfair to smaller farmers. The rising commodity prices make a good case for taxing rural incomes directly to protect smaller growers from indirect taxation and raising revenue for development. While the escalation of agricultural incomes is good for the country`s vast population living in villages, this must not shift the focus from the dire need to boost productivity. The current rural prosperity is driven by the escalation in global commodity prices rather than increased productivity. Our agriculture yields per acre remain one of the lowest in the region. The revenues generated from agricultural income tax could be invested in improving technology, water management and research for raising crop yields.

Bid to exonerate Israel

THE UN has done well to pre-empt any move to modify, much less nullify, the Goldstone report that accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza in 2008-09. More than a year and a half after the report that bore his name was published, Richard Goldstone wrote in a newspaper article recently he regretted certain aspects of the findings because it did not contain the Israeli version. A spokesman for the UN Human Rights Council said the world body would not review the report on the basis of a newspaper article. While the two other members of the four-person commission have not yet reacted, Hina Jilani, Pakistan`s HR activist who was on the panel, said nothing could invalidate the report. “If it does happen”, she said “it would be seen as a suspect move”.

As remarked by Dawn in its editorial of Sept 17, 2009, the Goldstone report did not break any new ground because even while the war was going on, Human Rights Watch reported that Israeli artillery was using a white phosphorus incendiary agent which burns the human skin, and its firing was indiscriminate, hitting civilian targets, including a mosque. That a revision of the findings would be “a suspect move” became crystal clear when an Israeli spokesman remarked that Mr Goldstone understood well “the Jewish people`s suffering” and said the South African judge, a Jew himself, wanted the report to be nullified. The issue here is not the Jewish people`s suffering, which should not be made an excuse for inflicting suffering on the Palestinian people; the issue is whether the Israeli forces committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The HRW observations and the Goldstone report agree that they did indeed. What is needed is not the revision of the UN report but to mete out justice to war criminals.