Centrifuge dilemma

THE parliamentary opposition is understandably angry. Friday’s walkout came a day after Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad told a seminar in Islamabad that Dr A. Q. Khan had indeed supplied centrifuges to Iran. He insisted that the nuclear scientist had acted on his own. The government was not involved, because Dr Khan had given the centrifuges to Iran from the international black market. The opposition accused the information minister of being irresponsible on a highly sensitive issue and claimed that he had damaged national interests. Evidently, sections of the government, too, did not seem to appreciate Sheikh Rashid’s rather untimely statement, for the foreign office spokesman appeared at a loss for words and added nothing new to what the minister had said. All that the FO spokesman said was that those centrifuges were “outdated”. The minister need not have chipped in with this bit of information at this stage, because the beneficiaries of Dr Khan’s activities have already gone public with the information. Iran has admitted that it had received designs of centrifuges from Pakistan, while in the case of Libya the confirmation came from no less a person than the son of President Moammar Qadhafi.

The A.Q. Khan affair does not appear to be fading away. The government thinks it has closed the case by announcing his guilt to the whole world, placing Pakistan’s celebrated scientist and national hero under house arrest. This way, the government thinks it has come clean on the issue. Regrettably, the world does not think so. The Bush administration may have shown a degree of understanding of Islamabad’s predicament because of Pakistan’s key role in the war on terror. But the American media seems absolutely ruthless, for no day passes without some story appearing about disclosures about Dr Khan’s activities. There may be a tilt in these stories against Pakistan in the way facts are presented, but the leaks invariably come from American intelligence agencies. The theme common to those stories is Pakistan’s credibility with regard to America’s non-proliferation concerns. Congress — America’s aid watchdog — observes this country’s behaviour very carefully, and there is no dearth of senators and congressmen demanding linking US aid to democratic reforms and Pakistan’s nuclear probity. Islamabad should know that, while Libya has been “tamed”, Iran is America’s top priority. What exactly is Pakistan’s role in Iran’s nuclear plans is something unknown to us. Dr Khan might be sulking, but that does not end the matter for Pakistan, for Islamabad will continue to be under pressure for cast-iron guarantees against proliferation. From the American point of view, these concerns do not appear misplaced because of the divisive nature of Pakistan’s politics and the position that religious parties have come to occupy in the present political set-up.

What is regrettable is that the government keeps its own people in the dark, and that it is left to the foreign media to come up with new disclosures about Dr Khan’s activity. The opposition members in the National Assembly felt angry because they were told nothing. Why cannot the government be a bit more open with the parliamentarians on this issue? The government obviously cannot go public with every development on such a sensitive matter, but at least selected members of the National Assembly can be given a closed-door briefing. This will cause the government less embarrassment and help create a consensus on this vital issue.

Regulating petrol prices

THE press conference held by the Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) on Thursday to explain how petrol prices are determined raises more questions than it answers. The OCAC principally comprises oil marketing companies, dominated by multinationals, and is assigned the task of fixing domestic petroleum product prices on a fortnightly basis. Last week, the federal petroleum minister joined the chorus of criticism over the rise in domestic petroleum prices at a time when international oil prices are stable. Domestic petroleum prices have risen by over 30 per cent from January 2004 while international oil prices do not reflect the same trend.

The OCAC has also hinted at a rise in petrol prices in the coming fortnight. The move to raise petroleum prices will lead to windfall profits for the oil companies. Political parties have said that they will launch a protest movement against frequent hikes in local petroleum prices. We are told that the government gets Rs 13 per litre in the shape of customs and excise duties as well as the petroleum development levy, in addition to a 15 per cent sales tax. This still leaves a significant portion for oil marketing companies in profits after the costs are deducted. They should be sharing a larger portion of the profits with the consumers. Also, it is strange that the companies that are selling fuel are also given the task of determining the rate at which it should be sold. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) is a body that does not represent special interests like oil distribution companies wanting larger profits or the government seeking larger revenues through the petroleum development levy. OGRA is supposed to protect the interest of the consumers without hurting the interests of the government and the oil companies and it should be asked to fix petroleum prices in the future.

Maternal & infant mortality

A RECENT report on the subject of maternal and infant health shows that public sector medical facilities have done little to bring down the mortality rate in the target community. According to statistics, barring Afghanistan, Pakistan has the highest rate of infant mortality (under one) in South Asia, while the maternal death rate at 500 per 100,000 live births also remains cause for serious concern. While several socio-economic factors account for these appalling statistics, one of the main reasons behind these is the poor outreach of government health facilities to the bulk of the population, especially those living in the rural areas. As a result, expecting mothers are forced to rely on the services of local “dais” whose lack of medical knowledge and expertise renders them unfit for the job of delivering newborns. Figures show that these untrained, medical attendants play a prominent role in about 80 per cent of births countrywide.

It is unfortunate that maternity clinics, Basic Health Units and Rural Health Centres have been left to practically rot in the rural hinterland and also in suburban areas. They have neither the staff nor the equipment nor the medicines to handle deliveries, which, in the absence of health professionals, are left to unskilled midwives. Thus, access to essential antenatal, perinatal and postnatal care remains restricted. There is no one to turn to when complications occur, and few to advise on the general aspects of maternal and child care, including a proper diet for pregnant women and the necessary vaccinations for newborns. The government as well as international agencies have recognized the problem and have sought to deal with it by launching training programmes for birth attendants. While this may help bring down the mortality rates, the process is likely to be a slow one — so long as no effort is made to revive the entire rural health infrastructure.