EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Osama investigation

WHETHER or not Pakistan`s civilian leadership believes the country`s intelligence and defence systems have failed, it has at least acknowledged the need for an examination into how Osama bin Laden was able to seek refuge in the garrison town of Abbottabad. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told parliament on Monday that an investigation would be carried out by a senior army officer and an in camera briefing delivered in parliament. Although he did not specify the scope of either — it remains unclear whether the response of the military to the US intervention will also be looked into — the announcements are welcome. What was less satisfying was Mr Gilani`s refusal to accept blame. At a time when Pakistan is being accused of either incompetence or complicity, his denial of both as “absurd” does not ring true and the claim that “all the intelligence agencies of the world” were responsible for the intelligence failure only comes across as an attempt to avoid responsibility.

Nor will these statements do much for relations between Pakistan and the US, which seem to have reached their lowest point in the decade-long collaboration that began after 9/11. In interviews aired in the US on Sunday, both President Obama and his national security adviser demanded more information from Pakistan on how Bin Laden was able to hide in Abbottabad for so long — five years, according to one of his wives in custody. American officials reason that Bin Laden must have had a support network in the town and that Pakistan must investigate it. At the same time, however, both the White House and the State Department seem to be treading carefully to avoid rupturing the relationship entirely, and have clearly stated they have no evidence of complicity on the part of top Pakistani officials.

The onus now clearly lies on Pakistan to honestly examine the circumstances that enabled Bin Laden to hide out comfortably in Abbottabad as well as the Pakistan military`s delayed response to the operation itself. Pakistani ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani stated on Sunday that “heads will roll” once incompetence or complicity have been traced to those responsible, the first official statement to this effect. While that would be satisfying for both Pakistanis and Americans, the histories of past security failures here provide little hope. When did the last truly independent investigation take place in Pakistan, and when was a senior officer, civilian or military, fired for a security lapse? Perhaps the high-profile nature of this particular incident will break this streak of impunity, but it is entirely possible that elements of the whole affair will always remain a mystery.

System with merit

THE two major stakeholders in the Sindh government, the PPP and the MQM, have reportedly agreed to retain the local bodies system. This form of governance has, around the world, proved its worth. Its value is manifold: citizens have easier access to councillors elected at the local level and who understand the ground realities. Under local government systems, day-to-day issues can be addressed more efficiently. Locally elected councillors more truly represent the people and are accountable to them. Then, devolving responsibility to local representatives creates more stakeholders in well-functioning governance, for re-election requires constituents` problems to have been satisfactorily addressed. There is also the added benefit that such a system increases the average citizen`s awareness of the manner in which the democratic process works, and the benefits that accrue: governance by those who have a stake in the system and who must answer to the people at the ballot box. Additionally, it allows space for new faces to enter the political arena, individuals who can hone their management skills at the local level and then rise to the level of national politics. This would be of great value in Pakistan where a career in politics is mainly the domain of a few notable families and where it is next to impossible for the ordinary citizen, however competent, to gain a foothold.

Unfortunately in Pakistan, manoeuvrings between various political parties have never really allowed the local government system a chance to demonstrate its worth. Indeed, active discouragement has come from some quarters since local bodies are thought to come at the expense of the powers of provincial ministers. This is a myopic view. In the absence of local councillors, provincial ministers end up taking on their role. Since they are largely inaccessible, people`s grievances often go unheard. The ministers` task should be to think at the national and inter-provincial level, while local matters ought to be dealt with locally. Political parties should encourage devolution and the entry of new faces among their ranks. The provinces that have returned to the commissionerate system, a colonial invention of governance from the top down, should reconsider.

Bar on live coverage

ACTION after the event is a comical trait that has long been the hallmark of many sections of Pakistani officialdom. By all accounts, our security establishment was ostensibly in the dark about the presence of Osama bin Laden in a garrison town no less, as well as last week`s American raid that killed the Al Qaeda chief. Now probes have been ordered to discover the reason behind the intelligence failure. But it seems that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority was in even deeper slumber. Recently the regulatory authority barred foreign channels from broadcasting live from Abbottabad, days after the city became headline news that was being exhausted anyway. Much of what was of immediate interest had already been covered by the channels. The decision is apparently based on a technicality, that the foreign channels in question do not have uplink rights in Pakistan. Media personnel allege, however, that Pemra might be seeking to reap the dividends of an upsurge in global interest following the killing of Osama bin Laden. Pemra has every right to demand an uplinking fee, which ultimately goes to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, but surely that notice could have been issued on day one. To do so now points either to incompetence or, as some allege, a belated attempt at censorship.

Only Pemra can explain its motives. But one thing is clear: almost nothing can stem the flow of information in the digital age. All that is needed to get the message across is a webcam and an Internet connection. Almost anyone can get around press restrictions, even under the most repressive of regimes. On paper Pemra may have the right to do what it has done. But that paperwork needs to be revisited, to avoid absurdity if nothing else.