EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

`Karachi province`

PUNJAB Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif`s call for a `Karachi province`, which he now claims was merely a `question mark`, has been rejected by all major stakeholders in Sindh and for all the right reasons. The MQM, the leading force in urban Sindh politics, has opposed the proposal in outright fashion and in a timely manner. The key here is indeed the timing: any hesitation from the party that secures the most votes in Karachi may have sent a signal that it is pondering the viability of such a drastic move. Instead, the MQM was quick to dismiss the notion within a few hours of Mr Sharif`s pronouncement in Dera Ghazi Khan. What this decision averted was even more turbulence in an already volatile city that has seen its unfair share of political and ethnic unrest. The other two major players in Sindh, the PPP and the newly energetic ANP, were equally adamant in their criticism of the Punjab chief minister`s statement which appears to be an exercise in scoring points more than anything else. The PML-N knows that a Seraiki province will loosen its hold on national politics. And the PPP is well aware that its Sindh constituency is largely rural-based and it cannot afford any divisions in the province. The ANP, for its part, is still finding its feet in Karachi — fairly successfully for that matter — and is an urban party that is expected to oppose any regional demarcations. Indeed, it has already done so.

Let`s talk about Punjab here. The demand there for a Seraiki province has existed for as long as most people can remember. It is nothing new and that is an area on which the Punjab chief minister should focus. In sharp contrast, there is no such popular call in Karachi or other parts of Sindh. Mr Sharif would also do well to remember that his party, the PML-N, has no real mandate in Sindh. He is the elected chief minister of the country`s largest province and must face a host of challenges. Perhaps it would be better if he tackled those instead of addressing issues that are clearly out of his domain.

If such a statement was to be made, it should have come from the national leader of the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif, not the chief minister of another province. Moreover, a pronouncement like this should have been made during a visit to Sindh, not in Dera Ghazi Khan. Shahbaz Sharif is in the habit of denying controversial statements. He should concentrate on Punjab, not Sindh.

Development funds

THE provision of development grants to parliamentarians is a controversial matter. It can create rifts, with members of the opposition often complaining of discrimination. Parliamentarians have also been accused of eating up the money they have received under the head, and of lavishing it on their favourites. This is where the story usually ends. But a news item in Sunday edition has, for a change, a few parliamentarians giving off positive vibes. For instance, it was reassuring to read about a senator who had a contractor locked up for offering her a bribe in return for work. She was joined by a National Assembly member who said she got one of her own projects cancelled after she learnt that its director had raised its cost through manipulation. An MNA spoke of how an inquiry he had initiated into the substandard laying of a road in his area had landed an engineer of the highway department in jail, while yet another parliamentarian questioned the very basis of how the development fund is maintained. With public representatives apparently so sensible and so aware, Pakistanis have reason to feel upbeat about the future. However, the downside is that these encouraging voices may not be fully representative of parliament as a whole.
The lawmaker who is opposed to the development grant per se has said that schemes carried out with these funds should ideally be assigned to local governments. But then, the party and parliament he belongs to have shown little inclination for making the transition from the centralised system to a government at the local level any time soon. The gentleman needs to press his views to not only ensure the use of development money at the local level but also to help parliament understand its real role — lawmaking. During Gen Musharraf`s rule, the country saw how redirecting development funds to the local government could encourage established politicians to give preference to a local office, such as that of nazim, over a seat in parliament. It is a choice they and those who elect them should be allowed to make, for greater efficiency overall.

Imran Khan`s rally

IT does not matter whether the people who turned up to listen to a potential crowd-puller like Imran Khan on Saturday were many or few. What mattered was the PTI chief’s undeniable success in catching the people’s imagination by articulating their sentiments on a sensitive issue and at the right moment. American drone attacks have created a feeling of revulsion across the country although many believe that they cannot take place without Islamabad’s approval. His speech in Peshawar struck a chord with many people in Pakistan, because nothing has contributed more to the rise of anti-US feelings than the drone attacks, which while killing mostly militants also cause civilians casualties. Imran Khan might not have a very impressive record in terms of his impact on the political scene, but there is no doubt he cashed in rather intelligently on the people’s sentiments to give himself and his party a populist image.
The drone strikes involve several key issues, including the question of law and sovereignty, the need for adopting anti-terror tactics acceptable to the two sides, the political fallout of the strikes and, more important, the humanitarian aspect. The feelings generated by what often appear to be indiscreet strikes because of faulty intelligence undermine rather than strengthen the people’s commitment to the war on terror and make things that much more difficult for the government to sell its policy. Islamabad’s line on the drone attacks is manifestly hypocritical: it publicly criticises Washington but tacitly approves what many believe is a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. Regretfully, few of the mainstream political parties have bothered to air the people’s sentiments. These parties have, in fact, looked the other way. For that reason, the PTI chief has proved himself smarter by telling the people what they want to hear — put a stop to the deadly strikes.