| July 30, 2005 | Saturday | Jumadi-us-Sani 22, 1426 |
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ISP’s valid concern
Traffic pollution and noise
THE Irish Republican Army, which for over a generation has fought a violent campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland and for a united Ireland, has announced that it is giving up its armed struggle and will pursue its objective through peaceful means. Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, the IRA’s political wing, who has long worked for negotiations between all the parties involved, has hoped that the IRA announcement will mark a return to the political process. The announcement has also been welcomed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Irish prime minister and world leaders. However, scepticism remains, but most believe that this is a significant development in Ireland’s long and bloody struggle that should draw an appropriate response from the Unionists.
The IRA move has come in the wake of a growing revulsion against the use of violence and terror as a means of resolving political disputes or for the fulfilment of people’s aspirations. The July 7 bombings in London had immediately revived memories of the militant campaign conducted by the IRA both in Northern Ireland and in the UK to back its demand for self-determination and an end to British rule. The oppressive tactics employed by the police and British troops, with wrongful detentions and convictions, ensured that mistrust remains high. But the tide began to turn when Sinn Fein decided to opt for peace and it finally led to a devolved administration in Northern Ireland under the 1998 Good Friday agreement. The administration’s course of action did not run smoothly and it had to be suspended amidst mutual acrimony between the Catholic and Protestant parties, but it has remained as a durable framework for an eventual settlement. It even began to be cited as a model for a solution to similar crises in other parts of the world, including Kashmir, Palestine and Sri Lanka. The IRA’s move now in renouncing violence will also undoubtedly focus attention on the need for other armed groups that seek to achieve political ends by violent means to lay down arms and opt for negotiations.
But as the old saying goes, you need two hands to clap. Armed resistance or action by groups is often a reaction to what is seen as persistent denial of rights by other groups or states. It can also come as a reaction to majoritarian dominance and bullying. It can happen because of illegitimate occupation of territory. In cases, it can also be driven by ideology. When one country mounts open aggression against another country that is militarily not even remotely its match, then too armed resistance can develop, as the happenings in Iraq so grimly illustrate. In most cases, violence began when not enough care and energy were invested in understanding or tackling the root causes. It was ironic to hear that staunch supporter of the US-led war on Iraq, Mr Blair say, while greeting the IRA announcement, that “this may be the day .... when peace replaces war, politics replaces terror”. If peace had been given a greater chance before the Iraq invasion, we might have been spared the agony of death, destruction and turbulence that we are witnessing everywhere. Developments in Ireland thus carry a message not only for armed groups everywhere but also for those states which rely on military force to achieve political and strategic objectives.
INTERNET service providers (ISPs) in the country seem justified in expressing concern over an agreement between PTCL and its subsidiary, Paknet, under which the latter would be able to buy Internet bandwidth at subsidized rates. The Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK) has already lodged a formal complaint with the government regulator, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), over what it says is PTCL’s anti-competitive behaviour. The association seems to have a strong case because PTCL enjoys a monopoly over the sale of Internet bandwidth which Internet providers must have in order to offer various services to their clients. The allegation relates to the fact that PTCL sells bandwidth to its own subsidiary, Paknet, at a much cheaper rate than what it charges from other Internet providers, all of whom happen to be Paknet’s competitors. The ISPAK complaint also cites cases where PTCL allegedly does not charge Paknet for services provided or does not discontinue providing such services despite non-payment by the Internet provider. Even after all this, the company is running at a loss, which can mean only one thing: that if it were not for PTCL’s financial favours Paknet’s losses would be much greater.
Such complaints against PTCL’s anti-competitive practices and its bias in favour of Paknet in its business dealings with Internet service providers have been made in the past too. Hopefully, this time around, the PTA will give a patient hearing to the concerns of ISPAK and take whatever action is necessary to ensure that all Internet providers have a level playing field and that PTCL does not unfairly subsidize Paknet. As it is, the PTA’s conduct during the recent fiasco, which led to a severe disruption of Internet services in the country for over two weeks, left much to be desired. In fact, the regulator itself has been accused several times in the past of unduly favouring PTCL and its subsidiary Internet and mobile phone companies. Much as it would like to take the credit for the telecom boom in the country, the PTA should concentrate on ensuring that the quality of Internet services provided in the country, especially in terms of download speed, is improved.
IT doesn’t take a genius to figure out that rickshaws are a polluting menace, not just environmentally but also in terms of the sheer noise they create. However, given that they are still a cheap mode of transport for large sections of commuters, they exist despite numerous attempts to put an end to their operation. Attempts to replace two-stroke rickshaws with four-stroke ones run on CNG have not had much success either. In this regard, Thursday’s report of a locally manufactured four-wheeler, “Alaf”, being described as the best alternative to the rickshaw is welcome news. A presentation of the vehicle was made to the Sindh governor in Karachi on Thursday in which its economic viability, safety and environmentally-friendly characteristics were unveiled. The vehicle has a four-stroke 200 cc engine which can operate on both CNG and petrol, is not very noisy and can seat four people. Its price is said to be Rs150,000 which one hopes is reasonable as its success will depend largely on whether operators can afford to buy it. At any rate, it will be a good idea if the manufacturers of Alaf sponsor financing schemes making it possible to buy their vehicle on easy instalments of payment.
Undoubtedly Karachi — like other cities — needs to address the pressing issue of an efficient mass transit system. Without that, efforts to control traffic or reduce the hazards of environmental and noise pollution will prove futile. It is unrealistic to expect rickshaws to disappear from the scene overnight with the introduction of Alaf. Practical steps will thus have to be taken so that all modes of transport can co-exist. These include a stricter insistence on a switch-over to CNG vehicles which has proved to be a success in other countries. We can learn from New Delhi’s example where the use of CNG in public transport has brought down pollution levels. One hopes that Alaf will prove to be a help in reducing the twin problem of pollution and noise affecting the cities and towns.