Afghanistan: next phase

AS the delegates to the Afghan Loya Jirga begin the last round of their deliberations that will culminate in the formation of a transitional government in Kabul, it has become almost certain that the interim leader, Hamid Karzai, will be chosen as the country’s new head of state. It was this predictability about the outcome that had created a sense of unease among large sections of the assembled delegates and had led to accusations that a deal had already been concluded to install Mr Karzai as leader. Many delegates were angry at being circumvented and complained about being used to simply rubber-stamp backdoor deals among powerful interest groups. Many of the over 1,500 delegates, who came from every walk of life and represented all the regions and ethnic communities of the country, seemed disappointed when they were informed that former king Zahir Shah was no longer a candidate and that he had thrown in his lot with Mr Karzai. The equally abrupt withdrawal from the race of Mr Karzai’s main rival, former president Burhanuddin Rabbani, had already taken some of the steam out of the heated process. Among those left in the field following Mr Karzai’s formal nomination on Thursday are a number of lesser known figures, including a woman aid worker, Masooda Jalal. The presence of a woman among the aspirants for the top job is a reflection of how far Afghanistan has come in the course of a few months following the fall of the strait-laced and obscurantist Taliban regime.

It was clear that the US was engaged in behind-the-scenes manoeuvring to have the Pushtoon Karzai nominated as head of state, while at the same time ensuring that the minority Tajik community and other smaller groups, which hold many of the key posts in the outgoing administration, are not alienated. After all, it was a Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance that had marched into Kabul in last November following the downfall of the Taliban. However, the US has pushed its agenda with an unbecoming brashness that has led to resentment in a country deeply averse to outside interference.

This is not to say, however, that the suave and articulate Karzai is an undeserved candidate for the top job. He not only represents the single largest ethnic group in the country but has surprised many by his fairly adept handling of affairs since he took charge as interim leader in December last. The former king, for all the respect he commands, is seen by some as being too old and feeble to deal with the stupendous task of rebuilding and rehabilitation that lies ahead. In the next few days, the Loya Jirga will formally choose the head of state and an ethnically balanced cabinet which will go on to frame a new constitution and hold elections in less than two years. This is a formidable task in a country whose political system has been as badly ravaged as its physical infrastructure during the course of over two decades of war, civil war, violence and strife. Whatever the shortcomings of the jirga, it is encouraging that some sort of political process is underway that could pave the way for Afghanistan’s return to normality. The country desperately needs a stable government that can initiate and oversee the political and physical rebuilding of Afghanistan. The task ahead is truly mind-boggling and all Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan, must now play a constructive role in helping the country through the crucial transitional phase of normalization, rebuilding and reconstruction that is about to begin.

Ruling on child marriage

THE decision by the Peshawar High Court on Wednesday annulling the marriage of an under-age girl and allowing her, now a major, to dissolve the nikah must be welcomed as a step in the right direction both legally and socially. The rights of the minor girl in question were compromised in the name of the tribal custom of swara, which allows giving a girl in marriage to one’s adversary to settle a feud in accordance with the ruling of a jirga. The court provided relief to the girl by acknowledging her right to exercise the “option of puberty” and her own free will. The nikah was dissolved on a petition filed by the girl after she attained puberty — ten years after she had been married off at the age of six. The judgment also cited the lack of dowry — an amount a husband must offer his wife for a nikah to be valid under the Islamic law — as a ground for revoking the marriage.

The case can become a precedent-setting event in the country’s legal history, and should act as a spur for efforts at various levels to discourage child marriage. The issue has a special relevance to our social context where such marriages take place regularly under tribal, feudal and traditional customs. Although child marriage remains an illegal practice as defined by the penal code, the custom continues to be practised without hindrance in more traditional sections of society across the country, with the girl rarely, if ever, given the right to exercise her will after she attains puberty. The unequivocal decision by the high court now establishes the illegality of the practice beyond any doubt, and will go a long way in strengthening efforts to promote the values and norms of civil society in the country.

When life is threatened

IT was a close shave for four patients at the District Headquarters Hospital in Rawalpindi on Tuesday when power supply went off suddenly while they were on the operating table undergoing surgery. Hospital officials said they were not informed in advance about the maintenance work by the Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (Iesco), which suspended supply to the hospital on that day simultaneously from the two feeders serving the hospital. Unfortunately for the patients, the hospital’s back-up generator service too failed to switch on immediately because of battery failure. Luckily for them, however, the hospital managed to get its generator running before power was restored more than an hour later. The purpose of having two feeders serving the hospital was precisely so that one could act as a back-up when power was suspended for the other. But according to the hospital officials, Iesco has been frequently suspending power supply simultaneously from both feeders despite protests from the hospital.

In April, at least five notices were issued by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) about suspension of power supply in the twin cities for reasons of repair and maintenance work. In May, there were at least three such suspensions of long duration. However, residents have had to bear with a lot more unscheduled suspensions of power supply. This is not only causing hardships to the residents, especially the aged citizens who are less tolerant of the heat and the students who are preparing for their examinations. But as can be seen from Tuesday’s brush with near-death at Rawalpindi’s District Headquarters Hospital, such unscheduled suspensions also pose a serious threat to the lives of patients. Wapda and Iesco should have realized that the load on the power distribution system would increase considerably in the summer months and should have taken the necessary corrective measures well in time to improve the faulty power distribution system and the load capacity to avoid frequent interruptions.