Nepra’s reluctance
WHAT is the point in having a regulator that does not punish the entities it oversees for misconduct and transgressions, and that is unable to protect the consumers? It is distressing to watch the power sector regulator Nepra let Discos and K-Electric off the hook, without even issuing show-cause notices, let alone penalising them, for overcharging their unsuspecting consumers in July-August to show higher bill recoveries. Only a week ago, the regulator announced at a public hearing that it was dissatisfied with the Disco’s response to the excessive billing charges and would hold them accountable. It also declared that it had decided to issue formal show-cause notices to them. What changed Nepra’s mind between then and now remains a secret. Why it let the power distribution companies get away with this offence is hard to comprehend. Nepra has only asked them to ‘compensate their consumers’ through the upcoming bills to the extent of the additional burden — even though overbilling by Discos/ K-E, in the regulator’s own words, violates the provisions of the Nepra Act.
The inexplicable reluctance of the regulator to punish the power distributors has also made the ongoing ‘recovery campaign’ against defaulters and power thieves suspect, besides calling into question the integrity of the revenue streams of the Discos/ K-E, from meter-reading to billing, and faulty meters to penalties and the recoveries imposed by them. The biggest reputational hit is taken by Nepra itself, with power consumers questioning the very reason for its existence. Consumer complaints about overbilling by Discos are not uncommon. However, it was the massive scale of such complaints last summer that brought inflation-stricken consumers onto the streets in several cities and forced Nepra to take note of the practice. Its failure to take action against this illegal practice will only embolden the power entities further. If power consumers were to again suffer overbilling this year, the onus would be on the regulator itself.
Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2024
Silence strategy
DIGITAL censorship is occurring with alarming frequency in Pakistan. As this editorial is penned, social media platform X remains inaccessible for the ninth straight day.
Access has been disrupted since Feb 17 — ostensibly to stymie political debate and agitation — and with it nearly 128m users have been affected.
This year has already witnessed service blockages of various social media platforms five times, according to Surfshark, a Lithuania-based internet shutdown tracker. Bytes for All, a Pakistani internet rights group, counts at least 15 internet shutdowns in 2023. This distressing trend, including the infamous four-year ban on YouTube, highlights a systemic effort to draw a curtain on the public’s eyes.
The silence of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on the matter is deafening. Despite clear directives from the Sindh High Court to restore access, the authority remains unresponsive, shamefully ignoring both recent and past rulings. This inaction is evidence enough of the PTA’s historical reluctance to uphold digital freedoms, acting instead as an arbiter of censorship under the guise of regulatory oversight.
The government’s lack of ownership and the SHC’s repeated interventions highlight the state’s failure to protect the fundamental rights of citizens. The implications of such digital ‘load-shedding’ are far-reaching.
For many, X and similar platforms are not just much-needed spaces for self-expression but also critical channels for information. The blockade has extended to even VPN services — the only lifeline to uncensored internet access. The pattern of restrictions, not limited to politically sensitive periods such as elections, reveals a Faustian strategy to curb public debate and scrutiny.
Such attempts at internet censorship only serve to tarnish Pakistan’s image globally and betray the democratic principles the country purports to uphold. It is high time the PTA and the caretaker set-up were held accountable for their actions. The brazen disregard for court orders, the Constitution, and the digital rights of citizens cannot go unchallenged.
As we have seen in the past, such actions not only infringe on individual freedoms but also significantly hamper economic growth and innovation. How can Pakistan hope to become an IT hub — which ministers say will bring in much-needed dollars — when internet freedoms can be yanked on a whim?
Pakistan must not continue down this path of digital authoritarianism; the cost to its democracy, economy, and people is far too great.
Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2024
Spirit of ’74
FOR three days in 1974, starting Feb 22, Lahore witnessed an epochal meeting of 38 Muslim nations as it hosted the Second Islamic Summit Conference. Those were heady days, coming only a few months after the October 1973 war, when the Arabs had reversed some of the ignominious losses of the 1967 conflict. Moreover, the Arabs had flaunted their ‘oil weapon’, targeted at all states that openly supported Israel, and perhaps for the first time in the postcolonial period, there was a feeling that the world of Islam had agency of its own.
Giants of the Muslim world attended the moot. This included the summit’s host and architect Zulfikar Ali Bhutto along with other leaders, including Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Muammar Qadhafi of Libya, Faisal of Saudi Arabia and Palestinian icon Yasser Arafat. The credit for the success of the 1974 summit goes to Bhutto. Though he may have had many shortcomings, Bhutto — a democratically elected leader — was a committed internationalist and had the vision to make Pakistan a leader in the Muslim world. Our reputation today, both within the Muslim world and in the larger international community, is far from the dizzying heights reached in 1974. One lesson that can be drawn is that a leader elected by the people and aware of their aspirations is alone qualified to guide the nation on the world stage. Another of the summit’s successes was Pakistan’s recognition of Bangladesh, which closed the blood-stained chapter of the separation of East Pakistan, as Mujibur Rahman embraced Bhutto in Lahore.
Yet, 50 years after that momentous meeting, many of the issues that plagued the Muslim world remain. For example, Palestine’s children still cry out for an end to their slaughter. Moreover, the people of Kashmir remain unable to choose their own destiny, thanks to Indian intransigence. Elsewhere, the stateless Rohingya live in foetid refugee camps, victims of Myanmar’s ruling junta, while hundreds of millions of other Muslims the world over face disease, illiteracy and hunger, even as some of their richer brothers in faith live lives of unimaginable luxury. Sadly, in far too many Muslim states, strongmen are disconnected from the desires of their people. Perhaps the spirit of ’74 needs to be channelled to guide the Muslim world through these rough waters. Particularly, through unity and pursuing a minimum common agenda, the community of Muslim states can attempt to address multiple problems, and pursue the noble goals enunciated at the Lahore Summit. Education, with particular focus on science and technology, is required to improve the lot of Muslim populations. Furthermore, democracy within the Muslim world — developed through organic processes and not ‘imported’ from others — is needed to bring qualitative improvements to the lives of nearly 2bn people.
Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2024