| 30 June 2004 | Wednesday | 11 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425 |
The process must go on
Pakistani captive in Iraq
Where there should have been relief and happiness at the end of the US occupation of Iraq, there is only scepticism, anxiety and a sense of bitterness at the futility of a saga of death and destruction that began with the Anglo-American invasion in March last year.
The handover of control to the Iraqi interim government - selected by the Americans, the United Nations and the now dissolved governing council - two days ahead of schedule was forced by security concerns, and even several coalition partners were kept in the dark about the development.
The reason that persuaded the coalition authorities to advance the 'transfer of sovereignty' and the hush-hush manner in which it had to be carried out testify to the dangerously unstable conditions in Iraq.
"Let freedom reign", President George Bush scribbled on a piece of paper passed on to his national security adviser when told that the new arrangement had been effected. These words mock the reality on the ground for a majority of Iraqi people.
Their country has been handed back to them in tatters, in a condition far worse than during Saddam Hussein's rule. The interim government may have to use emergency laws to fight what are described as "foreign terrorists", although the world knows that the occupation has produced an indigenous resistance that is in no mood for a compromise and is desperate enough to collaborate in vicious attacks on its own compatriots.
There will still be nearly 150,000 foreign, largely US, troops in Iraq, with little prospect of their being pulled out soon, and they will continue to be targets of attack. The war in Iraq and the country's year-long occupation have led to an increase in terrorism that threatens many countries.
The credentials of the head of the interim government are tainted by his association with the US; the new American ambassador in Iraq comes with a past overlain with his notorious role in Nicaragua and the Contra affair.
None of this inspires any confidence in the current mantra that the Iraqis will now be free to run their own affairs. An independent political process will have to be initiated by the United Nations with the objective of associating representative Iraqis with governance and working for the withdrawal of all foreign troops.
And it is not merely a question of troops: the invidious American presence created in the form of US firms awarded contracts for rebuilding will also have to be reviewed because it is seen as an instrument of the Bush administration's actual purpose of controlling Iraq's economic resources.
A massive effort will be needed to wipe out the stigma of deceit and recklessness that has marked the Iraq episode. It is only by actually providing a better life for the people of Iraq and ensuring security of life, property and jobs that disorder can be contained.
The process must go on
The progress in the dialogue between India and Pakistan announced on Monday will be widely welcomed. The joint statement issued at the conclusion of the talks between the foreign secretaries of the two countries in New Delhi has set a positive tone for future exchanges.
One hopes that the two sides will continue to sustain their commitment to peace and their talks on the various contentious issues on the agenda will be carried forward in the same spirit.
We have witnessed so many false dawns that now the people of Pakistan and India are not prepared for another deadlock between the two sides. By agreeing to implement various confidence-building measures which they had worked out earlier, Islamabad and New Delhi have indicated their willingness to work for a fuller reconciliation.
Hence the decision to re-open consulates in Karachi and Mumbai, to restore the earlier strength of the high commissions in their capitals and to release apprehended fishermen in the custody of each side. All this should create a cordial climate essential for future talks.
In the final analysis, any detente between India and Pakistan will depend on what approach they decide to adopt on Kashmir. The foreign secretaries discussed the issue comprehensively and after a long hiatus they will once again be negotiating on the question.
That in itself is a major development. Had they stuck rigidly to their guns on Kashmir, the dialogue would have ended in a deadlock, as previous attempts have. Both sides now realize that the Kashmir dispute cannot be allowed to remain a festering wound between them.
Neither of them has the military strength or the political clout to overturn the other's claims to the disputed territory. Both probably realize that they will have to come half way to reach a settlement.
They have to keep a wary eye on the hawks who are for ever waiting to capitalize on the situation in the disputed state to embarrass their governments. But if the negotiators proceed discreetly and keep their dialogue away from the glare of publicity without attempting to play to the gallery, they may still be able to reach a satisfactory solution.
Given the geostrategic situation in South Asia today and the level of the arms build-up in the region, the logic for peace between the two countries is compelling. If they fail to resolve their disputes and continue their confrontational stance, the two governments will come under pressure from the militants and extremists within their own borders who share a common goal, namely, the destruction of civil society in the region.
As for the people of Kashmir whose future is at stake, they should not try to push the two sides to the wall. If they play their cards well, the importance of their participation in the dialogue will be recognized.
But if the Kashmiris attempt to control the direction of the talks, they could jeopardize the peace process which will hurt their cause more than anything else.
Pakistani captive in Iraq
The release yesterday of three Turkish hostages held in Iraq by militants should offer some hope to the family of Mr Amjad Hafeez, a Pakistani national who is also being held by Iraqi extremists.
For now, his captors have set a 72-hour deadline - due to expire today - for the release of prisoners in certain Iraqi cities, failing which they have threatened to behead their victim.
Mr Hafeez, a driver employed by an American firm at the time of his capture, has appealed to the Pakistan government to wind up its mission in Iraq and disallow its nationals to enter the country.
A spate of abductions and executions carried out by militants in recent weeks have made it abundantly clear that no distinction is being made between soldiers and non-combatant foreign nationals.
Moreover, appeals earlier made by victims' families have generally fallen on deaf ears. Nevertheless, despite its refusal to comply with the militants' conditions, the Pakistan government must make every effort to save Mr Hafeez's life.
Unfortunately, its track record in this respect has been rather poor as shown by its foot-dragging over securing the release of its citizens held in Afghan prisons and Guantanamo Bay after the Taliban rout in 2001.
The present case should not be a repeat of that apathy. Besides issuing the necessary orders to its mission in Iraq, Pakistan must enlist the support of international human rights bodies and influential religious figures in Iraq in securing the release of Mr Hafeez before it is too late.