| July 5, 2003 | Saturday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 4,1424 |
Caribbean leaders seek united front against US on ICC issue
A thaw in ties?
All about books and magazines
No one would dispute the fact that President George Bush’s fulsome support for his Pakistani counterpart President Pervez Musharraf has further improved the latter’s image in the US.
PORT OF SPAIN: Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders opened their annual summit in the Jamaican resort city of Montego Bay on Wednesday faced with a decision by the United States to blacklist Caribbean states that refused to exempt US citizens from possible prosecution under the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Apart from the much publicized visit to Camp David, where the entire Bush administration from Vice-President Dick Cheney to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice greeted him, everyone also lined up to meet him at his official residence at the hotel where he was staying.
Despite the fact that he failed to persuade the Bush administration to provide him with F-16s, President Musharraf received unreserved approval for his policies from the US government.
One US official said: “The general has done everything we have asked him to do to combat global terrorism. He has our complete support.”
When asked about democracy and the hold that the general has over Pakistani politics, the official responded: “He can do anything he wants within the parameters of the Constitution of Pakistan.”
Teresita Schaffer, a former state department official who is now director of South Asia studies at the centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reaffirmed in an interview with The New York Times: “I doubt the administration will want to link it (US support) to progress towards democracy. I don’t think this administration is too committed to those policy goals in Pakistan.
“Even though Pakistan has failed to meet its self-imposed goals for democratization, American officials are inclined to let themselves be persuaded that what is happening is OK,” she said.
When a top Pakistani government official was asked whether President Musharraf, buoyed by President Bush’s approval of his policies, would now dismiss the NWFP assembly for passing the Shariat bill without seeking approval from the general, he said: “No, he will not do that. The MMA will die its own death.”
Elaborating upon that, he said: “The MMA is undermining the very system that brought them to power in the NWFP and fetched them seats in parliament. The people will get fed up with their narrow agenda which does not address the social and economic concerns of the common Pakistani. They will lose all credibility.”
It is quite apparent that Gen Musharraf is returning to Pakistan with an improved image in the international community. He can also deal with the crisis at home without fear of any recrimination from the international community.
The sanctions that the US had imposed on Pakistan in the past were meant to stop its nuclear programme and to ensure the return of a democratic government. Now moving toward open markets may have little to do with those issues, given Pakistan’s importance as an ally in the “war on terror”.
The American people don’t seem to get enough of the scandals surrounding the Kennedy clan. The family also keeps obliging them.
This time the family is mired in a scandal involving another powerful New York family, the Cuomos.
Kerry Kennedy Cuomo is the niece of former president John F Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo is the son of ex-New York governor Mario Cuomo, an icon of the Democrats.
Last year Andrew Cuomo ran unsuccessfully for governorship of New York state. On Tuesday, the Kennedy/Cuomo lawyers announced that the couple are separating after 13 years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
But the next day Andrew Cuomo’s lawyer accused Kerry Kennedy Cuomo of “betrayal”. A close friend of Cuomo’s went a step further on Wednesday saying she had an affair with “a married man, a close friend of Andrew’s.”
The New York Daily news said in a report that Cuomo discovered the relationship by walking in on a tryst and even then tried to save the marriage.
“For the last 10 weeks, he has been trying to work it out. They sought help and therapy. But she went through the motions,” Andrew’s friend said.
Cuomo declined to comment on the situation and his wife’s spokesman told the Daily News: “ The other side is free to say whatever they want.”
“Pals of the couple said they were not surprised by the breakup of the celebrated 13-year marriage — just by the bitter way it’s unravelling.
Altogether, the United States suspended military assistance to 35 countries, including six Caribbean states, for failing to give US citizens immunity from potential war crime indictments at the ICC.
Washington’s announcement, made during a two-day retreat by the leaders ahead of the summit, prompted fears that the cut in military aid may be the prelude to reductions, or even an end to economic development assistance from the United States for some countries.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister PJ Patterson, the incoming CARICOM chairman, argued that the community was facing its most critical time in its history, with the emergence of “a unipolar force within the global village” and when “major perils exist for small countries who simply seek to exercise their hard-won rights of political sovereignty”.
“As an association of states, we must exercise sovereignty individually and collectively for the betterment of our people of the Caribbean,” Patterson said.
Like Patterson, Belize’s Prime Minister Said Musa did not identify the “forces” threatening the Caribbean’s sovereignty, but he spoke of “unilateral positions” being adopted at the international level that were seriously undermining the sovereignty and development of the region.
The matter will no doubt be further discussed when the leaders take up foreign policy issues on their packed agenda, even as conference sources acknowledged a possible “blending of positions” into a common approach to avoid “a confrontational stance with Washington”.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said simply that “friends sometimes (have) differences”.
“This is one of those occasions where our American friends and ourselves have a difference. I believe we can sort out this problem through Caricom and bilaterally,” he said. “Caricom is unified as to how we proceed, but that does not mean that we will all proceed in the same manner.”
While Washington insists that it wants only to guarantee the safety of its troops around the world, former Trinidad and Tobago head of state Arthur Robinson, a lead proponent of the ICC, described the United States as acting like a “big bully” and urged the Caribbean and other countries to unite in their condemnation of the US latest position.
Washington had given July 1 as the deadline to negotiate bilateral agreements that would exempt US personnel from the court’s jurisdiction, which encompasses crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.
Article 98 of the Rome Statute that established the ICC imposes a general obligation upon parties to cooperate fully with the court in its investigation and prosecution of crimes within the jurisdiction of the court.
Former US President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute in December 2000, but two months before it entered into force on July 1, 2002, the new administration under his successor, George W. Bush, notified the United Nations that the United States was backing out.
The recent suspension of aid covers international military education and training (IMET) funds, which mainly pay the cost of educating foreign officers at US institutions, and foreign military funding, which pays for US weapons and other aid.
The Caribbean states listed under the US suspension order include Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
Robinson said that the countries involved had to “decide on a course of action and must advocate strongly against the decision of the United States”.
“It is an extremely regressive move by the United States. It is an attack on universal criminal justice, on the international democratic institution and the ICC,” Robinson said.
“It is action taken against small countries that cannot defend themselves. It is extremely important that all countries involved unite against the unilateral actions of the US, which is contravening international law,” he said.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning, though “disappointed” at the US position, reiterated his early position that his nation’s involvement in the court from its inception made it impossible for him to change positions.
“Trinidad and Tobago was an initiator of the ICC and therefore, for us, it is a matter of principle for which we have no flexibility,” Manning said.
A former Trinidad and Tobago attorney-general, Karl Hudson Phillips, was recently elected as a judge on the ICC.
Prior to the start of the summit in Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Lester Bird signalled his intention to get regional leaders to adopt a joint position on Washington’s request.
Bird said the establishment of the ICC was of critical importance to the Caribbean, particularly since the region played an integral part in the creation of the international tribunal.
However, to date only six CARICOM countries have ratified the agreement.
“Potentially there are eight of 14 Caribbean states that could exempt the United States on the basis that they have neither signed or ratified the ICC Treaty,” Bird said, even though last month Caribbean foreign ministers rejected the US position.
Washington’s position has been met with criticism from the media in the region.
The Observer newspaper in Jamaica noted that “too often, these days, we find ourselves on the other side of issues than the United States”.
“Indeed, people cannot be blamed if there is a view that America now sees the world only through a prism of power. Its own power. So talk loudly, walk heavily. No matter who gets crushed. So long that it’s not Uncle Sam, his children, nephews and nieces,” the paper said in an editorial on Thursday.
The Trinidad Express newspaper took a similar stand, branding the action as “American injustice”.
It said that Washington, which prides itself on being democratic, just and humane, has decided to cut off military aid to several countries because of their decision to support a “court established to punish sadistic and inhumane goons found guilty of serious and reprehensible crimes against humanity, genocide among others.”—Dawn/The InterPress News Service.
There seems to be several Indian delegations in Pakistan or which have recently visited Pakistan. First a group of our legislators went, then our State Bank governor went to Bangalore to attend a conference, followed by the arrival in Pakistan of tea industry people. In the midst of all this, a delegation of Indian members of parliament, led by Kuldip Nayar, came to Pakistan and was warmly received.
The delegation which included MPs from the Congress (which held back two MPs who wanted to come), Mulayam Sigh’s Samajwadi Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), a legislator from Kashmir’s National Conference but none from the ruling BJP was given a tour of Parliament building. Even the Jamaat-i-Islami hosted a reception for the lawmakers, something that did not happen when the Pakistani MPs went to India (where the delegation was not feted by the Indian government in its official capacity). Several newspapers carried photographs of the delegation members. The Indian MPs also went to Lahore and Karachi and everywhere they went they were quite warmly received. Now, this week a massive delegation of almost 110 businessmen has gone to India including some who have crossed the border at Wagah.
Also, newspapers report, a 15-member delegation of Indian students has arrived in Karachi to work on a project at the Textile Institute of Pakistan. They have been facilitated in their arrival by a student-based organization, the Youth Initiative for Peace. Later in the week, came the momentous (at least to those who follow the India-Pakistan conflict) news that a major road in Pakistani Kashmir’s Neelum Valley had been opened to the public after nine years. The road was opened after Indian soldiers, positioned across the Line of Control (demarcated by a river) announced through loudspeakers that the strategic road would no longer be targeted. The bus service, we are told, might be resumed as early as July 11 and also that Pakistani importers had signed as agreement with Indian tea industry officials in Karachi under which India would export a “minimum of 10 million tons” of tea in Pakistan. All of this must surely be tangible proof of - though the sceptics and hawks will probably never be convinced - visible thaw in India-Pakistan relations.
After returning to India, the head of the Indian MPs delegation, Kuldip Nayar wrote of his visit in the Indian Express. His article, Circle of Mistrust was published in the newspaper on July 1. He spoke of his days as a law student in Lahore, listening to Mohammad Ali Jinnah telling students that those who kill each other in the past can always become friends tomorrow.
Mr Nayar wrote: “I recalled those words at several meetings in Pakistan while leading a team of eight members of parliament to that country. The response was overwhelming. Some people were so moved that they began to cry. It was as if I had chanced upon a reservoir of goodwill so far untapped. This was no nostalgia. This reflected the people’s desire to bury the hatchet. They want Indo-Pak relations to be cordial... Still, their doubts about India’s ‘intentions’ run deep. Many believe that New Delhi may be up to something and that talk of peace may well be ‘another ploy to harm Pakistan’. Vajpayee is trusted but nor the BJP which he leads. Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani is criticized the most... True, Kashmir was mentioned practically at every gathering. But the significant change which can be noticed is the realization that jihadis and militants are not the answer.
“For the first time, the Jamaat-i-Islami hosted a reception for an Indian delegation. They said they wanted a solution through talks... But I feel Kashmir is a symptom, not the disease. The disease is mistrust. In fact, suspicion is the core issue, not Kashmir. Were mistrust to remain, it would take another form and reappear even if we solved Kashmir... How to break the vicious circle? Most retired bureaucrats and military officials, whose opinions are taken seriously by both governments, are primarily in the way. They are probably settling personal scores at the expense of peace in the subcontinent.”
Of his own experience in assembling a group of parliamentarians to take to Pakistan, Mr Nayar wrote that many of the main political parties seem “not yet serious about making peace with Pakistan. Probably they are weighing their election prospects if there is no Pakistan horse to beat”. He said he initially met the prime minister, “who was all for it”. He wrote that he thought BJP would cooperate but it did no such thing “I approached Vijay Kumar Malhotra, the party’s spokesperson. He said he would come back to meet but never did. Surely the PM could not have stopped him. BJP President Venkatah Naidu, whom I contacted for names of BJP MPs, never returned my call. Lajpat Rai, a member of Rajya Sabha belonging to the BJP, himself approached me to be part of the team. But he did not show up. I believe the party asked him to withdraw.”
—OMAR R. QURAISHI
(email: omarq@cyber.net.pk)
IT IS all about books and magazines this time. First, about Makhzan whose very mention brings to mind the name of Sir Abdul Qadir. It was he who started this highly rated literary journal in April 1901 and kept it going till 1910. I had some bound copies in the library inherited from my father but these were borrowed by a famous literary figure of the country and, as usual, never returned. I remember having seen contributions in it by a plain Abdul Qadir and someone called Muhammad Iqbal.
Many years later, a magazine with the same name came out under the editorship of Hafeez Jallandhri but could not survive. It was again revived in the 1940s under the editorship of Maulana Hamid Ali Khan but had to close down as the Maulana accepted an offer from Maktaba-i-Franklin and took over its reins. It now goes to the credit of the Quaid-i-Azam Library for reviving Makhzan once again. It was in 2001 that they produced the magazine as a six-monthly publication. On top of it, they induced a person of the calibre of Dr Waheed Qureshi to assume its editorship and gave him a panel of eminent writers on the editorial board. A detailed history of the Makhzan has already been published in the second issue of the magazine produced by the library.
The latest issue of Makhzan has some interesting articles. One is a research piece by Dr Akhtar Shumar on the poetry of the legendary Bhartarihari which impressed even Allama Iqbal. Another is a personalised sketch of Prof Muhammad Hassan-al-Azmi Al-Azhari by Muhammad Hasan Farooqi and a long, autobiographical article by the renowned artist, Aslam Kamal.
An article by my Model Town friend, Dr Daud Rahbar, on the ‘flavour’ of Urdu, is also interesting to read. He quotes his younger brother, Muhammad Ilyas, who had joined the Pakistan Air Force, as having told him that the service had once adopted Urdu words of command for parade which not only created a lot of confusion but also led to a mushaira-like situation on the parade ground. This has come to me like something of a news. Ilyas and I have been together in the PAF for years and I never heard of any such incident. Ilyas died many years ago. It was only after I returned from deputation in Saudi Arabia and was posted at the PAF Base, Sargodha in 1974, that I came to know that the parade was being conducted in Urdu. Although my base commander excused me from attending those parades as I was not conversant with the new words of command, nor was it proper to put me through the drill during the last years of my service, yet the parades went on as usual. I don’t think the new words of command created any farcical situation.
WHEN I received a book by Shor Sehbai, I thought it would be of poetry. At least the name on the cover suggested that. But it turned out to be a book of prose, and that, too, by someone who has never written poetry. It is also strange that it is despite the fact that Shor Sehbai’s grandfather, Figar Lukhnawi, excelled in the qasidas, and that his father, Waqar Lukhnawi, was a prominent pupil of Arzoo Lukhnawi. Born in 1934 and named Iqbal Raza Khan, he was given the name Shor Sehbai by the editor of Riyasat of Delhi, Dewan Singh Maftoon, who carried his short stories in his magazine. His first collection of stories, Kantey, was published in 1947 in Lukhnow, and later a novel, Rashk-i-Baharan, by Ferozsons of Lahore in 1970. He also edited the monthly Aks-i-Lateef of Karachi for about eight years.
The book before me is Shor Sehbai’s Harf-i-Barehna. I have read it with interest as it contains nine pen pictures of literary figures, five of whom I have known personally. It is in no way an assessment of their literary capabilities but only contains highly personalised accounts.
Among those mentioned in the book is Dr Agha Suhail, former head of the FC College Urdu department, who I can claim is a friend. Then there is a character sketch of the late Shahid Naqvi, a permanent resident of Model Town, Lahore, who settled in Karachi for various reasons. A poet of high standard, he remained in contact with me and sent me both his collections, Saughat and Peshkash, besides a book on ‘azadari’. As assessed by the renowned literary critic, Muhammad Ali Siddiqi, his poetry is a mixture of the creative works of Josh, Ali Sardar Jafri and Faiz. But then some of his poems are so romantic that they remind one of Akhtar Shirani.
Another person close to me in the book is Rattan Singh. I met him in 1999 when he visited Lahore and stayed with Dr Agha Suhail. Several functions were held here in his honour.
Born in a small village near Narowal, he matriculated in 1945 but was forced to migrate in the wake of partition. Ending up in Lukhnow, he continued his education and came under the influence of such known literary figures and teachers as Prof Ehtisham Husain and Aal-i-Ahmad Suroor. The result is that today he has several collections of short stories and poems. During his stay in Lahore he read out a long poem in Punjabi expressing his feelings while moving out for ever from his native land. It was extremely moving.
Harf-i-Barehna has been tastefully published by Irtiqa Matbooat of Karachi and is priced at Rs125.
— ASHFAQUE NAQVI