| 21 February 2004 | Saturday | 29 Zilhaj 1424 |
Wrong signal
Wedding celebrations
By any standards Israel's new "disengagement plan" is dangerous, and if carried out, will sow seeds of more violence. The plan was presented officially on Thursday by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to a team of American officials.
It disguises Mr Sharon's desire to annex more West Bank land while ostensibly presenting itself as a solution to the settlements question. As revealed to US officials, it visualizes the dismantling of all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and some in the West Bank. However, it proposes planting Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip in the West Bank and strengthening settlements already existing in what the Zionists like to call Judea and Samaria.
The scheme should be seen against the backdrop of the "wall" which Israel is building. The purported aim of the wall, or fence, is to stop suicide-bombers from entering Israel from the West Bank but the real objective is to grab as much Palestinian land as possible before an independent Palestinian state comes into being.
The American team welcomed the dismantling of the Gaza settlements but opposed the settlers' rehabilitation in the West Bank. The American diplomats also told their Israeli counterparts they would like to see the "disengagement plan" incorporated into the Middle East peace roadmap.
They opposed the annexation of any West Bank land into Israel. It is not clear how this plan can be incorporated into the roadmap. The roadmap was unveiled by President George Bush last year, and it is absolutely clear about the settlements.
Drafted by what is known as the Quartet - the US, the EU, Russia and the UN - it calls for a complete halt to all settlement activity in occupied territories. Not only that; it asks Israel to dismantle all settlements built after March 2001, when Mr Sharon came to power.
However, in utter defiance of the roadmap, Israel has continued to strengthen and expand the existing settlements and done nothing to disband those built since 2001. Some insignificant outposts have been removed, but they are of no consequence.
The wall is a later development and constitutes yet another act of defiance of the wishes of the international community. The US and the European Community, too, have criticized it, but the Sharon government continues with the project.
The General Assembly decided that the issue should be referred to the International Court of Justice, and the Hague-based tribunal is to begin hearing the case on Monday. But, as was expected, Tel Aviv has decided to boycott the ICJ hearings, claiming the court has no jurisdiction. Unfortunately, Israel has found support for its boycott from the US and the EU, both of which believe the world court should not involve itself with the wall case.
While the Oslo process is dead, the fate of the roadmap hangs in the balance. There hasn't been an iota of progress on it - largely because of America's refusal to make Israel abide by an agreement to which it is officially committed, even if with several reservations.
This is unlike the Palestinian Authority which accepted the roadmap in its totality. The result of US indifference to Israeli intransigence is seen in the continued bloodshed in the holy land.
With America involved in its presidential election, talks between Israel and the PA seem unlikely to start. By the time the November elections are over, Israel will have perhaps completed the wall and presented its "disengagement plan" as a fait accompli.
Wrong signal
Theanner in which the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority announced a floor price for the sale of two new cellular phone licences at a seminar organized by his organization earlier this week leaves a lot to be desired.
While it can be argued that announcing a floor price is a step in the right direction as this helps potential investors plan for the auction, the way in which this was done and the price quoted surprised all those present at the gathering.
The floor price for any licence is supposed to be the minimum the government would expect from the sale, but by quoting the figure of $100 million, the PTA chairman gave all the wrong signals to potential buyers.
First of all, such announcements are not made at the spur of the moment but in keeping with a well thought-out government policy, in this case, the recently announced cellular phone policy.
Second, the price quoted by the PTA chairman seems to be much higher than what most investors would consider to be the minimum.
The confusion on the issue needs to be sorted out. Only last week, the minister for telecommunications had told the media that there would be no floor price for the sale of the licences as the government did not want to give investors any price indication prior to the auction.
With his announcement, the PTA chairman has let the cat out of the bag by indicating what may well be the target price set by the government. Overall too, the newly unveiled cellular phone policy has a number of inconsistencies that need to be addressed.
For one, the manner in which new licences are being awarded despite an understanding with those mobile companies already operating in Pakistan that this would not be done has created much heart burning.
If the government is serious about attracting foreign investment, the first rule would be to keep those foreign investors happy who have already put their money in Pakistan. Besides this, the conflicting signals that the telecommunication ministry is giving need to be addressed.
Wedding celebrations
The Karachi City Council's approval of a resolution seeking a ban on aerial firing and the use of firecrackers and loudspeakers at weddings does not come a day too soon. The resolution also asks for all marriage halls to call it a day by 11pm.
The ban should be implemented immediately as injuries, even deaths, as a result of aerial firing are not an unknown phenomenon. The slightest carelessness on the part of merrymakers can have disastrous consequences.
Besides, the use of firecrackers and firearms is jarring on the nerves and ears of people as are the songs blared through loudspeakers at full volume till late hours of the night.
This is unfair to those residing near the venue of wedding celebrations as they have to put up with all kinds of deafening noises which disturb their sleep and peace of mind. It is especially hard on children who must rise early to prepare for school.
The suggested restriction on marriage halls continuing their activities beyond 11pm is also bound to be viewed as a commendable move. More often than not, the bridal party turns up at a late hour, thus causing inconvenience to the guests present.
It has also been observed that since the celebrations often go on till 2am, guests returning home are at risk of being robbed by lawless elements or gangs on the way. This is especially so in the case of women wearing gold ornaments who are an easy target for criminals on the prowl.
The steps suggested by the Karachi City Council, if properly enforced, will doubtless bring some modicum of discipline and restraint to bear on marriage ceremonies, making them less wasteful and noisy than at present.