Beyond polite pleading

THE US has clearly come to realize that it will take more than polite pleas for restraint to defuse the high level of tension between Pakistan and India. A spate of recent statements from senior US figures, as well as much behind-the-scenes diplomacy, suggests that the US is finally set to take on a more active role in trying to prevent a potentially catastrophic war in the subcontinent. Secretary of State Colin Powell set the stage by stating that the US will soon dispatch a peace envoy to the subcontinent to defuse what Mr Powell termed “ a very dangerous situation.” While the two names suggested for this arduous task were not of the highest level, the move is welcome, if a little belated. Mr Powell stated that the US will do everything it can to solve the immediate short-term problem and then move on to settle the more long-term issues dividing the two nations. Referring to the main bone of contention, Kashmir, Mr Powell said: “we will be helpful, we will encourage them to talk to one another”.

President George Bush and other senior figures in his administration have been constantly in touch with their counterparts in Pakistan and India urging restraint. Perhaps one reflection of such diplomacy was the somewhat upbeat statement by defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Friday that a war is unlikely. This despite the fact that the situation on the ground seems as tense as ever. The US has obviously been privately urging Pakistan and India to urgently ease tensions. With Pakistan already in the midst of a clampdown against extremist groups and clearly ready to engage in dialogue, the US must now focus its attentions on persuading India to back off. The world knows that it is India, and not Pakistan, that is bent on playing a dangerous game of brinkmanship.

For the US, the current standoff between Pakistan and India is both extremely inopportune and also more than a little embarrassing. On the one hand, it believes the build-up of forces at the Indo-Pakistan border may force Pakistan to call back its troops from the Afghan border and thus severely hamper the campaign to prevent Al Qaeda fighters from fleeing into Pakistan. On the other hand, India has cunningly and opportunistically used the war against terror in Afghanistan as a cover to launch what it terms as its own anti-terrorist campaign, putting the US in an awkward situation. All attempts by the US to rein in the Indians have been met with accusations by New Delhi that the US is pursuing a policy of double standards. The Americans must make India realize that General Musharraf’s job of dealing with religious extremists, a campaign that has earned him accolades from the US, has been made more difficult because of the massing of the Indian army on the borders. Clearly, no Pakistani leader would like to be seen acting under pressure from India. It is time America moved beyond simply pleading with India and, instead, used all its clout as the sole superpower to pressure New Delhi into adopting a softer line on the Dec 13 attack instead of threatening war.

Getting ready

KARACHI’S administration has finally been goaded into some kind of emergency mode by the tensions on the eastern borders. A decision has been taken to set up a central control room; to put on alert the city’s fire brigade, ambulance services and civil defence; and all sirens are to be repaired. Well-intentioned though these actions might be, it has to be said that not just Karachi but other cities too have a terrible track record in dealing with calamities, natural or man-made. To draw an analogy, every year administrations of various cities, especially those hit hard by the monsoon, hold similar meetings after which citizens are informed that all arrangements have been made to deal with any flooding. But when the rain does come, all the planning formulated at such meetings seems to fall apart — a good example being the flood that hit Rawalpindi last year. As for Karachi, its citizens know that even a drizzle creates as much havoc as a downpour.

A ‘central control room’ might be essential from the point of view of coordinating relief efforts. But its mere existence is not likely to be very helpful, given the fact that emergency drills are never conducted even in normal times and that volunteers and relief agency workers are hardly given any kind of training or refresher courses. Compiling a list of all private and government ambulances is a good thing, but is the civil administration aware that even in perfectly normal times most people have little access to a reliable and prompt ambulance service — that is, if you leave Edhi out of the picture. Unfortunately, there are no well-designed plans in Pakistan for dealing with disasters and any kind of official response to them is generally quite knee-jerk. Government agencies usually react to a disaster as it happens or unfolds instead of formulating a disaster relief and contingency plan in advance and subjecting it to regular testing. The inherent problem with such a response is that its delayed timing effectively compromises the operational ability of the relief operation itself. All civilian administrations, particularly in the larger urban centres, should work towards a carefully devised plan to counter any kind of calamity, an integral part of which must be regular drills.

Women’s boxing in Pakistan

THE Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation has decided to bring women in the ring — a radical step in the realm of sport and social set-up in the country. Just as Muhammad Ali revolutionized and romanticized the punching game in the 20th century his daughter Laila added a new dimension to the fist fights. While the western audience was momentarily struck by this advancing trend, its liberated mindset saw it as a further forward movement towards feminist assertiveness and ‘women power’. The Asian attitude, essentially tradition-bound, was rather reluctant to follow the latest sporting fad. Pakistan’s conservative cultural background and deep-set ideas about gender distinctions tended to strictly confine female pursuits in the entertainment field. This long jump by the PABF is as such a daring deviation from the set norm. It is not yet sure about the response, though determined it seems to encourage the motivated female lobby.

Promotional efforts will, however, face a formidable challenge in many ways. Apart from initial resistance within, the organizational impediments and adjustments will demand tactful handling and an imaginative approach. When girls were first allowed to participate in athletic events and other sporting competitions, the dress code prescribed an outfit not exactly in accord with the requirements. But the participants faced the restrictions bravely and made a mark despite these handicaps. Boxing and wrestling have through the centuries been the symbol of masculine muscle and macho virility. An 180-degree turn from this ingrained notion, and that too in an orthodox environment prevalent here, will not be by any means easy. Exposing a delicate creature designated by old-timers as the ‘weaker sex’ to the hazards of aggressive and attacking encounters will admittedly be risky. Protective gear fashioned to avert accidents, even fatal at times, for the male fighters will have to be remodelled for the females. Gloves, pads, denture protection devices in keeping with the mould and make-up of women will take a lot of doing.