Dead on arrival?
JOE Biden, a staunch supporter of Israel’s warmongers, has suddenly turned peacemaker. On Friday, the American president presented a three-stage peace plan for ending
Israel’s horrific onslaught in Gaza. It would not be wrong to assume that Mr Biden’s sudden proclivity for peace in the occupied territory is not driven by any sympathy for Palestinians — over 36,000 of whom have been slaughtered by Tel Aviv to date. More likely, it is cold, hard electoral calculus that has informed his decision. The American president faces a tight contest in November, and a continuing, messy war in the Middle East may cost him the election. Already, many Americans, particularly the young, are appalled by their country’s involvement in Israel’s genocidal campaign, while even members of his own administration have quit Mr Biden’s government over his handling of the crisis. Whatever the motivations for this peace plan, it is difficult to see the scheme succeeding. It envisages an initial six-week pause in hostilities, as well as prisoner exchanges and the free flow of aid to Gaza. While Hamas has welcomed the move, Israel has said it will continue the war, with Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that Tel Aviv will continue to seek “the destruction of Hamas” — ie, Gaza’s destruction. If this is the Israeli attitude, then Mr Biden’s grand peace plan may be dead on arrival.
What is needed is a genuine ceasefire in Gaza, in which all sides — particularly the bloodthirsty Israeli state — pledge to silence their weapons indefinitely. Anything short of this is an illusion. Moreover, peace without justice will be impossible to achieve. Israel’s leaders must be brought to justice for the tens of thousands of innocents they have killed and maimed in ostensible war crimes. Regarding the ‘day after’ in Gaza, it must be the Palestinian people’s decision who will govern them. Tel Aviv and Washington have no right to impose their will on the occupied territories.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024
New World cricket
HAVING finished as semi-finalists and runners-up in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup in familiar cricketing lands, Pakistan face an uphill struggle if they are to go one better in a new territory. Interestingly though, while the US is hosting its first major cricket tournament alongside the West Indies, it has the oldest archived references with regard to the sport — going back to the 18th century. Over the centuries, baseball took the lead but cricket is set to make a comeback as the International Cricket Council heads towards a new market. The US will host 16 matches of the tournament, with Babar Azam’s men playing all their group stage matches on American soil after being drawn alongside arch-rivals India, Ireland, the hosts and Canada. The US and Canada played the first-ever international match back in 1844 in New York, where Pakistan and India collide in a blockbuster clash on June 9. With expats from both countries settled in large numbers in the US, the match could reignite America’s love for the sport. The big question, however, is about which Pakistan side turns up for that encounter. In the last three series they have played, the team seemed inconsistent and disjointed. Neither does it help when the skipper says the team is still “figuring things out” after losing its last warm-up game before the World Cup against England.
Going by the current form, with the middle order struggling and the bowlers blowing hot and cold, Pakistan have little time to regain their magic. They face a US side, buoyed by an upset series victory over Bangladesh, in their opener before taking on India. Canada are up next with Pakistan’s Group ‘A’ commitments, concluding with a game against Ireland that stunned Babar’s men during their recent series. That could be a banana skin Pakistan will be looking to avoid in the race to finish among the top two in the group and advance to the Super 8s stage. To ensure that, Pakistan need to get things in order — and fast. Things might not seem rosy now but Pakistan have a tendency to rise when the chips are down. The hope is that Pakistan have saved their best performances for the World Cup. Instead of being overly critical of the players, it is time to back the team.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024
Dutch courage
THE Election Commission of Pakistan continues to act as if it has no interest in ensuring fairness.
Just days after it was ordered by a Lahore High Court judge to notify six more election tribunals for Punjab, for which nominations had been sent weeks earlier by the LHC chief justice, a senior ECP official, responding to a reporter’s question, brushed aside the injunction as “meaningless”.
It seems the ECP had grown more confident about defying the LHC since Commission officials met the law minister and attorney general to discuss, among other things, the controversial ordinance passed recently by the acting president, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani. The ordinance in question empowers the Commission to appoint whoever it pleases to election tribunals without worrying about what the LHC chief justice has to say.
It bears highlighting that these election tribunals are supposed to rule on complaints made by losing candidates against the irregularities and illegalities they claim were committed during the vote-counting process. Many of these claims — especially those pertaining to changing results — have been supported by the findings of independent observers, election watchdogs, and even statements made by other losing candidates. In recent weeks, the courts have also separately overturned several controversial decisions by the ECP concerning the recounting of votes and changing of results well after the elections were concluded.
As regards the matter at hand, it bears recalling that the LHC chief justice had sent a list of nominations to the ECP for the purpose of appointing more tribunals in Punjab, where the number of complaints far exceeds the capacity of the two tribunals that have already been appointed. For weeks, the ECP sat on these nominations and refused to appoint more tribunals till Mr Gilani’s ordinance came along like a deus ex machina to do away with the ‘problem’ entirely.
The ECP can now appoint whichever judge it pleases, be they retired or serving, to sit in judgement against its own decisions. It will be difficult not to view with deep suspicion the fact that the ECP, which is constitutionally mandated to ensure non-partisanship in all election-related matters, seems to have agreed to lean on an ordinance, one of the most patently undemocratic legislative tools available, just so it may bypass Section 140 of the Elections Act as it existed in its original condition.
One wonders how this will engender public faith in the impartiality or fairness of the tribunals that will eventually be formed by such blatant disregard for checks and balances. Alas, the Commission has been supported wholeheartedly in implementing its twisted interpretations of the democratic process by some willing collaborators in the legislature. They must take stock of the long-term harm their actions are causing to the Pakistani democracy.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024