EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Possible compromise?

 

AMIDST the conflicting claims made anonymously by Pakistani and American security officials over the issue of drone strikes and secret US operatives on Pakistani soil, there appear to be hints about the possibility of compromise by both sides. On drone strikes, `expanded cooperation` may be on the cards while the US may share some information on its intelligence operations inside Pakistan. This would partially meet the security establishment`s desire to limit the American `footprint` and the scale of its operations in the country while allowing the Americans to continue covert programmes with enhanced Pakistani assistance/knowledge. If there is any truth to the speculation about both sides working towards a compromise — it is difficult to say with certainty what may be happening behind the scenes — then it should be welcomed for several reasons.

First, the very public bickering and recriminations between the US and Pakistan will almost certainly be hampering the fight against militancy. If principals on both sides are arguing, it means they are distracted from thinking about fresh ways to squeeze the militants. Since the Raymond Davis spanner in relations, countless hours have been lost arguing over flaccid rules of cooperation and poorly demarcated red lines that should never have been in doubt in the first place. At some point, a dispute over tactics needs to be put to rest, and that point has surely come. Second, anything that helps clarify the apparently flaccid rules of cooperation and poorly demarcated red lines is a good thing going forward, particularly since the end game in Afghanistan is imminent and strategic tensions are expected to flare up again. It is difficult to say which side is painting an accurate picture about the drone strikes. An American `go it alone` approach on drone strikes in Fata would suggest that the US has developed an intelligence capability in the area previously considered unlikely. Frankly, that would be an alarm-ing development. While drone strikes have some limited counter-terrorism potential — particularly when it comes to taking out high-level targets — they seem to have become a particularly addictive tool for the Americans. Perhaps lacking any good options, the drone strikes are a way of `doing something`. So the capability to independently launch strikes may tempt the US to use the drones even more, irrespective of their efficacy. That can in no way be a good thing for Pakistan.

Finally, arguing over activities in Pakistan will almost certainly be delaying thorny debates over the future of Afghanistan, where arguably the real differences lie. Afghanistan is an intractable enough problem without letting distractions in Pakistan get in the way.

Still missing

 

IN the latest development in Pakistan`s missing people saga, the Supreme Court on Wednesday summoned a slew of senior officials, including the interior minister, provincial home secretaries and the inspectors general of police of the four provinces, to explain why hundreds of missing people have still not returned home. The same day, an activist group wound up a 10-day camp in the capital protesting delays in the recovery of those who have disappeared from Balochistan; now that the dead bodies of missing Baloch have begun turning up, the matter has taken an even more serious turn in that province. Indeed, nearly a year and a half since the SC took up the issue of forced disappearances again, this serious human rights violation remains unresolved. Although the court claimed on Wednesday that over 220 people had been recovered through its efforts, an activist group said the number of missing people has risen to nearly 350. The fact that reports about such disappearances are still appearing in the media, especially from Balochistan, only confirms that even as some progress has been made, people continue to be picked up and detained without trial.

That said, there is only so much the courts can do. No judicial commissions and no number of hearings can be successful without the cooperation of the government and the security establishment. In order for this problem to be resolved, the civilian administration would have to demonstrate the will to pursue it with determination and persistence and the courage to ask questions of the law-enforcement and intelligence agencies that activists and families of missing people claim are responsible. In turn, these agencies would have to be willing to accept that such detentions are unacceptable, return people to their homes and charge them with any wrongdoing through legal channels. The SC has declared that 2011 will be the year of the recovery of missing people. But the foot-dragging and obstruction that have characterised investigations so far do not provide much hope that this national embarrassment will be resolved any time soon.

CNG strike

 

THE strike by CNG dealers in Punjab and Islamabad has affected life badly. The majority of CNG filling stations there have remained closed for the last two days on the call of the All Pakistan CNG Association, which is demanding an end to the two-day mandatory weekly holiday for CNG stations. Though a few CNG dealers opted not to support the strike call, the shortage had a huge impact, even troubling those travelling in petrol-driven vehicles. In Lahore, for instance, many petrol stations ran out of supplies because of a sudden surge in demand. Where petrol was still available, the consumers had to wait in long queues. Many preferred to skip work instead of waiting for their turn at petrol stations or spending more money on travel than they would have had to if CNG was available.

The CNG dealers` demand to end the weekly holiday for the sector is difficult to meet given the massive gas shortages in Punjab particularly. The dealers are angry that the government `prefers` industry and the power sector over them while distributing gas shortages amongst different sectors of the economy. This is misleading. Industry, including captive power plants, is facing a three-day weekly gas closure. It is important that industry, especially export-oriented units, gets priority over other gas consumers if jobs are to be protected and exports increased. The gas supplies for power generation can also not be cut in view of the growing demand for electricity in summer. This doesn`t mean the grievances of the CNG sellers or consumers are not genuine; only that the government is helpless to address the problem to everyone`s satisfaction. It is time to consider other options, such as the import of LNG which the government can undertake in partnership with the private sector.