| August 01, 2008 | Friday | Rajab 28, 1429 |
A tête-à-tête with Chaudhry Nisar
“I am not a hawk. I do have a number of reservations about the PPP and its leadership. Ours is not a coalition like the one they have in Germany. Even an unlikely coalition between Congress and the BJP in India would perhaps carry far less mutual hostility baggage than the two of us do. But I am not such a political ignoramus not to see the potential for Pakistan’s political future and for the democratic process in the continuation of the coalition. So those who think I lead those among the PML-N leaders who want the party to quit the coalition sooner than later are grossly wrong.
There is a Pashto proverb: “If Khost is well fed, so is the entire Kurram region.” Contrary to this saying, Afghanistan’s Khost province, which lies on the south of the restive Kurram tribal region, used to receive food grains from the fertile Kurram valley. But now, the situation has turned around. Kurram tribesmen look for their subsistence from the largely-barren neighbouring Khost.
Unfortunately, Kurrmiwal (residents of Kurram) have now been depending on Khost for one year, because of the continuous economic blockade that started in November last. In other words, upper parts of Kurram have physically cut off from the rest of the country. If the people of Khost and its surrounding areas stop cross border movement of food items it can trigger worst humanitarian crisis. Half million population of this lush green valley has landed in a complete state of suffocation for one year.
The area has witnessed worst clashes and destruction, resulting in over 700 deaths for no reason.
A sizable population in small pockets of upper Kurram has been without basic necessities of life, especially food and healthcare facilities. Inhabitants of these small pockets need immediate relief to save them from starvation and epidemic. Hospitals are without oxygen cylinders and medicines. Abdul Sattar Edhi recently made an endeavour to reach the stranded population, but he along with relief workers was stopped.
Economic activities in the area have largely suffered. The construction sector has come to a complete standstill because of non-availability of building material. Local people are sending agriculture produces to Afghanistan and trade with Kabul via Kurram has been suspended for one year. If this situation persists, tribal people are likely to start dealing in Afghan currency or US dollar.
What is striking to the people’s mind is that the government is silent over the prevailing situation in the area.
The administration is yet to take concrete measures to open the road, resume food supply, rehabilitate displaced families and restore lasting peace in the region. Surprisingly, the Thall-Parachinar road remains open for convoys of security forces and movement of government officials.
Thousands of troops stationed in Parachinar and other parts of the area are regularly receiving food, but the common man has become vexatious. It gives an impression as if Kurram, being an important strategic area, is no more a part of Pakistan.
Significantly, when President George W. Bush was assuring Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on the South Lawn of the White House that the United States would fully respect sovereignty of Pakistan, at the same time a group of frustrated tribal elders were meeting the so-called liberators at a mutual territory along the Durand Line, ensuring all-out support to the tribesmen. Islamabad must keep eyes on the horizon and must take pre-emptive measures before declaring the area a “No Fly Zone” or something else.
Tribesmen in other parts of Fata are facing a very perplex situation too. Terror looms large over the area due to frequent air space violations and attacks from across the border. The killing of Abu Khabab Al Misri in a missile attack in Azam Warsak has once again brought to the international spotlight the fact that the Al Qaeda leadership still exists there.
Reports about clashes and differences among various Taliban groups are being heralded, which can lead tribal society towards complete anarchy. In the Mohmand region, once the most peaceful part in Fata, two militant outfits clashed with each other recently. The top leadership of jihadi outfits has started efforts for reconciliation between the two groups.
On the other hand, the Taliban have started occupying abandoned checkposts, schools, health centres and other government installations in the Bajaur region. More than eight checkposts along the border that were vacated by the Frontier Corps along the Afghan border have been occupied by the local Taliban. Kidnapping for ransom is now a common practice in the entire tribal region. Like other operations, the much publicised Sirat-i-Mustaqeem operation despite engaging several hundred paramilitary troops and tanks has proved a futile exercise. Mangal Bagh, leading the Lashkar-i-Islam, has come back to Bara and resumed his activities with pomp and show.
Lawlessness has badly affected the government revenue and development activities in the area. Export of marble, coal, soapstone and other minerals from Fata has considerably decreased, which directly or indirectly increased economic miseries of the local population.
The government generates a revenue of Rs600 to Rs800 million from export of minerals annually from the tribal region, but these figures are now squeezing gradually.
Stories of growing discontent daily emerging from the restive tribal belt suggest that it is time for action for the government because people are fed up with rhetoric of the ruling elites. They want to see action speaking louder than words.
“And I can tell you with full authority that the top PML-N leadership is for remaining in the coalition for the entire term, come what may. The three of us, Khawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar and I who have been authorised by Mian Nawaz Sharif to talk to the PPP leadership on coalition matters do not carry differing agendas. Other leaders like Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and Ahsan Iqbal know what is going on but they are not part of the negotiating team. So, it is extremely unfair to blame them for pursuing a different agenda. And by the way we are politically savvy enough to recognise the importance of the US in world affairs and especially in the region.
“We are not pathological US haters as some would like to paint us. In our discussions with top diplomats from the US and the UK we have found them reasonable and understanding. And we believe they do not care one way or the other what we do with Musharraf or with the illegally deposed judges. From my experience of dealing with the US I have come to the conclusion that Washington gets upset with those who go after it with guns blazing without any rhyme or reason; they respect those who talk to them as equals and they order around those who display a complete lack of self-respect.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the man who is known to be the closest confidante of Nawaz Sharif, or rather his alter ego, spent a couple of hours with me here in London on a sunny afternoon trying to make some sense out of what is happening in Pakistan currently. When we parted company we were no wiser. He said he had no idea why Asif Zardari does not want to impeach the president or restore the judges.
“Is he afraid that a restored Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry would reopen the NRO? Well, if there is any other reason, you tell me. Could it be that Zardari prefers Chief Justice Dogar over Chief Justice Chaudhry because he finds the former compliant to a degree of his liking? I would not like to answer that question. What does Zardari gain from continuing with President Musharraf? I have no idea. But we in the PML-N were given to understand that it is because of the US pressure that the government is not able to take any action so far against the president, or have the judges restored. In fact Mr Zardari once invited Mian Nawaz Sharif to meet Richard Boucher together to discuss these issues but Mian Saheb declined the offer saying Boucher was too lowly an official to take our complaints to him. And recently Mr Zardari invited Mian Saheb to accompany him to the US to plead our case in Washington but we laughed the offer away saying why should we invite the US interference in matters which we could handle on our own. If the US has any objections to these decisions then let it make those objections public so that our voters know who is blocking their mandate. Why is Musharraf sticking around? I do not know but I am told he wants to continue until early 2009 and also wants indemnity.”
In Mr Khan’s opinion with insurgents confronting the writ of the government in Balochistan and militancy on the rise in the NWFP, the country badly needs a national party like the PPP which has its base in Sindh to safeguard Pakistan’s sovereignty. But does he see this party collapsing under the weight of its recent political blunders? It would be a national tragedy of enormous proportion if that happened. What if it implodes from within because there is no Bhutto to lead it, Bilawal being too young and too inexperienced to keep the party intact? It would be doubly tragic if that happened. How do you feel about the recent bickering within the top PPP leadership? “Seriously disturbed. I am sure had Benazir Bhutto been alive today she would have been in complete control of the government. By now she would have gotten rid of Musharraf, restored the judges and with her looking over the ruling party would have been alert enough to avoid silly mistakes such as mysteriously postponing the by-elections without giving any reason and then withdrawing the decision, promising to restore judges publicly then going back on that promise, giving wrong numbers while announcing increases in gas prices, making a mockery of PM’s first address to the nation and losing face publicly with its under-18 approach to serious matters like which civilian authority would control the ISI.
While conceding that since it is not part of the government and, therefore, has no right to be on board on every decision the government was making, he nevertheless said since the PML-N is supporting the government it is as much accountable to the voters as the PPP is. “Also the party feels that perhaps some of the blunders committed by the government could have been averted had it been consulted. The PML-N has a lot of reservations on the proposed constitutional amendment draft. In the first place, the draft proposals allow the president to retain a number of important powers that should be the prerogative of the PM. Second, it is a non-starter because we do not have the numbers in the Senate to get it through. We have told them that the amendments should be redrafted in the light of the Charter of Democracy.”
What about Nawaz Sharif’s by-election case?
“We are seriously looking at the option of unilaterally announcing that Mian Saheb is no more a candidate for the seat in question.”
