Pneumonia menace
PANIC is on the rise as the alarming surge in pneumonia cases has created an explosion of headlines — sans information — about prevention and cure. The menacing respiratory affliction has taken an ugly turn: this paper reported yesterday that a shocking 622 cases had come to light over 24 hours in Punjab and 13 more minors had died of the virus. Last month, some 50pc samples from ailing children tested positive for viral pneumonia, with more than 18,000 registered patients in eastern Punjab. Since Jan 1, the death toll in the province is approximately 400, presenting damning evidence of incompetence on the part of the Punjab caretaker government and health authorities, which preferred cosmetic measures — extended school vacations, shorter classes and face masks — to comprehensive, inoculation-driven initiatives. Even more disturbing is the fact that pneumonia rages on despite the caretaker set-up’s projects for enhancement of emergency and other measures in Lahore’s government teaching institutes, which are worth Rs90bn. The Young Doctors Association, Punjab, too, has drawn attention to the pneumonia fatalities and warned of unavailability of medicines for the poor.
While Unicef states that nearly half of childhood deaths by pneumonia are linked to air pollution, it has also declared South Asia home to the highest number of pneumonia cases among children. Therefore, officialdom should know that we are losing a generation. The time to blame frigid climate and smog is up. It has to hit the ground running with large-scale immunisation campaigns for children and the elderly, distribute cost-free masks, medicines and sanitisers, ensure adequate nutrition and potable water, and advocate hygiene and ventilation in low-income areas. Moreover, awareness about the disease and precautions against its spread in schools and among those with comorbidities is paramount. In addition, the phenomenon of ‘walking pneumonia’ should be studied, so that early detection and treatment can prove successful in averting potentially fatal outcomes. We cannot afford higher statistics.
Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2024
BRICS candidacy
IN an age beset by geopolitical dissonance, states must establish and nurture foreign relationships that can help them withstand the headwinds shaking the international order.
This should include forming strong ties with regional states and supporting multinational groupings that integrate economies and lessen the chances of conflict. In this respect, Pakistan has already joined the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while it applied last year to become a part of the Russia-led BRICS grouping.
Commenting on the application, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence Mushahid Husain, while on a visit to Moscow, observed that Pakistan could join BRICS with the help of “Russian cooperation” as Russia holds the current presidency of the grouping. In view of its considerable benefit, a BRICS membership should be a foreign policy priority for the next government.
However, there is one major obstacle: India is a founder member of BRICS, and considering its testy ties with Pakistan, one can assume that Delhi will create hurdles for this country’s candidacy.
However, as Senator Mushahid observed, we need to actively engage Russia to support our application, while China’s cooperation should also be sought. Russia and China are also BRICS founder members, so India would find it harder to resist Pakistan’s membership if Beijing and Moscow actively backed it.
Moreover, the UAE and Iran, which recently joined BRICS and with whom Pakistan has normal ties, should also be asked to endorse our candidacy. India cannot be allowed to isolate Pakistan internationally, and our best diplomatic hands must be tasked with making the case in important capitals.
Meanwhile, our American and European friends may raise their eyebrows at Pakistan’s candidacy. But in the current state of geopolitics, the Western bloc views anything Moscow and Beijing do with suspicion. For Pakistan, it does not have to be a zero-sum game; it can try to maintain cordial ties with both de facto blocs — the West and China-/Russia-led groupings.
But for Pakistan to successfully join BRICS or compete in other arenas internationally, the political instability at home needs to be addressed. Moscow, Beijing and other key BRICS members should consider inviting Pakistan to join at the summit in Russia later this year, or should at least announce a concrete roadmap for Pakistan’s candidacy. Pakistan has much to gain economically and diplomatically by joining such Global South forums.
Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2024
Open the books
THE knocking on its doors keeps growing louder. How long can the ECP ignore it? Over the weekend, Pakistan’s most prominent elections monitoring body as well as its top human rights watchdog have added their voices to calls for an audit of election results.
On Saturday, the same day a senior bureaucrat had ‘confessed’ to his involvement in results tampering, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed its reservations regarding the “integrity and credibility” of the Feb 8 exercise, noting a range of issues that it said had “cast a shadow over the democratic process”.
A day later, the Free and Fair Election Network urged the ECP to take immediate action and address complaints regarding illegalities committed in the compilation of election results. It also proposed a three-phase process to comprehensively address the widespread allegations of rigging, which is based on an audit of each step in the results consolidation process.
In Pakistan, it is almost customary for election candidates to refuse to acknowledge their defeat. Except a few, most are generally quick to cast aspersions and question the integrity of any election which does not go in their favour.
This time, however, certain irregularities have been so widespread that even otherwise impartial observers are joining the chorus of voices demanding a recount and investigation into the post-poll results compilation process.
For example, there are ample witnesses to the fact that both election laws and the rules governing how vote counting and compilation is supposed to be done were not adhered to by many returning officers on election day.
Many independent observers, candidates and accredited media personnel reported being excluded or evicted from the Form 47 compilation process which was completed at ROs’ offices, indicating that the most important check on the process was bypassed without any convincing explanation being given.
Compiled behind closed doors, many results later issued by ROs did not match the consolidated results from Form 45s issued to different candidates’ polling agents. Fortunately, there is an extensive paper trail for each constituency, which can still be used to verify them.
Fafen has called for an audit led by the ECP that starts by closely examining this paper trail. The monitor notes that the ECP still has power to adjudicate results “before the expiration of 60 days after publication of the name of returned candidate in the official gazette”. It suggests that independent observers as well as election candidates be invited to participate in this audit, so that all controversies can be resolved satisfactorily.
As such, these suggestions are not unreasonable or outside the law. They might show the ECP a way to redeem its image. Will it choose to assert itself as an independent, principled body, or continue to look the other way?
Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2024