| June 27, 2002 | Thursday | Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1423 |
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Karachi budget
A tragic loss
REPORTS say that the Bush administration has given the green signal for Ariel Sharon to attack Hezbollah bases in Syria. More important, stories in the American media would have the world believe that Hezbollah’s “arsenal” has of late increased because of constant supplies from Syria and Iran. For that reason, the Bush administration would lift the restraint which previous American governments had exercised on Tel Aviv and give the ‘go ahead’ for an attack on Syria. In any case, the reports suggest, Damascus is considered by Washington “a junior partner” in the “axis of evil.”
Together with reports of a possible US attack on Iraq for allegedly possessing, or trying to develop, weapons of mass destruction, the feelers about Syria must send shivers across the world. Already, the situation in the Middle East is grim because of what appears to be an Israeli decision to reoccupy parts of the West Bank and stay there indefinitely. This reoccupation is a continuation of the Israeli blitz that began in April and has continued to this day. These “incursions” have destroyed all symbols of Palestinian statehood besides involving murder of civilians, including the massacre in Jenin. All along these atrocities and violations of laws of war, Israel has enjoyed the Bush administration’s full backing. The greatest victory for Sharon came on Monday when President Bush announced his long-awaited new initiative on the Middle East. The speech fully endorsed the Israeli line and focused not on the question of self-determination for the people of Palestine but on the personality of Yasser Arafat — his fitness to rule. No wonder, with his policy of reoccupation of Palestinian territories receiving full American backing, Sharon should look for greater glory elsewhere.
Syria has always been a thorn in Sharon’s side because of its refusal to surrender the Golan Heights, which Israel has annexed illegally. Sharon also cannot forget the reverses Israel suffered at the hands of Hezbollah, forcing its humiliating retreat from southern Lebanon. Syria played a crucial role in hastening that pull-out. Now, however, Sharon thinks time is opportune for him, for he can turn America’s war on terrorism into a campaign for advancing Israel’s expansionist aims. One hopes saner counsel will yet prevail and the US will not let Israel trigger another war in the Middle East. The issue in the Middle East is not Syria, nor Iraq, but an end to Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian land. The Syrian-Iraqi bogey merely serves as a decoy for Israel to turn the world’s attention away from its renunciation of the Oslo peace process and its arrogant denial of the political and territorial rights of the Palestinians.
THE Karachi City District Government’s first budget with a total outlay of Rs 20.5 billion for the next fiscal year may seem rather ambitious, but considering that the KDA, MDA, LDA and several Sindh government departments — with all their resources and liabilities — now stand merged with the city government, the said amount is really not that hefty a sum. Similarly, Rs 6.3 billion allocated for various development projects may only be just what is required to complete many planned and on-going projects. However, that the city government has managed to present a budget having a surplus of nearly Rs 40 million is encouraging in that this amount will come in handy in meeting unforeseen contingencies that may arise in the course of the year. Mercifully, the budget does not include any new taxes, even though it offers no relief in terms of a lowering of any of the existing taxes. Allocations have been made to upgrade some schools, improve a number of busy city roads and intersections, streamline the existing health services, construct a number of flyovers, parks, an inter-city bus terminal, a parking plaza and extend the water and sewerage system to some kutchi abadis. These are among the much-needed civic amenities. The city government also plans to set up an information technology university, an IT park and a women’s university, and has allocated some start-up capital to get these projects off the ground.
The outlay also includes a Rs 40 million allocation to construct a mosque and a religious academy and five million rupees to set up a radio station the city government intends to use for ‘character building’ and for promoting Urdu and Arabic. Clearly, there is no need to allocate funds for the said purposes as enough money is available for mosques and madressahs with the Auqaf department through the Zakat fund and other charitable endowments. As for the radio station, the city already has a number of these and there is no need for yet another. The money thus saved can be spent more usefully on improving the inadequate hospital facilities, for which only Rs 30 million has been earmarked. Provision of clean drinking water is another critical area that could do with an increased allocation. One important sector that has been totally overlooked is public transport. The defunct Karachi Circular Railway finds no mention in the budget proposals, nor have any funds been provided for improving the chaotic public transport sector.
THE death in mysterious circumstances of former minister Omar Asghar Khan represents a tragic loss to the nation. His death in the prime of his life has deprived the country of a promising young politician of a new breed. Educated, articulate and socially committed, Omar Asghar’s route to politics was radically different from that of most other entrants to the field. Despite being the son of Air Marshal (retd.) Asghar Khan, a politician known for his integrity, Omar Asghar broke with tradition and decided to engage in development activity to reach the people rather than benefiting from his father’s political legacy. Through his NGO, Sungi, he worked for many years at the grassroots level with dedication, mainly in the Hazara division of the NWFP. While labour relations were his speciality, Omar Asghar was also a passionate advocate of women’s empowerment, protection of forests and the rights of people displaced by development projects, particularly the Tarbela Dam.
When he was chosen by General Musharraf to become a federal minister, many of his colleagues in the NGO movement were unhappy about his decision to become part of a military government. However, Omar defended the decision and often spoke out strongly in cabinet meetings in support of the causes he espoused. A passionate advocate of devolution, Omar had the arduous task of steering the process through while in government. His decision to leave the cabinet and form his own party seemed to mark the beginning of a new phase in his life and career — which, alas, was to prove tragically short-lived. What drove Omar Asghar to commit suicide, at a time when a promising career lay ahead of him, remains a deep mystery. The government must conduct a thorough inquiry into the circumstances of his death to ensure that it was not the result of any foul play. His death has not only cut short a career full of promise but has also deprived the country of an ardent advocate of a new kind of politics.