This Afghan liability

A PHOTOGRAPH in yesterday’s Dawn shows a group of Pakistanis demonstrating against the illegal issuance of national identity cards to a large number of Afghan nationals. For this illegality, the demonstrators held the unscrupulous among the National Database and Registration Authority staff responsible. The anomaly pointed out by the Mohmand Agency protesters highlights just one aspect of the Afghan refugee phenomenon that has been with Pakistan now for nearly three decades; it has larger dimensions, some of them extremely painful for the host nation, especially the contribution the presence of Afghan refugees has made to lawlessness in this country and their share in the arms and drug trades.

Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan has played host to millions of Afghan refugees. While 2.8 million have returned home under the “voluntary repatriation” programme launched in 2002 by the UN, 2.5 million Afghan DPs are still in Pakistan in various refugee camps. Unfortunately, the situation in their country does not encourage them to return home. Besides the Taliban insurgency, the task of reconstruction, for which the international community pledged billions of dollars at Tokyo, has come virtually to a standstill because of anarchy and violence in the country. The Karzai administration is corrupt, its writ is confined only to Kabul, and the warlords, virtually independent, have turned their provinces into their fiefs. To keep them happy, President Hamid Karzai kowtows to them. Also, it is confirmed now that ministers and high officials in the government are involved in drug trafficking, and Afghanistan is back as the world’s biggest poppy producer. There is brigandage in the countryside, there are few employment opportunities, and the Afghan national army has not reached a stage where it can maintain security on its own. As a result, there is no possibility that the US and Nato-led forces will withdraw in the near future.

While the problems mentioned above discourage the refugees from returning home, many Afghan DPs find Pakistan a land of opportunity. Hundreds of thousands of them have slipped out of the refugee camps and have spread all over Pakistan. By a modest estimate, in Karachi alone their number is 300,000. The easy availability of NICs by illegal means has enabled them to acquire property, have jobs and start business. Traditionally hospitable to foreign Muslims, Pakistanis have never hesitated to welcome Afghan DPs despite problems between the two governments. However, many Pakistanis feel that the Afghan refugees have misused their hospitality and it is time they returned home. Terrorists cross over into Pakistan and find shelter in the refugee camps. This only exposes Pakistan to the charge that it is harbouring terrorists and is not “doing enough” in the war on terror.

Evidently, the Pakistan Foreign Office has failed to convey its viewpoint to the wider world, and it is Kabul’s version that is generally accepted by the US and its allies. It is time Pakistan made the world realise that the continued existence of millions of Afghan refugees on Pakistan’s soil is a burden on its economy, besides contributing to lawlessness as pointed out by the Mohmand Agency protesters. Unless the Karzai regime puts its house in order, there is no possibility that the Afghan refugees will return home, giving Pakistan a bad name while Mr Karzai joins the well-orchestrated advice to Islamabad to “do more”.

Impending water crisis

WATER is already in short supply in Pakistan and is becoming scarcer by the year. According to a recent environment ministry study, per capita availability of water has fallen by almost 80 per cent in the last 55 years — from 5,300 cubic metres per person in 1951 to 1,105 cubic metres in 2006. A burgeoning population is largely to blame for this decline and global warming is only making matters worse. The Himalayan glaciers that provide the Indus with almost 80 per cent of its waters are said to be receding at a rate of 30 to 50 metres annually and could be exhausted in 50 years. As the earth becomes hotter and the glaciers melt faster, a surge in river flows is expected in the initial phase — a phenomenon that carries its own hazards of floods and landslides. This misleading time of plenty will, however, be followed by a permanent decrease in river flows in the Indus basin, dealing a crippling blow to life as we know it. Pakistan is among the countries likely to be hardest hit by water scarcity in about two decades’ time, and it is estimated that over 90 per cent of all available sources will be fully utilised in the next 50 years.

The situation as it stands today is critical. Efforts to rationalise water use must necessarily focus on agriculture, which consumes an estimated 95 to 97 per cent of available water and will be most affected by the impending crisis. The environment ministry estimates that agriculture contributes nearly 25 per cent to the GDP and directly employs 46 per cent of the country’s workforce.

Any major setback to agriculture will spell economic ruin and trigger a mass migration to the cities. To make optimal use of water, irrigation canals need to be lined to minimise losses and farmland levelled to reduce run-off and improve water retention. Modern farming methods such as drip irrigation, surge irrigation and low-energy precise application are not only water-efficient but can also improve yield per acre. The country is drying up and the time to act is now.

Hazards of smoking

SMOKING — both inhaling directly and breathing in exhaled smoke — is injurious to health but the government is doing precious little to drive home the point. There could be many reasons for this. The authorities may simply lack the will to enforce anti-smoking rules or are reluctant to lose the billions of rupees earned from the sale of cigarettes. Whatever the case, one thing is clear: at least 100,000 people die of tobacco-related causes in the country every year while the consumption of this lethal substance is on the rise. Even children are increasingly among the smokers. According to doctors, more than 1,000 children between the ages of six to 15 years take up the habit every year, indicating that shopkeepers continue to flout the 2002 ban on the sale of cigarettes to anyone below 18 years. As a result, smoking has become a common sight in schools.

This factor is worrying, for unless the young population is educated on the health hazards of smoking, how can it be expected to refrain from the habit? How can it learn not to associate smoking with the world of glamour since that is what has been projected all along? And most importantly, how can it be taught to respect the preferences of non-smokers who, because of the government’s failure to crack down on those smoking in public places, are forced to breathe in carcinogenic fumes? Each year on World No-Tobacco Day, top doctors in the country and international organisations come out with alarming statistics on smoking while reiterating all the hazards of this habit. But such an exercise becomes meaningless unless there is follow-up action to ensure that laws already in place are being observed strictly and awareness is being enhanced. On both counts, Pakistan has put up a disappointing performance so far.

Divine law of retribution

LAWS and principles adopted by a society offer reward for good deeds and punishment for the evil ones. God created the universe and with it He also laid down principles and laws under which it functions. As human beings our foremost interest lies in the law that governs and regulates our creation.

Man was born in a hostile environment. Nature was inimical to human life making it hard for its survival and growth. Destructive forces like killer beats, gigantic animals, storms, extreme weather conditions, endless rain, thunder and lightning, volcanoes, earthquakes and shortage of food made man vulnerable. Helpless as he was, his only choice was to submit to the forces of nature and plead for security and safety.

Thus the era of worship was born.

The concept of a mighty creative force has always been there and man has devised his own ways and means of worshipping man-made gods.

These views were radically changed by Divine Revelation with its different concept of man and universe. According to it, the universe is not the result of chance. It has been planned and purposefully created by Allah and it operates according to His firm and permanent laws.

These laws are applicable to the physical universe as well as man. Nothing is beyond the sphere of these laws. The Quran says, ‘Allah created the heavens and the earth for just ends and in order that each may find the recompense of what it has earned and none of them be wronged.’ (45:22).

The Divine laws made man realise that he could not disown the results of his actions. He could not flout these laws with impunity. As man is an integral part of nature, these laws operate on the physical, social, moral and ethical basis. If a man acts wrongly, he has to pay the price for it.

For this he cannot blame anyone else. A child learns these physical laws as he grows up and devises ways and means of protecting himself.

In the social life of man, the law of retribution takes the shape of civil laws without which a society cannot function properly. As a selfish being, man is quite capable of harming others for personal gain.

He also knows that the law of the land will punish him for violating the rights of others. The most important fact to note is that even in a well governed state, many criminals go unpunished and many innocent men are unjustly condemned and punished.

Thus no law formulated and operated by man is perfect, the administration of justice has to be without any prejudice. “A just society is the one in which no one’s efforts go wasted” (21:94). “And fear the day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned and none shall be dealt with unjustly”: (2:281).

The link between man’s action and its repercussion on his personality play the most vital role in a society and its moral sphere. Human personality or ‘self’ is extremely sensitive to the moral outcome of its actions.

On the physical level, a man may go on violating laws without realising the disastrous effect such violations have on his personality and society. The effect it has on society is a social crime and the social laws have provision for pardoning or condoning some acts. If he continues with his vices, the Divine law acts swiftly. This law acts slowly but surely.

The effect of bad deeds may be slow and at times imperceptible, but in the long run the cumulative effect will surely be shocking and painful. If a man accepts the Divine laws as his guiding principle, he will be able to perceive the inevitable disastrous effects and retract his steps. This is termed as “Tauba” in Islam. He can also undo the damage by his good deeds once he has retraced his steps.

Those who, after receiving guidance from God desist, shall be pardoned; but those who repeat their offence are companions of fire where they will abide forever” (2:275).

The first requirement of the Divine law is faith in the unseen God as the creator, nourisher and total authority. This belief should be with dedication and absolute faith and not just a customary verbal affirmation.

When we obey the traffic signal in the absence of a policeman, we show our wilful and total submission to the traffic laws and the unseen authority. This results in a regulated and smooth traffic.

The chaos on our roads is due to our lack of faith in the positive outcome of obedience to laws. The Divine law assures that all actions and thoughts of man, howsoever small will have their negative or positive effect. “He has watchers from before him and form behind him who watch him by the command of God” (13:11).

The present alarming deterioration in all walks of life shows our rejection of belief in the Divine law of Retribution. We must realise that there is no escape from this law. Many believe that their saints, religious leaders, ‘Pirs’ and ‘Aulya’ will intercede on their behalf and take them to heaven.

This is contrary to the Quranic teachings which say, “Whether thou (Nabi) ask for their forgiveness or (their sin is unforgivable). If thou ask seventy times for their forgiveness, Allah will not forgive them” (9:80). The myth of intercession is one of Satan’s most effective tricks to dupe millions into idol worship.

Even prophet Abraham could not intercede on behalf of his father (9:114) Noah could not intercede on behalf of his son (11:46). This totally negates the Divine law of Requital.

The entire universe works in accordance with set rules. Man has been given the potentiality of discovering these laws for the benefit of mankind. He should not be scared of the forces of nature or the universe. On the contrary, nature and universe should be afraid of him. Man is the only creation that is not bound to follow laws.

He has free choice to decide his course of action; but once the decision is taken, the results cannot be changed or the consequences passed on to someone else. Tragedies and afflictions are not caused by God. In this context the Quran says, “There is no tragedy which befalls you but as a result of your own handiwork” (42:30).

It further points out that’ When people are struck by an affliction, they wonder where it came from. Tell them it is your doing” (3:164).

The Divine laws have an established procedure in which the consequences are not readily observable. The time gap is the grace period of reprieve. “People who choose to go gleefully away from Allah’s way defying and ridiculing His laws, but in a little while what wrong they have done will bear result and the Divine law which they are ridiculing will surround them” (39:48).

The Quran likens this period of reprieve between an action and the subsequent result to some one sending this consequence before he starts his own journey.

Reaching his destination, he finds that the results are already awaiting him. “Whatever their hands sent on before (3:181, 182). At this juncture man will not be a pathetic figure, but a tragic one who knew what he was sending forth.

He will call out in despair,” Only if I had sent something on for my life” (89:24) The human self should keep an eye on what it sends ahead for tomorrow (59:18). “We record what they send on and what they leave behind” (36:12) and that “Everything is recorded in a clear book which is always ahead of them” (36:12).

The entire life of a man will be hanging around his neck like a computer disc with his life history recorded that can be viewed anytime and can never be refuted. It is rolled shut now but will be opened on the Day of Judgment and he will be told, “Read your book. It is self-evident for you to take your own account this day” (17:13, 14).

Those who seek refuge behind excuses lay all responsibility of cause and action on God. Like our cricket team captain who excused himself of the World Cup debacle by saying that God did not want them to win.

The Quran says, “Allah is not unfair to them, but they are unfair to themselves.” (3:116). This law works judiciously and surely. One cannot escape the final outcome of his deeds. “That day everyone will get what he worked for and no one will be wronged.” (10:47).

In this world a criminal may pass on his crimes to someone else for a consideration, but in the Divine system of things the resulting consequences cannot be shifted or transferred.

One who puts his hand in fire will have to feel the burning sensation. “If you do good, it is to your own benefit and bad deeds are also for your own self.” (17:17).

The Divine law of Retribution rests on the responsibility of action of the free-willed human. These actions are never forced. Even God does not interfere when a man takes a decision, but keeps a watch over his deeds. “Allah sees all your actions.” (2:237) “No action can go unnoticed by Him.” (2:144).

When we say that Allah watches all our actions, it means that all our actions shall be assessed in the balance of His Divine laws. This unique reflection of the independent working of the human personality — being responsible for one’s own actions – was the basis of Prophet Muhammad’s announcement to the non-Muslims ––“We have our deeds, you have yours’ (2:139) “You will not be queried about our crimes, nor will we be asked for your actions” (34:25) “For you your Deen, for us ours” (109:6).