Dna issue 204

CMYK

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Shahab Jafry

Editor

Joint Editor

Associate Editor

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017 I Issue 204 I Pages 12 I Rs 30

Post Tillerson

a deepening multi-purpose friendship between india and Afghanistan; with Uncle Sam’s blessings, of course. the months and years ahead require very careful manoeuvring by Pakistan if it is to keep from being isolated. true, there’s always the windfall that come with CPeC, but putting all eggs in that one basket while everything around it breaks apart would not be the smartest strategy to adopt. talk of Pakistan entering a grand alliance that includes China, Russia, iran – perhaps even Qatar — is simply speculation for the moment. We still have much to do to overcome the trust deficit with iran, for example. And, not to forget, whenever America draws away there is also a sudden distance, of sorts, with crucial international financial donors; something that never bodes well for states addicted to borrowing, even for day-to-day survival. tillerson’s visit did, however, imply that the chips have finally fallen and Pakistan does not figure too prominently in America’s immediate plans. g

The chips have fallen

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urban centres, still have some course to run, but overall there has been a pretty visible trajectory of improvement.

Yet some things have not changed.

Some of the militant groups that were banned simply turned up again under different names; while some have even entered the political arena. And, as became clear after the BRiCS summit not too long ago, even all-weather friends like China are expressing concern about some of our alleged linkages with some outfits that have gained national and international notoriety. the fizzling out of American warmth towards Pakistan, in the present regional setting, is encouraging

he ‘do more’ this time came in signature trump style, manifesting itself, ultimately, in a clear tilt towards india, but it’s yet to break fresh ground. Both Obama and George W cried themselves hoarse with the safe haven and do more concerns; yet here we stand. So, unless trump introduces sanctions, there’s no novelty.

And some things have changed over time, of course. Pakistan has, to its credit, undertaken numerous military operations in these years; clearly uprooting much, if not all, of the terrorist infrastructure in the tribal area. Subsequent intel-based and sweeping operations, particularly in

No hope for PSEs

corruption should be looked into. And if not all the money that came to Pakistan was routed to the project, then parts of the official machinery responsible for this corruption should be found, exposed and punished.

PSes, it seems, have been a drag on the economy since forever. the concept of them providing service delivery to the people and earning revenue for the government crashed a long time ago. ever since our so-called decade of democracy, especially, they have been bloated with incompetent political appointees. talk of privatisation never ever took off because they were never in a position to be put up for grabs.

And no government, whether democratic or dictatorial, with foreign funds or local ideas, has been able to turn them around.

Once again, after another failed attempt, they will be put on the backburner. g

No official concern either

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ittle surprise, in hindsight, that the $600 million obtained from ADB over the last three years to streamline Public Sector enterprises (PSes) has gone waste. the Securities and exchange Commission (SeCP) was quick in formulating the Corporate Governance Rules 2016, and some private sector individuals were apparently put on public sector boards, but that is about as far as the project went. they were never granted any working powers and the bureaucracy maintained its iron grip on PSes as they Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

continued to haemorrhage hundreds of billions of rupees every year. it seems critics questioning the exercise at the time of going to the ADB, whom the government criticised as enemies of progress, etc, now stand vindicated. it’s not just that yet another attempt at doing something about PSes has gone waste. it is also that the $600m could not just have gone to money heaven. there should be some sort of an investigation about the fate of the funds. if they were properly directed and the project still collapsed then incompetence as well as I

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208

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Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Politics and the market

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A limited contraction?

he stock market’s up and down journey on thursday, as well as the threehundred-point rout on Friday, was instructive in terms of what could be a predominant trend in the market in the weeks and months to come. After a jolly 151-point rise on thursday, the market suddenly turned after the accountability court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Nawaz Sharif. investors no doubt instantly priced in more controversy and more confrontation as the Sharifs, unable to justify their money and spending, have fired back by trying to kick up an inter-institutional storm.

Foreign investors, especially, would have been eager to offload as soon as possible. With the case given a Supreme Court mandated deadline, and the Sharif family facing a grim future unless things change dramatically, risk and uncertainty – two things the markets hate with a vengeance – are set to rise in Pakistan.

And since the market – till very recently the biggest feather in the government’s cap, especially with the emerging market status, etc – is reacting very sharply to the Panama spillover, there’s no telling which way its pendulum might swing if or when push comes to shove.

When the market tanks a lot of money is lost, of course. it’s not as if when the political climate eases and earnings return the lost money does too. When stocks dive, investors lose money and companies lose earnings which impact wages, which also means shareholders lose more than just stock value. it is one thing if the financial universe is the source of the problems, which can be fixed via policy, but quite another when the political realm casts a long, dark shadow on the market. With the earnings season behind us and politics set to dominate the capital market, could a limited contraction be on the cards? g

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

opinion

Sharif’s endemic woes

Politics or entertainment?

Arif nizAmi

The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today. He can be reached at arifn51@hotmail.com

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here is never a dull moment in our deeply flawed political matrix. endemic swipes of our political elite against each other, dutifully amplified 24/7 on the idiot box, keep the viewers duly entertained.

The ubiquitous talk shows on different news channels every evening further fortify the perception that this is mainstream entertainment and the rest is only peripheral. That is why it seems that politicians on both sides of the divide have to hone their skills to entertain.

Whether it is PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry or the PML-N’s Daniyal Aziz or for that matter Messrs Sheikh rashid, Talal Choudhry or Babar Awan, they have to come up with a new one every evening. As a result, serious mainstream politicians also have to improvise to perennially come up with new material in order to be heard, and noticed too.

The PTI chief Imran Khan has lamented this trend claiming that he never engages in the personal and keeps his diatribes confined to the political. It is indeed ironical the Khan who can claim without any fear of contradiction that he is the father of this unsavoury trend is also complaining.

Nonetheless he has a valid point to make. But who will draw a line between the personal and the political? For example when the PTI chief alleges in his not too infrequent press conferences that Zardari has laundered billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money does he have any proof that can stand the scrutiny of the courts?

‘A senior PML-N politician the other day was discussing his relations with his family members in a media talk. Is this fair or, for that matter, kosher?’

whiteLies Apollo

Similarly, Nawaz Sharif might be guilty as charged but as yet he has been only convicted and ousted for not declaring his iqama. On the flip side is the manner in which Jahangir Tareen is maligned by the PML-N stalwarts even before he is convicted of any wrongdoing including not declaring his agricultural income and assets abroad.

A senior PML-N politician the other day was discussing his relations with his family members in a media talk. Is this fair or, for that matter, kosher?

The growing social media is increasingly supplanting (in fact mostly leading) the old media in this mudslinging fest. All kinds of fake news, doctored pictures and videos are distributed with impunity on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. The PML-N and the PTI have special cyber wings doing such hatchet jobs. even the ever-present deep state is alleged to have powerful social media wings ostensibly to counter enemy propaganda.

Since most of the stuff on social media is unsourced anything that is posted on it is kosher. his opponents are specifically targeting Imran Khan a former playboy by his own admission. his past liaisons are being twisted to fit in the narrative of the fake news creators.

The other day the PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari mentioned the so-called ‘me too movement’, while addressing his party men in Lahore. The movement refers to hundreds of women who were sexually harassed, groped or raped by the celebrity (now disgraced) hollywood producer harvey Weinstein.

Zardari sahib was paying in kind to the Khan who on his recent Sindh trip did not hold any punches painting the PPP chief as corrupt and a ruthless fiend. The PTI has even claimed that Benazir Bhutto’s handwritten will that gave her husband the legitimacy to be her political heir as fake.

Zardari shared the document with me soon after his wife’s demise when I went to condole with him at his Naudero abode.

Being familiar with Ms Bhutto’s handwriting I vouchsafed at the time that it was a genuine document and still maintain that it is. Nevertheless, Zardari should remain above the fray by not paying the Khan in the same coin.

The former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter and designated political

For feedback, comments, suggestions and, most importantly, tips, contact us at whitelies@pakistantoday.com.pk So the prime minister of hearts was seen recently at the Masjid-e-Nabwi in Saudi Arabia. A passer-by took a photo of his, where the former was deep in contemplation, having covered his face with his hands.

Now one knows one should respect a man’s connection with the Almighty. You know, the whole Creator-Creation confidentiality clause. But we can still be certain in figuring out what our man was asking for. g * * * * * * * * * BudgetS. the Wedding Industrial Complex has metastasised into a gargantuan ecosystem. Brides now want budgets. Yes, total outlay within which they can plan things.

Bridezillas can demand the highest carat solitaires. they can demand the unbelievably (believe us) priced bridal dresses of the top designers.

It’s almost as if, before an engagement, a PC1 needs to be written up, a budget sanctioned and then moved on.

Recently, nuptial negotiations between two interested parties broke down because the bride’s side absolutely would not lower the wedding budget! g

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heir Maryam Safdar, unlike her father, is attending NAB hearings along with her husband Captain (r) Safdar. They along with her brothers are charged as being beneficial owners of Sharif family’s London properties.

While making an unexpected stopover in Jeddah on the pretext of meeting his mother, Sharif extended his stay in Saudi Arabia. Ostensibly he is waiting to see some important members of the royal family.

Gone are the days that even while in the opposition Sharifs were given the redcarpet treatment in the kingdom. The new royalty does not view things the same way.

In fact, they are reportedly annoyed with the former prime minister that he procrastinated — albeit for the right reasons — to pledge Pakistan’s unqualified support for the so-called Islamic army to rout the houthi rebels from Yemen.

The NAB court in Sharif’s absence not only refused to grant him exemption from personal appearance but also issued bailable warrants for his arrest. Thereby the hardliner Maryam, albeit composed outside the courtroom, termed the whole process as not ehtesab (accountability) but inteqam (vendetta).

This has become her father’s oftrepeated mantra as well. The other evening Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi suddenly dashed to Lahore to confer with the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. he wants the younger Sharif to dissuade his elder brother from taking a hard line against the military and the courts.

It is also heartening to note that Abbasi has started to assert himself. It’s a relief that he is neither a robot nor a rubber

‘According to Chaudhry the PML-N would rather prefer to sit in the opposition to struggle for civilian supremacy. These are noble thoughts’

stamp as the enigmatic Sheikh rashid claims that he is.

Nawaz Sharif might have a genuine grouse, in the manner that he has been ousted. The other day one of his stalwarts, Minister of State for Interior Affairs Talal Chaudhry, put it quite succulently that those who are elected by the people are not allowed to rule.

According to Chaudhry the PML-N would rather prefer to sit in the opposition to struggle for civilian supremacy. These are noble thoughts.

But the PML-N is neither a revolutionary party nor a party of resistance. The rump can only survive while in power.

That is why there are rumblings within the ruling party to look for greener pastures if the elder Sharif insists on playing the Pied Piper of hamelin. Perhaps his younger brother will soon travel to Jeddah or London to plead with him not to throw the baby with the bath water.

No doubt the elder Sharif wants his daughter to succeed him as prime minister.

But that now, owing to Sharif family’s legal woes, seems like a pie in the sky.

Maryam has a future in politics. She is bright, charismatic and tenacious. But certainly, now is not that time. Perhaps the family should be showing a semblance of unity in this hour of adversity rather than bickering over spoils amongst themselves. g

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

opinion

Failure of the Seers and sibyls our midst League’s leadership in And how we mistake hindsight for prophecy

And its long shadow BAShArAt huSSAin QizilBASh

The writer is an academic and a journalist.

He can be reached at qizilbash2000@yahoo.com

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‘The first party constitution of 1907 stated that those Muslims who could pay an annual membership fee of Rs25 and earned a minimum amount of Rs500 per annum could become its members. The annual income limit of Rs500 was quite high because at that time the per capita income in India was just Rs42’

he Muslim League is well over a centuryWest Pakistan despite the fact that the majority of old political party with several stints in the population lived in the eastern wing. government and opposition. It has had a Not only the League’s leaders had failed to turbulent political journey, the roots of resolve the power-sharing deadlock, they had which lie in its history before and also failed to govern the country ably. As the immediately after the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Party began to lose control over power and The League started as a movement to protect administration, it started blaming the civil the rights of the Muslim minority against the bureaucracy as well as the military for hatching Indian National Congress that was dominated by conspiracies against the political government. The the hindu majority. It had flaws from the beginning Oxford scholar Maya Tudor in “The promise of as it was not democratic in its make-up. Not all power” refutes this charge by arguing that “There Muslims belonging to different socio-economic is little evidence of a bureaucracy or military backgrounds could become its members. The first eager to intervene to arrest democratic politics party constitution of 1907 stated that those until well after Pakistan’s dominant political party Muslims who could pay an annual membership fee [Muslim League] had amply failed to provide of Rs25 and earned a minimum amount of Rs500 stable governance.” It was this failure on the part per annum could become its members. The annual of the political leadership that precipitated the income limit of Rs500 was quite high because at bureaucratic and military interventions. So weak that time the per capita income in India was just had become the hold of the political leadership Rs42. So, either the rich landed aristocrats or the that it had to regularly request the military to wealthy professionals could afford to join it. ensure that its writ was effectively enforced. It Not only the poor and middle class Muslims was the central government that politicised the could not join it, this party had no fair military by imposing the martial law in Lahore in representation from all regions of the subcontinent 1953. Charles Withers, the First Secretary to the because for many years its organisation was American Consulate in Lahore recounts: “I got dominated by the Muslims from the United the distinct impression from Ayub and from Provinces (UP): 21 of the 58 members of the subsequent conversations with his senior officers Constitutional Committee and the secretary of the who were in Lahore at the same time, that the Party from 1906 to ‘26 were UPites. The UPite Pakistan Army is definitely ready to take control clique realised that being in minority, the Muslims should Civil Government break down, although could never form government in UP so they started they would be reluctant to do so.” Those who politics of national level to bargain their position allege that the military was always “waiting in the and privileges in the UP. The Muslim majority wings” prior to the 1958 military take-over are provinces of Punjab and Bengal had to shake either ignorant or deliberately ignore the facts hands with the League to neutralise the threat to that the 1958 coup was not initiated by a military the provincial autonomy that was expected to come officer; that the dismissals of the Constituent from the dominance of the Congress at the Centre.

Assemblies in 1953 and ‘54 were also not On top of it, the League did not have a clearinitiated by military officers and that the civil and cut programme except to oppose Congress and political leaders begged the military to institute raise the slogan of Islam in danger to protect the martial law in 1953 to quell the riots that were vested privileges of the landed aristocracy. One of engineered by a Punjabi provincial minister to its top leaders himself admitted that as late as destabilise the central government.

1934 our party “was dominated by the titled Another assumption is that the politically landed gentry, nawabs, landlords; and Jee powerful province of Punjab hosts a large number Huzoors who were generally well-meaning of serving and retired military personnel before gentlemen but wanted to serve the Muslim cause and after partition and the argument put forward only so far as it did not affect their position either is that there has been “a deeply entrenched nexus socially or in government quarters.” between former military officers and smaller The problems compounded when this Party landlords” which impeded the creation of a stable had to govern Pakistan after independence. As the or democratic regime but Maya Tudor rejects it ruling Party in the first Constituent Assembly of with the assertion that had it been so then the state the country from 1947 to ‘54, the League had the of Israel which has a high proportion of military daunting task to work-out an acceptable powerpersonnel per capita would have experienced a sharing formula between the Centre and the high number of coups which is not the case. provinces as well as between the geographical Lastly, it is alleged that American support to the wings of the east and West Pakistan. It failed to military regimes has resulted in the entrenchment produce the constitution that could satisfy the of anti-democratic forces in Pakistan but Maya regional and democratic aspirations of all sections Tudor rejects this argument as well by counterof the population because the Punjabi landlords to arguing that the Pak-US military alliances were a great extent and the formed between 1953 Sindhi landlords to a and ‘55; however, by lesser extent “were not that time the civilian ‘Not only the League’s leaders had inclined to relinquish political leadership had power and submit to a already fully discredited failed to resolve the power-sharing parliament which they itself and if the deadlock, they had also failed to could not control.” As a American support is to result of this Punjabi be factored in at all then govern the country ably. As the Party dominance not only 57 it only strengthened the began to lose control over power and of the top-level 60 civil autocratic tendencies administration, it started blaming bureaucrats were from which existed well West Pakistan but by before the American the civil bureaucracy as well as the 1956 about 86pc of the interference in Pakistan military for hatching conspiracies central government but the Americans against the political government’ expenditure on never created such provinces also went to tendencies. g

why we refuse to see things for what they are? We, dearest sirs and ma’ams, are reluctant to abide by the uncomfortable bleak reality of present and out of our frustration we trade it for the warm comfort of a blessed land that awaits us not.

Among us, many have the conventional means to know about what happened in the past.

The writer is a law graduate It is all about getting hold of a and member of staff, Islamabad Bureau. history book or two, if we are the reading types, on a particular age, time, emperor, civilisation or a hOSe who predict the very particular event and sink future, dearest sirs and ourselves in. For the techie types, ma’ams, are known as the goddess Google can furnish seers and sibyls. They the dates of important historical know (or pretend to events, date of births, date of know) how future will unfold, deaths as and when needed. what wars will be fought, who’ll To many among us, above win them, who’ll perish, who’ll avenues may appear run of the triumph and what course humanity mill, overly simple and downright and history at large will take. ‘unimaginative’. As history tells us every mythology, every about what happened and how it religion, every cult, every happened. While the seers and movement have their seers, in sibyls tell us about what is yet to one shape or the other. even in come i.e., future. his secular philosophy, hegel Our vast indifference to imagines a perfect idea, Marx questions pertaining to the when, prophesied a classless utopia, who, what, and where have given and Nietzsche was of the view the seers and soothsayers leverage that mankind is zilch but a over hardcore historians. Fall in transitory phase before the line and keep mum, we tell the rule and reign of superman. historians as we quote and however, none can rival the misquote the predictions that turned popularity of two gentlemen. out to be true as well as those.

Nostradamus, a physician turned They say past is a foreign seer from the 16th century in the country, people do things differently west. While we, there. But are we the sons and doing anything daughters of differently?

‘Every night this country east, have have we learned goes to hell. The next Naimatullah our lesson? have Shah Wali, a we opted a morning it is back to be mystic and poet different path to sent to the hell once from the 14th tread upon? We, century. Both dearest sirs and again. And on it goes gentlemen are ma’ams, just over and over again’ believed to have jump from one seen the future fortune teller to and made a wide the next. No array of predictions about events epiphany other than one given by way before they actually the psychics dawns upon us. happened. Both enjoy Don’t know why but Beckett’s reverence and acceptance play ‘Waiting for Godot’ has been by a huge bulk of believers. haunting me for past many Then there are those who are months. There is simply no escape in the business of ‘snap’ from it for me. Once again, let me predictions. every night from summarise Samuel Beckett’s seven till 12, on dozens of news ‘Waiting for Godot’, The play is a channels, an entire army of tale of two boredom incarnate analysts, pundits, experts and Vladimir and estragon who wait sages sits and conducts a thorough for an entity named Godot. Master post-mortem of the day’s political Godot, however, has other plans happenings and events. every and is not zealous enough to grace night this country goes to hell. the duo with a visit. Godot, who The next morning it is back to never shows up during the entire be sent to the hell once again. And play perpetuates hope in futilityon it goes over and over again. filled, dull lives of Vladimir and Whereas Nostradamus and estragon and they keep on living Naimatullah Shah prophesied, and longing for him as they these well-intentioned seers believe he’ll save them by offering and dolled up sibyls presage the something that’ll end the circle fall in the fortunes of ruling they are condemned to. dynasty and increase in the Both estragon and Vladimir chances of a next in line cabal. believe that Godot will sort their And what a pity that we never existences out, not in bits and bothered to catch our breath and pieces, but in entirety. In a ask one simple question: What is nutshell, Vladimir and estragon it that makes us tumble every thought that Godot-The Wise will time? Why we are quick to see unknot all that is twisted and reason and rational where there is tangled in their lives. The curtain none? Why we bind things falls. Godot is nowhere to be seen. together that don’t belong On the other hand, together? What solace do we draw we are a nation of Vladimirs from assurances of hindsight? and estragons falling for false Why do we make tall claims on Godots as we mistake them dunes and drudgery? And lastly for the seers and sibyls. g

ShAh nAwAz MohAl

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debaTe HUssaan Tariq The writer is an HR professional. He can be contacted at hussaantariq@gmail.com

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He former foreign minister, khurshid Mahmud kasuri, termed US and Pakistan as the Odd Couple in his book, and for good reason. Their seventy years old relationship has every now and then resorted to highs and lows at different times and in the wake of varying global scenarios.

Consistency, stability, and shared interests and objectives, supposedly the key elements in nurturing bilateral relations between two countries, have been the missing links in Pak-US relations. The camaraderie between the two countries has been need-driven rather than a pre-determined notion. Pak-US relationship, dominated by the US, has more often been blindfolded by persuasion of individual interests, and the significance of strengthening mutually beneficial bilateral relations has remained underestimated.

Though the United States has remained on the top of Pakistani policy makers list, it is difficult to ascertain if the case is the same vice versa.

Pakistan, till date, has paid a heavy price in terms of security, and economy for opting for the US block instead of USSR in the once bi-polar world. Staying true to its commitment in the relationship with the US, Pakistan at every critical juncture has extended its full support to the US, from being a member of SeaTO and CeNTO, to introducing and bringing

Pak-Us pursuit of happiness The acerbic allies? together China and the US in late 70’s. The afghan war against soviet invasion cannot be missed out here as Pakistan remained a frontline state to counter the Russian aggression in the region, having to accommodate approximately four million afghan refugees afterwards who brought along the kalashnikovs and drugs culture to the country on a grand scale, the grave consequences of which Pakistan is still facing three decades down the line.

Pakistan’s critical strategic role against the USSR was rewarded by the US through Pressler amendment and the sanctions following it. September 11, 2001 once again opened the gates to Pakistan, as the US designated the latter as a frontline nonNaTO ally in the War on Terror.

The contribution and sacrifices made by Pakistan in terms of lives lost by the security forces in particular, and the people in general, and the economic suffering worth billions of dollars, have been in turn rewarded by the do more rhetoric of the US. The US, contrary to Pakistan, has been more self-centric, and committed to its individual interests in the region, and the world at large. Not to say that there is anything theoretically wrong with it. National interest is, and should be of paramount importance to every country, however, the significance of building long-term and sustainable bilateral relations with countries sharing common interests must also not be ruled out.

Umair Jamal The writer is a graduate of the School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University. He is a research fellow with the Centre for Governance and Policy. He regularly writes for various media outlets. He can be contacted on Twitter: @UJAmaLs

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Conceived by mistrust, acerbity and uncertainty by far are the traits that define Pak-US relations, however, the two sides have always expressed their resolve to work together towards more prospering, stable, consistent, and mutually beneficial bilateral relations.

A visit to the cold ones!

Months after President Donald Trump took charge of the White House; the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was the first senior official from the Trump administration to visit Pakistan.

Tillerson’s visit to Islamabad on Tuesday (24 October 2017) followed an unprecedented stopover in afghanistan, and lasted four hours where he met with Prime Minister Shahid khaqan abbasi, the Chief of army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and other key civil and military officials, and reiterated that Pakistan must increase its efforts to eradicate militants and terrorists operating within the country.

President Trump had already accused Pakistan of harbouring “agents of chaos” by providing them safe havens in its territory.

Pakistan categorically denied these accusations, and reassured the US of its resolve to eliminating the menace of terrorism from its midst. In a statement, PM abbasi expressed hope “to move ahead with the US, and build tremendous relationships”.

Upon his arrival, Rex Tillerson received a considerably

solely, thus far, on the singular military and economic superpower has not borne fruits as per the expectations of our policy makers.

In addition to strengthening strategic and economic partnership with China, Pakistan must explore its untapped potential options such as Russia, Iran, Turkey, Central asian States, and the european countries through aggressive diplomatic outreach in order to gain maximum benefit.

With US favouritism tilting in favour of India, placing our eggs smartly in different baskets is the key to maintaining balance of power in this vulnerable region. the roAd AheAd….

The differences between Pakistan and the US must not mislead the two countries into abolishing decades old relationship simply by undermining the importance of maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship. The two sides must remain open in sharing their views and concerns, and attempt to reach meaningful ends, particularly in the war on terror, by sharing information and intelligence.

Terrorism, although on the front page, must not be the only chapter to describe Pak-US relations. Both the countries must explore other areas of mutual benefit, so that the monotonous ties may be driven into new directions.

Pakistan and the US working together is the only road ahead for the two countries, and a key, not just to their own benefit, but to establishing a prosperous South asia. g­

What is behind the US’s latest ‘do more’ demand from Pakistan?

The long and short of it

terrorists. It’s time for Pakistan to ak-US bilateral relations are demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, in a fix again. US Secretary order, and peace.” While in afghanistan, of State Rex Tillerson visited Tillerson in an interview said that “we have Pakistan earlier this week made some very specific requests from with the clear intent of forcing Pakistan in order for them to take action Islamabad into taking certain measures and undermine support that Taliban and against a number of insurgent groups other terrorist organisations receive in that Washing believes continue to find Pakistan.” addressing Washington’s new shelter inside Pakistan’s borders. approach toward Pakistan, Tillerson Islamabad, for its part, maintains that clarified that “this is a conditions-based there are no sanctuaries of militant groups approach. It will be based upon whether in Pakistan. Washington, however, they [Pakistan] take action that we feel continues to brush aside Pakistan’s necessary to create more reconciliation clarifications and has made clear that opportunities in afghanistan.” unless Pakistan takes action against the Moreover, while expressing concerns afghan Taliban’s support bases inside regarding the militancy challenge that Pakistan, peace and stability in Pakistan faces from a number of home afghanistan will remain a distant reality. grown terrorist organisations, Tillerson But the important question is: Can said that “Pakistan needs to take a clearboth states cooperate when their strategic eyed view of the situation that they are interests in the region confronted with in terms of continue to remain on the a number of terrorist collision course? organisations that find safe apparently, Tillerson havens inside Pakistan.”

‘Apparently, Tillerson has brought the same a week ago, Islamabad has brought the message that US President was praised by US and a same message that Donald J Trump left for number of other western Pakistan when he countries for rescuing a USUS President Donald J announced his afghanistan Canadian family that was Trump left for Pakistan held hostage by the Haqqani policy in august: “Pakistan when he announced has much to gain by Network for five years. partnering with our efforts Trump not only thanked his Afghanistan in afghanistan. It has much Pakistan for rescuing the policy in August’ to lose by continuing to family safely, but also harbour criminals and noted, “The Pakistani

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cold welcome from Islamabad with a mid-career official from the foreign office receiving him at Rawalpindi airbase, along with the US ambassador to Pakistan. Unlike the past, no red carpet was rolled out to welcome the US official, which signifies Pakistan’s reaction to the US accusations, and unjustified demands to ‘do more’.

The distance between the two countries seems to be increasing drastically, however, amid Tillerson’s visit, it is encouraging to see the hope, and optimism on both sides to bridge the existing gaps. exploring new horizons In an attempt to contain growing Chinese influence in the region, the US in addition to strengthening its ties with South korea, Japan, and australia, is overly committed to strengthening its strategic partnership with India. What President Clinton started during his tenure as US president, was continued by George W Bush, and escalated during the Obama administration as India was designated as a major defence partner to facilitate defence technology sharing, joint military exercises, provision of high-tech fighter jets and helicopters, etc, while all of the stated had been denied to Pakistan despite its role in the global war on terror.

The growing Indo-US romance, where poses threat to Pakistan’s security, also pushes the latter to expand its options beyond the US, as this is critical to safeguard our national security and economic interests. Relying

Pakistan’s top brass presented its own views regarding afghanistan’s security situation and informed Tillerson about Pakistan’s own strategic interests in the government’s cooperation is a sign that it region which continue to remain is honouring america’s wished for it to do unaddressed. It surprising that while more to provide security in the region.” secretary Tillerson talked about India’s Clearly, Pakistan’s top military and demands on terrorism and afghanistan’s civilian leadership has rejected the way concerns regarding Pakistan questionable Washington has pushed for the ‘do more’ security policies, america’s top diplomat approach which for Islamabad, appears to didn’t find Islamabad’s security concerns be an effort aimed at giving lip service to important enough to be highlighted at any New Delhi and kabul’s demands. point. Clearly, for Islamabad it’s more like Moreover, the way Tillerson was welcomed a regional nexus being put together to in Islamabad shows that there is no isolate Pakistan rather than a policy to patience left on Pakistan’s side as far as address afghanistan’s security problem.

Washington’s demands are concerned. With Washington needs to realise that it Beijing’s support, Pakistan is ready to stand doesn’t have any leverage to force Pakistan up to the growing regional isolation that into making any changes into its security clearly undermines Pakistan’s interests. policy unless the latter’s security concerns “For Islamabad, afghanistan, India, and are address in afghanistan and beyond. the United States appear to be uniting The recent trip of Washington’s top forces to isolate it in the region. It would diplomat shows that US is more interested have been a much wiser approach if some of in appeasing its strategic partners, India Islamabad’s grievances were also addressed and afghanistan, in during the visit. The what appears a new one major occasion approach to counter when Tillerson called Pakistan an ‘incredibly ‘Washington needs to realise Pakistan and China’s role in the region. important’ partner was that it doesn’t have any Washington’s new in the context of the leverage to force Pakistan policy will only create challenges that Pakistan political and security faces from militants and into making any changes frictions in the region regarding what it can do into its security policy rather than addressing to diffuse some of these unless the latter’s security core security issues that challenges that the the region faces in the region faces, particularly concerns are address in form of growing in afghanistan,” I noted Afghanistan and beyond’ militancy in afghanistan elsewhere. and beyond. g Reportedly,

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

Economic crisis and abandoned agriculture sector Time to get our priorities right mills, owned by sharif family, from Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar khan and Muzaffargarh to central Punjab, where these units were originally set up. the farmers demanded immediate release of their pending amounts of Rs30 billion The writer is a freelance journalist and former member of the staff. from sugar mill owners and a subsidy She can be reached at on different agriculture items. the fact mahnoor.sheikh3@gmail.com that the farmers were protesting in the and Twitter @mahnoorsheikh03 Red Zone just before the federal government was to announce the fiscal budget 2017-18 is an irony in itself. akistan – despite being an according to a recently launched agricultural state – has little report of international Food Policy to offer to the agriculture Research institute, Pakistan is ranked sector. although agriculture 106 out of 119 countries on Global accounts for half of the Hunger index 2017, and lags behind employed labour force of the country india and even most of the african and is the largest source of foreign countries. this ‘serious’ hunger level exchange earnings, it contributes only with more than 22 per cent of its 24 per cent to national GDP, according population undernourished should to Pakistan Bureau of statistics. raise an alarm among the authorities the reasons for a low GDP concerned but, again, we have more contribution from the largest sector of important things to do. our economy are known to most. the another major factor contributing artificial price hikes and the plight of to the worsening of situation is the farmers are also not new. Ever since cartels and the government’s failure to the inception of this country, farmers eliminate them. there is a mafia in have been exploited at the hands of every agri-related industry, be it sugar the feudal lords and middlemen. We mills, seed mills, pesticides or often see a sudden price hike in fertilisers. Pakistan has a total area of perishable food items with tomatoes 79.6 million hectares but only 23.7 and onions being a recent example, million hectares (28pc) is used for where the price of tomatoes reached agricultural purposes. about eight as high as Rs250 per kg. million hectares area is idle and Pakistan’s economy is facing a unutilised. there is also a vast downturn courtesy the weak policies of subdivision and fragmentation of land the government. holdings, impeding the Economic the way to using survey of Pakistan technology in ‘Pakistan’s economy is facing 2016-17 has already agriculture sector revealed that the a downturn courtesy the weak producing low per government failed hectare yield. policies of the government. to achieve multiple inadequate The Economic Survey of economic targets, infrastructure in such as villages and lack of Pakistan 2016-17 has already manufacturing, agricultural revealed that the government research are electricity generation and failed to achieve multiple among other agriculture. China reasons leading to economic targets, such as – emerging as an improper crop manufacturing, electricity economic rotation and low superpower – has cropping intensity. generation and agriculture’ gained this position then there is only because of its the indian factor.

Green Revolution, india’s hegemony with india following on its footsteps in the region continues as it violates and becoming the new favourite the indus Water treaty and is country for foreign investment. constructing several hydro-power Why Pakistan could not boom its projects on western rivers of indus, economy considering the rich land it Jhelum and Chenab, blocking the flow stands on is something to ponder of water to Pakistan, with little protest upon, with a major reason being that from the Pakistani side. the strain in agriculture was never the priority of any relations also affects imports from government. as elections are drawing india, causing a price hike. near, little do we see or hear about land all these facts make a case for our reforms in the manifestos of political misplaced priorities and provide an eye parties. it seems that Metro Bus opener for the current and upcoming politics has surpassed all other sectors governments. Food is the basic of development as the funds allocated necessity of life and importance of this for Prime Minister’s Global sustainable sector is manifold as it feeds the whole Development Goals and khadim-erural and urban population, provides Punjab kissan Package are also seen raw material for industry and is a base being utilised for political purposes. for foreign trade. “i have seen farmers become there is a need on the part of the billionaires abroad. the case is not the government and all stakeholders to same in Pakistan. Here, a farmer’s son supply agriculture credit to the farmers will also become a farmer. He has no though banks on easy terms and other option,” Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf conditions, mechanise the agriculture chairman imran khan said while sector, provide high yielding variety launching membership drive in Lahore seed, construct dams, promote on thursday. the Pakistan People’s Party agricultural research and agro-based has also come out in support of farmers industries to revive this economic time and again, but their performance is sector of Pakistan. all this can be done also visible in their respective provinces. through effective policy-making and Recently, an organisation of famers setting our priorities right, otherwise, held a protest against Lahore High Pakistan is set to become even worse than Court’s order of shifting three sugar most of the third world countries. g

MAHNOOR SHEIKH

P

Pak, US, India — friends or foe?

Standing together against terrorism AROMA SHAHID The writer is a former staff member, an animal lover, a feminist, and a tree hugger. She writes about human rights and other social and political issues. She can be contacted at: aroma671@gmail.com

‘To avoid isolation and benefit from economic developments, Pakistan must re-evaluate its counter-terrorism policies and quit prolonging implementation of security policies’

serve national interests.

“Us and Pakistan have diverging interests in afghanistan but need to coordinate for s south asia policy is an regional stability,” said Yusuf.” alarming indication of “the main question is how both countries Pakistan’s foreign relations propose to find a solution without the becoming weaker in the region. involvement of the other as they cannot work With Pakistan rejecting any independently on the matter,” said Yusuf. blame for exporting terrorism, the Us is afghan President ashraf Ghani romancing india as a sound partner in recently said his country will not be a part its ‘war on terror’ in afghanistan, thus of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor isolating Pakistan on a global front.

(CPEC) unless Pakistan provides its trade Pakistan’s defensive strategy against access to india through its border. allegations is failing to sustain its relations and the unreasonable demand by afghan the growing bond between Us and india is president shows serious neglect for forming the world’s opinion of Pakistan as the Pakistan’s security interests and state that lets terrorists run free on its ground. brews more hostility in the region. the trio — Us, india, and afghanistan are “it’s debatable whether trades routes developing a stern narrative against terrorists across the region through Pakistan pose a risk and it’s reasonable for Pakistan to join them to the country’s security,” said Moeed Yusuf. since it can’t beat them.

“Pakistan is at the position of benefitting Pakistan must take a pragmatic approach most from regional integration through trade to empower its position in the region as a to ensure its economic progress,” said Yusuf. proactive entity against militancy inside Putting aside its bilateral differences with its border and across the region. india, Pakistan needs to establish itself as an “as worrying as trump’s south asian active participant against militancy and policy is for Pakistan, there is no option for improve its ties with the Us by taking both countries but to continue engaging,” responsibility for domestic insurgency. said foreign policy expert Moeed Yusuf.

Moreover, countermeasures against “Us and Pakistan must find common local extremist elements will also benefit ground in afghanistan and work on policy Pakistan in socio-economic development development together,” said Yusuf. and stabilise socio-political crisis.

Us secretary of state Rex tillerson “Us and india have a strategic while visiting Pakistan, india, and partnership and Pakistan must not weigh afghanistan, promoted the objective to work itself in this equilibrium,” said strategic together against terrorism and demanded analyst Qamar Cheema. cooperation from Pakistan. “the partnership between Us and india is tillerson’s visit can be summarised in not to anger Pakistan or benefit afghanistan but three accounts — portraying afghanistan to enable its capability to engage in asia Pacific.” as the sole victim of terrorism, empowering the Us and its allies have established a india as an ally, and blaming Pakistan as strong foothold in the region and Pakistan will an enabler of terrorism. benefit more if it acts in the interests of its Furthermore, tillerson’s remarks neighbouring countries to ensure peace and undermined Pakistan’s efforts against terrorism stability inside and outside its borders. and reiterated that the country must be more terrorism has crippled Pakistan but committed to its role against militancy. the world pictures it as choosing to remain “the Us has not said anything ignorant while terrorists persistently new about Pakistan’s struggle in the operate and recruit in the land. fight against terrorism,” said analyst and “the world needs to reconsider how senior journalist ia Rehman. afghanistan benefits on banking on india “in regards to tillerson’s visit, the growing as an active participant against terrorism and Us-india relations have irked Pakistan but we spiting Pakistan,” said Yusuf. must realise that confrontation against the Us “a change in policy is required where while ignoring our own problems related to afghanistan re-values Pakistan’s efforts and terrorism will not lead to solutions.” cooperation in fighting the war against in response to Us secretary of state’s militancy,” Yusuf added. remarks, Foreign Minister khawaja asif Without succumbing to pressure from highlighted security risks to Pakistan from Us and india, Pakistan’s cooperation in india and afghanistan and said that the Us developing afghanistan policy will stop should allow its policymakers to frame its others from considering the country as afghan policy rather than failed army generals. an enabler of terrorism. “the role of the Us state department has “Pakistan needs to reconsider its anger minimised in generating a new policy as towards the Us increasing its praise for india generals are given a higher priority in strategic as a strong ally against terrorism,” said Yusuf. development, ignoring the failures of the war to avoid isolation and benefit from economic in afghanistan,” said Qamar Cheema. developments, Pakistan must re-evaluate its “Pakistan must also clear its policy counter-terrorism policies and quit prolonging on de-radicalisation and countermeasures implementation of against non-state security policies. actors so there is less implementation of international pressure ‘Pakistan’s defensive strategy the national action on us to act with against allegations is failing to Plan (naP) and more determination,” forming further he added. sustain its relations and the vigilant measures However, growing bond between US and against radicalisation Pakistan is putting regional ties under India is forming the world’s opinion are the most viable options to improve risk by acting defensive of Pakistan as the state that lets Pakistan’s foreign rather than opting for terrorists run free on its ground’ relations and ensure counter-terrorism economic progress. g measures that

U

www.pakistantoday.com.pk 05

CMYK

intervieW: aMbassadOr abdul basit

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

‘We dO nOt have the luxury Of taking sides’ Pakistan is in a very delicate situation right now Mian abrar and bilal hussain

O

f late, Pakistan has come under increasing pressure on the external front. Things with India have gone from bad to worse since the Modi administration set up shop in New Delhi. Things have not been good with Afghanistan for quite a while as well. And with the Trump administration also tightening the screws on Islamabad, we seem to have a tough ride ahead of us.

To make sense of the complicated situation, DNA talked exclusively to former ambassador Abdul Basit. former high commissioner to India as well as former ambassador to Germany, Basit is a seasoned diplomat who has held positions in Moscow, New York, Geneva and London.

Question: While Hurriyat Conference in specific and Kashmiri freedom struggle in general have arrived to a closed tunnel and more and more youth in utter desperation are taking up arms and giving up their lives, what is the way forward in your view for the Kashmiri youth?

Abdul Basit: I would not agree with you that Hurriyat leadership has become irrelevant.

Since martyrdom of Burhan Wani, the three important leaders — Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar farooq and Yasin Malik joined hands under the joint resistance leadership. So whenever they announce a schedule of strikes and protests that is strictly followed by all Kashmiris. So to say that Hurriyat has become irrelevant is slightly out of place for me. Hurriyat is still relevant and still represents the political aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. And I don’t think, given my own experience, that you can achieve peace or resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute without taking the Hurriyat onboard.

So sooner or later, India will have to understand this reality that no matter what they do, no matter what steps they take to undermine the Hurriyat, they will continue to be relevant. Especially in context achieving the political solution to the problem. So to my mind, the Hurriyat is a still relevant and would continue to be relevant in the foreseeable future.

Kashmiris have shown amazing,

06 www.pakistantoday.com.pk

‘No matter what India does, India cannot win the hearts and minds of Kashmiris. This India needs to realise that it can never suppress the struggle for freedom of Kashmiris.

History is replete with such precedents that you cannot win hearts and minds through the barrel of a gun’ unprecedented resilience which proves how anti-India they have become. There have been massive protests. India understands that they have been trying all possible measures to undermine the Hurriyat. All sorts of brute force have been used against innocent Kashmiris in wake of Burhan Wani’s martyrdom. from July 2016 to august 2017, 1.3 million palettes were used by Indian forces resulting in loss of sight of hundreds of Kashmiris. Thousands have been injured. So this shows the intensity of the resentment of India against Kashmiris.

So no matter what India does, India cannot win the hearts and minds of Kashmiris. This India needs to realise that it can never suppress the struggle for freedom of Kashmiris. History is replete with such precedents that you cannot win hearts and minds through the barrel of a gun.

This struggle may take long, may be 50 years, or a hundred years but eventually India will have to liberate Kashmir.

Q: Do you think that the appointment of former director IB as an interlocutor is going to be a non-starter?

AB: It is a non-starter already. I have already tweeted that he is to work within the Indian Constitutional framework, it would remain a non-starter.

We are already hearing from different sources that he would not engage different groups.

The Hurriyat has already stipulated four, five conditions for any dialogue, including that India first needs to accept the Jammu and Kashmir is a dispute between Pakistan and India and it needs to be resolved according to the

aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

And secondly, how can you achieve peace without engaging Pakistan which is one of the major parties to the dispute. So this all in my view a hogwash. It was done immediately before Rex Tillerson’s visit to India.

India perhaps wants to show how serious they are to resolve this dispute and to show concern to the plight of Kashmiris. And at the heart of it, I think they just want to delay dialogue on Kashmir with Pakistan. They want to show to the world that it is not a legitimate struggle for self-determination but it is terrorism which is causing problems in Jammu and Kashmir.

And this is not credible step on their part. Moreover, this is not the first time that the New Delhi has appointed an interlocutor on Kashmir. Even in 2010, three interlocutors were appointed but all their recommendations were consigned to the dustbin.

And more specifically, how could India appoint a former intelligence guy to deal with such an intricate political issue? So that again betrays India’s lack of sincerity and lack of seriousness.

Q: With Rex Tillerson’s visit not bringing the expected thaw in Pak-US bilateral relations that grew cold since Donald Trump’s recent Afghan policy speech – quite to the contrary, in fact – how do you see the Pak-US equation settling in the medium to long term?

AB: No, I think there are fundamental divergences or strategic divergences. So I don’t see this transaction relationship moving from this to strategic partnership. first, we have problems when it comes to Afghanistan. Our foremost objective in Afghanistan is to see how peace can come to that unfortunate country. Then, we need to make progress towards implementing CPEC as well.

US for its own reasons cannot leave Afghanistan because it would like to have permanent presence there for a variety of reasons. They also have reservations vis-à-vis the C-PEC. So there are problems. The challenge for our own diplomacy is how to convince the Americans that our long-term interests are not at conflict with each other.

If indeed the US is interested in

‘I think we do have strong relations with China; that goes without saying and we also lately have been able to involve some good understanding with Russia at least in context of Afghanistan, if not on other issues’ having peace in Afghanistan, then we are also working for the same.

So it’s just a matter of tactics so as to achieve our shared objectives.

So we perhaps need more diplomatic engagements with the US in order to bring our positions together. I do not see that happening anytime in the near future. But we should not give up.

US is an important country, we need to engage more and more with them in order to convince them that we have legitimate interest in Afghanistan and India should appreciate those legitimate interest of ours.

I was not expecting anything substantive coming out of Tillerson’s visit. from what I read in the media, I get the impression that we reiterated our positions and so did the US side. So it was kind of reiteration our expected positions but I was not expecting much because fundamental differences are there. Unless we work on those things, such visits would not really deliver much.

Q: Although the dye has long been cast, Tillerson’s visit has cemented India as Washington’s principal gatekeeper in South Asia. And it’s not as if Pakistan has not moved any pieces on the board during this time.

Other than China, have we made working relationships with other powers in the region i.e. Russia, etc?

AB: No, I think we do have strong relations with China; that goes without saying and we also lately have been able to involve some good understanding with Russia at least in context of Afghanistan, if not on other issues.

Similarly, we need to work out how to enhance our understanding with Iran, at least on Afghanistan, among other issues. So by

engaging with regional countries doesn’t mean that we should ignore or we can afford to ignore the US. There is no either/or option for us. We need to very, very careful that every step should be taken with utmost circumspection.

Because we do not have the luxury of taking sides. We need to be very careful, chart a course for ourselves, based on our strengths, also cognizant of our weakness as well. So, Pakistan is in a very delicate situation right now. And it proactive, focused diplomacy. This position we are in today is far more difficult than the Catch-22 situation, given what is happening externally or internally, the political instability, and the chaos.

We need to avoid the chaotic situation because it could inevitably affect our foreign policy, if not diplomacy.

Q: Given the reports suggesting the CIA, NDS and RAW are assisting Daish and TTP to destabilise Pakistan, would you agree that Pakistan should take new initiatives to woo influential neighbours like China, Iran and Russia to counter these terrorist outfits which are threatening the entire region?

AB: I agree with you because on these terror issues, the positions of Pakistan and China and Russia converge. But the problem is that all these terrorist outfits finding space inside Afghanistan. In order to deal with these issues and in the larger context to address larger issues regarding Afghanistan I have my doubts that only a regional approach can work.

The US is the most important player in Afghanistan. Unless you have US onboard I do not see any process delivering. Hence, in my humble view, the Quadrilateral Consultative Group (QCG) is perhaps the forum which under the current situation is capable of delivering because there you find all important players — China, US, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The problem is at present US relations with India are quite intense, they are improving and while on the one hand US is trying to protect and promote its interests in Afghanistan, it is also playing to the tune of India and then Indian RAW and NDS have very close relationship with each-other.

Continued on next page...

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

opinion

Xi — the new dragon rising on the horizon What does Xi’s re-election mean to the world?

Mian abrar

The writer heads Pakistan Today's Islamabad Bureau. He has a special focus on counter-terrorism and interstate relations in Asia, Asia Pacific and South East Asia regions. He can be reached at hussainmian@gmail.com

C

hINA is the buzz word in today’s fast evolving international arena.

And whosoever knows China must understand what Xi means for the great Chinese nation.

China has found a new hero in Xi who has given a new vision, new energy and new vigour to the Chinese people to materialise their immediate goal – the Chinese Dream.

In its recent 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) meeting last week, it re-elected President Xi Jinping as party general secretary by a unanimous vote besides electing the new Central Committee that was chosen at the party’s twice-a-decade national congress. The plenum also elected the members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its Standing Committee.

Based on the nomination of the Political Bureau Standing Committee, it endorsed members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and decided on members of the CPC Central Military Commission.

It also approved the election of the secretary, deputy secretaries and members of the Standing Committee of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

As a surprise to many, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang huning, Zhao Leji and han Zheng were chosen as members of the Political bureau of the CPC. Starting from early 2017, Xi began seeking advice from other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau on how to deliberate and determine candidates for a new central leadership. On April 24, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau held a special meeting which was presided over by Xi and adopted a plan on the recommendation of candidates for the central leadership.

Candidates should have firm faith and be loyal to the CPC, and keep a “high degree of conformity with the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi at the core,” according to sources close to the central leadership.

They should have outstanding leadership abilities, be a veteran in practice with the determination to push forward reforms and innovation, take a lead in implementing democratic centralism, and be an impartial and upright person with a communist outlook on the world, life and values.

NEW MECHANIsM: In late May, a provincial leader was summoned to Beijing for a talk in Zhongnanhai, the exclusive

...continued from previous page Q: How do you view Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s recent statement that Afghanistan would only support CPEC if Pakistan allows transit trade between India and Afghanistan? Is it reasonable to ask Pakistan to give India transit route?

AB: No, this is disingenuous in my view because Afghanistan, which is a brotherly country, should understand how things between Pakistan and India are.

There are serious issues between our two countries and unless those issues are resolved; Afghanistan should not expect Pakistan to be giving

compound for the top leadership. This official then had a one-on-one session with a senior leader about recommendations on candidates of the new leadership, after studying the name lists of then incumbent leadership and ministerial/provincial leaders.

There was no limit to the recommendations, according to the official.

This is one example how one-on-one talks were included in the recommendation of candidate leaders for this first time. During the recommendation processes ahead of the 17th and 18th CPC national congresses, the results were heavily influenced by votes at recommendation conferences. however, some voters at the conference voted recklessly or for people with whom they had connections.

The new mechanism included a series of arrangements from one-on-one talks, consultations, deliberations, and meetings.

From April to June, Xi personally talked to 57 senior leaders and retired leaders to seek their suggestions. Other senior leaders also did one-on-one sessions with 290 ministerial cadres and senior military officers. Based on the suggestions, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau came up with a proposal on the makeup of the new central authority on September 25. The Political Bureau approved the proposal on September 29 and decided to submit it to the first plenary sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee and the 19th CCDI. During the one-on-one sessions, several senior leaders voluntarily offered not to seek reappointment to make room for younger comrades. Sources close to the central authority said the new top leadership of CPC marks a new beginning and fully demonstrates the contemporary morale of the CPC. The outcome of the 19th National Congress meeting means a lot to China and the world.

President Xi’s re-election is a message of stability, peace, and development to the world.

The way Xi has utilised his vision to resolve major conflicts with immediate and distant neighbours reflects that China aims at developing at the same speed and despite efforts being made to distract the attention of the Dragon, China is not interested and will keep marching towards the goal of ‘Chinese Dream’.

It also reflects China is fast transforming its unique concept of ‘collective leading’ and a new model is in place with the inclusion of Xi’s ‘Four Comprehensives’ in the Constitution which has elevated Xi into the prestigious club of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.

Mushahid hussain Syed, perhaps Pakistan’s best commentator on China, says that with the re-election of Xi as CPC secretary general, we are definitely entering a new era of China’s resurgence in a multipolar world where Xi Jinping is the most important and the most politically influential statesman of modern times.

“The re-election of President Xi Jinping as general secretary of the CPC for a second term is extremely important not just for China but the world at large. Xi heads the world’s biggest political party CPC – which has 89 million members. This is the message of stability, continuity, and building on the successes of the past five years,” says Mushahid hussain.

Over the past five years, he added,

this facility to India.

I am not saying that should not happen. But that will happen at its own time — at the right time. Afghanistan needs to understand what problems exist in India. But it should not create artificial linkages.

After all, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are not one sided. They benefit both our countries. So first priority of Afghanistan should be to see how to normalise relations.

If you have peace within Afghanistan and make Afghanistan peaceful so that we can have more economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics.

For example, TAPI is not going anywhere because of the situation in Afghanistan. CASA

President Xi Jinping has provided leadership on issues, ideas, and initiatives.

“The biggest successes of Xi include the immaculate anti-corruption drive in China and his re-election would help take this drive to its logical conclusion which reflects there is zero tolerance for corruption and whether someone is a VIP, big or small, tigers or flies,” he says.

“Xi has also made the CPC more responsive to the people of China. More importantly, President Xi has led China in an era when China has rose from a regional economy to a great world power. “As Xi said in his speech, he would make China a centre-stage on world issues. China is already leading the world drive on climate change. Most importantly, Xi has said that Chinese system has offers as an option and an alternative to other countries”.

Mushahid hussain is of the view that other nations following the Chinese model for serving the people at large. “For example, Imran Khan of PTI has said that he would follow the Chinese model to pull large Pakistani population living under poverty line.

So Chinese model is already gaining ground in the countries of Asia and the world,” he added.

Mushahid says one can see two more important factors vis-à-vis CPC’s 19th National Congress. “President Xi’s thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics in a new era have been enshrined in the CPC party constitution along with Mao Zedong’s thought and Deng Xiaoping’s theory. This has elevated Xi to a level unknown to his recent predecessors,” he said.

“Finally, I would say that One Belt & One Road (OBOR) initiative has emerged as Xi’s signature and most significant measure which has already been joined by over 70 countries of the world. This is all about corridors and connectivity. OBOR – of which CPEC is a flagship project – has proved that China has presented an alternative worldview and a different worldview to the world”.

Mushahid believes China’s view is different from the western outlook. Moreover, he says, Xi has also developed institutions which follow the Chinese vision to take it forward like the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), the New Development Bank, the Silk Road Fund (SRF), etc. So we are definitely entering a new era of China’s resurgence in a multipolar world where Xi Jinping is the most important and the most politically influential statesman of modern times.

“I would say we cannot compare Xi Jinping with Chairman Mao as Mao was the founder of modern China. But we can say that it is the new model of collective leadership with the core leadership under President Xi Jinping,” he concludes.

CHINA to BuIld stRoNG MIlItARy: China’s sincerity towards peaceful coexistence may not be taken as weakness. Soon after his re-election, Xi gave a clear message to all his detractors by asking the China’s military to take solid steps toward a strong army as socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. The Congress called for arming the Chinese forces with best hardware and software equipment.

“The Congress stresses that, confronted with profound changes in our national

1,000 is facing problems because of the situation in Afghanistan.

There other reasons as well but Afghanistan is also one factor.

Q: In the international context, do you see Pakistan drifting towards a grand alliance that has been forming between China, Russia and Iran; which casts a long shadow from Asia proper to the Middle East?

AB: Rather than a grand alliance I feel all parties should put their faith in the Quadrilateral process, because the core issue on the ground remains peace in Afghanistan. So we need to focus on that. I am not for a moment arguing that these other Moscow format or processes are not relevant.

security environment and responding to the demands of the day for a strong country with a strong military, we must stay committed to the Chinese path of building strong armed forces, fully implement Xi Jinping’s thinking on strengthening the military, adapt military strategy to new conditions, build a powerful and modernised army, navy, air force, rocket force, and strategic support force, develop strong and efficient joint operations commanding institutions for theatre commands, and create a modern combat system with distinctive Chinese characteristics.

With this we can fully advance the modernisation of national defence and the military and transform our people’s armed forces into world-class forces,” says a resolution adopted at the summit.

PullING PEoPlE out oF PovERty: The Congress pointed out that the period between now and 2020 will be decisive in finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

“We should accelerate the building of an industrial system that promotes coordinated development of the real economy with technological innovation, modern finance, and human resources, and endeavour to develop an economy with more effective market mechanisms, dynamic micro-entities, and sound macro-regulation. With this, we can steadily strengthen the innovation capacity and competitiveness of China’s economy”.

They called for further supply-side structural reform, move faster to make China a country of innovators, pursue a rural vitalisation strategy and the strategy for coordinated regional development, accelerate efforts to improve the socialist market economy, make new ground in pursuing opening up on all fronts, and strive to achieve better quality, more efficient, fairer, and more sustainable development.

Good GovERNANCE: The Congress vowed to grow better at ensuring and improving people’s wellbeing and strengthen and develop new approaches to social governance besides focusing on the most pressing, most immediate issues that concern the people the most. “We should give priority to developing education, improve the quality of employment and raise incomes, strengthen the social security system, win the battle against poverty, carry out the healthy China initiative, establish a social governance model based on collaboration, participation, and common interests, and effectively safeguard national security. With this, we should see that our people always have a strong sense of fulfilment, happiness, and security”.

REFoRMs: The congress called for speeding up reform to develop sound systems for building an ecological civilisation, and build a Beautiful China.

“We should promote green development, solve prominent environmental problems, intensify protection of ecosystems, reform the environmental regulation system, and work to develop a new model of modernisation with humans developing in harmony with nature”.

The world seems in a shock and awe over the power transition of China. It, however, offers lessons to the world that power transition does not matter when the country has strong footing on ideology and vision. g

They are also relevant since we are trying to find out possibilities for a peaceful Afghanistan. So we need to engage our all friends in all areas tendency but QCG to me appears the most effective forum.

Q: For all our tough talk, we remain a country dependent on foreign aid – loans, grants, etc – even for the government’s basic, dayto-day functioning. Would this not deter potential allies, especially since few can dole out consistent cash like the Americans?

AB: Yes, this is a kind of perennial problem for us because we have not been able to put our economy on irreversible trajectory of high growth, so there have seen ups and downs. Pakistan has

been blessed with countless resources and it is just the matter of putting our house in order.

And I think it is more about our internal management of economy, rather than any other regional or external factor. So what we need to do is to manage our economy well, and then to reduce our dependence on loans and foreign aid and so on.

Whether a not it will happen is a different matter; as Pakistani economist are saying that soon a return to IMF might be required.

All these have linkages, so one hopes and one would wish that Pakistan puts its economic house in order. That way we can have a more independent foreign policy and run our diplomacy more freely and independently, firmly rooted in our national interests. g www.pakistantoday.com.pk 07

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

opinion shabana Mahfooz

The writer is a senior media professional. She can be reached at shamahf2@gmail.com

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S Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley asked India recently to help the United States in keeping an eye on Pakistan, as Washington cannot tolerate any government that shelters terrorists. She went on to explain that the United States was “really going to need” India’s help in stabilising Afghanistan and was looking forward to greater support from this major South Asian power in resolving the Afghan conflict. Ms Haley’s statement was a follow up to US President Donald Trump’s “tougher approach” to Pakistan for allegedly “harbouring terrorists”, with Trump wanting Islamabad to eliminate the so-called terrorist safe havens from its soil.

Pakistan’s reaction to Donald Trump was rather comical: although immediately denying the allegation, foreign minister Khawaja Asif gave a statement which seemingly referred to “ownership of certain militant groups” and in reaction PTI chief Imran Khan had quipped “With such a foreign minister, who needs enemies?”

But let’s come back to the business of keeping an eye.

Apparently the United States was so touched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bear hug to its president, that in overwhelming response it has been showering much praise and importance to India lately, although without any display of

an eye for an eye Blinding each other emotion. However, what is surprising to note is the task itself: keeping an eye on each other is what India and Pakistan have already been doing since they split as independent nations, in fact it has consumed them so much that from foreign to domestic and even economic, all affairs are handled with one supreme motive, i.e., security in the best interest of the nation. And this vigilance extends beyond boundaries: both countries hawkishly eye activities across their borders and if that is not enough, literally wait for an opportunity to ‘expose’ each other’s misdoings. ‘India and Pakistan live in a state of perpetual hostility. In this oppressive subcontinental atmosphere of enmity, each revels in the misery of the other and each seeks glory in the ignominy of the other.’

The state of Jammu and Kashmir still remains an unresolved issue, has been the reason for two wars between India and Pakistan and persists to be the major bone of contention, resulting in both privileged to become nuclear armed states.

This past and present of hostility leads to inflated defence budgets for both countries, which takes its toll on other worthy areas of expenditure unabashedly neglected.

The cost of keeping an eye has its own economics. India is the world’s second most populated country with its population crossing one billion. Pakistan and India rank 42 and 53 respectively among the world’s poorest nations. Still, this does not deter India from boasting the world’s third largest army and Pakistan the sixth largest! To maintain this

Waqas a Khan

The writer is a PhD scholar and a Fellow of International Centre for Journalists in Washington, DC, USA. He can be reached on Twitter at: @wacaskhan, Website: www.khanwaqas.com

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He Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an Organisation that protects political, economic, and security rights in eurasia. This Organisation was introduced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China, which was signed later in June 2002 and got the power in September 2003. The countries that participated in this announcement included China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, while Pakistan and India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as full members later, on 9 June 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Organisation, after having Pakistan and India join, became the world’s largest forum after the United Nations Organisation. Moreover, the total population of SCO countries reached 3.5 billion which approximately proclaim half of the human population and the combined GDP outshined up to 25 per cent of that of the global GDP. Hence the SCO became the keystone of economics and politics of eurasia and a game-changer for the global agenda.

08 www.pakistantoday.com.pk

status, India spent $55.9 billion on its military budget last year according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which is more than Pakistan’s entire fiscal budget of $50 billion for the current financial year! In terms of its share in the GDP, India’s military budget consumes 2.5 per cent while Pakistan ambitiously spends 3.4 per cent of its GDP on military costs. This is in stark contrast to spending on public health expenditure, as World Bank data for 2014 shows that India spent 1.4 per cent of GDP on public health, while in the same year Pakistan spent 0.9 per cent, with the world average for UN classified least developed countries being 1.9 per cent.

However, India managed to push its GDP above $2 million last year with a ranking of 7th highest in the world, as compared to Pakistan which ranked well below at 42 with a GDP of nearly $0.3 million.

Pakistan is also facing a serious hunger problem and the situation is likely to worsen in the coming years, according to a report by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute The country is ranked at 106 among 119 developing countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2017, lagging behind India and most African states and standing at the high end of the ‘serious’ category.

The dismal and worrying picture of Pakistan’s economy and society owes very much to the indispensable business of keeping an eye on its ‘enemy’. And while Pakistan struggles to balance the unequal scales, its neighbour is patted on the shoulder and asked to stretch its eyelids wide to keep a

check that no mischief takes place in the vicinity. So how much more help does the United States want from India in keeping an eye on Pakistan? Will it mean infiltration of more Indian spies in the Land of Pure? Does this mean that India will be able to fetch sophisticated and advanced technology from the Big Brother to enhance its ‘eyesight’? Will the two countries engage in more military collaborations, with India already being one of the top recipients of military aid from the US? Or is India being elevated to the position of a regional policeman, similar to the self-designated world policing role United States assumes? India could then be imagined to become the mythical sphinx, with a man’s head and a lion’s body, seated with its claws firmly entrenched and gazing out for any predators or unwanted activity, threatening to kill if one fails to answer the riddles asked, or simply fails to please and oblige.

When the United States asked India to expand its roving eye over Pakistan, it did not make any specifications as to what India needs to do to fulfil the wish. We do not know what unwanted or unpleasant activity India may carry out on the pretext of keeping an eye. What are the limitations, if any? What rules are to be followed? And if India supposedly does get proof of any ill doings in Pakistan, is it simply going to report or will it take ‘necessary’ action to make corrections?

Nikki Haley’s statement and its reiteration by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson cannot be dismissed as casual talk and since the policing role assigned to India has not been defined, it raises many questions and worries for Pakistan.

So once that role is defined and we see its practical implementation in the coming days, it would not be presumptuous to conclude that Pakistan will deal with the situation with ‘An eye for an eye’

‘The state of Jammu and Kashmir still remains an unresolved issue, has been the reason for two wars between India and Pakistan and persists to be the major bone of contention, resulting in both privileged to become nuclear armed states’ approach. We can expect on the part of Pakistan increased manoeuvring and vigilance and probably more frantic complaints of human rights violation in Kashmir to counter allegations of terrorist activities. Instead of working together to eradicate the causes and consequences of poverty in the region, Pakistan and India will be increasingly embroiled in a struggle to keep a check on each other and will continue to compete in the arms race. When India will try to ensure that Pakistan doesn’t get naughty, Pakistan would be burdened to return the favour. The masses will continue to bear the cost of these activities in the form of bloating defence budget and will receive lesser in return for health care, education, shelter – all basic conditions for living. In short, with a fear of being stamped out, we are eventually leading ourselves to death anyways.

‘India and Pakistan are, thus, poised to destroy each other through economic attrition rather than armed conflict. More than four decades, three wars and endless threats later, the two peoples are now close to an economic, political and social collapse such as the world has never seen before.’ g The options in Kashmir by Iqbal Jafar, published on April 16, 1992 in DAWN.

SCO, OBOR and Pakistan (Part-1) Recipe for progress

that Pakistan, after joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, would be able to overcome energy scarcity. Pakistan has always proactively supported the energy club Pakistan and sCO: Pakistan has been of the SCO therefore, the trans-afghan pipeline observing at the SCO since 2005, applied project or TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistanfor a stable membership later in 2010 and Pakistan) will proceed to be a landmark in became the full member of SCO in June getting Pakistan out of this energy crisis.

2017. Pakistan shares not only historical Nevertheless, trade flow of energy will and cultural links but also the well-built be the top priority area. Pakistan can play a economic and strategic complementarities pivotal role in materialising the north-south with members of the Organisation. The SCO trade and energy corridor with the promising would prove to be helpful for Pakistan in opportunities of road-rail and pipelines link the advancement of its wellbeing, peace, up to Gwadar. Recently concluded Pak-China steadiness, and expansion plus would be its MoU on establishing of Kashgar–Gwadar ultimate support for regional collaboration road-rail network is an encouraging against terrorism and extremism. development in the right direction for the It would be fair to say that Pakistan has advantage of all regional stakeholders. been blessed with a god gifted geographical strengthened seCurity: Russialocation as it naturally possesses Pakistan relations are also expected to get firm interconnectivity and land routes for through SCO which would lighten the security reciprocally profitable trade and other threats for Pakistan. profitable activities SCO would let for the countries Pakistan reinforce its belonging to the SCO. ‘Pakistan has been observing at Pakistan enjoys specific security apparatus and benefits for having the the SCO since 2005, applied for a as SCO countries are defenceless to the terror geographical links to stable membership later in 2010 and extremism from the Xinxiang province the neighbourhood. of China that we are and became the full member going to discuss in Some strategic of SCO in June 2017. Pakistan this article later. proficiency gained by shares not only historical and sOlutiOn fOr the SCO security workforce under the energy Crisis: cultural links but also the wellforum of RATS can be Pakistan has currently built economic and strategic extended to Pakistani faced the considerable security agencies and energy crisis as it is a complementarities with country with the Pakistan could enjoy the members of the Organisation’ benefits from the spread enormous shortfall of equipped preparation energy. It is expected

to beef up security measures further.

The service planning capabilities of Pakistan would be boosted-up by participating in the joint military operations experienced by the armies of SCO countries. Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan somehow are used as a route for transiting probably the world’s largest drugs’ share. SCO’s joint anti-drug trafficking drills can help Pakistan not only through training of personnel (Anti-Narcotics Task Force) but also intelligence sharing can help to expose the network of drugs barrens. eCOnOmiC OPPOrtunities: Pakistan’s joining the SCO would even unlock many panoramas of mutually favourable economic collaboration between all sides. economic prospects intend at the most primitive probable manifestation of trade and energy corridor in the form of laying oil & gas pipelines (TAPI) and road-rail link up to Gwadar. indO-Pak relatiOns: The other latent areas of collaboration are the “trade and commerce” and “science and technology.” The leading political essential is the enhancement of two-pronged relations with India. Pakistan, being a member of SCO, can use all the power to resolve clashes with India together with the core issue and dispute of Kashmir.

As we all know that there is a weird race between the two countries of blaming each other for so many issues, SCO would serve as an initiative for convincing both the “enemies” to resolve all their concerns and disputes harmoniously. India, being the member of SCO is going to get the benefit of its access to the Central-Asia by means of Lahore-Kabul route to catch-up with the Silk-Road project.

To be continued…

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

Revival of student politics in Pakistan is a necessity

opinion

To bench and not beyond Good for optics?

Righting some wrongs of the past AminAh SuhAil QuReShi

The author is a freelance columnist from Lahore. She has interest in current affairs, politics and journalism.

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large number of Quaid-e-Azam University students have lately been apprehended for protesting against and defying the administration. The strike seemed to end last week when the vice chancellor agreed to include students in the university’s syndicate meetings. But all reports of calling off the strike proved to be ethereal, just like the claims made by administration of settling the issue. What actually exacerbated the situation brought it to this verge was the incident of disallowing students of the university’s Students Federation’s Baloch Council from attending one of such meetings. This augmented the concerns of students who blame the administration of victimising those hailing from Balochistan. A protest driven by as petty demands as revising fee structure and provision of new hostels and buses worsened to allegations of discrimination within no time. Who is to blame? The presence of student unions, or the fact that these unions are existing and functioning outside the ambit of regulations?

Kanhaiya Kumar... What are the words that immediately strike an average sane mind in response to calling out his name?

Struggle. Determination. Resolve.

Commitment. The reason of his fame?

Being president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University students’ union and preferring imprisonment to advocating Hindutva politics. While we can easily find many supporters of his in today’s time, there are several who think of student leaders like Kumar as wretched youth and student politics as means of perpetuating violence.

The funniest of the facts, however, is the deep-rooted existence of violence in and outside of universities and colleges all over Pakistan despite a ban on the student unions that is in effect since quarter of a century.

Another prominent name is of Michelle Obama. The opponents of the notion under discussion might disagree on the mention of her name as she was not part of any formal union, but in order to understand the way she managed to establish an identity of her own being a black female student at Princeton University back in 1980s we must bring into spotlight the discrimination that she faced and the entire struggle that followed. How she felt “like a visitor on campus”, how the mother of her white roommate tried to get her daughter moved because of Michelle’s skin colour, how she was compelled to write her thesis on the discrimination faced by black community at Princeton, and how working with the Third World Center made her cognizant of the difficulties faced by minorities. It was owing to this exposure that she later participated in demonstrations advocating the hiring of professors who were members of minorities.

In the absence of unions and active political societies at students’ level, can we see that happening at any point of time in the

forthcoming future? If students taking politics in their hands is that big a crime that would has the ability of scathing the fate of any country then are we ready to face a fact check after a hundred years that we are centuries behind the United States in terms of social development?

The Senate’s Committee of the Whole passed a resolution in August calling for the revival of student unions in educational institutions. But this is not the first time that restoration of unions has been given a green signal. Former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani had also announced a similar verdict after receiving a unanimous vote of confidence from the National Assembly in 2008. The ban was originally imposed through Martial Law Orders issued in 1984 in wake of growing cases of violence in the campuses and the concern shown by the society. It is, however, also widely believed that the decision was based on reports that anti-government alliances had gained considerable influence and strength and these could pose threat to General Ziaul-Haq’s government. As it appears, the government feared a students’ movement, the same sort that helped topple President Ayub Khan’s government. If the latter is factually the case then is this ban justified at all? And if the former is the case and “growing cases of violence in the campuses” was the major concern how will we ever be able to justify Mashal Khan’s lynching by a mob of students on the premises of Abdul Wali Khan University? Was that not an epitome of violence? Was Mashal Khan not murdered as a result of university politics?

And could that be prevented despite the ban placed on student unions?

It is a well-known historical fact that until the ban student unions were formally recognised bodies by the administration of the educational institutions. In most cases, fees at the institutions included explicit or implied Students Union Fund which was provided to the elected office-bearers of the student unions and which was spent under a set of rules. Usually a staff advisor was appointed by the administration who worked closely with unions and acted as a bridge between the two. In almost all institutions, a constitution and a set of bylaws governed the functioning of these unions. In the given scenario, how could any of this be in conflict with interests of students and institutions if it is being committed under the ambit of defined law?

The real problem does not lie in student politics but in the fact that how the charged youth stood for its rights. The problem lies in the fact that these student unions played a significant role in various national political movements whether related to students or not. The problem lies in the fact that these very students played an unforgettable role in the political movement against the Tashkent Declaration that eventually led to President Ayub Khan’s ouster in 1969. The problem lies in the fact that the political movement of Pakistan National Alliance for the ouster of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government in 1977 also involved a large body of students. The actual problem lies in the fact that these student unions have always played a mentionable and indelible role in student mobilisation and national level movements and have not feared voicing their opinions on international issues as well.

This is what those who banned the unions were scared of. This is what Zia-ulHaq was scared of. This is what our current political fraternity is scared of. This is what our opposition is scared of. But there is, after all, nothing to be scared of if one’s intentions are pure and actions, legal. g

ummAR ZiAuddin

The writer attended Berkeley for LLM and is a Barrister of Lincoln’s Inn.

‘Fidelity to constitutionally defined separate roles inspires confidence in decision making processes of different organs of government.

Judiciary is at the pinnacle of its power when it is interpreting the law. Independently’

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conduct. While the official duties and He National Judicial Policy functions come to an end at the age of was an ode to the superannuation (or earlier), the judicial “Independence of Judiciary”. conduct remains and continues to shape It declared: “In future no up the legacy of the judicial officer. chief justice or a judge of the When the judicial officers assume superior court shall accept appointment executive roles, after their retirement, it is as acting Governor of a Province.” In an unbecoming conduct, compromising the addition, it stated: “No retired judge of very spirit of both separation of powers and the superior court shall accept an in effect independence of judiciary. This appointment which is lower to his status does not need to be spelled out in the oath or dignity…” And further: “In future the of judicial officers provided in the third judiciary would avoid its involvement in schedule of the constitution nor in their the conduct of elections, as it distracts code of conduct issued by Supreme Judicial the judicial officers from professional duty Council nor in any judicial policy. This is and complaints of corrupt practices tarnish more a question of ethics, conventions and the image of judiciary.” For positions, habits, that a society evolves, setting one required by the statutes, to be filled by good example at a time. There are such retired or serving judges, the policy examples; resignations or polite refusals recommended, such serving or retired to accept executive positions, and plenty judges may be “appointed in consultation of them, that must not just be cited in our with the Chief Justice of Pakistan or Chief mainstream narrative but also celebrated!

Justice of the respective High Court…”

At any rate, to appoint retired justices The policy was a major step forward in in executive roles, when the presumption the judiciary’s affirmation to separation is that they are no longer fit to carry on of powers and its independence. But their official duties with age catching up, since the policy’s revised edition isn’t good for optics either. Some published in 2012, retired judges have perceive such appointments as rewards been appointed as governors, they have to the pliant judicial officers, others argue headed administrative tribunals, such appointments enable executive to occupied positions lower in both status as perpetuate its influence on judiciary. well as dignity and conducted elections. either way, it undermines independence The judiciary, from the very nature of of judiciary. Recent experiences may its functions, is only independent when additionally illustrate that the reason for it is separated from coordinate branches. assigning laborious executive positions It expresses itself through opinions from to retired justices is precisely due to the bench exercising power of review popular apprehensions; their incapacity. over executive and legislative branches.

Remember former Chief election It acts as an authority which can declare Commissioner and Governor Sindh? the acts of coordinate branches void. It The exalted station of justice cannot sits in judgment. Therefore, the judiciary be used as a stepping stone for executive necessarily must be seen as superior to ambitions. If anything, it is not a career other coordinate branches. Any position progression but a regression. There is no in either executive or legislative need to build consensus around filling branches, accepted by a retired judge, is executive positions with retired justices. below the status and dignity of the high In addition, we need to appropriately office of justice of the superior courts. amend our constitution, for instance, Such positions are also against the Article 213, and laws that require life-long inclinations of the judges. To executive positions to be filled by retired maintain deference from coordinate judges. There is also a need for judicious branches, judges in their personal capacity, self-corrections by superior judiciary to lead a cautious and a guarded social life. discourage such practices. Isn’t it ironic, They practically slay it. On the bench, they the architect of National Judicial Policy exercise restraint, every now and then, now mentors a political party? to avoid being caught up in the political Fidelity to constitutionally defined thicket. This enhances both the legitimacy separate roles inspires confidence in decision and effectiveness of judicial orders. What making processes of different organs of good are the orders of the courts after government. Judiciary is at the pinnacle all, if the executive refuses or is unable to of its power when it implement them? Or is interpreting the if the judicial orders, law. Independently. even so much as are ‘The judiciary, from the very When judges accept perceived to be a executive roles postproduct of a judge’s nature of its functions, is retirement, it social or political only independent when it is triggers a likelihood ties or leanings? separated from coordinate of suspicion. And It is essential that is sufficient to for the judiciary to branches. It expresses itself compromise judicial remain separated through opinions from the independence; with from other bench exercising power of every such coordinated appointment, a branches not just in review over executive and blow, corroding their discharge of legislative branches’ litigant’s reverence constitutional duties for judiciary! g but also in their www.pakistantoday.com.pk 09

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

opinion

Men behind pakistan’s squash glory

Legends like Hashim Khan, Azam Khan, Roshan Khan, and Mohibullah Khan were the ones who first introduced Pakistan in the arena of world squash Tayyab bubak

The writer is a squash professional and a history graduate. He can be reached at: tayyab.lahore@yahoo.com

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he Pakistani squash players maintained their absolute dominance over world squash for almost four decades between the years 1951 and 1998. One can earmark two major phases of Pakistan’s dominance.

The first spanned between 1951 and 1963, and the second lasted between 1981 and 1998. even the intervening period between these two generations of Pakistani squash players, Pakistan remained as a major contender for squash titles. The sport since has fallen into serious decline, since 1998, one of its clear manifestations is the rapid fall in world rankings of Pakistan’s squash players.

Pioneers of Pakistan squash As India was the largest British colony, so like any other sport, cricket, hockey, the British also introduced squash in the subcontinent. Squash developed as an elite sport as all the pioneers of squash in Pakistan belonged to the families, whose elder worked as ball boys and linemen or work associated in other capacities with the British Officer clubs in the northern parts.

Therefore, it is not surprising to find that the sporting tradition had a profound impact on northwestern India, particularly the province of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For instance, most of the Indian players like Abdul Bari, hashim Khan, Roshan and Azam Khan belonged to the Khan family of Nawakille. If one looks at the Performances of World top squash players between 1929 and 1950 we find that it was mostly the British and egyptian players that dominated the international squash scene. The player like Abdul Bari and hashim Khan and later Azam and Roshan establish the credential as top players at an all-India level during the 1940s.

In the aftermath of the partition, the training facilities were nonexistent along with no government patronage. Amid these hurdles, Khan Family of Nawakille’s players, by dint of their sheer determination, played a key role in establishing Pakistan’s dominance in the world squash within few years after the independence.

Prominent Players of the era These forerunners’ determination was the reason behind their such zealous attitude towards squash and victories. The names who first introduced Pakistan in the arena of world squash include hashim Khan, Azam Khan, Roshan Khan, and Mohibullah Khan.

10 www.pakistantoday.com.pk

hashim khan (1914-2014) hashim Khan was the first international player who won the British Open Squash Championship seven times in eight years between 1951 and 1958.

Abdullah Khan, his father, had a great love for sports and he was a good player of lawn tennis and squash. hashim developed his passion for squash right from his childhood. But Abdullah Khan met an accidental death when hashim was only 11 years old and he had to leave school on account of financial constraints. hashim with other ball boys used to play squash at the court in the absence of British officers. In those days the British Officer’s Club Peshawar only had open-air squash courts. eventually, hashim Khan managed to draw the attention of some of the British officers.

The year 1944 marked his first appearance in a competitive tournament, the Western Indian Squash Championship, that was organized by the Cricket Club of India in Bombay. hashim Khan, after winning three consecutive matches qualified for the final in which he defeated Abdul Bari, the Indian champion at that time.

After the partition of India, hashim Khan started playing for Pakistan. In 1949 he won Pakistan Military Academy Kakul Championships, the first major squash event in the country. A group of British Officers of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), who keenly followed the sport, encouraged, hashim Khan to participate him in the British Open (1951).

In 1951, hashim Khan launched his career as a professional squash player at international level in 1951, at the age of 37 years. he won the tournament by defeating Mahmoud el Karim, an egyptian player who had won the previous four editions of the tournament.

The victory marked the beginning of his illustrious international career of hashim Khan in the world of squash. As the record of his performances at the British open shows that between 1951 and 1956 he went on to win five consecutive titles. After losing the final of the British Open (1957), he reclaimed the title in 1958. he had immortalized his name in the annals of squash by establishing a new record of victories at the British Open. hashim Khan played his last British Open in 1959. After the tournament, he quitted the game on account of injury problems. azam khan (b.1926) Azam Khan was the younger brother of hashim Khan and played a key role in his upbringing. he was also a source of inspiration for Azam Khan throughout his sporting career.

Azam Khan launched his squash career in 1952. he first participated in the British Professional Championship (1953) where played final with his elder brother hashim Khan but lost the match.

Despite this, the Squash Rackets Association was reluctant to allow him to enter the British Open of 1953 because in those days British Open Draw was limited to only to sixteen players.

Azam was played a trial match with Brian Phillips and successfully won his trial match to play in the British Open.

Initially Azam Khan was working as a coach in the Pakistan Air Force, where he had been employed as a porter on a monthly salary of 60 rupees. In 1953, when he reached the semi-final of the British Open he was promoted to ‘electrician’ and his salary rose to 100 rupees per month. But the following year, when he finished runner-up, far from being promoted he was demoted back to the level of porter.

Azam Khan becomes British Open champion in 1959 in a win against his nephew Mohibullah Khan. he is regarded as one of the greatest squash players in the squash playing world.

Yet within two years of hashim Khan’s bidding, Azam Khan was ready to take on the best in the world. Azam Khan played with his brother hashim Khan in the British Open finals of 1954, 1955 and 1958, but remained the runner-up. In 1956, he played an exhibition match against hashim Khan at the New Grampians Club in Shepherds Bush.

After the match, he was offered a job to coach the club. he accepted this job and then settled in england and subsequently became club owner. hashim Khan’s brother Azam Khan won four British Open titles after 1958.

After his elder brother and his cousin Roshan Khan, he was the third squash player from Pakistan to have won the British Open.

Azam Khan had won not only the British Open and British Professional titles but also the most important hardball tournament, the US Open, for the first time in one year. Later, he had to retire from competitive squash due to an Achilles tendon injury. Subsequently, his son Nawaz Khan’s death and the injury forced him to exit from the arena. however, his club is linked with the development of arguably the greatest squash player, ever produced. roshan khan (1929 – 2006) Roshan Khan was the second player from Pakistan who won one British Open title and stood two times runner-up. his father Faizullah Khan worked at the British Army Club Rawalpindi as a squash marker. his mother was the daughter of Abdul Majeed Khan who was a prominent squash professional. Inspired by his family background, he started his career in the mid-1940; he rose to

prominence by qualifying for the final of the Pakistan Professional Championship in 1949, but he lost. he did not get discouraged and finally won the Pakistan Professional Championship in 1951. Being done so, he defended the title for the next two years.

Roshan Khan had to face severe financial constraints in the initial phase of his career, which forced him to move to Karachi in the early 1950s. Despite all odds, he kept his passion for squash. he got a job of a messenger in the Pakistan Navy in 1952 that gave him a lucky break, as it not only eased financial burden but also provided him opportunities to travel to Britain in the mid-1950s to participate in the British Open Championship.

Roshan Khan soon rose to the top 5 ranking in the world of squash and remained among top contenders between the years 1956 and 1961. Roshan Khan’s victory in the British Open Championship marked a momentous occasion in his professional career, as became the second Pakistani after Roshan Khan to win this prestigious tournament.

Apart from British Open he earned victories in the North American Open in 1958, 1960 and 1961. he was also the Canadian Open Champion twice in the late-1950.

We can point two significant contributions of Roshan Khan to the sport of squash in Pakistan.

The first was his inspirational role as a top player. The second was his role as a professional coach. In the latter capacity, he coached his sons, Torsam Khan and Jahangir Khan. The former’s career came to a sudden end in 1979 due to his untimely death, whereas the latter made a lasting imprint on world squash as one of the greatest players of the sport in the twentieth century. mohibullah khan (1938-1995) Mohibullah Khan started playing squash in the mid-1950. his association with hashim Khan and Azam Khan helped him to make an early debut in the British Open Championship [in 1957] at the age of nineteen. he reached the semi-final stage but lost to hashim Khan. he made its presence felt as serious competitor of the world squash by reaching finals of all three British Open Championships between 1959 and 1962. The

organizers of the British Open Championship entered his name in the roll of distinguished squash players in 1962. he, eventually, became the British Open Champion in 1963.

After Mohibullah Khan’s victory the British Open Championship of 1963 none of the Pakistani players could ever win the British Open till 1975. a brief assessment of early squash Players As we noted in the introduction that it were the British that had introduced the sport of squash in the sub-continent. On the surface, it appears quite farfetched to establish a direct role of the British officers’ clubs in the rise of the first generation of the squash players in Pakistan, but a closed study of family background of the first generation of the squash players, who hailed from Nawakille, a small village 100 miles off Peshawar, corroborates this contention.

Abdullah Khan (d.1928), the father of hashim Khan and Azam Khan, worked as a head steward in British Officers Club Peshawar. The association of Abdullah Khan with squash attracted his children towards the game. For instance, hashim Khan worked in different capacities in the British officers’ club, as a ball-picker/ squash helper and later as a coach in the early 1940s.

Similarly, Faizullah Khan, the father of Roshan Khan worked as a squash marker for the British Officers Club (Rawalpindi). Thus the British officers’ clubs of Peshawar and Rawalpindi served as breeding grounds in the rise of these three distinguished squash players. While assessing the role of the British officers clubs, one should not ignore the fact that at that time supervisory bodies like formal squash federations did not exist in British India. And the Pakistan Squash Federation was established seven years after the independence.

It appears quite strange that the Pakistani squash players like hashim Khan and Roshan Khan had started winning laurels in the absence of a formal regulatory body. But during this crucial period, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) provided sound institutional support for the development of squash in Pakistan. here, one should not overlook the transcendental impact of the British clubs in generating interests of the officer corps of the Pakistan armed forces towards squash.

They also hired the prominent players as employees, including hashim Khan and Roshan Khan.

The PAF also patronized the PSF, right after PSF establishment. If one looks at the hierarchal structure of the PSF, one finds that the officers belonging to the PAF had always remained at the helm of the former. The PAF, by providing promising as well as veteran squash jobs, created new employment opportunities for the squash players that not only contributed to professionalize the sport of squash in Pakistan but also, in certain ways made the squash a profession. PAF also earned the distinction of establishing the first Squash Complex in Pakistan that was established in 1962. g

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

Heritage Now

Tania Qureshi

Value your heritage

The writer is a media professional and can be reached at: taniaq29@gmail.com

W

e have a world today that has destroyed much of its heritage through war and neglect. Our itinerant society and speedy world has caused us to forget much of our heritage, culture and values. This is not the case with Pakistan only, the entire world, to some extent, is undergoing the same dilemma.

Our generations are spending time in meaningless pursuits.

Leisure and travel through heritage is vanishing away from our lives. We have relegated our history books to the dusty corners of our library. We have forgotten our traditions and culture; rather we have lost the essence of our true culture. What is our culture? Ask the new generation and they will be answerless. We have confiscated the older generation to retirement communities and as they grow old and die – so does the stories of our heritage. This is because we have lost our culture of spending time with our elders, the stories die as the elders die.

Heritage is the history, unique knowledge, values and traditions that have developed by a combination of genes and environment over a passage of time. It is responsible for how we originated, what our roots were and it is a very large part of whom

and what we are and it can determine what we will become.

Since it is a part of us that we cannot disassociate from it and it is imperative for us to understand and embrace our heritage.

Heritage has no race, religion or colour – heritage is ours.

To celebrate the colours of heritage and culture recently a festival was organised by the Walled City of Lahore Authority and British Council Pakistan with partnership of French embassy and UNeSCO. I think this was a good step for driving our new generation towards our heritage and culture. Through this twoday festival I think that a message of importance of heritage was transmitted through different interesting activities.

The vision behind the festival was to aware the masses and especially the new generation that heritage and culture are among the most wonderful and precious treasures of mankind built up in the process of human development and cultural heritage creates identities, which differ a nation from others and makes our world more colourful and more attractive.

Heritage Now, an interesting setting of activities, was held to rejoice the treasures of heritage.

It aimed to bring together heritage and museum professionals from around the world to showcase examples of best practice as a step towards addressing some of the most pressing concerns of the museums and heritage sector in Pakistan. The driving idea was to engage local audience on the

Zaki abbas

The writer is a staff member.

Q

UeTTA’S wounds were opened once again this October as the city was targeted at least four times, with three attacks on police officials and one on the Hazara community.

Continued violence in the valley has raised questions about the effectiveness of the security machinery in a city known to be frequently targeted by militants, despite a large presence of Law enforcement Agencies (LeAs) since long before Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad.

Balochistan, especially Quetta, has also been plagued by a number of human rights and security problems like missing persons issue, human rights violations, and a tug of war between Baloch nationalists and military. even though the city is brimming with Frontier Corps (FC) and police, random body searches are routine and armoured vehicles can be seen stationed outside government instalments, the incidence of terrorism – including suicide attacks, roadside blasts and targeted killings – remains high. Lately, the prime target seems to have shifted from minority Shi’a, especially Hazara, community to security personnel, especially police officers.

The relative lack of progress in Quetta has led to frequent finger-pointing

dialogue of heritage with all its manifestations, and celebrate the rich cultural and historical identity of Pakistan.

The festival provided a unique opportunity to interact with the most renowned artists, heritage curators, experts, social workers, educators, philosophers, thinkers and other influencers from around the world. Interestingly the themes of the festival were Heritage & education – engaging Youth, Culture, Heritage and Identity, Audience Development for Museums and Heritage, Trafficking of Objects and Cultural Heritage Items, Tourism — The Impact of Heritage on the economy, Intangible Heritage — Its Role and Impact on Public Life, Development and Sustainability and Potential of Digital for Heritage, Diversity of Cultural and Religious expression. I think it was high time that such themes should have been brought into limelight and discussed.

The best initiative was to take all the national and international delegates on a tour of the Walled City of Lahore. They visited the Cathedral Church, Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Badshahi Mosque as well. They were taken on Rangeela Rickshaws to the Sunehri Mosque, Wazir Khan Mosque and Shahi Hammam inside Delhi Gate. This was important to show them as they got a clear image of how Pakistan is now investing in heritage and engaging partners for technical assistance as well.

Speakers in the conference were Quddus Mirza (National

heriTage/OpiniOn College of Arts, PK), Suleman Shahid (Lahore University of Management Sciences, PK), Sandra Smith (Victoria and Albert Museum, UK), Omar Shaikh (Colourful Heritage, UK), Thomas Laurain (French Archaeological Delegation to Afghanistan, FR), Arfa Sayed (Forman Christian College, PK), Tariq Rahman (Beaconhouse National University, PK), Omar Shaukat (University of Johannesburg, South Africa/IBA, PK), Jasdeep Singh (National Army Museum, UK), Helen Watkins (History, Glasgow Museums, UK), Kamran Lashari (Director General Walled City of Lahore Authority, PK), Salman Beg (AKCSP, PK), Haroon Sharif (World Bank, PK), Pierre-Arnaud Barthel (French Agency for Development, FR), Duncan McCallum (Historic england, UK), Lashley Anne Pulsipher (Hashoo Hotels, PK), Vibeke Jensen (Director, UNeSCO, PK), Cesar Guedes (Country Rep UNODC), Celso Corracini (UNODC HQ), Ieng Srong (UNeSCO HQ), Junaid Akhlaq (Department of Archaeology and Museums), Muneeza Majeed (FBR, PK), Sajid Akram Chaudhry (Federal Investigation Agency, PK), Wajahat Ali (AKTC, PK), Raza Kazim (Sanjan Nagar School, PK), Amen Jaffer (Lahore University of Management Sciences, PK), Nur Sobers-Khan (The British Library, UK), Christophe Jaffrelot (Sciences Po University Paris, FR), Pia Brancaccio (Drexel University, US), Ross Burns (Macquarie University, Australia).

Several exhibitions were held at different spaces inside Alhamra. A Home 1947 exhibit was done by Sharmeen ObaidChinoy. The Wekh Lahore Photography exhibition, Heritage through Child Art and 40 arts works on heritage and culture by children were also displayed. A

red October in Quetta A place with one certainty – death! towards the handling of its security. A small city by Pakistan’s standards, with a modest population (approximately one million, according to official census) and deployment of a massive force, is struggling to keep a lid on the security situation, with mixed results at best.

Some critics blame the lack of progress on alleged collusion between pockets of the security machinery and militant groups. This can be corroborated with Mohammad Hanif’s article last week in Dawn, where he quotes a former FC official of Hazara community as saying: “every time Hazaras got killed, FC went after Baloch insurgents rather than targeting the actual culprits...after every major incident, we raided villages and rounded up dozens of Baloch youth who clearly had no hand in these attacks.”

However, a security official, speaking to DNA on condition of anonymity, categorically rejected any links between state agencies and banned sectarian outfits operating in the region.

“Neither the government nor the security forces have any links with militants,” he said. “Their sympathisers are among a certain breed of politicians who actually create such propaganda.”

Security of Quetta Quetta’s deteriorating security is often blamed on the porous Afghan border, which lies alongside the Pakistan-Iran border.

However, the 128 kilometres (over two-hour drive) from Chaman to Quetta is monitored through various check posts along the road and the city’s entry points. Yet militants manage to enter the city and keep their

supply lines intact, which is obvious by the recent surge in terror attacks. So far this year has seen over 30 attacks.

“The military has established a fourtier security cordon around the city, which militants routinely manage to breach,” said Siddique Baloch, veteran journalist and former president of the Balochistan Newspaper editors Council.

“These are not rag-tag militants, they are qualified and intelligent hence they are able to circumvent the security apparatus.”

Security forces on the other hand, he said, have not upgraded their approach.

Police remain outdated in their ability to avert terror attacks, despite being a major target of these attacks. Following the October 18 Quetta incident, a forensic team from Lahore was reportedly asked to go to Quetta to help in collecting the evidence. Ironically, Quetta lacks its own forensic team, which it is in dire need of.

Baloch lamented the ill-equipped police, saying we are being ignored as if “we live in a jungle.”

Repeated attacks have also stoked criticism of an intelligence failure. The security official DNA talked to said despite timely intel, and forwarding to relevant government authorities, it is not always possible pinpoint and intercept these attacks.”

Security forces cannot protect every corner and street of the city, he said, adding “all we can do is inform the government that a threat is imminent and you have to be on your toes.”

Baloch also pointed out that no measures were taken to control the “rise in illegal population living in and around

Virtual reality showcase of Heritage sites was done for the first time in this festival and people enjoyed the new technique. A series of posters with photographs taken in the Walled City supported by the AnnemarieSchimmel-Haus (German Cultural Centre Lahore) was displayed. An exhibition of very recent photographs from the selected Heritage sites from across Pakistan, telling stories of how Heritage is central to our lives was displayed. Showcase of artifacts (or replicas) from Pakistani museums, representing a taste of collections in Pakistan, was held in gallery 1. A showcase of 70 antique books, selected for an exhibition from British Council Library archives – books that represents history and heritage of written text were displayed during the festival. Terracotta showcase made by the students of National College of Arts and films from the Lahore International Children’s Film Festival Competition were displayed in outdoor activities.

My City My Story was a showcase that led into the windows of perceptions of our youth in Pakistan and how they portray them through moving images. All these were interesting items and especially the folk music evenings, dance performances by Harsukh stole the show. Throughout the two days festival a message of harmony, peace and respect for heritage was seen in the air.

I think such activities are need of the hour. We need to highlight our heritage before the world and take it out of the dusty heaps. We need to bring the new generation back to its culture by holding such colourful events so that they are attracted to it. I have observed that when it comes to discussions like heritage and culture youth consider it boring, so telling these things in an interesting manner is the only key to achieving this goal. g

Quetta—over 1.5 million”, nor did the government put any check and balances on unregistered vehicles—easily used to supply bomb parts, etc.

Banned outfitS or foreign agencieS? The Balochistan government and military put the blame of sabotaging Quetta on foreign intelligence agencies and Baloch nationalists, while civil society has repeatedly raised voices against the state’s tolerance of, if not actual support to, sectarian outfits in the province.

“Sanctuaries since the time of Zia-ulHaq have been left untouched and they have their fair share in making Quetta a living hell,” said Baloch.

Yet LeAs point their finger in a different direction altogether.

“The recent surge in Quetta violence is attributed to RAW and NDS, who have spread their tentacles in the province to sabotage CPeC,” said the security official.

He said Baloch nationalist outfits too are operating under the ambit of these agencies and over the last two years there was a huge investment to disrupt the peace of Balochistan.

However, that does not explain the matter of the Afghan Taliban, who have been living in and around Quetta for years, especially Pashtunabad and Kuchlak areas. Regardless of the west’s pressure and Pakistan’s constant promises of nipping the evil in the bud, they thrive.

Despite repeated attempts DNA was unable to reach Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti and officials of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Meanwhile there is only once certainty, at least in the immediate term, for Quetta. Blood will continue to flow, people will die and more often than not the faces of the executioners will remain hidden; the only witnesses being the valley’s silent, desolate mountains. g www.pakistantoday.com.pk 11

CMYK

Sunday, 29 October - 04 November, 2017

medIa waTCH/opInIon

The match pae gaya ae! style of election coverage

D

THe Tube

Idn’T spring any surprises, the PTI’s retention of the nA-4 seat. By-polls — whether they are for national or provincial assemblies — generally favour provincial governments. Since the 2013 elections, there have been 19 by-polls. The provincial governments, be they PML-n, PPP or PTI, clinched 16 of them.

Another thing that was not surprising was the way the broadcast media’s coverage of the polls. There was the routine survey

of the polling stations (access to some of which was denied to journalists) and then there were the reports of the people coming from various villages and parts of towns and then was the deadline of the polls.

So far, so good. But after that, came the same old pattern of covering election results. This bit is often problematic. You see, when there is talk in terms of percentages and a lead of X number of votes, the viewing starts processing it in terms of a cricket match. The number of votes being the “runs” and the number of polling stations counted being the “overs.” now one gets the need to be the first with the news. Organisations like FAFEn have Parallel Voting Tabulation but they

are not compiled in real time, which is what the channels want.

The problem with the announcement of results of respective polling stations is that support clusters — or even electoral engagement as a whole — is not taken into account. This results in, say the 4th position holder, to be on top of unofficial results.

And I do not say this rhetorically; the PPP’s Asad Gulzar Khan who came in 4th was on top of the list in the first few results.

This is the reason that the likes of Imran Khan — a cricketing legend he might be, but not the sharpest tool in the shed — genuinely thought in the 2013 elections that “the counting was in our favour till this point in time but the results were

The TV will see you now

I

n Soviet Russia, you don’t watch TV; the TV watches you. A well-worn joke.

It was originally meant to be a hyperbolic comment on the state of surveillance in the totalitarian state.

But, with the ubiquity of electronic devices, the sensors within them and the rise of artificial intelligence algorithms to make sense of the data from their sensors, the hyperbole is peeling away to reveal the actual state of affairs.

Is the media that we consume “viewing” us as well? Is the abyss, so to speak, staring back?

A large proportion of millennials do not watch TV. At least not on a set.

They do watch television programming but on their desktop computers, laptops, tablets and, increasingly, on their mobile phones. In the developing world, the proportion of the youngsters watching television programming on their phones is greater than that in the developed world. All thanks to ever cheapening cellular devices from China and the cutthroat competition in the telecommunications sector in the

HusnaIn alI Ramzan CH

The writer is a Lahore based barrister and civil rights activist. He can be reached at husnainchaudary@gmail.com

M

OhAndAS Karamchand Gandhi was fast asleep when the entire nation was celebrating the independence from the British Raj, as he believed that there was nothing to celebrate.

Subsequently, the historians narrate that the reason thereof was the fact that he never wanted United India to be subjected to partition, however, in addition to above, the true anxiety leading depression and despair was the realisation of the theatre his party was subjected to in shape of “Mountbatten’s Plan”, at the hands of Winston Churchill coupled with Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Pakistan was conceived on the table of Winston Churchill, whilst Mountbatten was still liberating Burma. In fact Lord Mountbatten’s appointment as the last viceroy was nonetheless a political venture painted by Winston Churchill, who wanted

12 www.pakistantoday.com.pk

country, which has afforded subscribers with internet bandwidth at both a faster and cheaper rate than the broadband connections of just a couple of years ago.

On all these devices, the consumption of the media is not a one-way street. The devices are sending back information to the platforms through which the media is being consumed. The proportion of revenue of companies like Facebook and Twitter that they make through data licensing keeps on increasing.

Even in the Old Media, the proliferation of “Smart TV sets” has meant that the (usually Android) operating systems of the sets are sending back data. With the slow but certain move away from analogue TV signals to digital, we see that trend becoming stronger. Some TV brands have even been accused of sending audio-video footage of their users back to their companies.

The use of increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence and statistical and probabilistic algorithms that then analyse the rivers of data is what has changed

changed through the evening.”

The results will change, of course, from what they were when only 10 per cent of the polling stations have been counted.

A response to this could be for the ECP to slap a ban on the channels telecasting the polling station results till all of the former have been compiled. After all, as per ECP rules, the representatives of all parties would still be present at the counting, so it will still be a transparent process.

Though this is just thinking aloud. The ban on channels reporting of provisional results would be incorrect, on a matter of principle, irrespective of how flawed it is. having a free media comes with more than just one price. g

Apropos of Nothing

the nature of the game completely.

At the extreme end of such spellbinding mathematical wizardry is an algorithm developed at Stanford that can determine, with nothing but a photograph, the subject’s sexual orientation. At the moment, it can determine it better than humans can; who knows about the future?

The more we browse the internet, or watch television, the more data points we are providing to corporations and governments to learn from. If, in the future, we can learn from said data, the propensity to commit crimes, would the states be able to carry out massive behavioural profiling?

Would the deep state (read the harrowing account of blogger Asim Saeed, which he released recently in an interview) want to profile us on the basis of the channels that we watch and, in the near future, the expressions that we have while watching specific pundits espouse specific views?

One is not being alarmist here. Civil rights activists in the country ignore these issues at their own peril. g

Tragedy of errors

India responds to its master’s call to craft a sense of over confidence within the Congress leadership on score of nehru’s and Mountbatten’s strong affiliation.

Perhaps upon Mountbatten’s’ arrival, Congress thought they had won half the battle already; though they were taken by surprise when the viceroy reverted to the United Kingdom for consultation at 10 downing Street, and returned with Barrister Radcliff and the partition award. how could nehru and Gandhi, selfproclaimed political maestro(s), not see this coming? Some Indian political historians refer to this saga as the “tragedy of errors”, and till date the Indian leadership is unable to wriggle out of this enigma and defeat. hence they do not let go of any opportunity to create unrest and havoc within Pakistan and the invitation by its’ new master the United States of America qua it’s Redefined Afghan Policy has given a new life to India’s resolve.

India’s leadership has been assigned with a newfangled task of obstructing and sabotaging the completion of CPEC, which is neither in the interest of India nor USA. Analysts often debate the direct effects of CPEC on the USA, and the reply is twofold: Primarily, the power shift, on touchstone of losing grip and hold over a so-called ally (Pakistan), who in the past, willingly or

otherwise has always observed the US waivered path. Since, decades the notion of Allah, Army and America has prevailed within the power circle of Pakistan, and lately the phenomena of the substitution of the later with China has not really been embraced by the USA; and secondly, the completion of CPEC shall lead to unconstrained trade networks between Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and the rest of the world.

India on the other hand, on the call of its master, has escalated its imprudent efforts of derailing CPEC. Whereof, in order to achieve the same, this time under the imperial License of USA has augmented and fast tracked its involvement towards creation of unrest in Balochistan.

India has commenced open support towards the “Free Balochistan Movement”. hyrbyair, at Göttingen, Germany, headed a protest on the eve of the Chinese national day on the 30 September 2017. The protest voiced false propaganda about Chinese colonialism and alleged human rights violations in Balochistan. Furthermore, the Baloch Students Organisation (Azad) also organised an Indian sponsored demonstration outside the British PM’s residence in London on 1 October 2017 against the CPEC. Indian government has also established

an association in the name and style of hindBaloch Forum having Pawan Sinha as its president and Swami Jitendranad Saraswati as its general secretary. The said organisation held an event under at hotel howard Plaza, Agra, under the slogan of “How Indians can play role in the freedom struggle of Balochistan”, wherein ex-army personnel including ex-directors of RAW and Maj Gen (r) GO Balochi also participated.

It is beyond doubt that India is coming all out to safe guard its master’s interest in the region, whereof the gestures are reciprocated vide statements as passed by the US defence Secretary James Mattis whilst testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the “One Belt, One Road” wherein he claimed that GilgitBaltistan region of Pakistan which constitutes a part of the CPEC project is part of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state.

It is unfortunate that the Indian leadership once again is pursuing this battle in the wrong arena; the tragedy of errors once again is repeating itself. The mere attempts of creating of a state of confusion in Balochistan, apart from being an exercise in futile is also a very short-sighted virtue on part of the Indian leadership. One Belt One Road (OBOR) project impleads therein over a hundred countries and organisations as of now, and instead of being a part and parcel of the “new world order” viz becoming a member of OBOR, and deriving nectar therefrom the unwise, impulsive and thoughtless attempts of sabotaging the project shall only lead to further variances leading to isolation of India from its neighbours and its prospective target trade markets. g