SCO meet-up
FOREIGN Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s scheduled trip to India to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers’ conclave, which begins tomorrow, throws up an opportunity to at least symbolically restart the dialogue process with New Delhi.
However, there should be no great expectations as the SCO is not a forum for the resolution of bilateral disputes — although were the Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers to exchange diplomatic pleasantries, it might help change the bitter tone of the relationship.
The latter turned particularly sour in the aftermath of the events of 2019, principally the Pulwama/Balakot affair, and when ties were downgraded following India’s annulment of held Kashmir’s limited autonomy. The fact that Mr Bhutto-Zardari will be the first Pakistani foreign minister to head to India in over a decade is itself significant.
The obstacles standing in the way of improved bilateral relations are considerable, and the fact that both states came close to war in 2019 after India’s Balakot misadventure says a lot about the volatile nature of peace in the subcontinent. However, a neighbourly exchange between the top diplomats of both states in Goa can pave the way for talks, perhaps under the Track II formula.
Currently, a cold peace reigns in the region, but as the events of 2019 illustrated, this uneasy calm can be shattered very quickly. Trade, diplomatic and cultural relations are practically frozen, which has widened the gulf between Pakistan and India.
And while hawks in New Delhi may argue that India does not need Pakistan’s friendship, more level-headed Indians acknowledge the reality that a state of perpetual conflict in the subcontinent is not sustainable.
Both sides must work to restore full diplomatic relations, by posting high commissioners in the respective capitals. Moreover, steps need to be taken to re-establish trade ties as well as sporting and cultural exchanges.
The convoluted visa regime should be relaxed to allow people-to-people visits, particularly to facilitate members of divided families, while sports teams, especially in cricket, should be playing matches in each other’s cities, instead of searching for ‘neutral’ venues.
The peace process can realistically begin only after a new government takes power in Islamabad, and Indian elections are held next year, but small confidence-building measures can be implemented soon. No breakthroughs are expected in Goa, but a pleasant change in direction, and a more nuanced narrative are very much possible if both states want that.
The SCO has great potential to bring geopolitical rivals together for the common good. For example, India applied to join the bloc led by China despite having a fractious border dispute with the latter.
The promise of Eurasian economic and security integration is apparently a strong pull factor. Let us hope the SCO succeeds where Saarc has miserably failed.
Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2023
Press freedom
IT says much about the quality of democracy in a country when media persons cannot do their job without fearing for their safety. Even more so when there are two laws — one on the federal and another on the provincial level — that are supposed to protect those belonging to this profession.
Today, on World Press Freedom Day, there is little for journalists in Pakistan to celebrate. The right to free speech, which underpins their profession, continues to be imperilled and the landscape is evolving in new and disturbing ways.
The Freedom Network, an award-winning independent national media watchdog, documented no less than 140 cases of attacks and violations against journalists and other media professionals between May 2022 and March 2023.
As its latest report says, this amounts to “a staggering two-thirds increase in the number of violations in the preceding year, when the number of cases was 86”. Five media professionals were killed and unsuccessful attempts were made on the lives of 10 others. Women journalists, as always, continued to be the target of vile, sexualised attacks on social media.
The nature and source of the threats have also registered a significant change and reflect the highly polarised atmosphere in the country. Of all the violations against journalists, assault was the most common at 36pc, with 22 out of the 51 cases in this category resulting in injuries. In the previous corresponding period, assaults numbered 7pc of the total violations.
Another finding of note is that although state actors continue to be among the main assailants of press freedom in the period under review, political parties narrowly beat them to the top spot. In 21pc of the total cases, victims or their families pointed the finger at political parties; last year the figure was 4pc.
This points to a precipitous degradation in the quality of public discourse and growing intolerance for differing political opinions. Media persons are getting caught in the middle. With 40pc of the violations, Islamabad remains the riskiest place to be a journalist.
Punjab, the scene of particularly ugly government-opposition clashes, comes in second with 25pc of the violations; last year, the province was in third place with 13pc. In a country where the right to inform and be informed has never been accepted in its true spirit, worse times may lie ahead for the beleaguered media.
Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2023
Stealing land
THE land scam in which 100 villagers have been deprived of 125 acres of their ancestral land in Malakwal tehsil of Punjab’s Mandi Bahauddin district without their knowledge is a classic example of the deep nexus between corrupt revenue department officials and powerful, greedy developers. A report in this paper indicates that the ownership of the land in question has been transferred to the grandson of the largest and perhaps the most influential property tycoon through allegedly illegal transactions in the official land record. The fraud has been reported to the anti-corruption agency for investigation. But this is of no consolation to the real owners of the land. Even if they are lucky, it will be many years before they get their land back. Those arrested will get bail while others have already fled the country. One is aware of the pace at which such cases are investigated by the agencies and adjudicated on when one of the parties has political and financial clout. At best, the matter will be decided privately, with the villagers forced to accept small compensation for their land.
This is not the first incident where land has been stolen by powerful developers from unsuspecting owners. In many cases reported from Karachi and elsewhere in the country, the state itself has actively supported illegal land grabs by builders. The government is forcibly evicting poor farmers and small business owners from their lands near Lahore on behalf of developers and builders for a riverfront development project on the banks of the Ravi, in spite of opposition to the scheme from environmentalists and urban planners. The unending avarice for land in Pakistan underscores the massive and quick profits involved in the business, and the sector’s ability to hide illegal cash. Unless the real estate sector is made less lucrative through extensive documentation, the poor will continue to fall prey to such scams and lose their source of livelihood.
Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2023