Task before new cabinet

As was feared, we now have a cabinet larger than the last one. With 32 ministers sworn in on Wednesday, it is already larger than Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's team. Since more ministers of state and advisers are likely to be accommodated for reasons of sheer political expediency, the strength of the cabinet will be much larger than we could possibly afford or need.

The new cabinet retains 21 members of the previous ministry. One wonders why, for there is nothing to their credit that could justify a second stint as ministers. Surprisingly, there is only one woman in it - Ms Zubaida Jalal, who obviously will retain her education portfolio. This is gross under-representation of those who constitute

50 per cent of the population. All one can hope is that there will be more women among the ministers of state and advisers to be inducted. The task before Mr Aziz's government is immense.

As an economist he will find his ability to focus on economic issues compromised by the time and attention he will have to give to political problems. Unaccustomed temperamentally and by training to a political role, Mr Aziz, nevertheless, has no choice but to try to combine the two roles to lead the nation in a way that would justify the trust reposed in him.

The post-9/11 developments have given the economy some breathing space; yet the much talked about recovery is basically in statistical terms, and there is nothing to suggest that its effects have percolated to the grass-roots level.

For the people to feel the effect of the turn-around in the economy, the nation needs a new strategy that focuses on employment generation and poverty alleviation. The main cause of unemployment is the stagnant agricultural sector and the lack of foreign and local investment in industry.

There are no signs of improvement in agriculture because the yield per acre is low, and the irrigation water shortage has assumed critical proportions. Sections of opinion in the small provinces are opposed to another dam - Bhasha or Kalabagh dam - and there is no sign yet of a consensus on the question.

The country's fast-expanding requirement for water and electricity cannot be met unless the issue is settled one way or another - maybe, we could go for small dams. But all this requires a national consensus: one hopes the cabinet will be able to address this task seriously.

The reasons for lack of investment are many, foremost being terrorism. Bomb blasts at public places and attacks on VIPs and security forces have added to the people's sense of insecurity and discouraged investment.

The new cabinet must know that crushing terrorism is in Pakistan's interest. This requires a comprehensive strategy enjoying national support. The MMA has serious reservations about the Wana operations. As for the PPP and PML-N, both have been ostracized. This is not going to help matters at this critical time.

The new cabinet begins with a handicap, with the military-dominated National Security Council calling the shots on crucial issues. Nevertheless, Mr Aziz and his ministers should prove that they are capable of making use of their powers to promote and strengthen democratic values and not be party to any move that further distorts or subverts the democratic system. Above all, they must see to it that the parliament's centrality to the body politic is not weakened.

Militancy at its worst

As Nepal and Russia continue to reel from the shock of a spate of executions, suicide attacks and hostage-taking of schoolchildren - all at the hands of militants - there are ominous signs that the severity of such acts, borne out of frustration and anger, will not lessen anytime soon.

Twelve Nepalese were killed by their captors in Iraq, leading to violent rioting in Kathmandu, where angry mobs set a mosque on fire and attacked the airline offices of countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In Russia, two plane crashes, a suicide attack at a Moscow railway station and the on-going hostage crisis - events largely attributed to Chechen rebels, although this remains unconfirmed - have unleashed a new wave of fear in the country.

Nobody in their right mind can condone these actions that have caused the deaths of a number of innocent people. The perpetrators of these horrifying crimes - for these acts are nothing less - are also creating problems for their co-religionists, who are increasingly facing resentment in countries where they live as minorities.

While, in keeping with more humane values, one would have expected the extremists to adopt less brutal methods of protest, it would be appropriate to point out that many of them are themselves victims of injustice and repression.

In Iraq's case, several of the militants - although it is not clear how many are actually Iraqis - lived under Saddam Hussein's repressive rule, made worse by years of UN economic sanctions.

The American occupation has further fuelled local frustrations and anger, and anyone seen to be working for or siding with the US is a potential target for the insurgents. Meanwhile, Russia has only itself to blame for the spilling over of Chechen anger in this fashion.

Its troops have come down with a heavy hand on the Chechen population, crushing the independence movement there and committing murder and rape. It is no wonder, then, that dehumanized by years of poverty and hard-fisted rule, militants in Chechnya and Iraq have chosen this violent mode of protest. It appears that Moscow and Baghdad - and by extension, Washington - are due for some introspection.

Cracks in flyovers

Cracks appearing in the Liaquatabad flyover in Karachi, said to be the longest in Pakistan, is cause for concern. It comes soon after a similar problem was detected in the Rashid Minhas flyover.

Over the past few years, the city district government of Karachi has built several flyovers in the metrpolis. Some are under construction at present while there are plans to build some more in the future.

In the light of these cases of bad workmanship, it is important to develop an independent quality control system to ascertain the causes of these cracks, prescribe action against erring contractors and officials and keep an eye on projects now being planned.

Initial investigations on the Liaquatabad flyover reveal sub-standard building materials were used. It is surprising that no such system exists at the moment to ensure quality of construction.

Secondly, proper supervision of such projects is essential to ensure against the common problem of indifferent workmanship and substandard material affecting the quality and durability of the projects in question.

That these overhead bridges have started showing signs of crumbling under pressure soon after their construction one after another needs to be investigated thoroughly by a high powered team of experts.

The purpose should be to ascertain whether it was the building contractor or the city government officials or both who are at fault. Exemplary punishment should be provided for those found guilty. The city government should ensure regular maintenance and repair of the flyovers.