Maternal mortality
SOME dismal data should force us to question ourselves: for how long will Pakistan’s mothers die to give birth? A recent progress report published by three agencies of the UN shows Pakistan ranked third among the top 10 nations with the highest rate of maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirths in 2020. The country’s total record was an alarming 474,000. Maternal deaths rose to 10,000, stillbirths stood at 207,000 with 257,000 neonatal fatalities. The picture turns darker with Trends in Maternal Mortality report. Released some months ago, it threw up crushing snags in the wellbeing of women; maternal deaths “either increased or stagnated” in most parts of the globe — a woman loses her life to pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes, resulting in over 280,000 casualties a year. Therefore, the organisations believe that if the world slackens, slowing progress to meet global targets to lessen maternal deaths, it will put over a million women in danger by 2030.
It has been repeatedly pointed out that the arrant imbalances in urban and rural health services, inadequate nutrition, absence of access to health needs and poor awareness are killing our women. Anaemia, haemorrhage and deficiencies are among the most common causes of deaths. And a majority of rural deliveries are carried out by unskilled midwives who must be the focus of government-led training programmes, in collaboration with health experts and aided by mass distribution of safe delivery supplies. In short, traditional birth methods should be strengthened with professional healthcare to make active use of resources, awareness and quality. The controversial area of contraception, hostage to religious politics and patriarchy, robs an uneducated woman of her reproductive rights, who then conceives more often than her body can endure. Authorities cannot shy away from false ‘taboos’; these have to be defied with forceful media campaigns and door-to-door drives by health workers to educate clans, especially men. Mothers cannot fear birth.
Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023
No takers?
THE Punjab government’s lethargy is puzzling. Repeating a demand that it had last made about eight months ago, the ECP has once again asked it to do away with a law mandating the use of electronic voting machines and introducing i-voting in local government elections. However, there seems to be little enthusiasm about taking the matter up. The ECP has made it clear it cannot use EVMs or i-voting technologies in the still-pending LG polls, which Section 47(1) of the Punjab Local Government Act obligates it to implement. Though the Punjab government previously changed the rules to revoke the requirement, the relevant LG law remains unchanged, which presents a legal hurdle for the ECP. It may be recalled that similar provisions in the Elections Act had been repealed by the PDM government at the federal level soon after it came to power. Any requirement to use EVMs and i-voting as a mandatory part of an electoral exercise has been consistently opposed by the ECP on technical grounds, which mainly concern the logistical challenges involved in rolling out such a large-scale revamp of the electoral exercise.
It may be recalled that the chief election commissioner had described the previous Punjab government’s decision to implement EVMs and i-voting in local government polls as “a stunt meant to drag [its] feet on the already delayed electoral exercise”. However, with the PTI and its allies having been replaced by an interim government which is on more than friendly terms with the centre, it is puzzling why the ‘stunt’ still hasn’t been undone. The legal limits on the interim government’s powers surely cannot be the reason, considering it hasn’t exactly been shy about bending the rules. The electoral body, meanwhile, seems more than ready to conduct the exercise. Could it be that the political parties themselves are a little unwilling to hold LG polls in Punjab, with the fate of the general election still up in the air? It stands to reason that all parties will be keen to grab as much power as they can in the province after the ‘curtailment’ of the PTI. However, with the contenders still uncertain about whether or not they need to stick together for the near future, could it be that they are simply avoiding a political clash that could create complications for the centre?
Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023
Kurram clashes
CONSIDERING the troubled history of sectarian tensions in KP’s Kurram tribal district, and the impact violence in the region can have on communal relations in the rest of the country, the authorities need to act with alacrity as soon as disturbances emerge.
Unfortunately, the district has again witnessed bloodshed, with several deaths and injuries reported after a tribal clash erupted on Friday — apparently, the result of a quarrel between the residents of two settlements over a disputed parcel of land in upper Kurram.
The violence has continued since. In fact, there are numerous land disputes — some dating to the pre-partition era — among tribes in the district. Worryingly, tribal and communal disputes often take on a sectarian colour in Kurram.
Even more distressing are the claims of some local residents that terrorists of two banned groups, the TTP and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, have been involved in the latest episode of bloodletting.
The authorities face two major challenges in the current situation: to end the violence and prevent land disputes from descending into bloodshed, and to ensure that sectarian narratives, amplified by social media, do not inflame the situation, especially as Muharram approaches.
Firstly, Kurram itself must be pacified and calm restored, as a humanitarian situation is developing, with people facing shortages of food, fuel and medicine due to the clashes. This is the second major outbreak of tribal/sectarian violence this year; earlier in May, the region experienced a bout of bloodshed as several people, including teachers, were killed in targeted attacks.
That episode was also linked to land disputes. After calm returns, the land commission formed by the KP government should address the land disputes that are at the heart of these clashes judiciously, while the parties involved must abide by their commitments, with violators penalised by the state.
Secondly, the situation requires the security forces to keep a vigilant eye on the movement of banned sectarian militants in this sensitive region. If these elements are not checked, they can further endanger Kurram’s fragile communal peace.
With Muharram just a week away, the state as well as the clergy need to put in extra effort to prevent the Kurram clashes from being exploited by vested interests that want to fan sectarian hatred across the country.
In particular, social media accounts that promote violence and hatred, and spread unfounded rumours likely to fuel violence in society, should be monitored. Secondly, clergymen from both sects need to use the pulpit to defuse tensions, instead of fanning the flames.
Kurram and its surrounding areas have been witnessing a tense calm for the last decade or so after several years of bloodshed. The local people should not be abandoned again by the state, left to deal with the escalating sectarian violence on their own.
Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023