Breathing poison
AS Lahore continues to choke under the thick blanket of smog, it is clear that ad-hoc, temporary fixes are not enough. The Punjab government’s recent reshuffling of responsibilities, assigning assistant commissioners the task of monitoring and preventing stubble burning, reflects a necessary but insufficient response to a deep-seated problem. The alarming air quality levels, with AQI readings frequently soaring beyond safe limits, are not just numbers on a scale but a grim reminder of the health emergency facing Lahore’s residents. The brief respite in air quality following rain was a false dawn, as the AQI readings surged again, bringing the city back to the brink of an environmental and public health catastrophe. This crisis is a complex amalgamation of factors: vehicular and industrial emissions, smoke from brick kilns, stubble burning, and construction activities. The onset of winter exacerbates the situation due to meteorological phenomena like temperature inversion.
The government’s response, while well-intentioned, seems to lack a long-term vision. The focus on punitive measures, such as fines and demolitions, and the deployment of teams to monitor industrial units, are necessary steps but they scratch only the surface of a multifaceted problem. The Lahore High Court’s recommendation for school closures and remote working, while protective in the short term, does not tackle the underlying causes. A holistic approach is needed, combining strict environmental regulation enforcement with sustainable practices across sectors. This includes adopting cleaner technologies in industries and brick kilns, promoting sustainable agriculture to curb stubble burning, enhancing waste management, and improving public transportation to reduce vehicular pollution. The inadequacy of resources, such as the environment department in Lahore operating with only six inspectors, highlights the need for better infrastructure and manpower to enforce regulations effectively. Citizens must be informed and encouraged to make environmentally conscious choices. The crisis requires addressing both symptoms and root causes. It’s time for action that is as persistent and pervasive as the smog itself.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2023
Babar’s exit
IN the end, the pressure finally told. There had been a substantial amount of it, gargantuan almost around Babar Azam and his role as the captain of the Pakistan team. The side’s limp World Cup exit was the final straw with Babar announcing yesterday he was stepping down as Pakistan’s all-format captain.
For Pakistan’s star batter, their mainstay, it’s perhaps the best decision; a chance to be away from the continuous glare and focus on what he does best.
Batting greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli thrived without the burden of captaincy and Babar has expressed he would like to be in the team as a player. But the way it has come about, the circumstances around it, were far from ideal.
Throughout Pakistan’s World Cup campaign in India, there has been a smear campaign against Babar, almost villainising him for Pakistan’s underwhelming performances.
Not even the Pakistan Cricket Board spared him, sending out a statement during Pakistan’s run of four straight losses at the tournament that Babar and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq had been given a free hand to choose who they wanted in the team.
Accusations of favouritism had been rampant, Babar’s contemporaries who were not in the side continued to spew fire against him. It was widely reported that the PCB was trying to force Babar out.
It was in the backdrop of all this that Babar met PCB’s interim management committee chairman Zaka Ashraf on Wednesday. The spotlight was sharp, every move being scrutinised as Babar came to Gaddafi Stadium. As he left, cricketers at the adjoining National Cricket Academy chanted slogans in his favour.
During his time as captain, Babar has divided opinion but there remains no doubt that he remains Pakistan’s batting mainstay. There were questions over his decision-making as captain but there are no questions about his class.
And therefore whoever becomes the new captain, regardless of past grudges, should welcome Babar with open arms into the team. The inquest will continue in the coming days with the future of team director Mickey Arthur also to be decided.
Chief selector Inzamam had already resigned during the World Cup after a potential conflict of interest investigation was opened. Pakistan cricket seems to be headed for a fresh start but the PCB also needs to learn from its recent mistakes. The best players should be lionised instead of villainised.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2023
Repeat telecast
SIX years may have passed since the engineering experiments that spoiled the 2018 general election, but no lessons have been learned and little has changed. With another poll approaching, old turncoats are now being ushered to the ranks of a new ‘chosen one’.
The opportunists, too, seem to have sensed the mood and will soon start rushing to pay obeisance to the PML-N’s rising sun. With a new ‘selected’ being prepared to take Imran Khan’s place, one cannot help but feel sorry for the PPP and the others who had cast their lot with the Pakistan Democratic Movement. After all, wasn’t the entire raison d’etre of the movement to prevent undemocratic forces from planting deeper roots in the political landscape?
Instead, the same forces seem to have ended up taking an even more central role in national-level decision-making. As for the PDM’s component parties, they are now being co-opted into what looks like ‘hybrid 2.0’, or being turned against each other.
Considering how the 2018 election played out, it seems unlikely that 2024 will yield any different results. Whoever will take over will constantly be looking over their shoulder, wondering when the winds of favour will start blowing in a different direction.
Eventually, today’s beneficiaries may realise that they were played; that a ‘victory’ that came from a tainted contest is never meant to endure. At some point, historians will ask: what was the point of removing one malformed government if it was only going to be replaced with a similar system of governance?
It will be a difficult question for political actors like the PML-N to contend with, who have played and lost this game too many times before and should have known better. Such arrangements only suit those who wish to rule without accountability; to whom politicians are a front, to be used and discarded at will.
Pakistan’s democracy lies in tatters. Those who promised to be its saviours have dealt it a grievous blow. Is there hope for a better future? Once again, only principled politics can yield an answer.
Until legitimacy and power are derived from the vox populi, no civilian government can hope to deliver. At best, it can be a pliant tool in the hands of institutions whose ideas about good governance, foreign policy and economic management, etc, have repeatedly failed the test of time.
Politicians should, as one of them recently put it, rely on their own politics instead of looking to the country’s security establishment to keep lending them a hand.
They should also learn to work with each other instead of turning politics into a zero-sum game. Lastly, they must yield to the people’s will. Elections cannot be turned into a rubber stamp for backroom deals. All such efforts must be resisted.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2023