The Alternative Energy Development Board has not been doing too bad a job in locating potential investors but the pricing mechanism of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority does not appear to be in sync with reality. Nepra’s accountant-like approach is perhaps unable to factor in the benefits that will accrue in the long run even if investors today are granted some insignificant leverage. The buck, however, does not and should not stop at Nepra. The vision has to come from the leadership. A few words from the prime minister in this regard on the floor of the house, for instance, could have assured the nation that the government was moving in the right direction. But he chose not to utter them and that has added to the bleakness of the situation.

PRESIDENT Hamid Karzai must have seriously tested the patience of the Pakistani leadership when he stated that Afghan forces will invade Pakistan in hot pursuit of the Taliban.

Without dissecting the competence and capacity of Mr Karzai to make good on his bellicose statement, one is compelled to think not about the contents, but reasons behind his statement. When Karzai claims that militants are crossing over into Afghanistan and fighting the Afghan and coalition forces, he is telling the truth, but only half the truth.

Gen Daniel McNeill, the American general who commanded Nato forces in Afghanistan till recently, came closer to the whole truth when he spoke in Washington last week: “There’s no Pakistani miscreant behind every tree in Afghanistan. It’s simply not so.” Gen McNeill’s honesty is a rare element in western capitals these days. The norm is to heap blame on others to escape embarrassment to oneself.

Karzai’s dilemma is that if he tells the whole truth, he could fall out of favour with his western benefactors. His anti-Pakistan rhetoric thus has internal dynamics as well. American media has been flooded with reports in recent weeks indicating an increasing US uneasiness with Karzai’s performance. Karzai’s reality check came at the recent donors’ conference in Paris where he was pressed to control corruption that has seeped deep into his administration. He has been accused of failing to arrest warlords and drug barons. Under his watch, Afghanistan has emerged as the world’s opium capital, producing 92 per cent of the global output. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says it produces $4bn worth of opium, or 53 per cent of its gross domestic product, making it the most lucrative industry. Western nations, particularly the US, are increasingly becoming frustrated with Karzai’s soft peddling on drug lords. Many powerful drug barons and warlords are said to be bribing his administration to escape justice.

In addition, Karzai has shown incompetence in controlling corruption, uniting a divided country, and giving it a firm direction. His many failures have made him hugely unpopular amongst 34 million Afghans. His statements based on half-truths indicate a scramble to win some respect as he plans to run for re-election next year. Whenever Karzai speaks against Pakistan, his favourite punching bag, one can hear a failing leader who needs some pedestal to give him a boost.

Perhaps Karzai may have to contest against another powerful Pashtun Afghan of American shades, Zalmay Khalilzad. The current US ambassador to the UN and once an undeclared American viceroy of Afghanistan, Khalilzad, as he considers the possibility of becoming the future resident of Gulkhana, the Afghan presidential palace, has been testing the political pulse of the Afghans. Many Afghans already view Karzai as a US puppet. Khalilzad might stand a chance because of his track record as an effective administrator, a tough taskmaster, and someone who could be as influential in Afghanistan as in Washington — a win-win situation for Afghanistan as a country.

Only the external dynamics of Mr Karzai’s allegations hold some ground. Even President Pervez Musharraf has acknowledged the presence of foreign militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas and cross-border attacks many times. The Pakistani Taliban have frequently named the suicide bombers sent across the Durand Line. The talk of rogue elements within the Pakistani military supporting the Taliban is no longer unfamiliar. Frustration in Washington and elsewhere has been increasing over Pakistan’s ‘less-than-acceptable’ action against militants. From President Bush to ‘unnamed’ administration officials, all are speaking the same language — safe havens for Taliban and Al Qaeda in Fata.

Pakistani diplomacy, true to its tradition, has failed yet again to convince its supporters in the West that all its actions are aimed at securing not only Pakistan but also Afghanistan. The Pakistani establishment has failed to come up with a unified strategy to allay the concerns being voiced by Hamid Karzai on his behalf or on behalf of his foreign backers. Pakistan has done little to put its house in order, when it comes to dealing with Afghanistan. And when the political leadership, mainly the Awami National Party, decided to mobilise the Pushtoons’ traditional jirga (tribal assembly) to curb violence, it received general acceptance. However, the foreign office failed yet again to sell the idea to the West — cornering the bad guys by signing peace deals with the good guys. As a result, the West remains sceptical, critical, and now increasingly impatient.

The use of rhetoric from Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot wish away the challenges both countries face. They cannot avoid each other, and non-cooperation between them cannot be an option. They have to effectively work together to bring peace. A stronger, more stable Afghanistan is in the best interests of Pakistan.

Afghanistan ranks second in Brookings Institution’s Index of State Weakness in the Developing World. Pakistan ranks thirty third in this index of 141 weak and failing states. While the index may not be completely reliable, it is still a powerful tool for analysing a state’s ability to perform in four key areas: the state’s ability to ensure sustained economic growth; maintenance of legitimate, transparent and accountable political institutions; saving its population from conflicts; and securing its territory and meeting the basic needs of its population.

It seems more serious than ridiculous when the world’s second weakest state accuses the thirty third weakest country of destabilising it. Afghanistan could be the biggest threat to Pakistan’s security. Reason: Islamabad cannot save itself from the spillover effect of Afghan instability, as is already being witnessed. Thus, Pakistan has a greater responsibility in helping Afghanistan to stabilise. This situation puts the greatest responsibility on the key interlocutor in the region — the United States. Washington has to strike a delicate balance in dealing with the two countries.

Too much arm-twisting of a nuclear armed and relatively stable Pakistan could accelerate the spillover of Afghan instability. US planners have to understand that a stable Pakistan is the only hope for stabilising Afghanistan. Thus it needs to encourage the two countries to work in harmony. Pakistan should be allowed a chance to try its home-grown strategy for dealing with a phenomenon that was never seen before in this region. Collaboration, cooperation, and mutual trust are the only avenues to success for both countries.

One of America’s greatest presidents, Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Great thoughts speak only to thoughtful minds, but great actions speak to all mankind.” The world is expecting not just great thoughts from the two countries but resolute action in the right direction.

The writer is a US-based journalist.

mjehangir@aol.com

A RESIDENTIAL skyscraper in Dubai that will change shape as individual floors spin around a central core has begun taking bookings from potential buyers. How quickly they will put their names down for the flats will depend, however, on how seriously they choose to take the enterprise.

The building is the brainchild of a Florence-based architect, David Fisher. It appears revolutionary in more ways than one. As the floors swivel, the silhouette of the tower will mutate. The floors will be divided by horizontal wind turbines which will generate enough energy to power the structure. The roof will be clad with solar cells.

The dwellings will be manufactured as a series of pods in a factory outside Bari in southern Italy, transported to the site and attached to the concrete column. They will arrive already painted, decorated and, in some cases, with walls hung with artwork.

The plan was outlined by Mr Fisher in a press conference at the Plaza Hotel in New York, with assistance from digital graphics and a violinist. “Today’s life is dynamic, so the space we are living in should be dynamic as well,” he said. “Buildings will follow rhythms of nature. They will change direction and shape from spring to summer, from sunrise to sunset, and adjust themselves to the weather. In other words, buildings will be alive.”

The lead partner was identified by Mr Fisher as Rotating Tower Dubai Development Limited, which he said was based in Britain.

He did not seem able to confirm that the authorities in Dubai had yet formally signed off on the construction of the tower. But the factory in Italy is gearing up to start making the pods in the coming weeks, he said. Potential investors may pause, meanwhile, because the highlight of Mr Fisher’s professional career to date appears to have been developing pre-constructed marble bathroom suites for hotels. “I have not designed skyscrapers, that’s right,” he acknowledged to a reporter.

He also admitted that the morphing nature of the building might make one question its structural soundness. “You asked if it is safe,” he said. “I had my doubts at the start, but now I am very confident.”— © The Independent