EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Prisoners’ release

ALL too often, Pakistan and India throw up examples of why normalising relations between the two countries is so difficult. On Tuesday, the Pakistani government set out to announce the imminent release of an Indian prisoner held in a Pakistani prison for many years. The initial indications from the Pakistani side on the identity of the prisoner pointed towards Sarabjeet Singh, a man convicted of committing acts of terrorism on Pakistani soil. Cue the media — in this case largely the Indian media but also joined by its Pakistani counterparts — whipping up a frenzy of coverage and questions. In the absence of a formal confirmation but supported by Pakistani officials with an unfortunate knack for mixing up names, the two countries debated the merits of transferring Sarabjeet Singh to Indian custody. A few hours later, the truth trickled out: the man set to be released was Surjeet Singh, convicted for spying for India during the Zia era. What ought to have been a positive development, then, turned into a fiasco as questions on both sides of the border focused on poor civil-military relations in Pakistan and whether the military had yet again scuttled an initiative by the civilian government. These were questions that could have been easily avoided had government officials here been clearer about whom the government intended to release and the media more careful about verifying the details before running the story.

Having said that, behind the Sarabjeet-Surjeet mix-up lies an important issue: cross-border prisoners in India and Pakistan who have served out their prison terms or are jailed for lengthy periods on flimsy or frivolous grounds. These victims of the Pakistan-India dynamic ought to be spared the personal misery that is heaped on them because the two states cannot work out an arrangement to ensure the timely repatriation of each other’s citizens and, even before that, to ensure that only serious crimes lead to extended detention periods. The 315 Indian fishermen, including 14 teenage boys, who were released yesterday after the intervention of an NGO exemplify the problem: fortunate as they are to be returning to their homes in India, ought they to have been detained and imprisoned for long spells in Pakistan in the first place? The same thing occurs over in India. Surely the two countries can work out some pre-emptive measures at this stage.

Finally, the fierce reaction in some quarters here to the (incorrect) news that Sarabjeet Singh is to be released indicates much work remains to be done for populations on both sides of the Pakistan-India border to better understand and empathise with one another.

Power shortage

RAJA Pervez Ashraf has done it again. He has given himself three months to bring electricity shortages down to ‘manageable’ levels. Even if we were to disregard our past disasters with 90-day deadlines, this is a ‘promise’ resurrected without too much evidence to give hope. Since the prime minister’s maiden cabinet meeting failed to suggest bold and practicable solutions to the government’s power troubles, the people cannot be blamed for being sceptical about the political leader repeating the promises he first made as the country’s water and power minister four years ago. True, the long electricity cuts have eased over the last couple of days. But going back to the gruelling routine may be only a few hot hours away, given the government’s nagging, in fact increasing, problems of cash flow. The cabinet has suggested ‘at-source deduction’ of unpaid bills of the provinces and different government departments, but few believe that this can be done arbitrarily. In any case, this is an old proposal, rarely and selectively applied in the past. The government can hardly try this unless it is ready to open another front with the provincial governments — especially the ruling set-up in Punjab. The Shahbaz Sharif government is holding back payment of around Rs15bn till the time Islamabad ensures ‘equitable’ distribution of shortages. Sindh, with an outstanding amount of Rs52bn against its name, accuses Pepco of ‘over-billing’ it. Similarly, KESC disputes the amount of Rs42bn that Pepco has billed the company.

Besides its liquidity problems, the government’s failure and other stakeholders’ disinclination to accept the call for implementing energy conservation measures decided at the Lahore energy conference in April have also contributed to the duration of power cuts across the country. Similar measures had helped reduce the shortages when implemented, although only partly, last year. The provinces have not been cooperative for fear of risking political support in an election year. As for the long-term solution, it lies in eliminating inter-corporate debt, increasing generation using local, cheaper fuels like gas
and coal, abolishing power subsidies and, more importantly, revamping the entire power sector on modern business lines.

Attack on media

THE attack on the premises of Aaj News this week for lack of coverage of the Taliban is a worrying assault on media freedom and moderate points of view. It is unclear how strong the links are between the attackers and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and it is possible the attack was carried out by local elements. But the TTP’s claim that it was behind the incident and that another television channel will be targeted for the same reason are an indication of the threats the media faces in trying to report responsibly in Pakistan today.

These threats stem from the vital role the media has to play at a time when extremist views are eating into the country’s social fabric and leading to violence against civilians and the state. Reporting terrorist incidents is important, and should continue. But by refraining from airing extremist views the media can help limit the spread of these, and therefore also the loss of life that can result when people carry out attacks based on these views or support those who do. Second, by not giving airtime to violent extremists, or by speaking out against their methods, it takes a stand against their ideology. This is critically important at a time when such groups are trying to portray themselves as legitimate organisations that deserve to be covered on an equal footing with the state or political parties. Restricting their coverage is therefore entirely justified, and broadcasters should not need to provide apologies or explanations for doing so. More and improved security provided by the state would help. But ultimately, the media will have to continue to take a stand based on the principle that by refusing to propagate violent extremism it is doing the country a necessary service.