NEW YORK, Dec 9: The promise of democratic transition by the military government has suffered a setback as the army dominates major reconstruction projects in the quake-affected areas, a US newspaper said.
In a report on Thursday, The Christian Science Monitor said there were fears that the military would dominate the three- to five-year reconstruction phase, noting that two agencies put in charge of the effort are each headed by a general.
Although the report said the military insists that final decision-making powers rest with elected leaders it quoted Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan as saying that “the army is not leading the effort. The reconstruction and relief agencies are under the prime minister’s office”.
Afrasiab Khattak, a board member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was quoted as saying, “Reconstruction is a matter of economic management, of social issues - these are civilian subjects.”
The Monitor says “Observers like Mr Khattak say that only a participatory approach - comprising the affected communities themselves, representative governments, and civil society actors - can ensure that reconstruction adequately serves the communities in need.”
“Their concerns were echoed by a European Union delegation at last month’s donors conference,” said the newspaper.
It noted that the critique helped underscore that October’s earthquake, while forever changing Pakistan’s history, has “done little if anything to shake up the centralized power matrix that has defined Pakistan since the 1999 military coup by President Pervez Musharraf and indeed, for much of its history”.
Quoting critics, the Monitor pointed out that “both government relief agencies were created unilaterally by President Musharraf, and their military heads appointed without consultation with parliament.”
At the same time, the dispatch said, “There is broad consensus that the army has the capacity and skill to execute the reconstruction process.”
“In everyday terms, as an institution, it has demonstrated high levels of professional capacity,” Javed Jabbar, a former information minister and former senator, was quoted as saying.
But execution is not the point, the dispatch cites critics as saying. “Decision-making is, and that is where the Army’s role is most questioned”.
“The Army will be thinking on the basis of their own understanding of what is good for these communities,” Rasul Bakhsh Rais, a professor of political science at Lahore University of Management Sciences, was quoted as saying
The Monitor also cites critics pointing to military spending as a demonstration of the army’s “skewed priorities” in the reconstruction phase. “At a time when the nation is reeling, they say, the military has considered several billion-dollar arms and defence-system deals”.
“Given such questions of mind-set and methodology, many see an Army-led reconstruction as a gamble, not only for the millions of affected survivors but the future of democratic institutions,” the CSM said. “They will further weaken democracy,” Maj-Gen (R) Naseerullah Babar was quoted as saying.
Maj-Gen Sultan on his part played down these fears, saying the relief authority will be working with local and provincial levels of government, with ultimate authority vested in the civilian government,” according to the Monitor.
