| 13 August 2004 | Friday | 26 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425 |
Military action in Najaf
Trainee doctors' plight
Pakistan has reiterated its position that it is willing to consider most-favoured nation (MFN) status for India if good progress is made on the broader front of conflict resolution talks between the two countries.
Unless and until there is meaningful progress in the composite dialogue process between the two countries, it would not be in Pakistan's interest to accord MFN status to India that would allow a substantial increase in Indian goods in the Pakistani markets as part of a two-way system of trade.
While it is unrealistic to expect that all outstanding disputes straining bilateral relations will be resolved before any meaningful trade can start, some progress needs to be made giving substance to what till now has mostly been talk about talks between the two sides.
While India has taken the position that politics should be kept out of trade talks, Pakistan says that the awarding of MFN status to India should be done as part of a larger framework geared to making progress on a number of other bilateral issues.
The step cannot be taken in isolation, as all these issues are inter-related. In the past, there have been instances where Pakistani officials have expressed dismay at the slow pace of dialogue on the issue of normalization of relations between the two countries. This is all the more reason why progress should be made on all aspects of the peace process now underway.
India also needs to look at Pakistan's complaint that high duty rates and non-tariff barriers affecting most items maintained by India continue to be a hurdle in the way of a free flow of Pakistani goods into Indian markets.
While India has accorded MFN status to Pakistan, the presence of such a restrictive barrier has meant that there has not been any substantial increase in Pakistani exports to India in the past few years.
Unless this situation is rectified, the trade concession it has accorded to Pakistan will remain meaningless. This is an issue that needs to be tackled at the earliest because if this is not done, any move to enhance trade between the two countries would be futile.
Pakistan also fears dumping of Indian goods once trade is liberalized from its side. This would affect the local industry and also create unemployment on a large scale.
Such a scenario can be witnessed in Bangladesh which has been experiencing a flood of cheap Indian goods in its market at the expense of the local industry. This needs to be avoided and emphasis should be on joint ventures between the industries of the two countries which will help balance the trade.
While great potential exists for mutually beneficial trade between India and Pakistan, it is unrealistic to lose sight of the larger picture. Any progress in trade should run parallel to progress in other areas.
An environment needs to be created that is mutually beneficial. Before us is the Indian proposal of a South Asian Economic Union and a single currency system which has received an enthusiastic response from all Saarc countries.
India has proposed that the year 2015 should be set for the formation of the South Asian Union. With the WTO quota-free regime coming into effect in 2005, one hopes that trade links between India and Pakistan will be strong enough to face challenges posed by more advanced nations in the future.
Military action in Najaf
The truce signed last April between firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Paul Bremer's interim Iraqi administration has fallen apart as suddenly and mysteriously as it had come about.
Mr Sadr was accused of inciting the murder of a moderate Najaf cleric Majid al-Khoi, and of instigating the laying of siege to the house of Grandayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to press the latter to issue an edict in support of his radical tactics.
Under the deal struck then, the cleric renounced violence in exchange for the withdrawal of murder charges against him. But his Mehdi militia remained intact, maintaining a heavy presence in the holy cities.
The US forces' military action now underway in Najaf is at the behest of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. The aim is to cleanse the city of Mr Sadr's militiamen, who have been demanding a political role for their leader as a popular representative of majority Shias in the run-up to next January's election.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Mr Sadr's sole power base is a Baghdad slum, re-christened Sadr City after the fall of the Saddam regime and home to 1.5 million impoverished Shias.
The religious establishment of Najaf and Karbala and the Shia majority in southern Iraq have remained wary of his political ambitions and his version of radical Islam. This has led Mr Sadr to make his cause common with the Sunni insurgents in central Iraq, confounding the occupation forces and bringing into question legality of the current Iraq government.
But that is not where he can hope to expand his power base. That is why his Mehdi Army has taken control of the Shia holy shrines. The danger now is that a possible American attack on Hazrat Ali's shrine to flush out the Mehdi militiamen could lead to widespread anger among the Shias in the south - something that Mr Sadr has been counting on.
It is therefore imperative that the on-going action in that holy city achieves its objectives as swiftly as possible. Failing this, a popular Shia uprising against Baghdad will become a distinct possibility.
Trainee doctors' plight
The way in which postgraduate trainee doctors in the capital's two hospitals are being treated, it is not surprising if patients cannot expect much from them.
According to a recent report in this newspaper, some 300 doctors who are pursuing postgraduate training in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and the Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH), and who are putting in up to one hundred hours per week, are only getting four figure stipends, whereas their counterparts in Punjab are now getting five figure stipends.
Worse still, stipend payment is subject to availability of funds, which means that there are months when the capital's trainee doctors have to go without their remuneration.
As if these are not enough disincentives for doctors to live with, their training can also be terminated anytime at the arbitrary discretion of the authorities concerned - on a 24 hours notice and without assigning any reason.
Besides, these doctors and their dependents are not entitled to health-care services in the hospitals, and there are no proper hostel facilities for female trainee doctors.
Given the above financial and welfare conditions of these doctors, it is a wonder how the hospitals intend to bring about any significant change or improvement in their performance.
A few months ago a major reshuffle in the departments of PIMs was described by its top officials as an attempt to bring about a 'revolutionary' change in the institute's performance, and to make it a centre of excellence and the best health-care institution in the country.
Unless the stipends of the trainee doctors are increased and their other grievances adequately addressed, these doctors can hardly be expected to give their best or to help bring about the desired change in the working of the two hospitals.