Another Sharif trip
THE sudden arrival of former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif in London, a mere 48 hours after he touched down in Lahore, has raised many eyebrows. His trip adds to the mystery of the Sharif family’s secretive Lahore-London remote management. It is being justifiably asked what compelled the younger Sharif to rush back to Nawaz Sharif, and what message is being given in person that cannot be communicated over a call. Shehbaz Sharif has spent the past month in London, holding frequent meetings with his older brother. In fact, the duo had meetings with their lawyers, who, even after the Supreme Court ruling on the amendments to the NAB law, were hopeful of a satisfactory outcome of Nawaz Sharif’s legal troubles. There has been speculation that the dash to London is to debate Nawaz Sharif’s legal position upon his return. However, it is evident that these discussions already took place during the younger brother’s previous visit.
Interestingly, there are rumours that the latest trip is linked to Nawaz Sharif’s remarks about holding retired generals and judges accountable. These statements must have come as nasty shock to Shehbaz Sharif as he generally refrains from criticising the military establishment, despite his older brother’s different take on the subject. However, even the senior Sharif, apart from criticising the security establishment from the PDM platform on occasion, has been largely silent on issues related to the military leadership. For his part, while in the opposition, Shehbaz Sharif endorsed Gen Bajwa’s extension and, later, was head of a government that endorsed the military trials of civilians. When he returns to Pakistan next month, will Nawaz Sharif’s critical views of the military leadership be intact? Or will his opinions be limited to only those he believes had a hand in his ouster? With the current military leadership’s ire focused on his political rivals, it is convenient for Mr Sharif to restrict his criticism to the previous army leadership. But it is still not known how the institution will respond to his talk of accountability. If Mr Sharif indeed returns next month, the brothers will need to decide what the party’s narrative will be, given how vastly different their views are on the establishment’s role in politics. The PML-N leadership must realise that it cannot continue to play games with the public, especially as people are drowning in economic misery.
Published in Dawn, September 22th, 2023
Lawless city
A GRIM milestone has just been passed in Karachi. The recent death of a teenage robbery victim brings the number of people killed in street crime incidents in the city between January and September 2023 to 100. To put things in perspective, the total number of people to have died in incidents of terrorism across Sindh during the first six months of the current year is 19. This once again underscores the unsettling fact that Karachi is a deadly city for its people, where armed killers have complete freedom to take citizens’ lives. From posh neighbourhoods to teeming slums, no area of this forsaken metropolis is safe. Muggers strike whenever they can and are ready to kill their victims at the slightest resistance. Figures compiled by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee illustrate just how large the epidemic of street crime is. According to the CPLC, over the past nine months, some 60,000 incidents of street crime have taken place in Karachi. The figure for all of 2022 was 85,000. Police say between 50 to 60 gangs are active in this deadly business, while mobile-snatching and motorbike-lifting top the list of crimes.
Various factors are fuelling high street crime rates, including inflation, joblessness, and the lure of easy money. People often resist parting with their hard-earned cash or valuables, with the result that they end up paying with their lives. However, addressing the underlying factors behind crime is a long-term project; the immediate need is to quell the deadly wave of killings. Here, the Sindh government has failed miserably. The PPP, which has been ruling the province since 2008, has much to answer for where law and order goes. The caretaker government can only do so much, and it is hoped that the next elected government that takes power in Sindh has solid proposals to beat crime. Otherwise, precious lives will continue to be snuffed out by trigger-happy criminals.
Published in Dawn, September 22th, 2023
Missing footballers
IN the nation’s living memory, Balochistan’s burns have never run dry. The province has grappled with historical wrongs, political differences, ethnic turmoil and armed insurgencies, leaving its resource-rich land poor and far behind the rest of the country. Amid permanently high tensions, atrocities touched another low a fortnight ago when six young footballers, on their way to the All-Pakistan Chief Minister Gold Cup Football Tournament in Sibi, were abducted at gunpoint by unidentified persons. The worrying incident occurred in Kachhi Canal of Sui area in Dera Bugti. According to reports, the kidnapped players hail from Bugti clans and are closely related to separatists who recently surrendered to the security establishment. Initially, the entire 24-member squad was taken hostage, however, 18 were set free soon after. Officials in Dera Bugti say that a dozen suspects have since been arrested. The caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti had claimed that an operation to recover them was underway but it seems that so far the administration and police are clueless about their whereabouts and captors. The veil of silence around the issue has become deafening.
The fact that the state is unable to safeguard a district sports team en route to a tournament puts local and federal dispensations in the dock. The episode is a reminder of the lawlessness that pervades a province where years of neglect, deprivation and violence have ensured there is no love lost between its people and the administration. Besides, allusions to separatist groups in the province have never placated the Baloch, trapped as they are between militants and the establishment. We cannot emphasise enough that despite Mr Bugti’s assertions about security forces being deployed for rescue, the evident lack of action is a sad reflection on the administration’s priorities. These young players should not be allowed to become statistics in a long list of those who have vanished without a trace. The authorities must find them.
Published in Dawn, September 23th, 2023