WMD: a monstrous hoax

“THE plot thickens” is how any avid reader of Agatha Christie’s novel would react to the news that a British scientist closely involved with intelligence on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was found dead close to his Oxfordshire home on Friday. David Kelly was among the top British officials involved with the probe into Iraq’s alleged possession of WMDs. An expert on biological warfare, Kelly was also a UN arms inspector. His death comes in the wake of reports that he was suspected to be the man behind the BBC report that claimed that the British dossier on Iraq’s elusive WMDs had been “sexed up.” The report specially pointed the finger of suspicion for doctoring at Alastair Campbell, Downing Street’s communications director. On the whole, 11 changes were made in the dossier text to prove that Baghdad posed a threat not only to Israel and Iraq’s neighbours but to the whole world. The BBC also said that on Campbell’s insistence, the “dodgy dossier” included the words “45 minutes” to try to prove that Iraq’s WMDs could reach their target in such a short time. Campbell has denied the allegation, but Kelly’s death has served to add both to the mystery and to the lies that have gone into the making of a case for a war on Iraq.

The British media has already declared Kelly’s death “an immense blow” to Tony Blair’s government. But it is not a British affair alone, and there is every possibility that the shock waves from Kelly’s mysterious death will travel across the Atlantic to rattle the other end of the spider’s web. In Washington, the CIA is on the defensive, more so because President George Bush on his African tour tried to shift the blame onto the agency for misinforming him on the WMD issue. The president said his State of the Union speech had been cleared by the CIA, but George Tenet, the director, now admits he should have had the bit about the Iraq-Niger uranium deal deleted. The Bush speech had included the British claim that Iraq had tried to acquire uranium from Niger to build nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Colin Powell did not consider this British claim reliable enough to be included in his speech to the Security Council.

Both Mr Blair and Mr Bush still stand by their claims that the war was justified because Iraq possessed WMDs. But where those WMDs are and why the occupation authorities have not been able to uncover them more than three months after the fall of Baghdad are questions that both conveniently ignore. What stands out as a patent fact is that the whole case for the Anglo-American attack on Iraq was based on deliberate concoctions, lies and forgeries of monstrous proportions. Both America and Britain threw all moral and ethical considerations overboard in their frantic drive to make out a case against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. These are normally tactics and devices that authoritarian or expansionist rulers adopt in pursuit of their designs. That two democratic government leaders should have resorted to such deceit is indeed shocking beyond belief. In contrast, Saddam Hussein, who was incontinently reviled by both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, comes out in a better light. He was a ruthless tyrant about whom few people, including his own, have kind words to say. But the truth is that at least on the question of WMDs he stands exonerated and it is Mr Bush and Mr Blair who now have to do all the explaining to their shocked people and to those of the world.

Learning from Malaysia

THE visit of a Malaysian tourism delegation is a good occasion for Pakistan to learn a lot from this South-East Asian country’s remarkable tourism success. To a tourist, Malaysia has a lot to offer: beaches, lush forests, and a fascinating cultural and ethnic blend derived from three sources — China, South Asia and Europe. Its economic infrastructure is well developed, and foreign tourists can find accommodation to suit every purse. Air, rail and land transport systems are of high standards and inter-connected, and a modern managerial class runs the tourist industry. After 9/11, Arabs, too, have started coming to Malaysia as a tourist and holiday destination. No wonder, 13.3 million tourists visited the country last year. The rise in income has also led to a boom in domestic tourism, with the tourism industry contributing $11.2 billion to national income last year. Another contributing factor has been Malaysia’s self-projection, presenting itself as a modern country endowed with an abundance of scenic and cultural richness.

Pakistan has great tourism potential, especially in the Northern Area, where three of the world’s highest mountains meet. But the country lacks an adequate tourist infrastructure, and there is no significant domestic tourism yet. Its biggest disadvantage is an unhelpful image abroad — of a country where armed fanatics are out to kill all ‘infidels’. Most of it exaggerated by the western media, but such an impression is not entirely baseless. The murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, the death of 11 French engineers in a suicide attack, the blast at the US consulate in Karachi, and attacks every now and then on mosques and churches have given Pakistan a bad name. In contrast, Malaysia is a picture of tranquillity. If Pakistan wants to exploit its enormous tourism potential, it must first improve its image. No tourist will come to this country if he thinks his life will be at risk. What is needed is a real effort on the part of the government and the people to set their house in order, ensure a peaceful environment and improve services and facilities connected with tourism.

More rain fatalities

NINE more people were killed and scores were left injured as another short but heavy spell of rain lashed Karachi in the early hours of Saturday. The latest fatalities bring the number of people killed in this week’s rains to 29. Saturday’s rain was the most intense of the current season — the Met recorded 34 millimetres within a matter of minutes — and left Karachi in a bad shape: roads were flooded, cars stalled, trees, power lines and signboards fell and water and power supply breakdowns were frequent and widespread. The recurrence of these conditions every time it rains goes only to show a near-complete breakdown of the city’s civic infrastructure.

The high number of rain fatalities could have been reduced considerably if the civic authorities had prepared for dealing with such eventualities in advance. For once the Met office had issued warnings to this effect shortly before the rainy season began, but these fell on deaf ears. Even after seeing the current high death toll, the city government has set up no emergency units to deal with rain and its aftermath. The sewerage and sanitation situation, from well-off city suburbs to the low-lying areas, remains lamentable as there is no attempt by the civic authorities to clean up the mess left behind by the rains. The stagnant puddles and ponds risk becoming breeding grounds for insects and may lead to outbreaks of epidemics like malaria, cholera and many infectious diseases. It is high time the authorities concerned got their act together. An emergency public advisory is indeed in order, so that people are informed of the many dangers that lurk in the aftermath of the rain and how to avoid them or minimize their impact.