| 18 December 2004 | Saturday | 05 Ziqa'ad 1425 |
Oil price increase
Mayhem at Naushahro Feroze
President Pervez Musharraf's strong words while inaugurating a section of the coastal highway in Balochistan deserve to be taken note of. Normally, one should have no quarrel with the president or any other government leader vowing to crush terrorists.
Terrorism is a curse and needs to be rooted out. However, in this particular case, the president's remarks came in relation to acts of terrorism in Balochistan. Unfortunately, terrorists there have focussed on development activity and targeted Pakistanis and foreigners involved in some vital projects.
There have been other acts of terrorism, too, especially of a sectarian nature. But the president obviously was referring to those elements which have made it a point to hit economic targets in Balochistan.
In this category come the frequent acts of sabotage of gas pipelines, the attack on personnel laying gas transmission lines and, worse still, the murder last May of three Chinese engineers working on the Gwadar port project.
At present, some mega projects are under way in Balochistan. These include the Gwadar port, the coastal highway linking Karachi with Gwadar and beyond, the Saindak copper project and the Mirani dam, which the president visited on Thursday.
All these projects were long over due in a province which is Pakistan's most backward. When completed, these projects will turn out to be of vital importance to Balochistan's socio-economic uplift.
The Mirani dam, for instance, will bring 33,000 acres of barren land under cultivation in the Turbat area; the coastal highway will lead to an increase in transport and give a boost to tourism, while Gwadar would turn into a major port serving as an outlet for Afghanistan, China and Central Asia.
However, sections of political opinion in Balochistan feel that the locals may be denied their due share in employment and economic opportunities in these projects and that people from outside the province may be the prime beneficiary. Given the lopsided pattern of Pakistan's economic development, their fears are not altogether misplaced.
Balochistan has remained backward both because it was ignored by policy-makers in Islamabad and also because political troubles militated against local and foreign investment in development projects there.
The province is rich in minerals, possibly oil too, but black gold has not yet been struck because a hunt for it has not been possible owing to the precarious law and order situation.
The issue before this government is how to pursue development prospects with vigour but in a way that would remove the just grievances of the Baloch people. In matters of employment, it must be made clear to project managers that the first preference for jobs must go to the local people.
At the same time, all projects, including those in which the private sector is involved, must offer other services to the local people - like housing, education and health care. Above all, Baloch grievances about the denial of provincial autonomy as guaranteed by the Constitution need to be addressed.
Nothing justifies violence as a form of protest. Those who resort to acts of sabotage and kill foreign workers must be held answerable. But at the same time the government must examine the reason why people resort to desperate acts.
The best way to tackle this situation is to have a political dialogue with Baloch political leaders and opinion-makers. Ultimately it is through a political dialogue that acts of terrorism in Balochistan can be controlled and attention focussed on economic development.
Oil price increase
The government's decision to raise prices of petroleum products this week by an average of seven per cent is puzzling. After absorbing oil price hikes for over six months, it has decided to raise prices at a time when international oil prices are declining.
In fact, only last week the minister of state for petroleum had given an assurance that oil prices would not be raised till the end of the financial year.
The rationale behind this promise was that international oil prices were falling and that the government would try to recoup some of its lost revenue in the second half of the financial year as international oil prices fell.
For the common citizen, the hike in fuel prices will translate into a rise in the cost of living. Such increases have a much wider impact on inflation than the weight age given to it in the consumer price index.
Not only is it felt directly in the form of more expensive fuel but also in the higher cost of most items which rises as transportation and power charges go up. This being the case, it is important to consider withdrawing the recent addition to oil prices.
Also, from a longer-term point of view, efforts to find alternative sources of energy must be stepped up. The use of gas in generating power as well as an increase in hydro-electric power generation must be taken up as a priority.
Domestic oil production needs to be increased from its present output of 65,000 barrels a day. Over 70 per cent of oil imports are made up of furnace oil, which goes primarily to power generation and cement production. This reliance has to be reduced.
Unless this is done, the economy will continue to suffer from the shocks of oil price hikes and the burden imposed by the government in the form of fuel surcharge on power consumers.
Mayhem at Naushahro Feroze
Thursday was a day of utter lawlessness at the Naushahro Feroze district and sessions court in Sindh. Two of the 80 prisoners brought there for a hearing from Sukkur Central Jail were shot dead by the police.
The prisoners reportedly resorted to rioting when one of them was killed by a policeman. The policeman is said to have murdered the prisoner in revenge for the earlier killing of two of his brothers.
The shooting led to chaos all around, with the rest of the prisoners breaking loose and hurling stones at the policemen, lawyers, judges and court officials present. The second prisoner was shot dead in the battle that ensued between the police and the rioting prisoners.
In the melee, 10 prisoners managed to escape. The riot left six prisoners and three policemen seriously injured. This is a sad commentary on the state of law and order in Pakistan, with the police often resorting to lawlessness in the name of law enforcement.
There have been at least seven major incidents involving prison inmates, police and jail officials since 1999. The last major riot was reported from the Sialkot Central Jail last year in July, when prisoners took eight visiting judicial officials hostage, seven of whom were later killed in crossfire during a commando action.
The crux of the problem, as also stated before a judge by the prisoners involved in the latest rioting in Sindh, lies in widespread police and prison-abuse that goes on unchecked.
Overcrowded conditions and lack of basic amenities in jails is another major reason for prisoners' rebellious conduct. Unless steps are taken to ensure more humane conditions in our prisons, the problem will not go away. But first and foremost, the authorities concerned must act to rein in the rogue elements within the police force and the prison staff.