| 15 May 2004 | Saturday | 24 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425 |
Poll violence
Adding insult to injury
Mrs Sonia Gandhi's statement that a Congress-led government would "most certainly" continue to pursue the peace process with Pakistan is welcome. Begun after Mr Vajpayee's Srinagar statement in April last year that India would talk to Pakistan without preconditions, the detente between the two has proceeded well.
In fact, a look at where their relations stand today - in contrast to the armed confrontation in the summer of 2002 - should be a source of satisfaction to both Islamabad and New Delhi. Quite a lot of progress has been made in normalizing relations during the course of a year. Diplomatic representation at the two capitals has been restored; road, rail and air links have been revived; delegations of businessmen, MPs, artists and poets have exchanged visits, and cricket ties resumed after a break of nearly a decade and a half.
More important, at the last Saarc summit in Islamabad, the two pledged to pursue a composite dialogue that would tackle all issues, including Kashmir, for which a solution "satisfactory to both sides" would be found. Secretary-level talks have been held, and the foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in July-August. The goal for Islamabad and New Delhi is not only to consolidate the gains but push forward with the process.
Not just Pakistan but the world will watch the change of guard in New Delhi with considerable interest. The return of the Congress to power after a lapse of seven years and its likely dependence on the left parties could have a profound effect on the country's foreign policy.
The BJP government launched a new course of policy on the Middle East. With hawks like Mr L.K. Advani, Mr Jaswant Singh and Mr George Fernandes setting the pace for it, the BJP government diluted India's traditional support to the Arab people, especially the Palestinians, and drew closer to Israel.
This led to a series of agreements on military cooperation and sales, including the acquisition by India of Phalcon surveillance planes. It also moved closer to the US, motivated no doubt by a desire to offset Islamabad's close relations with Washington in the wake of 9/11.
In relation to India-Pakistan relations, both sides are expected to be wary of each other in the initial phases. The liberalism of Congress has sometimes proved to be a block in the improvement of ties. But the peace momentum built up at the popular level by Mr Vajpayee's bold statesmanship is stronger than it has ever been in recent years. One hopes that the Congress-led government will pursue this process and remove the bottlenecks in the way of friendly relations with Pakistan.
While the guns have fallen silent along the Line of Control in Kashmir, violence still continues in occupied territory. There are reports daily of shootouts between freedom fighters and Indian security forces, with no end in sight to arrests and repression. It is significant that an American spokesman on Wednesday asked India to rein in its troops and take measures to stop human rights violations in occupied territory.
One hopes that the new government will take measures to end repression, leading to a process of demilitarization of the held state. This will have a salutary effect on India-Pakistan relations and make the people of Kashmir feel and experience the benefits of the on-going rapprochement between the two countries.
Poll violence
The violence witnessed during the by-elections held in Karachi on Wednesday was most unfortunate. The death of 11 persons in election-related violence in the city was in contrast with the relatively peaceful process of by-polls that took place in other parts of the province the same day.
Considering that over 16,000 law enforcement personnel were deployed on polling day in Karachi, which included 2,000 private security guards, it is surprising that such a large force failed to ensure peaceful and orderly polling which was marred by an upsurge of violence, killing and vandalism freely indulged in by militants of the two main rival parties - the MQM and the MMA. Was not the force adequately briefed about what to do to maintain peace and order on that day, and how to keep trouble-makers at bay?
What happened on that day made a nonsense of the Sindh chief minister's adviser on home affairs' assurances that a security plan was in place and that the police were on high alert. The failure of the police to act effectively to prevent political activists needs accounting.
The violence and killings overshadowed the MQM's impressive performance in winning all the four seats at stake. The Election Commission has stayed the publication of the official results pending an inquiry into the allegations of irregularities and widespread violence on the polling day. The MQM and the MMA should realize that with power go responsibilities.
As a coalition member of the government, the MQM now has a duty to the people of Karachi to ensure that violence such as seen this week is checked and not allowed to continue. Any dispute that the MQM has with other parties, particularly the MMA, should be settled amicably. The MMA should also follow this approach.
The biggest loser as a result of the violence and tension between the MMA and the MQM are the people of Karachi who are being inconvenienced in so many ways since polling day, with the MMA-inspired strike on Friday creating many difficulties for commuters. Both the provincial and city governments should act in concert and speedily to restore peace and order in the city.
Adding insult to injury
The surprise visit to Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison on Thursday by the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, will be seen by many in Iraq and around the Arab world as adding insult to injury. The visit was undertaken to boost the morale of the US army officers in charge of the prison, which has been the scene of brutal abuse of Iraqi POWs by their captors.
The images of torture coming out of Abu Ghraib have shocked the world, prompting a belated apology from President George Bush himself. Four days later Mr Rumsfeld's visit to the prison to tell American soldiers there to keep up the 'good work' is a case of self-righteous arrogance. It goes to show yet again the cocky haughtiness the world now associates with the Americans.
Unlike Mr Rumsfeld, who told US soldiers at Abu Ghraib that they "were terrific" and doing "noble work" there, no sane person anywhere in the world would be as indifferent to the shameful and illegal acts carried out there. For many Iraqis and Arabs it is actions and statements like these that reinforce the perception they have of America today: a remorseless and arrogant superpower.
Iraq under occupation has become a seething wound on world's conscience. The continued excessive use of brute force and abuse of prisoners by the occupation forces cannot be justified on any grounds. As civilian casualties mount day after day, it is but natural that the resentment among the Iraqis against America's actions will grow. The Americans need to realize that their conduct in Iraq is losing them the few friends they might have had there and reducing their chances of making an honourable exit from that country as time goes by.