A NATIONAL Assembly panel rightly postponed the clearance of the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020, for discussion and voting by the lower house till the government satisfies its members on the authority’s legal status months after the lapse of the ordinance that created it.
The panel wanted the planning officials to explain the legal basis for the authority to continue to exist and for its chairman to keep his job after the ordinance’s expiry in May. The officials couldn’t come up with any plausible explanation for the existence of the authority or the expense incurred on running it without any law to protect its operations. Among other things, the bill seeks to indemnify the actions of the authority since the expiry of the ordinance that had been promulgated a year ago and later extended in January.
The officials said that the authority did not have a chairman at the moment. But the panel could not be convinced when informed that the ‘incumbent chairman’ of the technically defunct authority was just ‘coordinating’ without drawing any salary or perks since the expiry of the ordinance. Some members demanded that the planning ministry issue a written clarification that there was no chairman of the CPEC Authority, and also explain as to how it was functioning when the ordinance had lapsed, as a precondition for the clearance of the proposed bill by the panel. This is a fair demand for greater transparency in the affairs of the authority.
It is ironic that an agency that was created to inject momentum into CPEC projects and streamline the initiative’s policymaking process is caught up in a storm because the government didn’t put in the effort required for the timely passage of legislation. That is not all. The government’s refusal to address questions regarding the financial probity of the authority head have also led to transparency concerns.
The delay in the passage of the bill required to give legal cover to the authority will not send positive signals to China at a time when the multibillion-dollar CPEC initiative, hit by a sharp slowdown for the last three years, is expected to pick up momentum. With the tenth Joint Cooperation Committee meeting scheduled for later this month, Pakistan and China are expected to take important decisions about infrastructure projects like the ML-1 and hydropower schemes, as well as review progress on the SEZs being developed to facilitate Chinese/local investment in the manufacturing sector in the second phase of CPEC.
It is crucial that the government allays the concerns of the parliamentarians. Moreover, the government must ensure that the authority is staffed by the most qualified people for the job and untainted by financial controversy. Only by addressing such concerns can the authority become effective and expedite work on the CPEC projects.
GB electioneering
ELECTIONEERING in Gilgit-Baltistan is in full swing as the region prepares to go to the polls on Sunday. Nearly all of the country’s mainstream parties have hit the campaign trail hard, dispatching their top guns to the area in order to woo voters. The PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz as well as federal ministers Ali Amin Gandapur and Murad Saeed have all addressed rallies, while the prime minister himself was earlier in the region to boost the chances of forming a PTI government in the northern region. While the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court had earlier ordered all ‘public office holders’ to leave the region for ‘violating’ the election’s code of conduct, this prohibition was overturned by the region’s Supreme Appellate Court, allowing the parties to continue their campaigns full throttle. Like in the rest of Pakistan, election rallies have been full of vitriol against opponents, as well as promising the moon to local voters.
Historically, Gilgit-Baltistan has usually voted for the party running the federal government in Islamabad to ensure the region gains maximum benefits. However, it remains to be seen whether this will still be the case, considering the PTI’s difficulties in running the federal administration, and the opposition’s sustained attempt to bring down the government. But beyond the rhetoric, whichever party comes to power in the region will have to deliver to the people, and respond to their legitimate demands. Gilgit-Baltistan’s young, educated electorate is sick of lollipops and wants to see progress on integrating their area with the rest of Pakistan. The PTI has said it will grant provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan. Other parties have made similar promises. Indeed, this option should definitely be considered, without prejudice to the Kashmir dispute. The fact is that the party that takes power in Gilgit-Baltistan must do a lot to bring good governance, jobs, health and education to the region. It must not be ruled by remote control from Islamabad and the elected regional assembly should be empowered to take major decisions. The area must be viewed beyond the lens of geopolitics; residents of the region participate in social, political and economic activities across the country. Therefore, it is their right to have provisional representation in the national legislature, as well as an empowered assembly in their own region which can address the local population’s issues. The winner of Sunday’s election will have to include these points on its agenda.
Clean sweep
THE national cricket team’s clean sweep in the three-match T20 series against Zimbabwe is reassuring although the results were never in doubt considering the vast difference in strength between the two sides. Zimbabwe’s game has been in turmoil over the past two decades because of political unrest there and the exodus of key players. It is twelfth in the ICC T20 rankings while Pakistan occupies the fourth spot. But while Zimbabwe did not present much of a challenge to the national team, it was an opportunity for the latter to test young players and to practise ahead of a challenging tour of New Zealand in December. Khushdil Shah, Haider Ali, Usman Qadir, Abdullah Shafique, Haris Rauf and a few others had impressive outings in the T20 series which will contribute to their preparations. Usman was clearly the star of the series. His repertoire of leg-spin bowling kept the Zimbabweans guessing. Having said that, the positives Pakistan can draw from the contests must not make the team complacent. A clean sweep against a lowly ranked side in perfect home conditions is a far cry from what the players will face in New Zealand. Pakistan’s defeats in Australia and England in the past year means they need to work very hard. There is an abundance of young talent in both bowling and batting which is encouraging. However, with fewer international matches being played around the world, these players still have some way to go before they can be described as battle-hardened.
Experts are hoping that the recent change of guard, with Babar Azam replacing Azhar Ali as Test captain, will improve Pakistan’s fortunes. Babar, though still learning the ropes as captain of limited-over formats, is a world-class batsman who is expected to lead from the front, a trait sadly lacking in Azhar whose defensive mindset led to Pakistan’s overseas losses. The PCB now backs Babar as long-term skipper which could help him raise a competitive unit for the many international and home assignments that lie ahead.
