| February 12, 2002 | Tuesday | Ziqa’ad 28, 1422 |
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Sharon’s bizarre demand
Substandard cooking oil
AFTER months of acrimony between Punjab and Sindh over the distribution of water, there are signs that this perennially contentious issue may now be resolved amicably. At a meeting on Saturday, members of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) decided to thrash out a new water-sharing formula acceptable to all the provinces. The decision by the two larger provinces to move beyond their rigid positions is an important breakthrough, and comes after considerable prodding from President Pervez Musharraf and the federal government. Punjab and Sindh have now agreed that any future agreement will be made on the basis of give-and-take and within the framework of the 1991 watersharing accord, which enjoyed the status of a consensus document. Earlier, Punjab had been pushing for a decision that followed the 1994 inter-ministerial agreement that dealt specifically with distribution during periods of acute shortages. The breakthrough of sorts was facilitated by the NWFP, which submitted certain fresh recommendations for discussion among the participants. Sindh and Punjab also offered their recommendations for a new water-sharing formula, and decided to go back and discuss the more contentious points with their respective provincial governments. The members of Irsa have decided to meet again on February 28 to work out a formula that is fair and acceptable to all.
The most recent row over water distribution has been exacerbated by the prolonged drought in the country. Over the last few months, Punjab and Sindh were finding it difficult to equitably share the misery caused by the continuing water shortage and were levelling accusations of foul play against each other. As the drought continued, projections were further revised downwards, making matters even worse. Punjab and Sindh had earlier been allocated their share on the basis of a 51 per cent shortfall, which was then revised to 54 per cent. With water already released according to the old projections, both provinces were suddenly faced with the prospect of making more drastic cuts in consumption than had been anticipated earlier, and that too at a crucial time during the rabi season. The scarcity during the upcoming wheat ripening period of February and March could seriously damage prospects of a good crop. Not surprisingly, this is spreading despondency among farmers. With the country’s two main reservoirs at Mangla and Tarbela dangerously depleted, there are fears that the shortfall could hit an alarming 80 per cent level if there is no significant rainfall in the near future.
In a predominantly agricultural country, where much of the export earnings are also derived from certain key crops, it is not surprising that water has become such a crucially important and emotive issue. To further complicate matters, the entire question of water-sharing has become deeply politicized, making decision-making on a rational and objective basis increasingly difficult. Viewed in that context, the recent decision to reach a consensus on a new formula for the equitable sharing of water is a positive development. One hopes that this new resolve to break the deadlock over the issue is carried forward into the February 28 meeting of Irsa. Endless inter-provincial wranglings over water distribution have wasted precious time and energy and distracted from the crucial task of finding long-term and sustainable solutions to the water crisis in the country.
NORMALLY, it is the defeated powers which pay for mistakes and lost wars. When Germany lost World War I, it had to pay reparations never imposed before on a European state. Nearer home and in more recent times, when Saddam Hussein’s misadventure in Kuwait ended in disaster, it was Iraq that was made to pay, and is still paying, billions of dollars in reparations. In fact, so huge are the reparations that they take away a big chunk of the money Baghdad gets under the “oil for food” deal. However, Israel is a class by itself, for the news is that Ariel Sharon wants the US to pay Tel Aviv $800 million for pulling out of south Lebanon.
To begin with, Israel did not quit south Lebanon as a gesture of goodwill; it was made to beat a humiliating retreat after 22 years of occupation, because of the Lebanese people’s resistance, led by Hezbollah. In fact, the Israeli pull-out was scheduled for July 2000, but it came two months earlier when the people raided the Khiam prison, the hated symbol of Israeli occupation, where countless inmates were tortured. The occupation of the southern strip was only part of Israel’s war crimes in Lebanon. Its 1982 invasion resulted in the death of thousands of civilians. Its greatest crime was in Sabra-Chatilla, where hundreds of civilians, including women and children, were massacred by the South Lebanese Army, which was armed and trained by Israel. Sharon was then Israel’s defence minister and is now wanted by a Belgian court for war crimes. This war criminal now wants the US to pay him $800 million for being defeated in south Lebanon, and he may even get it. After all, the senators who will sanction the money, and Mr Bush himself, may want to be re-elected and that is not possible without the support of America’s Zionist lobby. Justice demands that if there is anyone who should get this money it is Lebanon for compensating it for the death and destruction wrought by Israel.
THE revelation that almost four out of every five brands of cooking oil do not conform to the quality standard laid down by the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) should prompt the government to act to ensure strict compliance with the requisite standard. A non-governmental organization has reported that of the 122 cooking oil brands being marketed in the country only 25 were of the standard set by the PSQCA and that most manufacturers had not even fulfilled the legal requirement of getting themselves registered with the authority. The government should take this matter quite seriously since it relates critically to public health. The cynics might say that by virtually growing up on a diet of mostly adulterated food most Pakistanis must have become immune to any possible damaging effects.
It would be downright irresponsible, indeed criminal, for the relevant official agencies to allow such notions to influence their attitude to a problem as serious as this. What we need immediately is for the PQSCA to be radically overhauled and activated. It seems to have become a passive onlooker while adulteration of major food items are assuming frightful proportions and manufacturers find it possible to brazenly flout even the registration requirement — obviously, to escape inspection. This means that the authority should not wait for the producer to come forward and register the brand but should adopt a more pro-active role. Hence, the resources, both human and technical, of the PSQCA must be increased, as should cooperation between it and the provincial food and health departments, especially the food inspectors. Also patent in the prevailing situation is the absence of laws safeguarding the rights of consumers means against the machinations of profiteers, food adulterators, manufacturers of substandard edibles and the like. This deficiency, too, needs to be removed by framing suitable legislation and by ensuring its effective enforcement.