| September 28, 2002 | Saturday | Rajab 20, 1423 |
Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)
Sibi train disaster
Curbs on smoking
ONE must welcome the warmth expressed by President George Bush while accepting the credentials of Pakistan’s new ambassador in Washington. The US president spoke of the help Washington received from Pakistan in the “war on terror” and referred to the country “as a vital and stalwart friend” and America’s “key partner.” More significantly, he pledged to deepen cooperation with Pakistan in all sectors, including military and economic. There is no doubt that Sept 11 has brought Pakistan and the US closer than one could have thought possible prior to the traumatic event. Ever since the Pressler Amendment went into effect during the presidency of George Bush Sr, US-Pakistan relations were on a downward course. Bilateral ties hit a new low when Pakistan tested nuclear devices in May 1998 and the military seized power in October 1999. President Clinton’s five-hour stop-over in Islamabad as against his five-day tour of India served to highlight the gulf that then existed between Islamabad and Washington. However, that phase is over now, and Pakistan and America, in the words of President Bush, today “stand shoulder to shoulder” in the war against international terrorism.
A consequence of the closer relationship between Islamabad and Washington is America’s involvement with South Asia. The US is now very much in the picture so far as the Pakistan-India equation is concerned. India may insist on bilateralism and may disapprove of any outside efforts to iron out the differences between the two countries. But the force of circumstances has left the world community, especially the sole superpower, with no choice but to involve itself actively with the threatening political and military developments in the subcontinent. In May and June, following the massing of troops by India on Pakistan’s border, the US played a key role in averting what might have been a catastrophic war in South Asia. But the threat of war is still there, for more than a million men are still locked in a state of eyeball-to-eyeball military confrontation.
There also seems to be a growing realization in the US that Kashmir is the root cause of Indo-Pakistan tensions and that, unless this issue is resolved, there is little hope that the danger of an armed conflict in South Asia can subside. The US deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, has pertinently pointed out that Kashmir is on the international agenda. Regretfully, India is in no mood to think of a negotiated settlement of the Kashmir dispute or even to establish a line of communication with Islamabad. The US appears at the moment to be supportive of the election in Kashmir, but a clear lack of interest among the Kashmiris in the process should eventually help clarify minds in Washington. Given its growing friendship with India, America is in a position to make New Delhi see reason. India’s refusal to talk to Pakistan is indefensible. If there is no dialogue, the present stand-off will continue, with all the possibility of a war by miscalculation or accident. This is in addition to the financial cost the two countries are paying because of the continued stand-off on the border. This will nullify one of America’s major aims in Pakistan — to help the country develop its human resource base, attract foreign investment and enable its people, as Mr Bush put it, to “lead better lives.”
THURSDAY morning’s train crash near Sibi claimed twelve lives and injured some 60 people, some of them seriously. Train accidents of a similar kind, where sabotage was often suspected but never proved, have claimed nearly 2,000 lives over the past ten years. In many cases, poor maintenance of engines, rail tracks and other infrastructure installations, together with human error, have been the causes behind big and small train disasters in the past. In the present instance, it seems the railway bridge which collapsed and caused the Quetta Express to derail, was in a decrepit state. This is surprising, to say the least, as the Sibi-Quetta track is located on the mainline that connects Quetta with the rest of the country. If the tracks, bridges and tunnels on this section of the mainline lack the required level of maintenance and repair, these shortcomings must be removed without the least delay in order to avoid similar, possibly bigger, disasters in the future.
While the Pakistan Railways has done quite a bit of streamlining and upgrading of tracks and infrastructure on the main north-south corridor in recent years, it seems a similar process has been lacking in the case of the east-west — Sukkur-Quetta — corridor. This is despite the fact that Quetta is not only an important but also a profit-yielding destination on the railway’s network. As expected, the PR chairman has ordered an inquiry into Thursday’s crash. Hopefully, once the findings of the inquiry are in we will know the exact cause of the disaster. If it turns out that the crash was not the result of an act of sabotage, which very likely will be the case, those found guilty of errors, omissions or negligence must be held accountable for their lapses. The railway continues to be the most convenient and popular mode of public transport in the country, and it is important that passengers should feel safe while travelling on Quetta-Sukkur or any other railway routes.
THE federal cabinet’s approval of an ordinance to protect non-smokers and minors from smoking is a much-needed, long overdue step. The Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smokers Health Ordinance of 2002 bans smoking in government offices and buildings, schools, and in public transport. The sale of cigarettes and other substances containing tobacco to persons under the age of 18 years is also to be banned to contain the growing ranks of teenage smokers. However, having a good law on the statute book is one thing and ensuring its enforcement quite another.
Cigarette companies have been saying for quite some time that they did not sell to anyone under the age of 18. But even a cursory look at much of our television programming will reveal that many shows targeting young teenagers are sponsored by tobacco manufacturers. In fact, some of the government’s own organizations have made documentaries after entering into similar sponsorship deals. Even a well-meaning restriction like the one placed some time ago barring cigarette advertisements on television before 9.30 pm has been circumvented by tobacco firms through sponsorship of sports events. Also, many music shows and concerts catering to younger audiences are broadcast after this time and they invariably have tobacco firms as sponsors. The other major problem has to do with implementation. One does not expect each and every government functionary to follow and enforce this anti-smoking law in letter and spirit but it is distressing to see many government officials among those who violate existing no-smoking zones in public places such as airports. Non-smokers actually risk ridicule if they request a government functionary such as a law enforcement official to ask those smoking to respect the law and stop. Just like any law, the success of this anti-smoking measure will lie in its enforcement.