| 13 October 2004 | Wednesday | 27 Shaban 1425 |
Northern Areas priorities
Death of an icon
There are no signs yet that the Chinese engineers kidnapped in South Waziristan may be freed by their captors. The situation has been fluid ever since their disappearance on Saturday. Worse, one does not even know what the kidnappers' demands are.
Intermediaries sometimes deny that the kidnappers - headed by Abdullah Mahsud, a former prisoner at Guantanamo - have made any demands at all. NWFP governor Iftikhar Gilani, however, went on record, saying that the kidnappers had demanded the release of two foreign militants being held in prison.
Other accounts say that they were merely interested in safe passage. What appears clear, however, is that the authorities are in the dark as to the kidnappers' motives.
The kidnapping itself is a reflection on the administration's competence. South Waziristan being what it has been for some time, the authorities should have provided more effective security for the Chinese engineers. That they were kidnapped along with their security guards showed that security was more technical than real.
It would be a bad day for the nation if any harm came to the two Chinese. The engineers were not involved in anything even remotely controversial. They were helping in the building of the Gomal dam, whose completion would give a boost to the area's economy.
That they should have been kidnapped and threatened with death show that their captors have no regard for the well-being of their own people and the socio-economic development of their area. This brings us to a major question with regard to the phenomenon that has given rise to this kind of criminal behaviour.
Apparently, the kidnappers belong to the Taliban-Al Qaeda brand of militancy. They claim to fight for Islamic causes. One must now ask them in what way the kidnapping of the Chinese engineers promotes the cause of Islam.
China is Pakistan's friend, and Beijing has been a consistent supporter of all genuine Muslim causes, including the cause of Palestine. For that reason, those professing to fight for Islamic causes should have no quarrel with China or the Chinese.
Yet such is the psyche of the Taliban that they think any embarrassment caused to Islamabad is good for them. One here recalls the murder of three Chinese engineers in Gwadar on May 3.
The engineers were helping in the construction of the Gwadar port which would help develop Balochistan's economy and provide jobs to the Baloch people. Yet unknown terrorists killed them.
This cold-blooded murder did not affect the friendly relations with China, for Chinese engineers continue to work on a number of important projects in this country. All that the two episodes show is that those behind these acts of criminality are no friends of Pakistan or of the area where they take refuge and operate from.
One wonders why the MMA is absent from the negotiations. It has influence with the tribesmen, and in the Wana situation it has sometimes tried to help in sorting out problems. However, in the case of the kidnapped engineers, the MMA is conspicuous by its apathy.
As a party in power in the NWFP, it should have played a more active role in trying to secure the release of the Chinese engineers. Also, as an important component of parliamentary opposition, the MMA should waste no time in negotiating with the kidnappers and securing the engineers' release.
Northern Areas priorities
The government's decision to delegate administrative and financial powers to the Northern Areas administration and increase the number of seats in the legislative council from 29 to 32 are steps in the right direction.
Islamabad has also promised to amend the local bodies rules applicable there to increase women's representation at the union, tehsil and district levels to 33 per cent, bringing the Northern Areas (NA) local bodies system on a par with that in the rest of the country.
The government has also decided to implement a Supreme Court decision by setting up an appellate court in the NA. Though long over due, now that these measures have been announced they will help pave the way for the eventual integration of the NA with the rest of the country, without having to wait for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Also, it is high time the government granted representation to the region in federal parliament.
Before the Karakoram Highway (KKH) opened for regular traffic in 1982, Gilgit Agency and Baltistan - two regions comprising the NA - had largely remained inaccessible by road. Their only link with the rest of the country was through PIA flights.
While the opening of the KKH brought greater mobility to the people of the NA, little else was done to improve the socio-economic infrastructure or to help create employment in the areas.
Tourism, which had become the economic lifeline for the NA by the 1990s has seen a steep fall since the nuclear tests of 1998. The post-9/11 scenario has been even more depressing.
With little in terms of indigenous economy, subsistence-level agriculture is the only means of livelihood available to the local people. Therefore, besides taking the over due administrative measures, the government should do much more to improve the lot of the people in this impoverished region.
A number of NGOs working in the NA have made great strides by way of filling the gap created by the government's long neglect of socio-economic sector in the region. These need to be engaged and funds provided to help bring a meaningful change in the lives of the people there.
Death of an icon
The death on Monday of Christopher Reeve, an American film star more popularly known for his role as Superman in the movie of that name, have saddened people across the globe.
While many remember the part he played in that film, others chose to focus on his challenging life after an accident in 1995 which left him paralyzed from the neck downwards. It was a great irony that the man who symbolized strength and vitality by flying as part of his film role would end up with little or no movement in his body following the accident that paralyzed him.
It was after this incident that many believe Christopher Reeve made a more lasting contribution to society by raising public awareness of the crippling effect of spinal cord injuries and other related disabilities.
In this new role, Reeve travelled extensively and gave lectures highlighting the plight of people who suffered in conditions like the one he was in but were unable to access quality medical care for financial reasons. He helped many people get treatment and also gave hope to thousands of others afflicted with similar problems.
Through his efforts, Reeve proved that his injury may have restricted his physical movement but could not stop him from making a positive contribution to society.
By advocating stem cell research as holding a possible solution to injuries like the one he had suffered, Reeve was able to add to the debate on the issue which incidentally has become an important focal print in the current US presidential campaign.
Most important of all, Reeve taught people the importance of fighting on, despite all the odds. This may well be the most important legacy left behind by this extraordinary man a fighter to the end.