Rewriting cricket history
THE Pakistan Cricket Board should have learnt from the International Cricket Council’s mistake. There were no lessons heeded, however, and the backlash has been severe. Regardless of the political scenario, one cannot ignore former prime minister Imran Khan’s contribution to Pakistan cricket. Arguably Pakistan’s greatest cricketer, he is the country’s first and, so far, the only ODI World Cup-winning captain. Not only did he make Pakistan a force to be reckoned with in the game, he also led the crusade for introducing neutral umpires to it. But it seems that the PCB has quite conveniently forgotten about Mr Khan’s domination of the game in its video commemorating Pakistan’s Independence Day. It shared clips of Pakistan’s famous World Cup triumph of 1992 but not one of the influential captain, who infused the ‘cornered tigers’ mentality into his charges. Imran Khan’s team talks have been the stuff of legend and the PCB’s omission was rightly slammed. Fast-bowling great Wasim Akram, a vital part of the 1992 squad, asked the PCB to apologise and delete the video.
The PCB hasn’t done so, its gaffe coming only a few weeks after the ICC omitted Pakistan’s current superstar Babar Azam from its promotional video for the upcoming World Cup. That has been blamed on India’s heavy influence over cricket’s global governing body. As far as the PCB is concerned, its move shows it bent to the agenda of the PDM government that replaced the PTI dispensation. Appointments of the PCB chairman come with the blessings of the government. However, the PCB should have done better. Imran Khan remains Pakistan’s most celebrated cricketer, recognised the world over. It should realise that in removing the legendary player from the video, it has hurt the sentiments of a huge segment of this country’s cricket-crazy population. Not only should it take down the video from its social media accounts, it should also apologise to cricket fans.
Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2023
Oil price hike again
THE caretaker government has sharply raised fuel prices for the second half of August to a record high, putting further pressure on a public that is already contending with elevated inflation. With its hands tied tightly behind its back by the IMF’s conditions for the recently approved $3bn loan, the new caretaker administration of Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar had no option but to pass on the increase in international oil prices to Pakistani consumers in order to meet the fiscal goals of the lender’s short-term bailout. With the new per litre petrol price spiking to Rs290.45 and diesel to Rs293.40, the finance ministry data shows that petrol is 24pc more expensive than what it was exactly a year ago, and 35pc dearer than its lowest point over the past year in December 2022. The latest increase in fuel prices comes a fortnight after a similar hike by the PML-N-led coalition government. It means that petrol prices have soared by around 15pc in just two weeks. The fuel prices include a customs duty of Rs18-20 per litre and a petroleum development levy of Rs50 a litre on diesel and Rs55 on petrol. It goes without saying that the two fuel levies are a major revenue spinner for the government that has time and again baulked at the idea of withdrawing tax exemptions for powerful agriculture, retail and real estate lobbies that would have increased its income.
The rise in fuel prices is considered highly inflationary since it drives a broad-based increase in prices. With consumer price index inflation rising to 28.3pc year-over-year in July, in spite of a high-base effect, the latest hike in petrol and diesel prices is going to further squeeze the wallets of working people across the country. The IMF has forecast that average CPI inflation will remain around 26pc this fiscal year. Soaring inflation is also going to exert pressure on the exchange rate as the dollar inflows, especially non-debt creating FDI and workers’ remittances, continue to decline. The consistently rising prices and weakening exchange rate will force the central bank to raise the interest rates from the present 22pc. Unless the interim government and subsequent dispensations stick to the reforms agenda to tackle deep-seated structural issues, this imported inflation and heavy indirect taxation will continue to worsen living conditions for low-middle-income Pakistanis.
Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2023
Faisalabad rampage
UNLESS both state and society decide on a practical way of tackling extremism, and go beyond clichés and condemnations, the monster of obscurantism will continue to devour Pakistan’s vitals.
Another shameful incident was witnessed on Wednesday in Faisalabad’s Jaranwala area when a mob torched several churches, ransacked Christian homes and vandalised a graveyard. The apparent provocation for this assault was blasphemy, as the house of a Christian man allegedly involved in the offence was razed.
Clearly, in Pakistan, evidence is not required where the issue of blasphemy is concerned, and mobs take it upon themselves to dispense ‘justice’. This is the second such event in recent days; just a few days ago, a teacher in Balochistan was murdered because of blasphemy allegations against him.
There has been the usual round of denunciation by the political elite, including the interim prime minister. Yet the question is: do the rulers — politicians and establishment — as well as clerics and prominent society figures have the courage to confront this madness? Past precedents do not inspire confidence as murders, riots and lynchings in ‘defence’ of religion testify.
This is not a situation that developed overnight; it has been decades in the making. For over 40 years, the state has itself been either promoting obscurantism, or using sectarian and religious fanatics as proxies. The result of these failed policies is before us, as these same forces have now begun to influence the general populace by framing the narrative.
Our power elite has been silent as blasphemy laws have been misused to settle personal scores, occupy property, or terrorise minorities. In fact, the last parliament had tried to bulldoze, without any proper debate, an amendment that would have ‘strengthened’ the blasphemy law.
Can we then complain if episodes such as Jaranwala unfold with disturbing regularity? Violence in the name of religion is indefensible in any context, but in Pakistan, the blasphemy laws have been misused with impunity by vested interests.
However, it is also true that in the ‘civilised’ West, the appalling trend to attack the sacred symbols of Islam feeds into a vicious circle of bigotry and Islamophobia. In fact, extremists, such as the ones involved in the Jaranwala outrage, use these despicable acts to point out the hatred the ‘Christian’ West allegedly harbours towards Islam, and channel their vitriol at local minority communities.
The fact is that both in the West and in Muslim states, efforts need to be intensified to counter the forces of religious bigotry. The attacks on Islam’s sacred symbols — indeed, the revered symbols of all faiths — in the West must stop, while Pakistani society must bring to justice all involved in such grotesque violence, and begin an internal reckoning that exorcises the demons of obscurantism tearing this country apart.
Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2023