Powell’s ‘no’ to peace

US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s speech on Sunday virtually rules out the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the Iraqi crisis. In a statement that appeared out of character with what till then was a moderate voice on the issue, Mr Powell made it clear that the Bush administration would act “alone or in a coalition of the willing.” However, he put emphasis on “alone”, because Washington knows that the world, including some of America’s allies across the Atlantic, are strongly opposed to any military action against Iraq except on the basis of clear evidence of that country’s culpability on grounds of possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or a violation of the November 7 Security Council resolution requiring Iraq to fully cooperate with the UN inspectors in the process of their investigations. Even though the UN inspectors have been in Iraq for several weeks now, no evidence of Baghdad’s possession of the WMDs or its being engaged in developing these has turned up so far.

The Powell speech, delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, must be also considered from another angle: it shows a lack of faith in the United Nations as the final arbiter on the question of Iraq’s possession of the WMDs or its violation of the Security Council resolution on the weapons inspections. Most countries are also of firm view that it would be downright wrong to attack Iraq except on the basis of clear authorization by the UN. How else can one explain Mr Powell’s dismissive view that the UN inspection process has run its course? The whole world wants the UN inspectors to be given more time to do their job. Even British Prime Minister Tony Blair has in a recent statement demanded that the inspectors be given “more time and space.”

On January 9, the chief UN inspector, Mr Hans Blix, added to Washington’s discomfiture by declaring that his team had found “no smoking gun.” Since then, the Bush administration’s policy has tended to show contempt for the UN and the inspectors and emphasize more and more America’s unilateralism in global affairs. Mr Powell declared that his country reserved “the sovereign right” to attack Iraq because he found Baghdad’s cooperation with the inspectors “inadequate.” He also spoke of a “nexus” between the Iraqi government and terrorists. This again is a new discovery, because in the aftermath of 9/11 Washington had never accused Iraq of being in league with Osama bin Laden or Al Qaeda. In the event of military invasion, an American victory is, of course, a foregone conclusion. The more important question, however, is what happens after that pyrrhic victory. The Saddam regime will, no doubt, be overthrown, but the likely collapse of the Iraqi state structure would amount to opening a can of worms. The Kurds in the north may be tempted to declare an independent state, and this will have a destabilizing effect on Turkey and Iran as well. America’s devastating fire power would also cause more civilian casualties than those that occurred during the last Gulf war. This will only serve to add to anti-American feelings in the Arab and Islamic world and most certainly strengthen those very forces that America’s war on terror is meant to contain. Also to lose face will be “moderate” Arab and Muslim rulers who have aligned themselves in good faith with America in its war on terror.

Our own satellite

THE commissioning of Pakistan’s first communication satellite is an encouraging sign that at least on some fronts we are managing to keep up with the rest of the world. The government has said that it hopes PAKSAT-1, taken on a lease from an American corporation, will be an important tool in disseminating education and scientific knowledge among Pakistani communities within the country and also those living abroad. Speaking at the inauguration, President Pervez Musharraf said that four channels with educational programming will be beamed by the satellite and will help in furthering the objective of providing free education. It is expected that PAKSAT-1 will also help augment the country’s burgeoning Internet network and could be used to enhance the capacity and quality of the nation’s telecom network. The president further said that the satellite could serve as a useful link between Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim world in the spread of knowledge.

One hopes that now that we have our own satellite in space, the government will also pay attention to other much-neglected areas of scientific education, technology and research. This is important because just having a satellite in space for advancing knowledge is not enough if there is no corresponding improvement in the quality of the human capital employed in the fields of education and research. This also means that the presentation and quality of our educational programmes, as much as their content and direction, will have to be considerably improved if the government is to use it as a channel for disseminating knowledge. Unfortunately, official efforts at facilitating exchange of knowledge are usually such that the flow of information is often one-sided or skewed. The official approach to education ignores important aspects like developing critical faculties of young learners and a spirit of inquiry in them. One sincerely hopes that this will not be the case when PAKSAT-1 comes into play.

Enough is enough

HOURS after the supply of gas to Punjab and the NWFP was restored following the recent attacks on two pipelines, a transmission line, not far from the scene of previous attacks, was once again blown up on Friday. As a result, gas supplies have been suspended once again, causing heavy losses to industry and untold misery to the millions affected by the severe cold wave in the north of the country. The authorities believe that the attacks are linked to the on-going fighting between the Bugti and Mazari tribes. Bugti tribesmen, armed with an array of heavy artillery, have been firing rockets and rocket-propelled grenades from their strongholds in Balochistan into Mazari villages that straddle Punjab and Sindh. The outgunned Mazari villagers have been forced to dig trenches outside their homes to defend themselves against this fierce onslaught.

What is most alarming is the seeming helplessness of the law enforcement agencies, which seem to be sitting back and watching this sensitive area become a virtual battle zone over the last few weeks. The authorities must wake up and act before there is any major loss of human lives and any further damage to the vital oil and gas installations in the area. The Bugti-Mazari conflict, with its origins in some obscure sleight by one sardar to another, cannot be allowed to bring the wheels of industry to a grinding halt in large parts of the country and cause so much suffering to a large section of the people. It is time for the authorities to say enough is enough. The hard-pressed economy simply cannot afford frequent disruptions in the flow of gas. The government, of course, should persist in efforts to mediate between the tribes to bring an end to the strife. The tribes, which have persistently refused any form of mediation by the authorities, may prove amenable to mediation by prominent neutral figures. Failing such efforts, the law enforcement agencies must move in to end the fighting and enforce the writ of the law.