| 16 December 2004 | Thursday | 03 Ziqa'ad 1425 |
Judges' kidnapping
Kara film festival
The meeting of the Kashmiri leaders from both sides of the Line of Control in Kathmandu, the first of its kind, should give a fillip to the on-going India-Pakistan composite dialogue for peace.
Arranged by the US-based Pug wash Foundation, which organizes behind-the-scenes moots to bring contenders together for conflict resolution, the conference in Nepal was of great significance because it would pave the way for an integrated Kashmiri approach on the future of the disputed state.
The solution which had been initially suggested by the UN provided for the self-determination of the people of Kashmir through a plebiscite. It is now tacitly agreed that that the UNCIP resolutions are no longer plausible. But common sense demands that the Kashmiris be inducted into the dialogue in one way or another when it comes to deciding the future of their state. Even if India and Pakistan manage to agree on a formula for the settlement of the dispute, its successful implementation would be possible only if the Kashmiris participate in the negotiations and accept the final outcome.
Pakistan has always stood for a participatory role for the Kashmiris and, ever since the talks began earlier this year, has asked for the Kashmiri leadership to be included in the process.
When Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visited New Delhi in November, he made it a point to invite the Kashmiri leaders from the Valley for a talk. This gesture was well appreciated and it goes to the credit of India which had previously obstructed such contacts that it did not make any attempt to discourage the meeting.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also spoken about opening talks with all Kashmiri leaders who do not support violence. It logically follows from this that Kashmiris from Azad Kashmir should also be included in the intra-Kashmir dialogue.
Without some exchanges between the leaders from the two sides of Kashmir, they will not be able to speak with one voice, in view of their varied political experience of the last five decades.
So far this exchange has not been easy because of the legalistic issues brought up by the two sides. In that context, Pug wash has played a positive role by providing them the opportunity to come together face to face.
The Kathmandu conference has set up committees to take this intra-Kashmir dialogue further. While one committee will seek to bridge the differences among the Kashmiri leaders, another will discuss confidence-building measures that can be adopted to promote the Kashmir cause.
The third and the most important of these committees is the one which is to explore the next stage in the quest for a solution of the Kashmir dispute. These are positive moves and if the Kashmiri leaders can jointly manage to work out a formula which they find acceptable, India and Pakistan should willingly accommodate it and not reject it on grounds of their own narrow nationalistic or strategic interests.
The moot point is that the Pug wash committees on Kashmir have been welcomed by the two governments and their working facilitated by Islamabad and New Delhi. If the leaders are not allowed to move freely and meet, the discussions will not proceed any further.
One hopes that both India and Pakistan will not only allow the Pug wash process to go on, they will also encourage it. Besides, Pug wash allows quiet diplomacy to take place, which is the need of the hour.
Judges' kidnapping
It was nearly a fortnight ago that three sessions judges were kidnapped while returning from Larkana to Shikarpur. One of the judges, Mr Aftab Ahmad Bughio, was released by the bandits, but the other two - Farooq Ahmad Channa and Abdul Wahhab Abbasi - are still in captivity.
Before starting their journey, the judges had demanded police protection, and the police promised to give them security guards. However, that was not to be, and the judges fell victim to banditry on the highway.
Mr Bughio later identified one of the kidnappers, and Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqi too told reporters that the kidnappers had been identified. But the two judges have still not been recovered.
The police have cordoned off the Golodero forest, where the hostages have been reportedly kept, and the services of foot trackers and sniffer dogs have been employed. But there is no evidence that the police are anywhere near success. The motives behind the kidnapping are not known.
During a raid on a village, the police found court documents relating to a certain case. This could mean that the hostage-takers have an interest in that case. The police, thus, should be able to make progress by questioning the others involved in the case.
The kidnapping serves to highlight the precarious law and order situation in Sindh's countryside. According to the provincial inspector general of police, the crime situation in the Shikarpur district is even worse than in other districts. This should not surprise anyone.
The level of efficiency and honesty in the police force is far from the minimum the people expect of it. In many cases, unscrupulous elements in the force are mixed up with criminals.
Sometimes, criminals enjoy the support and protection of powerful landlords, who keep well-armed militias, and the police are unable to lay their hands on them. The legal community is understandably perturbed over the kidnapping and has demanded the judges' recovery.
The police must redouble their effort to get the judges freed. The failure to do so has cast serious doubts on the Sindh government's ability to keep criminals under check and its political clout in the districts.
Kara film festival
The 10-day fourth Kara film festival, with several overseas film personalities in attendance and a high turnout, has come to an end in Karachi. Over a hundred films, short movies and documentaries from many countries (including entries from South America) were shown; some were screened for the first time.
Film festivals are usually held in countries with a thriving mainstream cinema industry that is very commercial in nature and allow independent film-makers and those on small budgets to express their creativity.
However, that is not the case in Pakistan where the film industry is in a sickly state. One hopes, that some of the creative ideas and energy generated at the festival will find their way and have a positive spin-off on mainstream cinema and that local TV channels will show the courage to telecast some of the more socially probing films shown this year.
Notwithstanding the fact that putting up a film festival in a society as culturally starved as ours, with non-existent government support, is a Herculean task, there are some things that could be improved the next time around.
The ticket price, for instance, could be made more affordable. This will not only help the festival shed its elitist tag but also widen the potential audience.
Second, with some movies not being screened for their full length or some being delayed because of technical reasons, it should be ensured that the patrons get what they pay for by ensuring that the screening equipment is reliable. Since the festival is now a regular annual feature, it should be as glitch-free as possible.