Changing the Ministry of Population Welfare Name

Why not call the Ministry and the Provincial Departments the Ministries etc of Population Management, Popu­lation Control or simply the Ministry of Population? ‘

Welfare’ clearly smacks of a cover up.

Population con­trol is not a crime!

Pattani South Thailand – Need for Purdence

A though it happened in the thick of the renewed wave of vicious assaults on Muslims in various parts of the world, yet even after two weeks, the killing of 108 Muslims in the Southern provinces of Thailand has not lost even a sliver of at¬tention in the world press. Neither the continuing atrocities in Iraq and the mas¬sacre of Muslims in Nigeria could sideline these killings. It could well be due to sud¬denness of the event for those who had not been following the events since Jan¬uary, in which victims were mostly the non-Muslim functionaries of the govern¬ment – including three Buddhist monks, one of them a young novice.

A second reason for attention is its occurrence along the string of anti-Muslim activities in various parts of the world and possibility of the Pattani episode being another incident of aggression against Muslims who hap¬pen to be a religious minority of Thailand.

A third cause for alarm could be the rude inversion of the image of Thailand as a haven of peace and tranquility and a place for good time which earns it almost seven billion US dollars a year through tourism. Killings on such a scale, of young people armed mostly with tools of trade like machetes and rubber tapping knives, in a reputedly peaceable land must have come as a shock to people around the world. The press has reflected this surprise by indicating a lack of reliable account of the past and present situation and the future course of events, especially due to the history of insurgency in the 1970s.

The matter has to be settled perma¬nently as it involves the life of more than six million Muslims of Thailand, besides reputation of the country and economic consequences of disturbed conditions. One has many claims to call Thailand al¬most a second home. One of them is an inside knowledge of the country over a stay of many years, besides extensive travel for a report written in the 1970s – the time when insurgency in the ‘South’ was virile. In spite of the passage of time, knowledge of the situation and characteristics of the country still remain a cher¬ished mental record of the geography, the people and circumstances on the ground. Affection for land and its people goaded one to follow developments in the country, including the progress made by the North Eastern and the Southern provinces. One as such could not ignore myriad newspaper comments made without knowing the place.

First conclusion that one has reached about the killings in Pattani is that in all probability, it was a local or regional incident and had nothing to do with the so called ‘War on Terror’. Since Thailand has a history of hosting pro-US military alliances and aligning with the US during action in the Far East, especially Vietnam, Muslims around the world would tend to link events in Southern Thailand with the worldwide anti-Muslim operations. However, a close look at events during the last four months, and their limited expanse do not suggest an internationally sponsored anti-government operation, or a large scale organized retribution from the side of the government. Even if, any of the adversaries indicate the possibility of outside support, it might not be more than an inspiration, rhetoric or some material help. What has been recovered from the 108 dead bodies on 28th April could not be called a contribution by foreign terrorist organizations. Nobody any longer fights with knives, machetes or sticks especially while confronting a well equipped and well trained regular army Heavier arms were probably those stolen from army camps raided earlier.

Another reason for one’s contention that the incidents should be of local or regional nature is that there had always been happening minor incidents aiming at degrading the Muslims and harming them economically and politically. One is aware of the existence of a lobby among the lower elite, traders and the press in Bangkok, which, irrespective of the policy of the government does not miss any opportunity to attack Muslim in¬terests. India is more popular among the Buddhist population due to elements of Hinduism lodged in religious rituals. The anti-Muslim lobbies take advantage of these factors and incite officials and community leaders to hurt or at least ignore the Muslims. The Central government cannot become a party to social attitudes un¬less they take an ugly turn. The local Muslim populations see this non-interference as negligence and an undeclared backing of offenders in Muslim-majority areas. The mechanism developed for creating an un¬derstanding among the communities is easily hijacked by a few personalities from both the sides, blocking the transmission of messages to grass roots. At best, these arrangements are as ineffective as in other countries of Asia having diverse ethnic and religious groups. They always, are artificial and imposed.

Historically, Muslim Community of the Southern provinces and the Thai majority of the kingdom have differences dating back to the time of the detachment of Muslim areas and the state of Pattani from the Muslim Malay country through an international agreement. The Muslim insurgency revolved around efforts to establish an independent Muslim state in and around Pattani. The uprising in Malaya after the World War II spewed insurgency in the Malay speaking areas of Thailand that mostly comprised Muslims of Malay or related origins. Thailand supressed the movement after many years of fighting. The outcome was an uneasy arrangement, which was disturbed in January 2004, leading to killings in Pattani – 32 killed by automatic fire in an historic mosque. Such incidents result from lack of effective communication and an absence of trust in each other. Lack of trust at the grass root and army leadership in the field can spaw ugly incidents, the type witnessed on 28th April.

Through contacts with both communities, I had the opportunity to know each other’s position at various levels. Most of the non-Muslim Thais that one met held strange misgivings about the religion and the ‘real culture’ of Muslims. Similar misconceptions were discovered to lie at the root of the chasm between Muslims and Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina ending up in unprecedented bloodshed in the 1990s: it is amazing how two ethnic communities get totally isolated from each other only due to the absence of communication among them, even if they are living in th same vicinity. Perhaps, the strictness of Muslims in the Southern provinces let them to amass an equal amount of misinformation about the Buddhists, Hindus of the ‘Chinese’.

Distances lead to social and economic backwardness of communities. The South did not accept suggestions of the Center suspecting intrusion in their freedom. They did not approve of schools teaching the language and the national syllabus. Instead, they preferred to send children to Madrissa’s rather than regular schools. These and such other factors, combined with the nature of resources left the Southern provinces poor and under-developed.

The Muslim population – rightly or wrongly – contends that the economic, commerce and administration of southern provinces are dominated by persons from the Central provinces. This has created an ambience in which there are no winners. The government and the Muslims have to sit and talk and find ways to solve the impasse created by rigidity and lack of communication. The world situation is so fluid and volatile that even slight misunderstandings can transform small issues into international disputes without any end.

People of the Third World better concentrate on social and economic developments rather than indulging in claims and counter-claims. Friends of Thailand and well-meaning members of the Umma will like to see prosperous Muslims in prosperous Thailand. The ugly episode of 28th April should be treated justly and compassionately to pave way for establishing a strong and lasting mechanism for development in the South and encourage people of the Southern provinces to enter the mainstream of national life, while protecting their values and cultural norms.

May 13/ 2004

Pakistan’s Re-entry into the Commonwealth

It was encouraging to note that not many people swooned over Pakistan’s vindicating reentry into the British Commonwealth after a lapse of four and a half years. For the common man it has always been a non-event. For the government, it was a question of legitimacy. For the British, it was an occasion to re-affirm their ‘chaudhrahat’ (supremacy). For the rest, in “the language of the BBC it did not mean much in economic terms – that covers everything. The news as such got a place in the national press that it deserved. It might mean something for the Pakistanis in Britain – if it does not require repudiation of one’s membership of the Muslim Ummah. Only time will tell the impact of entry into a. post 9/11 Commonwealth. The begin­nnings, however, are not pleasant; there is a smell of patronage and dictation in the air. Revolting! 

One’s elation over routine treatment of the Commonwealth-membership is due to the welcome departure from our habit of going overboard for even the slightest indication of something that can get us excited. Mr Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to conquer La­hore and Mrs Gandhi’s refusal to accept the prime-ministership of India had perhaps provided enough superfluity to last a few weeks; therefore, membership of the Commonwealth could not add much. 

 

Don’t Mangle the Blossoms: Disrespect for the Law

The society is starting to unravel the seeds of a grave tendency of the brazen committal of the most heinous of crimes and the frightening display of impunity from the law. The massacres at Mughalpura, Jauharabad, Southern Punjab, Karachi etc and the rapid recurrence of incidents of gang rape, violence against women, etc are far more threatening than happenings across the border. The President, at least on two occasions quoted an Urdu couplet about the gravity of threats from inside as being more dangerious than from outside. He must have meant all internal elements that threatened the country. But one considers forces of discord and hatred as the biggest danger to integrity and progress of the nation. Tragedy of our situation, in this respect, is well known. Attitude towards fellow beings and the persons perpetrating crimes against society are products of a long period of autocratic regimes as are the oppression and tyranny used for subjugating other humans, including the destruction of the sources of sustenance and blocking avenues of gathering strength again. We pretend to hate acts of violence if they are directed against populations belonging to our faith and ideology, but do not hesitate to .apply them generously to our own people, to keep them in bondage of the elite, and their cronies and agents. Public humiliation, dishonouring of women and family elders, burning of property, destruction of homes, torturing in the presence of fam­ily members and rivals etc are standard methods of intimidating people and extinguishing even the feeblest flame of indepenence and dissent.      

The Pakistani society today is experiencing a revival of the methods used by barbaric hordes of yore and absolute monar­ychs, their courtiers and servants. The civilizing influence of education, contacts with the contemporary world, improvements in educational standards, increase in health coverage and mod­ern health facilities, explosion of communications, should have weakened the sway of autocratic and arrogant attitudes devel­oped over centuries of despotic rule. But factors like the disruption of democratic process, perpetuation of feudal mentality and traditions, and a sharp turn of social values in the direction of materialism and rapid gains strengthened lawlessness and arrogance. The weakening of institutions triggered by selfishness and greed paved way for the rampant ocean of corruption. That was sufficient to sweep away the last vestiges of moral values and the fear of accountability before men and God. Developments since our involvement in the Afghan war afforded every body the opportunity to make windfall profits over meagre in­nvestments. The holy warrior got his heaven besides Klashinkov and the accolades. The merchants made their fortunes through new op­portunities offered by Pakistan, be­sides a market flourishing among the refugees. A whopping demand for transport gave rise to a huge commu­nity of wealthy transporters. Illegal movement of weapons and equipment in the region spewed a tremendous smuggling trade. The value of human life touched rock bottom due to fighting and the ‘collateral’ damage. The most lethal development was the emergence of a new class of uncouth and unprincipled affluent persons led by invigorated landed and political families of a by-gone era who had been keeping a low profile due to sporadic chants of democracy, human rights, socialism, capitalism, etc. 

Quietly but methodically, the elite – old and new – created a new class of modern well-educated young men and women within the four walls of their households. The formidable group thus produced had no problem in gliding into national and provincial legislatures or the district governments, once the op­portunity was there. Since only the college graduates could be­come members of these august houses, the members were expected to be more enlightened and people-friendly. But the college degrees could not mend autocratic traditions, arrogance and lust for power, property and wealth. The norm of free-for-all established in the late 1980s and the 1990s also trained a gen­darme of grabbers, go-betweens and heartless operators. They immediately volunteered to act as thugs and hired killers. They are the lot who are committing the most heartless of crimes and go scot-free due to patronizing hand of their custodians and mas­ters. They are not a part of the crowd of religious zealots but they do supplement their efforts without realizing it. 

The recent surge in crimes against humanity and social val­ues comprises many elements. There is the greed of the bigwigs. There is the desire to maintain supremacy in one’s area. There is the urge to impress the powerful elite and win a place in the government. There is the yearning for show­ing off one’s riches. There is the dream of sneaking into the annals of history even if it involved the cutting of throats. There is the itch to emulate past kings in pomp, splendour and generos­ity. Ultimately, there is the resolve to rule one’s domain as a sovereign and a despot who is feared – though detested. 

There are the usual economic and social factors in social crimes: The unemployed attach themselves to ‘bosses’ consti­tuting the main body of the local ‘crowd’; they have to perform by murdering and maiming. There are also ‘policing’ functions to intimidate people. Judicial role is assumed through local outfits or ‘seniority’ in the community to extract favourable decisions and to make people realize how helpless they are in their own community. There is the factor of deprivations of the common people. If they need respite or assistance, they will have to bend their will according to desires of the boss. The poor are also made to realize that their share in the next largesse to the area will depend upon the satisfaction of boss’s wishes – and that ew everything in a poor person’s home belongs to the lord of the area and can be called for service any time! 

It, all, looks sordid. In fact it is so. Preoccupation of the administration with a leader’s visit, a political meeting by the opposition, building of development plans with or without re­sources – and the will, the hunt for terrorists, or preparations fo the next elections, etc cannot condone the failure in controlling murders, rapes, gang rapes, parading naked women in the streets. 

And what is required is a quick capture of criminals, rapid disposal of legal procedures, fast delivery of justice and setting an example by not succumbing to the wishes of the influential, and government functionaries. One agrees with the Presiden that it is the internal danger that one should be careful about. People do not bring up little girls and small boys to get then mangled and devoured by wolves!

May 27, 2004

Respecting the Individual

 Sometimes, clues to big issues affecting entire nations and cultures spanning whole regions lie in seemingly insignificant gestures and traits. While looking for causes of underdevelopment, poverty and intellectual back­wardness in poor countries of the world, one is struck by a characteristic, perhaps as one of the major reasons for failing to build a national resolve for improving the quality of life: It is the lack of respect for life – including one’s own. 

There is a carnage going around us all the time. The com­mon people in these societies develop fatalistic attitudes to­wards life and their circumstances. Owing to their own expe­rience and the experience of their elders, they succeed in convincing themselves that they were born to be poor, des­tined to be deprived of every good thing in life and remaining disadvantaged and impoverished. As a consequence, they are relegated to a mass of humanity, whose only business in life is to eke out the minimum of the bounties of this world just to sustain life, leaving the bulk to those who determine the limits of their world. 

Pakistan is no exception to this rule. It is not an economic circumstance, which has allowed the poverty to increase inspite of all the encouraging macro-economic indicators during the past years. It may not be wrong to conclude that the lack of collective efforts for eradication of poverty and building a respectable and prosperous future is due to a low ­valuation of one’s own life and place in society, leading to lack of confidence in one’s skills and ability to stand out in society. 

The culture of suppression and submission is the product of the system of subjugation of people by despots in what­ever form they come. Even the most benevolent of rulers did not tolerate dissent, insubordination or agitation even if they were to protest injustice and tyranny as they were supposed to create ripples in governance. Court of the sovereign and their agents devised methods, which did not permit unpleas­ant news to reach the rulers as they could result in reprimand of officials for their failure to manage their areas of respon­sibility smoothly. The chain produced by this hierarchy reached the lowest levels of society repressing, on the way, lower tiers of the people. Basic tactic in the process was to destroy the last kernel of self-respect and confidence among the poor. The method continued with vengeance during the colonial era. 

The situation did not change after Independence, as all the instruments in vogue during the pre-independence period continued to operate. In fact, many of them became worse in their treatment of the common man due to a shift in ends – in­stead of serving only the crown, the official machinery was made to protect not only the interests of the government but also become subservient to ‘landed gentry’ and elite of vari­ous descriptions. This additional obligation led only to greater suppression of the people. The class system thus produced was further strengthened by alliance of religious leadership with other institutions involved in governance. Freedom from foreign rule, logically, should have granted citizens the right to carve their destiny and improve their situation. But the change was contrary to the expectations. Whatever independence and the limited freedom of decision-making individual families enjoyed under secular dispensation of the liberal colonisers was replaced by an array of demands that contradicted each other. The scattering of attention and energy had to result in a loose law and order situation and a an indifference towards interests of nation and the community annihilating the sense of respect for people and the self. 

Respect for individuals is essential to revitalise society. It grants people the courage to think of the future, take bold actions to fulfill goals and create a surge of enthusiasm for taking the nation ahead of its competitors. It makes people more productive, more responsible and highly motivated to excel. Denuding one of respect has to have the opposite effect. One does not have to go far to see its impact. It is all around us. We pay respect only to those in power and who are rich and influential. The rest, in our eyes do not deserve consideration, affection or respect – the hoi polloi of this earth. The poor, the unemployed, the destitute are not considered to have any respect, as the rough patch in their lives is thought to be of their own making. Even sickness and death are supposed to be the result of one’s deeds in life! All these are excuses for not recognising those with a low social status as equal mem­bers of society, even when the codes of conduct in all religions of the World exhort their followers to show consideration for the frail and the needy. And all the past and present and present civilisations have been following the same. 

It is a tragedy that nobody in our society has tried to introduce respect for the individuals as a basic tenet of civilised behaviour. The Asian value system, due to its direct links with ancient civilisations, derives its strength from the principle of mutual respect, love and; helpfulness. Every old world language has a title or expression for all occasions and interactions. There is an element of courtesy in the Eastern cultures which should be preserved rather encouraged. Any other attitude will be repugnant to the basics of our culture and tradition. It will only create tension and misunderstandings. 

I did not start this article to deliver a sermon on imorality. However, I did intend to highlight a foundation block of our culture, which needs to be adopted to put every member of society to work for collective good of society. Many of us have been emphasising the conflict between the old values which are eroding and the Western values, which are taking root. But nobody, to my’ knowledge, has suggested a solution for resolving the conflict which is denting our efforts to develop – from education to savings and investment; and from law and order situation to security on our borders. 

Solutions for a major modification like changing the mode of dealing with other members of society may look time con­suming. But a slight change in correspondence, the media, court decisions, and proceedings of legislature may do the trick: The Western way of calling by the first name or ad­dressing colleagues on the media without the traditional prefixes or suffixes like Sahib or Sahiba are not akin to our tra­ditions or culture. Likewise, nobody has the right to treat ‘suspect’ like a criminal unless so proven. Islamic emphasis on good manners, generosity, soft speech and acknowledge­ment of a favour are widely taught as a part of modern techniques for winning others. Let us keep them intact as a cher­ished inheritance.

September 16, 2004

Tricks Schooling can Play: English versus Urdu Medium

As it happened, contrary to all the soulful advice and pru­dence, the other day one dared participate in a family  gathering to represent generation that were no more. Apart from all the changes that decades of living in iso­lation imposed by disintegration of the clan in 1947, what struck one the most was the appearance of two distinct classes of children of parents of the same ances­try. 

They had been divided partly by the de­gree of their parents’ situation in life and their location, but mostly by their type of schooling. The children brought up in westernised countries differed from the children reading in the English medium `modern’ schools in Pakistan in many ways. 

The former were normal children. They tried to become a part of their Pak­istan-based cousins. The group, from the local modern schools, felt visibly uncom­fortable and out of place. To say the least, they were misfits. While the former en­joyed, the latter were incessantly pester­ing their parents to abandon the function and get back home. 

One cannot help pondering over this contrast. There is no doubt that social change triggered by abundance of com­munication media, frequent foreign travel, rise in incomes and aspirations had to cre­ate a modern class, though at the cost of the less privileged population. The gap thus created has entered the most sacro­sanct of institutions – the family, which can lead to disintegration of the value system that keeps the society stable and com­posed. Since the Pakistani society has not yet experienced the type of disruption in family rampant in the West, there does not exist an appreciation of the great gift of family cohesion in our countries and the curse of self-centeredness confronting the industrialised societies. The confusion be­tween westernisation and modernity is fast pushing societies in the developing world towards lifestyles of the West in which material well-being is obtained by sacrificing traditional bondages which made people of yore happier and secure. The instant panics that grip most of the United States over hints of a terrorist attack, are just tips of the social malaise lying under the fa­cade of material prosperity and strength. The developing societies need to learn a few lessons from circumstances of the de­veloped world. 

The contrast between children that one was talking about is a reflection of the change in thinking of a part of Pakistani society, as well as a portent of the things to come when today’s children grow up. Ironically, this difference is mostly being created by education and atmosphere in the home. The prevalence of two separate tiers of education in the public and the pri­vate sectors based apparently on the medium of instruction attracts sporadic at­tention of educationists and leaders of public opinion. But the number of pro-En­glish institutions goes on increasing. They are being followed by a sizeable group of investors of all shades who have created a plethora of English-medium business houses in the name of modem education. While minting money by the bushel, they are producing battalions of semi-educated young men and women making the mod­ern education scene murky as never be­fore. 

Picture of elementary education is still bleaker. Nursery schools, claiming modern education, are growing like mushrooms even in remote areas of the country. Since there is big money in the activity, there does not seem any end to it. Harm is dual:

First: Parents are being fleeced through high fees, uniforms and compulsory pri­vate tuition and what not.

Second: Chil­dren are imparted unwholesome education by untrained teachers working in com­mercial ambience. The whole exercise, as such, may amount to the production of a pretentious and vane body of young peo­ple. The dual system tends to divert in­vestment from the public sector to the hy­brid private schools, leaving hundreds of thousand children of school-going age in wilderness. 

The basic question about education is its purpose and utility for society, and which system can fulfill this purpose better? Education is meant to mould a child into a good human being who is beneficial to society. Few people realise that these goals of education re­main inert until the student is also imbibed with the desire to utilise their knowledge for the good of society, besides developing empathy for the people. And that is where our education has been failing. The age ­old aim of producing a ‘knowledgeable overall persona started fading away since the noble profession of teaching com­pletely gave way to powerful and money making occupations. 

Although both systems have fallen vic­tim to this malady, yet the modern English medium schools were bigger losers, due to their emphasis on job-related education and westernising the students. This effec­tively cut them off from the common man and the traditional value system. Most of the students of these institutions tend to get themselves enveloped into small worlds of their own, far away from their environment. They are made to believe that their immediate aim in life is to score A grades, speak English and immerse themselves in popular western ways of life. That severs their connection with Pak­istan of the common people – the real Pak­istan. Younger children are forced to speak English, memorise foreign stories and, poems and mimic American or British mannerism, stunting their mental faculties. 

Saddest part of the story lies in the incapacity of a vast number of parents to send their children to expensive En­glish-medium private schools, followed by enrolment in foreign universities. This has given rise to colossal corruption ands illegal practices by parents in both the. public and the private sector. A further; tragedy is that considerable number of those graduating from foreign universities either do not come back and are employed by foreign institutions; multinational corporations and business houses, depriving Pakistan of their expertise, skills and financial returns. Simple question is as to which type of educated young men and women will be more de­pendable and useful for the Pakistani nation? Those who know little about the Pakistani society and culture and who are liable to serve foreign countries; or those having their roots in this society and are more likely to stay in Pakistan. The answer is obvious: Ultimately, these will be the home grown men and women that the families and the nation will look forward for guidance, assistance and successor. 

However, it does not mean that the modern English-medium schools should be shut down. They are good vehicles of carrying out modernisation of society. What is needed is their humanization; make them affordable for the common, people; de-mechanise their syllabi and bring their students close to the Pakistani society and the people. The Urdu-medium schools need to be upgraded in quality, teachers made secure, well paid and trained. The love for humanity, brotherhood, justice and peace should be empha­sised in all schools – English and Urdu medium. 

In the context of dual education systems, one cannot ignore parents’ indiffer­ence with their children’s activities. In fact, they create within the home an atmo­sphere of total license and freedom and are proud of their scions’ adoption of Western values and mannerism, even if it cuts off their links with the Pakistani culture. This attitude must change. It is neither good for the family nor the nation. Children are too young and too inexperienced to dictate their terms to parents. ­School and the family should jointly commit themselves to produce good human and responsible citizens. We owe it to humanity, to our country, our own future, and most of all, the children themselves.

July 29, 2004

First Taste of the US Elections

It has been for some time that one along with many other cor­respondents, has been ardently warning the third world people about the fidelity of US establish­ment, in the light of the ruthless poli­cies that it has been pursuing for the last three years. The United States was also being reminded of the wrath of na­tions she was gathering by her arrogance and indiscretions. There is little that poor countries could do as retaliation against the biggest war machine in his­tory that the United State’s now possesses, except cursing and praying. But they def­initely can wield their economic muscle at individual, regional and global levels to confront some of the pressures. However, that would require national unity and the will to stand together – something in short supply in the developing world. 

Time, at least on the surface, had re­duced the pain caused by US support for Israel’s anti-Palestinian policies and the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. But the recent announcements of renewed operations in Afghanistan, refashioned threats to Iran, the new road-map for the Middle East, increased pressure on Pak­istan-Afghanistan border forebode a new wave of US aggression in this part of the world – whether to make the voters back come happy or to fulfil the US global agenda past US ventures and the ruthlessness displayed since 9/11 do not prompt trust in promises made by the United States or agreements signed by her representatives: Each one of them speaks a different language! It, as such has made the weaker countries nervous. 

Pakistan has been a constant victim of the power diplomacy emanating from the District of Columbia chambers. The messed up interview of the US deputy defence secretary Mr Paul Wolfowitz with the Far Eastern Economic Review amply added to apprehensions about the real face of America towards Pakistan – even this region. The US government, at the highest level is incessantly pouring praises on General Musharraf de­scrbing him as the stalwart in the anti­-terrorist campaign of the US and her alles. That is the least they could do for a person who has exposed himself to dire personal danger besides foregoing credit for many a cherished projects that he has undertaken during the last four years. But old American habit of displaying ‘can­didness’ and expressing ‘free opinion’ continue to remain in place. In fact, most of the views and comments are calculated threats couched in casual remarks. Mr Wolfowitz said all that could make a few million more enemies of the United States besides burdening the Pakistani President with the task of dealing with opponents of the pro-US policies of Pakistan. But the United States has never been known for consistency in her foreign policy, or its establishment for loyalty to friends after their usefulness has been finished. 

US policies regarding Pakistan are a curious brew of patronage, friendly ad­vice, command, applause, disapproval, indignation, threats, etc. Even a casual look unfolds the perpetrators of these communications. Big business, Israel, India, anti-Islam lobbies in and outside America, facilitation of US agenda of global domination, safety of US citizens, political situation within the US, are some of the pressures which affect the Ameri­can utterances at a certain time. The vast network of government departments, field offices, intelligence agencies and think tanks facilitate crystallization of the US stand on an issue, country or region. Greatly valued contribution of academics and the universities add to the process. Almost the entire community of policy makers, especially the older persons, by tradition, develops strong likes and dis­likes for personalities, countries and ide­ologies. To top it all, a large number of them are Jewish, if not Zionists. Such an ambience cannot be expected to be friendly to Pakistan with its erstwhile claim of being the ‘Fort of Islam’. As such what we receive from various quarters in the US government and the international media will never be objective and unbi­ased. It is the case with regard to other anti-American populations, especially if they happened to be Muslims. 

The universal complaint against the United States is the ambivalence in American policies toward the Third World countries. They are not clear about their standing with the United States be­cause solely interests of the US determine the US policy. It, generally makes her the champion of individuals: Some of them the worst despots in the history of their countries. And this is done irrespective of people’s opinion. Such contradictions link the name of US with much hated at­tributes of double-dealing and hypocrisy adding to her unpopularity. 

Mr Wolfowitz is perceived as one of the worst enemies of Islam in the ongo­ing `War on Terrorism’. Despite admission of a mix-up in the FEER dispatch, what he seemed to imply in his interview was his desire for more severe action in Afghanistan. It was partly prompted by stepped up activity by the Taliban. But a greater reason should be to assuage the American public on the issue of American and Allied soldiers continuously coming in harm’s way. Whatever the reason if anybody has any apprehensions about Pakistan’s position in territories around­ the 2500 kilometre long Pakistan-Afghan border, he or she should be invited to spend a few days in that terrain and see what Pakistan has been facing. 

It will also be advisable that the US leaders find out the real identity of the Taliban. Taliban in the Persian and Pushto speaking areas means a ‘seeker of knowledge’, i.e., a student, especially of a religious school. The Taliban militia comprised students and graduates of these schools or madrissas. With the end of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, its remnants went back to their homes or schools. Only the foreign volunteers stayed on or moved to the neighbouring countries. Pakistan has been busy in clearing her land of these foreign ele­ments as their core is composed of the battle-hardened warriors of the anti-Soviet war. Would anybody from America articulate what more Pakistan should be doing? Wipe out all the students of religious schools because they would constitute the next Taliban army? What if one suggests that all the white male population of the South in the US being potential members of the Ku Klux Klan should be treated like the youth in Pakistan’s tribal belt and sent to Guantanamo Bay? 

The ‘great concession’ awarded to Pakistan on nuclear proliferalion is a joke at best. We have taken the issue seriously. Action has been initiated to clear up the entire nuclear establishment. What Pakistan does after the findings are out, is her internal matter. In the meanwhile, let the US and Europe recall where the nuclear chain reaction took place. Who made the first nuclear bomb and who supplied the expertise and most of the components of an atom bomb to the budding nuclear powers? Nuclear proliferation is a crime against humanity, but much bigger crime was the manufacturing of the fast bomb in America and its use in Japan. What should be done about all these past ‘criminals’? 

Since nothing can be done about these ‘heroes’ or criminals, let us vow to put a stop to further proliferation and guard what is in existence, besides ensuring that these destructive arms will never be used. To our ‘friends’ in the ‘War against Terrorism: Please have a heart. Do not stoke the US elections at our expense. There ar plenty of domestic issues to addres within the United States. There is every indication that a lot of dramatics will be staged before November to change the mind of voters in the US including the display of a prisoner by the name of Osama Bin Laden, and other events that could win votes for the Republicans. We could only suggest that please do it in your own country. The World is already worn and fed up with conflict and violence!

March 18, 2004

Focus on Population Growth

One is always delighted to see some serious endeavour at rejuvenating population control efforts. After a life­long commitment to population plan­ning and management and yet a sense of defeat in putting a lid on the speed of population growth, one is always apprehensive of the state of popula­tion programmes in the country. We are a nation that is easily placated. We should know that whatever we have gained in terms of lowering fertility rates in the past few years could be washed out in months if the people are not reminded incessantly about the dangers of rapid population growth. 

Steep decline in growth of population during the past decades, around the world, has deflected the attention of demogra­phers and the population community from social engineering, field advo­cacy and delivery systems to theoretical considerations: Practical problems seem to appear in big meets as fillers. 

Problem with the recent population trends in Pakistan lies in the recent achievements being based on topsoil. Even small tremors can shake build­ings erected on unstable ground. The welcome decline in population growth is not linked with the established bedrock of rise in incomes, education, literacy or long term political commit­ment. A good part of the decline in fer­tility could be attributed to enduring social and economic factors. Cohort that is determining the current levels of fertility had grown up in or before the 1970s and early 1980s. During this period there did not take place any outstandig event for progress in the socio-economic situation of families that could affect their reproductive behaviour. The real phenomenon, as such lies somewhere near the surface – Social Marketing? Better delivery system? NGOs? Effective publicity? 

The health and family welfare vil­lage and community visitors pro­grammes introduced during the last decade should yield results both in the Health and the Population sectors, now. And their impact may surprise many. The Pakistani society is passing through a unique stage. The aware­ness about population planning and control is widespread: It is accompa­nied by an awareness of higher living standards and the use of modern conveniences of life. It is difficult to com­mit oneself to the contribution of each factor involved in this change. Yet one can single out the public sector, NGOs and the private sector as the old moti­vators; intensification of their advo­cacy and social change campaigns after the Zialul Haq era are known to have set the stage for a ‘new’ popula­tion control ambience. One remem­bers the rusted sign boards outside population offices, broken furniture, dilapidated buildings, a black out of publicity, a stagnant public sector bud­get, and a totally demoralized – though highly committed and bright – staff of the public sector population ‘welfare’ programme, that confronted the new administration under the new govern­ment. Even highly dynamic persons in the Cabinet had not succeeded in pen­etrating the double-faced policies of the previous era. The advent of pub­licity on the media invigorated the concept of small families as well as the workers. This was a break-through. 

However, electronic media made the two most significant contributions to behavioural change and the huge community of Pakistani expatriates living abroad who regularly carried the concept of modern living to their communities during visits home. An­other valuable change that has been taken place quietly is softness in attitude of the religious community, especially the younger clerics. This might have encouraged couples to practice spacing of children. In all probability, it is not a change in doctrine that has prompted this change of heart. It must be the practicality of a small family that is prompting young clergy to look the other way if a follower uses popu­lation control methods to space their brood. The popularity of modem elec­tronic communication gadgets must have helped. Most of these devices have reached even the remotest parts of the country, through the courtesy of migrants to cities who regularly ex­change gifts with their ancestral vil­lages. One should not be surprised if within the next few years, the family size in even remote rural areas with large number of dwellers working in cities or abroad, record sharp decline in fertility and mortality. 

These developments have given rise to new social attitudes – in many instances, conflicting with the stereotyped traditional beliefs. Yet they have been made to exist side-by ­side without evoking any serious dis­sensions in the community. However, this phenomenon remains on periph­ery of the basic package required for a permanent adoption of the small fam­ily norm. Pakistan’s family planning programme has been lagging behind other countries of the region so badly that the recent advances apart, it stands at a humiliating last place in the list of many indicators. And this has happened inspite of the fact that a number of family planning pro­grammes in the area owe their success to replication of the Pakistan model. The main reason for tardiness in Pak­istan was the failure of the social sec­tor and key economic areas to beat the rate of population growth. The back­log was so tremendous – and it went on inflating – that the solo-economic infrastructure did not ever catch up with increase in population and the backlog of unmet social and economic needs of society. Other developing countries succeeded in offsetting the lag by making gains in incomes and their distribution, education, health care, women development, etc. leav­ing Pakistan far behind. 

Situation still is not all hunky dory . With a huge chunk of population still living below the poverty line, a tremendous number of children still out of school, female literacy and edu­cation remaining at levels far below the figures for males, status of women continuing to be miserable, inade­quate health facilities and meagre health education, and the clouds of ob­scurantism looming large over the head, do not auger well for a change involving family norms, traditions, and community pressures. Unless rapid changes take place in these sectors, a metamorphosis in society will remain distant. Upsurge and commitment in some of these areas in the recent past should not go unnoticed by the popu­lation community. The cause of women has recorded significant boost. There has been a rapid rise in noises from the education sector – though some not clearly comprehensible. Health sector has introduced many innovative schemes, community health visitors being the plum project. However, the most important development is con­stant across the board, emphasis on poverty alleviation. If these initiatives are implemented faithfully, the population picture in Pakistan may change radically within a few years. It should, however, be remembered that the pop­ulation management will have to ex­tend the scope of its activities. How can migration, mortality, aging, ur­banization, population research, etc. be kept outside a setup dealing with population of the country? By the wary, why not call the ministry and the provincial departments the ministries etc of Population Management, Popu­lation Control or simply the Ministry of Population? ‘Welfare’ clearly smacks of a cover up. Population con­trol is not a crime!

March 11, 2004

Policing the Police

The British-grown police of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are perhaps the most unpopular department of public services of these three coun¬tries. There are at least six main reasons for this unenviable distinction.

First: Police deals with the entire society as compared to slightly less feared rev¬enue generating departments that deal with only the taxpayers. Police, attracts the wrath of the people due to its law en¬forcement duties. It is magnified manifold due to a much wider exposure, lending credence to the good or bad opinion of the population.

Second problem with the police is its refusal to change from a ruler-friendly intimidating force to a beneficent people friendly class of caring men and women. All the recommendations and suggestions made by myriad commissions and committees charged with bringing about improvements in the physical and substantive structure of police could not make even the slightest dent in its capacity to deliver or the quality of its service – whatever the reasons. Since police is the enforcement arm of the government in power, every decline in the quality of governance brought it into greater disrepute than the government in general.

Third: Police under the colonial dispensation was supposed to be loyal to the king or queen and their representatives in the subcontinent. Those declared loyal to the British were pampered while those opposing the colonial rule were subjected to continuous harassment. Naturally, the latter included all the freedom fighters that were loyal to the motherland and wanted to see the British depart. Mindset of the police as such was to protect the government in power and persecute everybody who wanted to replace it. The knights, Khan Bahadurs, Sardar Bahadurs, etc. were paid extra respect, as were the ones close to them. Pakistan picked up this culture in 1947. Only the denominations changed. Most of the erstwhile title holders, big land¬lords and feudals became ministers, parliamentary secretaries and political enti¬ties of one type or the other. The police started assisting them as faithfully as they did the British government and its functionaries. Political differences, which in the presence of the British were minor and were readily resolved, gradually became serious and difficult to solve. The politicians to assert their power used police extensively. Whosoever came into power, engaged them in destroying their opponents. The opponents did the same when they got the opportunity. Police carried out these chores at the cost of its integrity, justice and sometimes even loyalty to the country. This rendered the police personnel insecure and demoralized. Anybody in such a state of mind would become jittery, rude and callous; how could the police remain immune to these emotional pressures?

Fourth factor that has rendered the distance between police and the people rather vast is the access of police to the skeletons in cupboards of the people of all classes and standing. The police, being in the knowledge of the dark side of people’s life loose respect for them though they continued to show deference to them in public. Their professional training goes on adding to the list, widening the emotional gulf further. Citizens, on the other hand, suffer from police’s fear since it might be carrying secrets of their intimate life. Such distrust creates wariness among the parties and constructive communications become difficult, if not impossible. Since the same politicians come into power; through elections, police has to think twice before proceeding against them or even refusing their recommendations, jeopardizing principles of justice and fair-play.

Fifth: Members of the police force, as embodiment of the authority of the government used to be universally respected – besides being feared. Transition from colonial rule to political administration and the pursuit of wealth and power in society replaced the respect for law by arrogance, and deference to government by the tendency to belittle its functionaries. Public knowledge of grades in government service further fortified this inclination. It had to result in breakdown of the implementation mechanism for functions assigned to every member of the society. That has happened. We have fallen into disarray, creating a sea of indifference to our duties as members of a nation and the mode and intensity of our relationship with other members of society. Police’s image, performance and morale of its personnel have received a severe blow at the hands of this development. At one time, only deviants and criminals used to flout law and defy authority. But our ambience of casualness and insolence has encouraged every individual to challenge and confront the laws and take pride in insulting a policeman trying to enforce them. What has been going on in our society to maltreat the law enforcement officials could only provoke police to avenge insults hurled at them and compensate for the low status accorded to police personnel. Lots of us do not care to perceive the feelings of an individual in police uniform who is challenged in public, insulted and threatened, and punished for treating an influential as another citizen of the Islamic Republic: He will avail himself of the first opportunity of demolishing the citadel of what he perceives to be an authority.

Sixth: By far the greatest fault with at¬titude and efficiency of police is the lack of means for bringing up one’s family decently. Low salaries, low ranks, inadequate housing, poor schooling for children, etc. do not let a policeman display his altruism and jump into every danger¬ous situation that he comes across as expected by his training. We have developed into a society where we expect all the good things from others without ourselves taking even one step in the direction. Doctors, teachers, police and women, clergy, solders, etc, are the main targets of assumed eminence. Members of these ‘noble’ ‘security providing’ professions are surmised to be angels who do not possess a self, family acquaintances or ambition, and who should live like islands in ‘the sea of people engaged in a race for money, power and ostentation, using every conceivable method to achieve their ends. Few persons can remain pious in such an atmosphere.

The majority will aspire for some share in the bounty comprising a large chunk earned illegally. This has put the label of corruption on the police. But others engaged in colossal corruption are conveniently forgotten. To be fair, how much of the 55 billion dollars or so stashed abroad by the corrupt belongs to policemen and women? People instantly note if a policeman is living beyond his means. But a neutral view will reveal that every other person has been living in way that they cannot explain. In fact, we as a nation have been hanging out of debt rather than our earnings.

One is casually aware of the late hullabaloo over the promulgation of police reforms. Dissecting and analysis the contents will be presumptuous on one’s part. However, a checklist of points to be reckoned may be helpful:

(1) Have we taken any steps to raise the status of our policemen and women, especially those in junior positions?

(2) Has a move been made to enhance emoluments of the police to match them with the nature of their duties, i e., to maintain their status and compensate for the danger involved?

(3) Have we thought of a way to protect police personnel from threat by influential and the government officials many of which materialize?

(4) Have we ensured that the police, hence forth, will select its personnel only on merit, and the process will not be affected by recommendations and pressures?

(5) Is there a system in place to hold in-service training of every member of the police force under a plan that ensures promotions through tests and evaluation?

(6) Have we provided for the supply of the latest weapons to the police force, to ensure their safety and boost their morale?

(7) Has anything been done to give a modern look to police stations and provide facilities to staff and the clients?

(8) Have we thought about providing relief to the police from insipid and wearisome duties without adequate arrangements for food, transport or emergency contact?

(9) Have we arranged to modernize the police force providing training, communication equipment, and mobility to apprehend modern criminals?

(10) Do we have in place a system for attitudinal change in the community service that is compulsory for the entire police force for promotion to higher steps? and

(11) Are there arrangements for periodic discussion between junior officials from police and other departments to understand problems of the people better and in depth and find their solution?

March 4, 2004

Basant: Is Middle Path a Taboo?

For people even slightly older than the mean age in Pak­istan, Basant in its present form and St.Valentine’s Day must be somewhat alien occasions. Al­though both descended upon us out of the blue, yet they seem to have be­come permanent fixtures on our calendars. The carnage at Basant, the ex­pense, the discomfort to citizens, the display of vulgarity and the time lost during and after the festival do make a case against the current mode of these celebrations. But the event has come to stay whatever the cost. 

The same has happened to the Valentine’s Day. Until a few years back, most citi­zens of the developing world had not even heard of this phenomenon. Sud­denly, greeting cards, flowers and chocolates became a rage. Most of the revilers did not know even the origins of this festival, not to talk of the op­portunity to meet one’s ‘valentine’. Amorous communications in a coun­try where karo-kari and honour killings are practiced, the Valentine fever spreading like wild fire in towns and cities is a perplexing phe­nomenon. Yet there are many other fads and quirks that have slipped into our lives quietly, trouncing age-old valu­es, customs and traditions. Someday, Valentine’s Day might emerge as an occasion more cherished than Christmas and the Gregorian New Year. 

There are strong economic reasons behind this assertion: making easy money. Despite apparent cultural dis­tance between Basant and the Valen­tine’s Day, they have a lot in common. The most frequent answer to ques­tions on their popularity revolves around the dearth of recreation and entertainment for the families, espe­cially the youth. One would advance this argument slightly differently: These festivals provide the young peo­ple and their like with an opportunity to witness members of the opposite gender individually or in groups. In so­cieties where gender is burdened with taboos, occasions providing an oppor­tunity to shed some inhibitions with impunity take root in no time. 

Sanc­tions against free min­gling of sexes in this part of the world are not based on solely the religious re­strictions. Rather, they owe their ori­gin to the social and economic class system. Men and women from the rul­ing class or the high castes were not al­lowed to show even their dress to per­sons from lower classes or castes. As an outcome, members of society got seg­regated from each other. Laws of dis­crimination were applied more strictly against contacts between members of the opposite gender belonging to an­other social class. The Pakistani soci­ety got these norms as a legacy of the feudal past. The clergy added to this brew, by giving their own interpretations of Islamic injunctions on the matter.

As a result, the society found itself in a stranglehold which deprived the youth of outlets for their normal instincts and the all important opportunity to prepare themselves for the modern times in which members of the other gender were to be their equal partners and colleagues. Televisions, internet, cinema, magazines have helped the trait of copying the West. But avenues of face-to-face encounters remain lim­ited – particularly for the common peo­ple. Popular festivals, including some religious events – fill this gap. 

The Valentine’s Day caters to the urge to communicate with someone that one claims to adore. This, manifestly is an innocent activity However, in this country, it is fraught with chances of altercation – sometimes with serious consequences – for fami­lies besides the men and women ven­turing to acquaint the other person with their feelings, though, communi­cation between lovers is not some­thing new. Ancient and modern litela­tures of all languages revolve around the attraction and admiration of mem­bers of the opposite sex. Instinct of sex and the urge for gregariousness are basic to human species. Valentine’s Day as such is neither a novelty nor something that should be banned. The expression of one’s feelings of love, warmth and adoration will con­tinue to be conveyed; they will find other channels if the present practice is curbed. 

Our problems with exuberance and pleasure are numerous. We, by acci­dents of history, have lost the urge to be happy and deprived of the freedom to celebrate. Many of our liberties have been usurped by considerations of deference for self-styled lead fig­ures, respect for the elders, a power­ful caste system – and of course, poverty. The rest has been taken away in the name of religious dictates, guides and prayer leaders in educationally backward areas. They ascribe every pleasing article, sight, voice, or activity to Satan. 

Basant and Valentine’s Day should be natural targets of these attitudes. But the real culprit is commercialisation of these ac­tivities. Basant is the festival to cele­brate the beginning of the sprouting season and the end of plant stunting frost. Essentially, it belongs to agricul­tural areas where a major transition is ushered. Since seasonal changes are universal, towns and cities also have some activity generated by warmer days and nights. We, by habit overdo our undertakings. Commercial inter­ests exploit this weakness to the hilt. 

Kite flying is an ancient sport that is loved all over the world. It got associated with the festival of Basant at some stage in history The kite flying industry, with the help of their old clients and in partnership with tradi­tional food makers hyped the scene with active patronage of the glitzy and the glamorous of Lahore. Other cities with large affluent populations joined in. True to the tradition of the rich and the powerful, the real Basant – a festi­val of yellow mustard flowers and a touch of warmth – was hijacked and converted into a show of flesh, food and drink accompanied by display of vulgar opulence. 

One would love to support recre­ation, entertainment and the occasions to enjoy life, but how can outright hooliganism, lawlessness and vulgar­ity be swallowed? The recent Basant cut short the life of at least 20 people and left hundreds lacerated. Disruption of civic life was in addition. Work was dosed in nearby cities also as everybody who mattered had gone to Lahore. In the second round, these cities will have their own Basant hav­ing the same display of uncontrolled excitement that the Lahorites wit­nessed last week. Valentine, likewise, is developing into a model of ostenta­tion and overabundance in a country where 40 percent of people live below the poverty line. 

Our problem is that we are our own worst enemies. Since the habits of thinking, reading, studying and meditating have given way to materi­alism, moneymaking and possessing everything, we have destroyed every­thing fine and decent in life. We have become experts at spoiling even good things that come our way.

Moderation, which is a central point of all great re­ligions, has disappeared: Our Basant, Valentine Day, etc. are only symbols. We have rendered them controversial by going to extremes, losing all sense of proportion. It will be a pity if the government has to impose controls on otherwise innocent activities of the common people! Do we have the face to resent such a step!

February 26, 2004