Progressive measures
A SENSIBLE initiative is on the cards that proposes to use technology and the huge Nadra database to address critical social issues that affect young people in our midst at various stages of their life. The health ministry and the National Committee for Maternal and Neonatal Health in collaboration with the Association for Mothers and Newborns have developed an online course, called Bakhabar Noujawan, on 26 different topics for individuals between 15 and 29 years of age. It aims to equip them with evidence-based knowledge so they can make informed decisions about their health and well-being that will impact society as a whole. Among the most important of these topics is reproductive health. At a consultative meeting in Islamabad to discuss the initiative, it was suggested that this component be made mandatory for marriage registration, to which the Nadra chairman — who was one of the participants — expressed his willingness. Other proposals that emerged were for the age of couples to be verified at the time of marriage registration in order to prevent child marriages.
Lack of awareness about maternal health, contraceptives and spacing between births is a major hurdle in controlling the birth rate. Nearly 19,000 babies are born each day in Pakistan, a rate entirely unsustainable within our resources. Aside from Pakistan’s alarming birth rate, its maternal mortality rate, despite improvement, is still extremely high even compared with countries like Iran and Sri Lanka. This health emergency has a symbiotic link with underage marriage as the rigours of pregnancy and childbirth pose inherent dangers to young females. These are all pragmatic and doable proposals, although they must be taken further such as rolling out Urdu and regional language versions of the course, which at present is in English. On the other hand, the proposed national sex offenders’ registry, while a commendable idea in theory, is largely dependent on the criminal justice system being able to apprehend such individuals in the first place.
Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2023
Taliban-TTP nexus
IF the analysis of an American government think tank stating that the Afghan Taliban are unwilling to end their support for the banned TTP is accurate, it would put to rest the illusion harboured by some in our security establishment that a Taliban government in Kabul is good for Pakistan. If anything, the US Institute of Peace report paints an unsettling picture, which shows that not only are the Afghan rulers allowing TTP fighters to freely operate on their soil, but that they believe that Pakistan will not launch a full-blown anti-TTP operation because of its financial woes. The report observes that TTP operatives move freely in Afghanistan, while adding that “the Afghan Taliban remain very supportive of the TTP and are providing the group with a permissive safe haven”. Moreover, there appears to be support for the TTP within Afghan society beyond the Taliban due to deeply entrenched anti-Pakistan views. In fact, some of the bombers who carried out attacks inside Pakistan have been identified as Afghans. And while some within the Taliban ruling elite, such as the Haqqani faction, favour a softer line towards Pakistan, and have tried to stop the TTP from launching attacks against this country, Taliban supremo Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada remains convinced Pakistan’s system is “un-Islamic”, much as his ideological comrades in the TTP do.
Where Pakistan’s security is concerned, there were warnings all along that the Afghan Taliban would do little to rein in the TTP, and these findings only confirm those fears. While Pakistan’s options may be limited, it needs to firmly let the Taliban rulers know that hosting and supporting a group visibly hostile to this country will have far-reaching implications. For one, Pakistan should stop defending Kabul’s rulers at international fora unless they clean up their act. Moreover, while times may indeed be tough, the state needs to make it clear that the TTP and other terrorists trying to harm Pakistan will be dealt with severely on the battlefield. Also, Pakistan should coordinate with regional states to communicate to Kabul that terrorists cannot find a safe haven on Afghan soil. Russia, China, Iran and the Central Asian states are all wary of terrorist groups finding refuge in Afghanistan, and Pakistan needs to use regional platforms to let the Taliban know that either they can neutralize the terrorists, or face further isolation.
Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2023
Despondent public
A sense of quiet despair hangs thick in the air. With Ramazan around the corner and Eid to follow right after, the inflation-weary citizenry must once again sit down for the depressing task of trimming their household budgets if they wish to continue to make ends meet. Even those who have been lucky to keep their heads above the water despite wave after wave of inflation will soon find it a challenge to stay afloat.
The average 33pc inflation forecast for the first half of this year by Moody’s is likely to prove a trial by fire for the majority of Pakistani households already facing rapidly depleting savings and a constant struggle to balance their books. “There’s still an inevitably tough journey ahead,” as Moody’s senior economist Katrina Ell told Reuters in a recent interview.
Low-income households will face an immense burden since much of the inflation is now being driven by non-discretionary items like food. “Food prices are high, and they can’t avoid paying for that, so we’re going to see higher poverty rates as well feed through,” Ms Ell noted in her interview.
The State Bank is also likely to continue jacking up interest rates to combat the surging inflation, which means that borrowing costs will skyrocket and create additional pressure on domestic demand. The most frustrating aspect of these painful adjustments is that they may still not be enough to get the country out of the hole its financial managers have gotten it in.
While we may justifiably point fingers at Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for his disastrous mismanagement of the economy in the past few months, as well as the State Bank for failing in its task of acting as a force of reason in that same period, the roots of the problem go much deeper.
The ravaging of the Pakistani economy has been wrought by fiscal malfeasance at the highest levels of power. The country has for years lived well beyond its means, hooked onto its calamitous spending habits by a section of the elite that continues to grow fat preying on its people’s future. Even today, while the vast majority is being forced to give up a pound of flesh for their rapacious decisions, they remain insulated from any real pain.
Attention must be brought to the fact that the ‘mini-budget’ recently unveiled by the government has done nothing to extricate the economy from their fell clutches. There is not even a hint that those currently in power are even contemplating dismantling the network of subsidies and privileges that exists solely to benefit the country’s elite to the tune of billions of dollars every year. This is the greatest betrayal that the Pakistani people must hold their leaders to account for. All else is secondary.
Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2023