Ehsaas beneficiaries
IN a meeting of the PTI parliamentary party, legislators bitterly criticised their government’s flagship programme Ehsaas for providing more benefit to supporters of the opposition parties and less so to voters of the ruling party.
Read: PTI lawmakers assail Nishtar, say Ehsaas benefiting opponents
According to a report in this paper, the parliamentarians came down heavily on the prime minister’s special assistant on social protection and poverty alleviation, Sania Nishtar, saying she should do something practical instead of carrying out paperwork and surveys. They piled so much pressure on Dr Nishtar that at one point she broke down into tears. The prime minister had to intervene and ask the participants of the meeting to allow her to give her point of view.
Dr Nishtar later explained to this paper that she had to face a volley of allegations but she informed the lawmakers that the benefits of the Ehsaas programme were given to card holders of the Benazir Income Support Programme, and once the fresh survey was complete the coverage of the Ehsaas programme would become more comprehensive.
While this might be true and there may be many deserving citizens not covered by the programme, the argument peddled by the ruling party parliamentarians is unjustified. It is unfair to demand that the focus of the programme should be the people who supported the ruling party at the expense of those who voted for its opponents.
This attitude reflects a myopic and alarmingly partisan approach towards governance.
It is no secret that the PTI has fuelled its narrative with divisiveness but its parliamentarians should realise they are now the government of Pakistan, not the government of PTI. Their governance, including the Ehsaas project, is funded by taxpayer money collected from all citizens and not just PTI voters. Therefore, this money must be spent on all citizens, regardless of their political affiliations. This is no rocket science. Yet it is surprising to see the PTI parliamentarians stooping to this level to gain political advantage at the expense of their opponents.
Given such an attitude towards the government’s flagship programme, it is all the more important now to inject a greater level of transparency into the project.
Parliament should demand details of how the funds for Ehsaas are being allocated across the country and what criteria are being set for those qualifying to receive assistance under the programme.
A greater degree of parliamentary oversight will ensure there is no political victimisation and the money is spent fairly, equitably and on a totally nonpartisan basis. Providing a social safety net for the most vulnerable segments of the population is a good policy that has paid dividends in recent years.
The Ehsaas programme is conceived for the right reasons and if executed professionally and comprehensively, has the potential to impact the lives of millions of citizens. Due diligence, therefore, is of utmost importance.
University harassment
THE conversation around the University of Balochistan harassment scandal seems to have snowballed into a larger debate about the province’s overall sense of deprivation and tenuous security situation. On Wednesday, acting vice chancellor of the university Mohammad Anwer Panezai told a Senate committee on human rights that the FC and police officials had agreed to vacate the campus. He was responding to a committee member’s concerns that the presence of law-enforcement officials at the university might be contributing to the environment of fear at not only this particular institute but also in the rest of the country. He also said that the number of CCTV cameras in the university had been reduced — though he did not make clear the steps being taken to prevent the misuse of those that remained. He stressed that the university faced a “continuous threat of terrorism”. The security concerns are legitimate. Balochistan has suffered from violence perpetrated by multiple anti-state actors. But the core issue remains the sexual harassment of students and the violation of their privacy in the largest higher education institute of Balochistan. Some initial steps have been taken to address the situation, with the previous vice chancellor stepping down and four university officials being suspended for their alleged involvement. Moreover, the provincial government has issued directives to all universities in the province to set up anti-harassment cells, though so far only Khuzdar University has complied. Still, the facts remain hazy, and one hopes that once the FIA submits its final report to the Balochistan High Court on Dec 2, it will become easier to identify the perpetrators and take them to task.
Given the stigma attached to it, sexual harassment is difficult to tackle in conservative societies, especially in a country like Pakistan where antiquated notions of family and societal honour have always prevailed. This is especially true for the tribal families of Balochistan — more so in the case of women, many of whom may now find it difficult to convince their families to allow them to opt for higher studies after this incident. Already the female literacy rate in Balochistan is a mere 33.5pc — a stark contrast to the, admittedly deplorable, 52pc for the rest of the country. How the Balochistan government tackles the situation remains to be seen. But it is hoped that it will leave no stone unturned to arrest the culprits who may have put the future of thousands of young women in jeopardy.
Trigger-happy police
WHEN a mother penned a heartbreaking account of the night she lost her daughter to police crossfire in Dawn last year, it caught the attention of many people, including those in positions of power. Through her words and the details of her experience with law-enforcement and healthcare officials — which saw 10-year-old Amal succumbing to a stray bullet fired by a policeman after an exchange of fire with a robber, in a hospital — Beenish Umer was able to shed light on the inadequacies of state and private entities in dealing with such life and death situations. Thanks to the efforts of the parents, a bill was passed by the Sindh Assembly — the Sindh Injured Persons’ Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Bill, or simply the Amal Umer Bill — which makes it obligatory for hospitals to give immediate treatment to victims of firing, assault or traffic accidents. All expenses for emergency services are to be compensated for by the government, and hospital staff is not to bother patients and their families with legal formalities or require clearance by the police before or during treatment. Failure to do so results in fines and up to a three-year prison sentence. Undoubtedly, it is a welcome measure: if implemented in letter and spirit, it will help many victims by introducing more compassion and efficiency in the running of affairs in private and government hospitals.
But there is another issue that remains largely unaddressed: the lack of accountability of a trigger-happy police force, all too often allowed to get away with murder. This week, in the early hours of Nov 22, police officials shot dead an unarmed driver and wounded the passenger of a car they claim did not pull over when signalled to stop. The policemen then fled the scene and did not inform their superiors. While an FIR has been lodged against three policemen, it remains to be seen if long-term reforms will be introduced to prevent such incidents from recurring.