| November 9, 2003 | Sunday | Ramazan 13, 1424 |
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Ankara’s reversal
Increasing suicides
FOREIGN minister Khurshid Kasuri’s visit to Brussels this week and his meetings with key European Union officials will deepen a relationship long in need of a boost. The free and frank exchange of views, in which each side has touched on areas of common concern, will pave the way for better understanding of each other’s points of view and compulsions. What is encouraging is that Pakistan has woken up to the importance of the EU as a major political and economic bloc with distinct views and prescriptions of its own. It is a group of 15 West European countries that act jointly in areas such as agriculture, commerce, foreign policy, justice, environment, social policy and economic and monetary policy matters in the common interest of its members. There is now a single European market of 370 million people spread across these countries. The EU has a common agricultural policy and speaks with one voice at the World Trade Organization and other international forums. More importantly, in its final shape, when it grows to 25 members, the European Union will be the world’s largest trading bloc, a single market of 500 million people.
The importance of Mr Kasuri’s visit to Brussels lies in the fact that it has brought Pakistan back on the EU’s political agenda. Pakistan’s relations with the EU are not restricted to political matters alone. The EU is one of Pakistan’s biggest trading partners as well as one of its major sources of assistance. It accounts for 30 per cent of Pakistan’s exports (the US accounts for 23 per cent). In exports, Pakistan is the EU’s 13th largest supplier of textiles and clothing. Keeping all this in mind, it makes good sense for Pakistan to try to deepen its ties with the EU. In the past, the EU has been critical of some of Pakistan’s policies and actions. On the top of the list is Pakistan’s transition to democracy which has to still run its course. In this context, the EU feels concerned about Pakistan’s political direction and the predominant role of the military in the country’s politics. It also has its reservations about Pakistan’s regional role and the charges that it is helping Islamic militants in both Kashmir and Afghanistan. In this context, the EU has publicly called on Islamabad to stop cross-border infiltration into Kashmir and respond positively to Delhi’s offer of confidence-building measures to improve bilateral relations. The main thrust of the EU’s concern has been stability in the South Asian region.
Mr Kasuri has been able to address these concerns to some extent and give Pakistan’s point of view on these. Apart from drawing the EU’s attention to the implications of India acquiring new sophisticated weapons, the foreign minister has also been able to explain issues relating to Afghanistan and the US-led war on terror. His visit came on the heels of a similar visit by the Indian foreign minister who put across his country’s position on various issues. It is now up to Pakistan to move ahead with the goodwill created at Brussels and work towards a more productive relationship with the EU. This will pave the way for wider cooperation and understanding between the two on matters of common concern. An agreement on more comprehensive cooperation is also expected. Such a pact will be of benefit to both sides, and will help strengthen relations with an important world player, much to the advantage of Pakistan.
TURKEY’s reversal of its decision to send troops to Iraq should help take domestic pressure off the government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Last month, the parliament’s decision to authorize the government to deploy troops in Iraq had touched off a major row in Turkish politics. Opposition parties accused the government of giving in to American pressure and endangering Turkish lives. Washington, of course, welcomed the move from Nato’s only Muslim member and thought it would have a favourable impact on other Muslim countries whom the US had approached for donating troops for deployment in Iraq. However, the move was opposed by both the US-installed Iraqi Governing Council and the Arab League.
There are several reasons why the Iraqis would not want Turkish troops on their soil. There is this long history of Turkish rule over Iraq that ended after World War I. Then, during the cold war, Turkey was a major American ally and often adopted a posture that the Iraqis thought was hostile to the interests of Arab nationalism. Turkey’s recognition of Israel also did not go down well with the Arab world. During the first Gulf war, Turkey provided close support to the US-led coalition for the war on Iraq. Then there is the Kurdish question. Kurds live on both sides of the border, and Turkish troops have often forayed into Iraq in operations against Kurdish guerrilla groups. Also, Ankara has been uneasy about the consequences in case the Iraqi state structure broke up. In such an eventuality, an independent Iraqi Kurdish state could spark trouble in Turkey’s Kurdish majority area. The reversal of the decision is unlikely to strain US-Turkish relations, for Washington knows it is the Iraqi Governing Council which nullified the earlier decision. Turkish government circles feel confident that the US will release the 8.5 billion dollar loan it has promised to Turkey. The opposition, too, should welcome the reversal of the deployment decision. In brief, the Erdogan government has gained on both domestic and diplomatic counts. Pakistan would do well to take stock of these developments while considering the question of sending troops to Iraq.
THE recent act of suicide by a man in Karachi who burned his four children and then killed himself, can only be committed in a state of extreme desperation or psychological imbalance. This form of protest is on the rise as unemployed, desperate men and women make one last statement against the state of affairs that reduces them and their families to utter destitution. The rise in the number of suicide cases is an indication of the feeling of utter frustration and despondency affecting a growing number of people and their families. Statistics compiled on suicides reveal that 153 committed this act in 1996 while in 2002, this figure had risen to over 3,100. According to figures compiled by the World Health Organization, approximately one million people commit suicide annually across the globe. Of these 10 per cent take place in South Asia. In Pakistan, one of the main reasons people choose to take their own lives is economic deprivation.
Unemployment and a rise in inflation as a consequence of which a person simply cannot support himself or his family is a predominant reason for suicide. Mental and psychological disorders are yet another reason for the high suicide rate. Mental health in Pakistan is an area that has been long neglected. In this, the big killer is depression for which little help is at hand to deal with the growing problem. While the government claims an economic turnaround, it is evident that the benefits have not trickled down to the common man. It is time the government took cognizance of the rise in suicide rates in the country and came up with some sort of plan that includes an improved health support system as well better strategies for job creation and price relief for the common people. Only thus can a major cause for suicide be gradually contained.