Post-earthquake
Issues
By Dr Shireen M Mazari
The October 8 earthquake brought
many issues to the fore, while an equal number of
issues that had threatened to dominate the political
and economic space of the country were relegated
to the backburner. For instance, the controversy
over the local government process and the contemplated
manner of the naib nazim elections (through an open
show of hands) all got pushed away from public notice.
The growing noise over rising oil prices has also
abated in the wake of the earthquake, although there
is a certain absurdity in the way in which the oil
companies are fleecing consumers with the seemingly
tacit support of the state. After all, should these
companies have been allowed to raise their fuel
transportation costs from Rs2 per liter to Rs10?
And does the prevailing petrol price of Rs56.73
per liter make any sense when the international
price has fallen from $67 per barrel to around $60?
The whole argument for the price hike to Rs56 was
the $67 per barrel price. Is it not absurd that
when international oil prices rise, local fuel prices
also increase but when oil prices fall internationally
there is no similar dip locally? At any rate, this
certainly shows the strength of the oil companies’
lobby in this country. Big business has big clout.
But all this has receded into the background with
the country trying to cope with the sheer scale
of the human tragedy. The major issues in the immediate
wake of the earthquake were related to the provision
of aid and assistance. And, true to our national
proclivity, there was an immediate rush to critique
the military for a slow response among a myriad
other allegations. It was as if the earthquake provided
everyone with an opportunity to indulge in army-bashing
with no one wanting to understand the massive devastation
suffered by the military itself in AJK. Of course,
there have been serious problems of logistics and
the bad PR job done initially by the state. But
surprisingly, no one has had much to say regarding
the whereabouts of the AJK political elite --- barring
Sardar Sikandar Hayat and his family members who
were visibly present in Muzaffarabad throughout
the early days.
In a similar vein, while everyone has been appreciative
of the work done by individuals as well as local
and foreign NGOs, little attention is being paid
to the manner in which the UN is seeking to disburse
the international donor funds it has received. The
usual game seems to be creeping in whereby foreign
NGOs are being given preference along with a few
local favorites, while many completely local NGOs
working in specific locations are being totally
ignored despite their tremendous work. As a result
some bizarre decisions have been made, including
one involving the Norwegian grant and the assessment
sent by the UN-IOM as recommendations to Norway.
Included in this is a request for $400,000 sent
forward by MDM Cyprus for the Rawalakot area. Interestingly,
MDM Cyprus has no presence so far in this area at
all, and this amount had been sought by a Kashmiri
NGO that has an established presence in the area
as well as a visible assistance program in terms
of shelters and related facilities. Also, theirs
was the only school that did not collapse in the
area so no child was lost. However, foreign NGOs
bring in foreign consultants and so some of the
money donated by foreign donors actually finds its
way back to them indirectly.
But we also have a fascination with all things foreign,
especially foreign consultants and foreign teachers
who have been hired to teach us our own history.
At least we feel that if we reach out to these groups,
foreign donors will be more willing to part with
their funds. After all, how else are we to understand
the hiring of the wife of John Wall, the World Bank’s
country director for Pakistan, residing in Islamabad.
She was paid 64 per cent of the entire cost of a
project in consultancy fees. It should not be a
surprise for us to discover the flow of funds from
the World Bank to the Ministry of Special Education.
We are also a society that is prone to rumors but
they should not be ignored totally because sometimes
hearsay does translate into facts. For instance,
it is rumored that a senior World Bank official
has also used his stay here to purchase cheap property
in Lahore’s Walled City, thereby causing a
major hike in the price of real estate. These are
of course the stories one hears in Lahore but no
tale can be dismissed simply as a figment of the
imagination, although misperceptions can arise.
The question is whether international civil servants
or diplomats can purchase property in Pakistan while
on official duty in the country? One wonders exactly
what the law is, especially in relation to what
should rightfully be protected heritage sites.
Talking of things foreign, one continues to be plagued
by the question why Australian Prime Minister Howard
chose to visit Pakistan earlier this month? After
all, Australian assistance for the earthquake is
minimal and Mr. Howard did not make any major grant
commitments. Nor has he been particularly favorably
disposed towards this country, so why the visit
at this time? Could some Australian business interests
be involved given that BHP Billiton is already seeking
access to zinc in Balochistan? There are rumors
that the earthquake has revealed mineral deposits
in AJK. Could Howard have come to give BHP Billiton’s
case a boost?
Finally, as we remain engulfed in dealing with the
earthquake aftermath, our detractors have begun
to spew their poison against us once again in a
concerted manner. While India continues its hackneyed
refrain of ‘infiltration’, its US apologists
like Selig Harrison have begun a campaign against
Pakistan and its efforts to acquire modern weapons
systems from the US. He has called the F-16 deal
“disastrous” for the US because it has
“damaging strategic consequences” for
the US in terms of its “strategic partnership”
with India. According to him, “The size and
character of American military aid to Islamabad
should reflect Pakistan’s transitory importance
to the United States as a regional power adjacent
to Afghanistan.” So he suggests that US military
aid to Pakistan should remain confined to equipment
directly related to operations against al-Qaeda
and the Taliban.
At the time of the war against Soviet occupation,
Mr Harrison also spewed poison against Pakistan
in a very vocal fashion and he is doing it again.
He has identified what one feels is the common US
perception of Pakistan -- a state of “transitory
importance” -- regardless of the present rhetoric
coming from the Bush administration. So let us not
allow our gratitude for humanitarian relief to cloud
our assessment of long-term US and NATO interests
in the region. Perhaps it is time to be more attuned
to the massive propaganda blitz that we are being
subjected to through diverse media tools while we
are particularly vulnerable in the aftermath of
the earthquake.
(The writer is director general of the Institute
of Strategic Studies in Islamabad. Courtesy The
News)
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