Israel’s state terrorism

ISRAEL is perhaps the only country in the world which practises widespread human rights’ abuse and torture as part of state policy. It systematically singles out the non-Jewish Palestinians living under its occupation as targets of torture and persecution practised in flagrant violation of basic human rights and norms of state conduct. In a recent report, Amnesty International has urged the United Nations Committee on Torture, which is currently meeting in Geneva, to take notice of Israel’s rampant use of torture methods. These include painful handcuffing, sleep deprivation and prolonged squatting on haunches, as a means of forcing confessions out of Palestinian suspects. The human rights watchdog group says that these methods are in utter contravention of the Geneva Conventions to which Israel is also a signatory.

So blatant is Israel’s policy of employing torture tactics on the hapless Palestinians that early this year Israel’s ambassador to Denmark had no scruples about justifying this policy before the Danish press. According to the AI annual report 2001, “Hundreds of Palestinians from the occupied territories were tried before military courts in trials whose procedures fell short of international standards. Houses in the occupied territories continued to be demolished as a result of discriminatory policy which denied most Palestinians building permits.” As if all of these violations were not enough of an affront to the relevant covenants and conventions, Sharon’s trigger-happy forces riding on tanks have entered and occupied several cities and towns in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in recent weeks, shooting and killing civilians at will. A systematic policy of targeting key Palestinian Authority officials and other Palestinian leaders is being wantonly pursued, resulting in extra-judicial killings on a large scale, particularly since Ariel Sharon took office early last year.

The scale of the damage done to civilian life and property in the occupied territories in pursuit of a policy of ruthless suppression has assumed alarming proportions since the beginning of the second Palestinian intifada in September last year. It seems that Israel has stepped up such human rights’ violations ostensibly as a calculated act of defiance to repeated calls by the international community to put an end to violence, and to find ways to restart the all-but-dead Middle East peace process. As diplomatic pressure on Israel mounts along with a call to halt these gruesome activities, Ariel Sharon sees himself in a race against time to cause as much damage to the Palestinian Authority and its infrastructure as he can before he is reined in. What is in evidence is a hardened criminal mind at work, which needs to be checked and stopped before it causes greater havoc in occupied territories.

Both the US and EU, which have been in the forefront of recent efforts to get the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, need to take cognizance of Israeli state terrorism against the helpless Palestinians. The AI report as well as other independent sources on the ground give ‘strong evidence’ of state terrorism being perpetrated by Israel on the Palestinians. It is time Israel’s western backers told Ariel Sharon in unequivocal terms that unless he pulls out his forces from the occupied territories and ends extra-judicial killings of the Palestinian leaders, asking the Palestinians to abstain from violence unilaterally makes no sense.

Port user fees

THE local governments set up under the devolution plan have not yet been given fiscal powers, and their budgets continue to be dependent on federal handouts, which are said to be just enough to pay the salaries of the staff.

Meanwhile, civic problems continue to multiply as urban areas degenerate and civic life deteriorates. It is because of the poverty of resources that the Karachi city government has not been providing services which their elected leaders have promised and the citizens expect. In the absence of clearly defined fiscal powers, the city government is groping in the dark. No wonder, the Karachi city Nazim has asked the federal government to allow the Metropolitan Corporation to levy fees on the users of Karachi Port and the city roads.

The proposal, sent to Islamabad for approval, suggests that a port user fee be levied on all imports and exports. At the rate of one per cent, the fee would yield Rs. 2 billion, as international trade aggregates a little over 20 billion dollars. This fee would be collected along with the clearance of customs documents. The road user fee is proposed to replace the motor vehicle tax and be credited directly to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation accounts. Another proposal is that the fee be charged at the rate of 50 paisa per litre of petrol and diesel which should be collected by petrol pumps along with their sale proceeds. This fee is expected to yield an amount equal to the port user fee. The two accounts together would substantially augment the corporation’s resources.

The user fee proposal seems to be sound and workable. However, there is one drawback: our exports are facing tough competition in a highly price and quality conscious world market. The exports should not, therefore, be burdened with additional levies. Since import tariffs are being substantially reduced under the commitment to the WTO, imports can easily bear a small levy. The port user fee should, therefore, be restricted to imports only. If users are assured that the money thus collected would be spent on improvements in the city’s basic facilities and services, especially roads, drainage and sanitation, they would bear this little extra burden in good spirit.

Ramazan price hike

PEOPLE visiting fair price shops and Sunday bazars set up in various parts of Lahore were disappointed by the high rates of essential commodities. In certain cases, the prices were even said to have been increased against the decision of the marketing committees. Besides, there were complaints of sale of poor quality items and shortage of some items. The dismal situation seemed to be similar to the trends during the holy month every year all over the country. Once again, thus, official claim to ensure the sale of commodities at controlled rates has proved hollow. There is resistance from traders and vendors to official efforts to keep prices under check. They try to make the most of the situation during Ramazan, knowing that the demand for edibles goes up during the month. This is in striking contrast to the sweeping price cuts effected in some Muslim countries during the month of fasting for the benefit of the people. In Pakistan, unfortunately, it is a time for making a quick buck. Wholesalers, middlemen, retailers and government officials responsible for monitoring prices shuffle the blame on to each other while the harried citizen is subjected to recurrent increases.

There are obviously deficiencies in the price control system. Checks on profiteering and undue increases are grossly inadequate. At Sunday bazars, farmers allowed to sell their produce directly are upset over excessive fees they are made to pay in the name of stall charges. There are complaints that soon after the visit of the chief secretary, the price lists were removed from the shops and prices of some items were raised. In certain cases, the much trumpeted price cut was characterized by the sale of sub-standard goods to make up for the decrease in profit. Better performance was expected from the district governments which are supposed to be closer to the people and have a better understanding of the market dynamics and consumers’ difficulties. An effective price monitoring mechanism should be devised to protect the people.