| November 26, 2002 | Tuesday | Ramazan 20, 1423 |
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Back to ‘turf wars’
Rocking the CPLC boat
IN its very first attempt at shedding some light on its foreign policy priorities, Pakistan’s civilian government has held out an olive branch to India. In an interview with this newspaper, Mian Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, the new foreign minister, said improving relations with India was a top priority in Islamabad’s foreign policy agenda. Pakistan, he said, wanted to improve relations with India and wished “peace and prosperity” to its people. The Jamali government, he said, was prepared to go half way or “maybe a step further” to improve ties with India. By any standards, this is a positive move and constitutes a major effort on the part of the new government to normalize relations with India.
The significance of Mr Kasuri’s interview should be seen against the background of what has been happening in South Asia now for about a year. Following the terrorist attack on the Indian parliament building last December, India rushed troops to Pakistan’s borders after blaming Islamabad for the attack. India refused Pakistan’s offer of a joint inquiry; it also turned down an FBI offer of an impartial probe. Instead, it chose to threaten Pakistan with war, with Prime Minister Vajpayee asking his troops to get ready for a “decisive fight.” The military stand-off between the two escalated to a point where the international community feared a devastating conflict in the subcontinent. However, thanks to efforts by the world community, a war was averted and a de-escalatory process began in October. All along these harrowing months, Pakistan repeatedly offered unconditional talks to India to end the military confrontation and solve all issues, including Kashmir, but the response from the other side was invariably negative.
Now, in the changed context, the two countries have a chance to make a new beginning. There is now a civilian government in Islamabad, while there are moves on the Indian side that indicate a greater realization on the part of New Delhi to adopt a realistic approach to the Kashmir issue. The recent election in held Kashmir is no way a substitute for the Kashmiri people’s demand for self-determination. This has been acknowledged by the world, including saner minds in India. The recent moves by the Kashmir Committee headed by Mr Jethmalani speak of a realization in India that there can only be a negotiated solution to the Kashmir problem.
India can help break the ice by abandoning its “no talks” policy. Indeed, it can set the pace for a normalization process by agreeing to attend the summit meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Islamabad in January next year. As of now the fate of the summit remains obscure because of India’s failure to confirm its participation. An Indian decision to attend, besides being desirable, could doubtless have a favourable impact on the geopolitical climate in South Asia. The summit could also give the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers an opportunity to meet on the sidelines and have useful exchanges. Later, they could follow this up by further moves to restore full diplomatic relations and resume air, rail and road links. As Mr Kasuri said, the military stand-off had a negative impact on economic development in South Asia. A normalization process could reverse this trend and help speed up economic development in Pakistan and India.
THE on-going ‘turf war’ between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) falls into a pattern, in which the law enforcement agencies are playing a pivotal role. Haqiqi was forced to surrender its power bases — dubbed as ‘no go’ areas by its rivals — in parts of Korangi, Landhi and Malir. These were bases where they were earlier installed under official auspices. The ensuing protests, including women’s rallies, have been put down with force. A number of vehicles, the charred body of a young man in his 20s, and several injuries caused to protesters have been the toll so far of the law enforcement agencies’ meddling and highhandedness. Fearful citizens brace themselves for more.
The action, for short-term political gain, by the law enforcement agencies is wholly abhorrent and unacceptable. It makes a mockery of enforcing the writ of law by creating undue panic and unrest among the citizens, and can plunge Karachi into a deeper political crisis, which, as recent history shows, could well mean violent and bloody street battles between the rival groups. At a time when elected governments are taking charge at the provincial and federal levels, whose interests would it serve to create mayhem in Karachi, the economic nerve centre of the country? Certainly not Pakistan’s. It is time the agencies concerned were told to stop their antics. Their role must be restricted to enforcing law and order without being an instrument for furthering the agenda of one party at the expense of the other. Given the delicate situation facing the country both internally and regionally, Karachi simply cannot afford a rerun of the bloody 1990s.
THERE are disturbing reports of moves to oust the chief of the highly respected Citizens Police Liaison Committee and to replace him with a former colleague. Certain members of the CPLC have reportedly asked the Sindh governor to remove the present incumbent, Jameel Yusuf, from his post. When news of these moves reached Mr Yusuf, he sought a vote of confidence from all the chiefs and deputy chiefs of the institution. All but two of the 13 members supported him through a secret ballot. This overwhelming mandate proves that only a small disgruntled minority, in league with the ambitious former chief and certain influential figures, had any interest in staging a coup against the incumbent. The move is a misguided one that could seriously harm the reputation and effectiveness of an institution that has worked hard for years to build its reputation and credibility.
A brainchild of former Governor Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, the CPLC has worked tirelessly for 13 years as a bridge between the police and the public. It has assisted victims of crime who were too afraid to lodge a complaint with the police fearing that they would be implicated in false cases or be asked for bribes. The CPLC played an important role in combating the alarming outbreak of kidnapping for ransom in Sindh in the nineties. It also offered invaluable assistance to victims of car theft and created a computerized database to help trace stolen vehicles and introduced a number of innovative methods to ensure more efficient crime control and prevention. The current moves and manoeuvres to gain ‘control’ of the CPLC for personal or group reasons could undermine many of these efforts. The government must assure the public that no such intrigues and designs shall be allowed to succeed and no steps will be taken to jeopardize the future of the CPLC. The question is not one of saving certain individuals but of saving an institution that has been rendering valuable services to the people.