Riverine gangs
THE riverine areas where the borders of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan meet have long been a haven for criminal gangs, and frequent armed operations by the state have failed to permanently dislodge the outlaws from their redoubts. Yet another operation is being planned, this time by the Sindh government, to address the problem of criminal gangs in the upper reaches of the province. The Sindh cabinet on Thursday decided that military-grade weapons would be procured along with surveillance equipment to help the law enforcers overpower the outlaws. According to a handout, the army and Rangers will also be on board, while the Punjab and Balochistan administrations will be contacted in order to facilitate a coordinated operation. The area of focus will be the districts of Kashmore, Shikarpur and Ghotki. Meanwhile, in January, the Punjab police high command had announced a similar operation in the southern parts of the province to flush out militants and criminals. The army-led grand operation against the Chhotu gang in 2016 in southern Punjab is also fresh in the mind.
The question arises why operations have to be launched every few years, and why the bandit problem in the katcha areas of the three provinces cannot be addressed on a permanent basis. The difficult terrain is ideal for lawbreakers to carry out their activities, and often victims of kidnappings are carried off to these riverine areas. Interprovincial coordination is a must, as outlaws can sneak into neighbouring provinces to evade arrest. It is also important that LEAs are equipped with proper gear; we have often witnessed the sad spectacle where armed criminals are fighting with advanced weaponry, while security personnel make do with less effective arms. In this era of technology, it should not be too difficult to precisely locate the outlaws’ hideouts, and prevent them from accessing lethal weaponry. It is hoped this time the operation has a long-lasting impact.
Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2023
Breach of duty
DESPITE the recent Supreme Court verdict, the PDM government seems intent on preventing or, at the very least, delaying the KP and Punjab Assembly elections for as long as possible. According to recent reports, despite being constitutionally obligated, the finance and interior ministries have again denied the Election Commission of Pakistan the resources it needs to organise and hold the elections. Informed sources have told this paper that the needle hasn’t budged on releasing funds for the polls or providing personnel to ensure the security of the electoral process. On its part, the ECP has reminded the government representatives of their duty and asked them to requisition help if need be. However, it appears that the resistance is coming from other quarters as well. ECP officials met representatives of intelligence and law-enforcement agencies yesterday to work out a security plan for the peaceful conduct of polls. It is most disappointing to learn that the agencies in question have taken the same line as the government. The ECP was reportedly recommended that the polls should be delayed “owing to terrorism threats”. This is a clear abdication of responsibility by the country’s security apparatus. All stakeholders must realise that there are no ‘choices’ in the constitutional prescription for election timelines. If elections could be held in 2008, there is no reason why they cannot be held now.
It is similarly disconcerting that the KP governor — appointed by the PDM government — has still not arrived at a polling date for his province. Haji Ghulam Ali has already been reprimanded by the Supreme Court for being in breach of the Constitution for not having already announced an election date. With just a little over a month left in the original constitutional deadline, it is concerning that there is still no sense of urgency at his end. The intent appears to be to put off the announcement till the eleventh hour so that it becomes inevitable to delay polling well beyond the original deadline. Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja will soon have to put his foot down if he wants the government to stop frustrating his efforts to fulfil his constitutional responsibilities. The longer polls get delayed, the more difficult it will be for the ECP to organise an election which is free of controversy and whose results are accepted by all.
Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2023
Waiting for IMF
FINANCE Minister Ishaq Dar has blamed the delay in the conclusion of discussions with the IMF on the ‘trust deficit’ created by the previous government, accusing it of not meeting its commitments to the lender after signing the $6bn funding programme in 2019.
He is right to the extent that the present PML-N-led set-up inherited a fractured relationship with the Fund, because the PTI either dragged its feet on economic reforms it had pledged to carry out or reversed some of them soon after their implementation. But the problem didn’t start with the PTI government. Islamabad has a long history of breaking promises it made to the IMF over 23 programmes in seven decades.
Little wonder Pakistan was called a ‘one-tranche’ country until not very long ago. Mr Dar, too, has contributed his bit to enlarging the credibility gap by deviating from the programme his predecessor had helped revive after months of tough talks and execution of ‘prior actions’ that have become the hallmark of the bailouts the Fund has extended to Islamabad in recent years. Hence, a blame game will do no one any good.
While the ‘special’ dynamics of Pakistan’s ties with the IMF are a major impediment to the restoration of the stalled loan programme, a Reuters analysis explains that “Countries in debt distress turning to the [Fund] for financial help are facing unprecedented delays to secure bailouts as China and Western economies clash over how to provide debt relief”.
It points out that it took Zambia 271 days to strike a deal while Sri Lanka has been waiting for almost 200 days for a bailout after a staff-level agreement last year. According to the report: “This compares to a median of 55 days it took low- and middle-income countries over the last decade to go from preliminary deal to the board sign-off.”
With Pakistan struggling hard to keep its head above water as the dollars run out, the government’s frustration is understandable. The prime minister has often complained of being given a tough time by the IMF, while the finance ministry has accused the Fund of shifting the goalposts.
In a recent interview, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, too, was critical of the IMF for delaying a lifeline, despite Pakistan’s crushing need for help due to the massive economic losses caused by last summer’s floods. Even friendly countries aren’t ready to help outside a multilateral framework.
China has stepped up to help stave off further erosion in foreign exchange reserves, but that is not enough. If we want to avoid such situations in future, we will have to restructure the economy like India did in the 1990s. Or we can prepare for more embarrassment and tougher terms set by creditors to bail us out the next time.
Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2023