Losing the initiative

Najaf once again proves the point that whatever the United States has done since 9/11 has only ensured that the initiative slips into the hands of religious extremists. Reliance on force has all but closed the political option. Everywhere one looks in the region, one finds eruptions of virulent militancy. There is a great rage sweeping the Muslim world that is directed against the West but which also threatens the governments of Muslim countries.

The war of attrition in Najaf has touched religious personalities with large followings and the fighting has engulfed places sacred to Muslims. The reaction to this will only lead to more terrorism, and produce greater anarchy and instability.

Everyone says the campaign against terror is being won. There have been successes in locating and arresting people who are described as key Al Qaeda operatives. Some of the latter's bizarre new plots are reported to have been scotched. But it is not at all certain that Al Qaeda is now the only organization engaged in terrorism. A number of other shadowy groups have been reported on websites.

It is therefore even less certain that the arrests made so far have minimized the dangers we face. Even if Osama bin Laden is produced as part of a pre-US election surprise, will that bring the current wave of terror to an end? It appears that while seeking to stamp out the fire in one place, the Americans invariably stoke the flames in another.

There is no link between the resistance in Najaf and Iraq generally and Al Qaeda, but after the events of the last nine days, there will be little to prevent Moqtada Al Sadr's Mehdi Army from aligning itself with Al Qaeda. The folly of attacking Iraq and, worse, doing so without a proper political strategy has been underlined even more starkly by recent developments.

What is to be done? It is obvious that no quarter can be given to terrorism or religious militancy. But the approach of thoughtlessly using massive force without regard to the sensibilities of ordinary people and of the sensitivities involved is proving counterproductive. A better strategy has to be evolved that gives due importance to the political track.

The war on terror could have been pursued less overtly, with lesser reliance on brute force and with greater heed paid by the Bush administration to advice from America's friends. The contemptuous and arrogant dismissal of the counsels of the United Nations and its arms inspectors has extracted a heavy price. A longer-term policy has to be devised that seeks to address problems beyond the immediate fire-fighting tactics.

Instead of moving towards secular, democratic and inclusive societies, the present rough-and-ready methods of dealing with terrorism seem to be promoting all the worse angularities. The systems we practise must be seen to deliver what we promise - economic independence, democratic governance, respect for human rights and civil liberties, tolerance of dissent and a better life for the people.

The Americans have turned the world topsy-turvey and unleashed frightening new trends in this region. It will need a massive and coordinated effort to check the drift towards brutalization of societies and polities.

Consensus on Balochistan

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain renewed his offer on Friday to hold talks with the opposition parties and Baloch nationalists from the floor of the National Assembly. The prime minister's call came after the interior minister accused Baloch nationalists of acting against the interests of their people, prompting the opposition to walk out in protest.

The resistance put up by certain nationalist leaders to a number of development projects now underway in Balochistan and the rumours that the federal government is considering military action against such elements sparked a heated debate in the NA. The speaker first refused to allow the opposition members to air their views on the subject, but relented only after the prime minister so requested him.

The scene in the provincial assembly was not much different either. The opposition refused to participate in an all-parties conference on the issue, saying they would not do so until the Balochistan government released PSDP funds to them as was being done to facilitate the treasury MPAs. It is this kind of attitude on the part of the government and the opposition that is not very conducive for resolving the issues at hand, especially those concerning federation-province and inter-provincial relations - issues that are of national import.

Because of its sheer size, scattered population and relatively poor economic potential, Balochistan has for long been bypassed in terms of development activity. The resentment felt in certain quarters on that account is understandable.

Now that a number of mega-development projects have at last come to the province in the form of the Gwadar port, coastal highway and the proposed international gas pipeline passing through its territory, the need for building a consensus among all political stakeholders is imperative. But before expecting to achieve any such consensus on contentious issues, the government will have to change the way it has been dealing with the opposition.

It must be willing to hear the opposition's point of view in a spirit of understanding, and ensure equitable distribution of PSDP funds in place of the current strategy of pushing the opposition to the wall. Unless this happens, consensus on vital national issues like water sharing among the provinces, construction of dams, the NFC, and now the Balochistan issue, will remain elusive.

What worsens water situation

Karachi's municipal authorities finally seem to have woken up to the crisis generated by the perpetual water shortage in the city. The city district government has decided to replace faulty pipelines and pumps, responsible for the leakage of as much as 100 MGD of water every day.

This decision is particularly welcome in the wake of the latest incident of wastage that cost the city the loss of 70 MGD of water as a result of a burst pipeline. While the KWSB said that repairs were underway, it has been pointed out that the same pipeline laid nearly half a century ago had burst about seven times before, and that it was time to replace it with a new one.

In fact, a number of pipelines in the city have outlived their utility by several years. Considering that the city is supplied with about 540 MGD of water, an amount that is insufficient to meet the daily demands of a growing population, the all too frequent incidents of burst pipelines in addition to the regular leakages, makes wastage a perennial source of residents' hardship and miseries.

The civic authorities must coordinate efforts to save every ounce of water - already scarce at source - that the city receives. Besides revamping a defective distribution network by installing new pipes, water theft must be curbed and illegal connections dismantled. Although the city government has now earmarked Rs1,200 million for repairing and replacing the water lines, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board blames much of the delay in improving water supply on lack of funds.

Here, the fault lies entirely with the water body that has yet to devise a proper billing system so that consumers, many of whom have not paid water charges for years, are made to clear their dues. If this is done, the money that is recovered could be spent on repair and replacement needs, thereby ensuring an uninterrupted supply of water to the city.