Pakistan is among the 10 countries in the world most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Now the impact of climate change and global warming is being felt the world over as well as in Pakistan. This is evidenced by increasing atmospheric and sea temperatures and extreme weather events. However, those exercising authority do not seem to be aware of the challenges being posed by the destructive phenomenon of climate change. There are reports that the dense forests of North and South Waziristan are being fast denuded of trees, most of which are hundreds of years old, by the avaricious timber mafia. These mafias are recklessly cutting trees for use as timber and also for charcoal, which are, reportedly, much in demand in neighbouring provinces of Afghanistan.
These wood products are being smuggled out to the neighbouring country because there they fetch a handsome price bringing in fat profits for the smugglers and all those engaged in unlawful felling of trees. The smugglers enjoy political patronage and the backing of unscrupulous elements in the local administration. The situation has worsened after the merger of tribal districts with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Formerly, local clans protected forests in their areas as without their permission it was not possible to cut trees. Recently a clan has banned the cutting of trees and also transportation of timber and charcoal through their area into Afghanistan. Charcoal is, reportedly, the only cooking fuel available in some provinces of Afghanistan close to Pakistan.
It is surprising that while the federal and provincial governments are doing a good job towards increasing the forest cover in the country, how the deforestation in erstwhile tribal areas has escaped their attention. One of the short-term results of deforestation is soil erosion which affects the soil and environment in multiple ways. Considering the fact that the denudation of forests in areas close to Afghanistan will harm both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two countries should cooperate in preventing deforestation.
Reverence for teachers?
One can only write with a heavy heart about a society where teachers are subjected to rough treatment at the hands of the police. Teachers are nation builders so they deserve utmost respect and reverence. What happened in Sindh’s capital this past Monday is heart-breaking. This does not become a democratic government. When a group of high school principals protesting for their regularisation for the past 22 days tried to stage a sit-in outside the CM House, they were baton-charged. Some of them suffered injuries to their heads, noses and bodies. The police detained around 15 male and 10 female teachers for some time. Around 985 men and women had been appointed, in 2017, school principals after they had cleared an examination conducted by the IBA Sukkur. Despite having been appointed after passing a tough test, they are facing an uncertain future as they have not been regularised even after four years. Their performance has all through been satisfactory — a fact confirmed by the provincial minister of education.
Teachers claim that the Sindh government has placed advertisements in newspapers for recruitment of principals, which they feel is aimed at replacing them with new appointees. The education minister says that the government’s hands are tied by a decision of the Sindh High Court barring appointments in Grades 16 and 17 without clearance from the Sindh Public Service Commission. On the other hand, teachers claim that the government has made appointments to these positions bypassing the SPSC. This allegation smacks of favouritism, and this is leading the protesting educators to doubt the government’s intentions. The authorities should give up their ambivalent attitude and resolve the issue in an amicable manner. The teachers need protection of their jobs. It goes without saying that uncertainty causes anxiety and mental agony.
Initially, principals protested outside the Karachi Press Club, but since March 15 they have been staging a sit-in close to the Sindh Assembly building. This has blocked the road leading to Burns Road causing problems for commuters.
Biden, Putin dispute
The US-Russia relations have taken a nosedive in recent days as the presidents of both countries accused each other of being killers, and a declassified US intelligence report claimed that Russia meddled in the 2020 US elections. The report from the US Director of National Intelligence started the latest war of words. It claimed that the Russians had been using fake news on social media and ‘useful idiots’ with ties to the Republican to help Donald Trump, in particular, and to generally reduce confidence in the elections. Although not named in the report, these ‘useful idiots’ included Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others in Trump’s inner circle who were pushing ridiculous election rigging claims. Russia denied the charge and tried to flip the table.
The following day, US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a killer and warned the Russians of punishment for the election rigging. Putin fired back by withdrawing the Russian ambassador in DC and saying, “It takes one to know one.” In Biden’s case, it was unclear whether he was referring to the deaths and murder attempts on Russian dissidents in recent years, the alleged Russian bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan, or Russia’s involvement in several war-torn countries where the US also has a presence. Putin was most likely referring to Biden’s role in the Iraq War — then-Senator Biden voted yes on the war authorisation, despite the UN calling the war illegal and the world rejecting the false intelligence evidence the US used to justify the invasion. Biden was also part of the drone-happy Obama Administration and has already authorised several drone attacks himself.
For countries like Pakistan, this external dispute can be a source of serious problems. Both countries are important trade and diplomatic partners. If the US imposes sanctions on Russia or either country asks Pakistan to take a side in the dispute, Islamabad will lose greatly. But while the dispute is stressful, there is no reason to worry about it going from cold war to hot war. The US and Russia still managed to sign a nuclear weapons control deal, and the White House has said that it is still willing to work with Russia on several issues where their interests align
