Dismal performance
FOR a country of over 240m people, it was appalling that Pakistan realistically had just one solid contender for a gold medal at the Asian Games. And once Arshad Nadeem pulled out of the javelin event, all hope was lost. Pakistan finished with three medals in Hangzhou: a silver in squash and two bronze — in shooting and kabaddi. It makes for grim reading when that number is compared to India’s record-breaking total of 107, which includes 28 golds. Even Afghanistan won more medals — five in all with a silver and four bronze. That is just an overview. There were humbling defeats in disciplines Pakistan once dominated. In the men’s team squash final, India edged out Pakistan. Men’s cricket fell to Afghanistan in the semi-finals and then lost to Bangladesh in the bronze category. But perhaps the most embarrassing defeat came in hockey where Pakistan were crushed 10-2 by India. It was a record win — by a sizeable margin — in Pakistan-India hockey rivalry, the result exemplifying how far Pakistan has fallen. The men’s kabaddi team also suffered at the hands of India in the semi-final. But Arshad’s withdrawal — the country’s javelin marvel apparently suffering from the recurrence of a knee injury —saw the feuding Pakistan Olympic Association and the Athletics Federation of Pakistan trade accusations.
While countries everywhere use sports to exhibit their soft power, Pakistan’s Asiad return shows how off-track the country’s sporting ambitions have been. Sports federations here are run by politicians and former officials of the armed forces who have more interest in staying in power than developing the game. To professionalise sport, it is essential it is run by professionals who are aware of the ins and outs, the trends, the game’s constant evolution and modern methodologies. In order to do that, an overhaul is needed — and quickly — because Pakistan has a lot of ground to cover before it can catch up with the rest of the world.
Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2023
Privatising Discos
THE caretaker government’s decision to ‘hand over’ the loss-making power distribution companies, or Discos, to the private sector through long-term concessions comes across as vague. News reports suggest that the proposal to transfer the Discos to the private sector through concessions was one of three options put forward by the energy ministry at a recent meeting of the Special Investment Facilitation Council. The other two solutions put on the table were older: provincialisation and privatisation of the Discos. The reasoning behind the SIFC’s decision to pick this option is unclear as the mechanism under which these companies are to be transferred to the private sector and the details of the concessions are shrouded in secrecy. The power minister did not utter a single word at his recent news conference that might have cleared the confusion.
The power distribution companies have been a constant source of deep worry for successive governments. The large distribution losses, revenue leakages, low bill recovery, huge electricity theft and supply constraints plaguing these companies have put them at the centre of Pakistan’s power sector woes. In the past, various options, including privatisation and provincialisation of Discos, have been debated to fix the staff-heavy, inefficient, and mismanaged companies. Not one could be implemented for several reasons. The option of provincialisation means that their losses would be transferred by the centre to the provinces. Their privatisation seems impossible because these are monopolies and typically very large companies — both financially and geographically. Resistance from their staff is also a major impediment to privatisation. No effort to sell any Disco barring K-Electric has succeeded in the last 20 years because of these reasons. It is difficult to say how the new plan — which doesn’t seem to go beyond rhetoric — will counter these obstacles. The practical and quicker way to the problem lies in breaking the monopoly of these companies by exposing them to private competition. Private investors must be encouraged to set up new, smaller power distribution companies by allocating them specific areas and allowing them to use the existing distribution network of the Discos for a reasonable fee. This will be in line with the government’s plan to create a competitive electricity trading market in the country and provide consumers a choice, besides exposing the Discos to competition and forcing them to improve their services and cut losses.
Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2023
Palestine at war
FIFTY years since the last Arab-Israeli war, hostilities have once again broken out in Palestine. Hamas, the Palestinian group which rules Gaza, launched a Saturday morning surprise blitz targeting Israel, sending fighters into the state and initiating what will likely be a lengthy armed confrontation between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Tel Aviv has already said Israel is “at war”. According to Hamas, ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ was started in response to “atrocities in Gaza, against Palestinian people [and] our holy sites”. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, has said his people have the right to defend themselves against the “terror of settlers and occupation troops”.
Many Western states have issued typically sanctimonious statements criticising Hamas, and reiterating Israel’s right to defend itself. Yet they choose to ignore what has led to the current conflagration: the far-right government that runs Israel has unleashed a reign of terror upon the Palestinians.
According to the UN, over 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers (before yesterday’s declaration of war) — the highest number in 18 years. At the time of writing, another 200 Palestinians in Gaza had been killed in a single day’s bombardment, a blood-soaked tally that is bound to rise.
Moreover, rabid extremists have been staging increasingly provocative marches in the occupied city of Jerusalem, taunting Palestinians on grounds of Al Aqsa. They have also been involved in desecrating churches in the holy city, and attacks on Christian pilgrims and residents, emboldened by a racist government that seeks to ethnically cleanse Palestine of all non-Jews. The situation had been simmering for months, and Saturday’s events were the reaction to a sustained cycle of violence and humiliation.
All sides need to exercise restraint, and to avoid civilian targets. Yet knowing Israel’s historical desire for bloodlust, it is the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, who will pay a heavy price as women, children and the elderly are decimated by Tel Aviv’s war machine, even as Israel’s foreign friends trumpet its right to ‘self-defence’.
The latest escalation also raises a question mark over the efforts of various Muslim states to normalise ties with Israel. The Palestine question cannot be resolved unless a just solution is found, one where the Palestinians have a viable state that is secure and financially self-sufficient, where those ethnically cleansed over the decades by the Zionists have the right to return to the land of their forefathers, and where illegal settlements are permanently dismantled.
Unless the Palestinians receive justice, the cycle of violence will continue, with Israel periodically beating them into submission. No fanciful deal sidestepping the core issue of Palestinian nationhood will ever deliver, no matter what slick PR is employed. The Israeli occupation needs to end, and the Palestinian people need justice.
Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2023