| 04 August 2004 | Wednesday | 17 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425 |
Unfair levies
Deforestation in the NWFP
Statistics gathered by the opposition parties in Punjab show a marked rise in the number of crimes committed in the province during the first three months of the year.
According to the People's Party sources, 3,973 murders, 1,532 rapes, 114 gang rapes, 5,819 kidnappings and 1,396 dacoities were committed in Punjab between January and March this year.
Punjab police have disputed these figures but even their records indicate an unprecedented rise - up to 25 per cent on average - over the same period last year. Which is not to say that the year 2002 was uneventful crime-wise: even the generally peaceful Islamabad saw an upswing in criminal activities, with 70 murders and 305 thefts and armed robberies taking place there.
A recent report quoting statistics for last May alone has confirmed the disturbing trend across the country. Punjab again tops the list, with 466 murders, 172 rapes, 748 kidnappings and 12 kidnappings for ransom reported in just one month.
Sindh, the Frontier and Balochistan also showed a similar rise in crime. Besides being disturbing, the upsurge in crime is indicative of the inefficiency and apathy of the law enforcement machinery and the outdated policing system.
The promulgation of the Police Order of 2002 by the four provinces last year has turned out to be little more than a cosmetic measure. This is because many of the new order's provisions, such as the separation of the investigation branch from the rest of the policing functions and the setting up of the public safety commissions, have remained unimplemented.
The same has been the case with the set of police reforms the government promised under the Police Order. Now the president has given the provinces the new deadline of December 2004 for complete implementation of the order, but if the past is any guide, there is no guarantee that it will be done even by that date.
It is such half-hearted attempts at overhauling the corrupt and inefficient law enforcement system that have left the field open for criminals to carry on with their activities.
The failure of and the delays marking the justice system have also played their role in bringing the situation to its current appalling state. Proliferation of firearms and people, especially in the rural hinterland, resorting to jirga/panchayat system of justice have also brought about a marked rise in the number of crimes committed against women and girl children.
Many of the social ills rooted in tribal values have begun to resurface in the face of inefficient law enforcement and a dilatory and expensive justice system. These cannot be fought off with laws alone; they require the intelligentsia and the mainstream political parties to step forward and play their role in strengthening the norms of civil society.
The high crime rate, political uncertainty and the increasing threat of terrorism by religious militants troubling the nation today are enough to keep away foreign investors from the country.
The need is for the government to strengthen democratic institutions and take political opponents along on these very challenging issues that Pakistan is confronted with.
But first and foremost, crime, in all its forms, must be curbed, police reforms carried out and the new Police Order implemented without delay or dithering. Unless that happens people will continue to feel unsafe in their own homes and in the street as they go about their daily routine.
Unfair levies
The Civil Aviation Authority's decision to raise the airport tax for travellers and impose a new development surcharge on them is unfair. The CAA has also announced an increase in the charges payable by airlines operating through Pakistan as well as an increase in rentals for airline offices at Jinnah Terminal.
The CAA justifies its actions by claiming that the existing charges are the lowest in the region and that the cost of maintaining 42 airports in the country has been going up all the time.
At a time when many airlines have stopped operating through Pakistan and all major airports are actually operating well below their capacity, one would expect the CAA to offer incentives to lure back foreign airlines.
Instead we see the opposite happening. While airline levies may be low, the charges that airline passengers in Pakistan pay are undoubtedly the highest in the region. In return, they get very little in terms of service and facilities.
The whole idea of having air travellers pay for the development plans of the CAA is flawed. It is the responsibility of the government to finance building of new airports or pay for the expansion or renovation of the existing ones.
The CAA says that it generates its own revenues and receives no financial support from the government. If this is the case, it should then take recourse to bank loans to meet its needs instead of over-taxing the air travellers.
Other measures can include cutting down on its expenses by trimming its top heavy management structure, working towards attracting more business by inviting more foreign airlines to transit through Pakistan through lucrative packages offered to them, and providing efficient services and facilities to passengers.
In addition, the CAA should actively pursue realization of dues owed to it by defaulting parties, including several domestic airlines that have shut down operations during the past few years.
The solution still lies in persuading the government to provide finances for building new air terminals in the country instead of imposing extra levies on air travellers for this purpose.
Deforestation in the NWFP
The reckless felling of trees in the NWFP has led forest conservators in the province to recently declare approximately 20 plants as threatened species. Unfortunately, the NWFP, which contains 40 per cent of the country's forests, has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world.
A number of factors - high population growth rate, underdevelopment and the greed of the timber mafia - have combined to give rise to a set of circumstances which, if not reversed soon, could lead to wanton deforestation.
For, not only will the indiscriminate felling of thousands of valuable trees and plants result in an environmental calamity, especially when reforestation efforts are not keeping pace with the rate at which the land is being denuded of its forest cover, the social cost, too, would be incalculable.
The poor who live near the wooded areas and whose livelihood depends largely on forest resources would be the most affected. Deprived of their means of livelihood, they would then have to do without the many benefits of forested land.
Besides enforcing strict curbs on the activities of the timber mafia, what is also required is the participation of people in conservation efforts that should include reforestation drives.
Moreover, the implications of long-term exploitation must be brought home to the poor, mostly uneducated people living in these areas, and sources of energy and fuel other than wood must be explored and made available to them.
That would entail commitment and political will on the part of the administration as it embarks on a programme of sustainable development in these areas.
A boost can be given to such efforts by encouraging research on the various plants, many with medicinal properties, that are found in the north and that could generate interest in environmental conservation - a subject in need of urgent national attention.