EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

More sparring

WHATEVER hope there may have been that Adm Mike Mullen`s visit to Pakistan would help reduce tensions between Pakistan and the US eva-porated when the admiral trotted out the Haqqani-ISI links to criticise the security establishment here in unusually specific language for public statements. The response from the Pakistani side was swift, with the army chief, Gen Kayani, rejecting the “negative propaganda” of the US and the American claim that the army lacks “clarity” on the way forward in the fight against militancy. The back-and-forth between the American and Pakistani military principals appears to suggest that the tussle to renegotiate the rules on American activities in Pakistan is far from being resolved. Unhappily, then, the potential for a further deterioration in ties remains high.

What prompted Adm Mullen to make the speci-fic allegations against the ISI at this point? In the murky intelligence world, particularly looking in from the outside, nothing can be said with certainty. But it would appear that as the ISI has pushed fiercely following the Raymond Davis incident to limit the American presence and the sphere of activity inside Pakistan further, the American national security establishment is seeking to push back against the ISI in order to preserve, to the extent possible, US activities inside Pakistan. However, Adm Mullen`s comments have had the unfortunate consequence of broadening the immediate dispute to once again bring in longstanding problems on Afghanistan. Given the intractable nature of some of the problems between the two countries, anything which broadens an immediate source of disagreement is unwelcome. Indeed, on Afghanistan there has been a more positive atmosphere between the US and Pakistan in recent times. The US has not shut down attempts by the Pakistan security establishment and political government to engage the Karzai government on the issue of reconciliation with the Taliban, while in Pakistan analysts familiar with the army`s views have been keen to drum up the `convergences` between the thinking of the American and the Pakistani sides on Afghanistan as the American endgame in that country approaches.

When the highest echelons of two states seem willing to spar, is there anything that can be done to bring down the temperature? Perhaps only when reality reasserts itself. Unhappy as the US administration and the Pakistani establishment may be with one another, the relationship is ultimately one of interdependence. And to a large extent there remains a common enemy: militancy. The militants of most concern to the US may differ from the ones of most concern to Pakistan, but the more the US and Pakistan disagree, the more the militants as a whole may benefit.

Wealth of information

THE customary disclosures of lawmakers` assets and liabilities always make for interesting reading. As per a report in this paper, the financial details of members of the National Assembly furnished to the Election Commission show that many of our lawmakers are extremely well-off. In fact, the prime minister has shown that even in these dire financial times it is possible to save — he has managed to save more than half a million rupees from his annual salary, which, apparently, is his only source of income. While Mr Gilani manages to make ends meet with his salary of just under Rs1m, other members of the house appear to be financially much better off. Several MNAs have assets worth billions of rupees. One of them, Mehboobullah Jan of the PPP, represents Kohistan, one of the nation`s poorest and most under-developed districts. And while opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar has not declared the value of his assets, the fact that he owns several plots, considerable acreage and two luxury vehicles indicates that his assets are significant Also, as many Pakistanis struggle with financial hardship, lawmakers such as Faryal Talpur and Shah Mehmood Qureshi have seen the value of their assets rise by tens of millions of rupees. Other disclosures are clearly farcical. Several powerful politicians have said they do not own cars while some have said they have no cash in the bank.

While those lawmakers who have declared their assets deserve praise, clearly a lot about the origin and extent of MNAs` wealth has gone unsaid. Though such declarations are essential for the creation of a transparent democratic culture, many questions remain about what has and has not been disclosed. Such figures show that moneyed individuals are well represented in the legislatures. The question is: would these people be interested in changing the status quo and, for example, widening the tax net so that the state can more equally distribute wealth? We are a nation of contradictions; one of these is that the representatives of the people lead lives the majority of the population can only dream of. Unless these contradictions are addressed, change for the better is unlikely.

Bahrain: need for restraint

WITH its roots in what is basically a domestic issue, the Bahrain crisis could aggravate if regional states do not exercise restraint. The expulsion of some Iranian diplomats by Kuwait, the support which the European Union has lent to the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran`s sharp criticism of the Bahrain government`s handling of the pro-democracy stir have served to heighten tensions. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the GCC and the EU called for respecting “the sovereignty of GCC member-states” and, more ominously, said the latter had the right to “take all necessary measures to protect their citizens”. At the same time, Bahrain and Kuwait government leaders have displayed considerable harshness in their diplomatic rhetoric and accused Tehran of trying to dominate the Gulf region and threatening Bahrain`s sovereignty. While the Kuwait foreign minister accused some Iranian diplomats of spying, the Bahrain foreign minister said Tehran had adopted “a sustained campaign” against the sheikhdom. Reacting to Tehran`s criticism of the Saudi-led GCC force in Bahrain he said the force was there to “deter an external threat” — a clear reference to Tehran. However, like the GCC and EU, he ignored Nato air strikes in Libya.

The pro-democracy protests in Bahrain are part of the larger freedom wave that has rocked the Arab world and seen the fall of such strongmen as Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, with Muammar Qadhafi fighting for survival. As in Yemen, Syria and Jordan, so also in Bahrain the uprising is an internal issue, and the Bahrain monarchy should try to address the cause of the stir through internal reforms. The involvement of the EU and other non-regional actors in the Bahrain situation will only aggravate the crisis, while Iran should know that an escalation of the Iran-GCC tension will divert attention away from the opposition`s just struggle for democratic reforms.