Lessons to learn

AS the wave of shock and grief touched off by Wednesday’s devastating suicide attack in Karachi subsides it is time to take stock and learn some useful lessons from this gruesome tragedy. There is one fundamental truth that the authorities must urgently confront if they are serious about rooting out terrorism: the country’s law enforcement agencies and intelligence apparatus are clearly not competent or equipped to deal with even ordinary crime — let alone well-planned terrorist outrages of the type that shook the nation on Wednesday. The bomb blast that killed 16 persons, including 11 French nationals, took place in a highly sensitive area in the heart of the city where large numbers of foreigners were based. The authorities must have been aware of the threat to such persons from a number of groups opposed to Pakistan’s role in the US-led war against terror. Yet, a car laden with explosives could easily be driven close to a Pakistan Navy vehicle carrying a number of foreign nationals employed in a sensitive defence project. Clearly, there is an urgent need to thoroughly shake up the entire law and order machinery to make it an effective force that can prevent such attacks. This is all the more necessary given the warning by the government predicting more suicide attacks by groups close to Al Qaeda, especially in countries supporting the on-going war against terror.

It is also clear that the crackdown on extremist groups in the aftermath of September 11 has not deterred those bent on pursuing a violent course of action. If anything, the number of sectarian killings is once again on the rise following a brief lull following the crackdown. The reason is simple. In the past, such outrages have been followed by a string of empty boasts from those at the helm about immediate action to bring the perpetrators to book. However, even in the most high-profile cases, few culprits have ever been caught and punished. This has only served to embolden the terrorists. Pakistan urgently needs to shed the image of a country where terrorists can strike at will, with little risk of being apprehended.

The long-awaited police reforms promised by the present government offered some hope for the future. However, the convoluted process leading to these reforms has raised fears that any new set-up that emerges may be too full of compromises and contradictions to effectively deliver. As for fighting terrorism, the law enforcement agencies urgently need to acquire expertise in counter-terrorism, which is increasingly a highly specialized field. President Musharraf’s recent announcement that he would seek foreign assistance in this field is encouraging. The French government’s decision to dispatch a team of investigators to assist in probing the latest suicide attack offers Pakistan an ideal opportunity to collaborate with a highly efficient force. Already, the police have been working with FBI personnel in anti-terrorist investigations. The government must now seriously consider formalizing such links with foreign agencies in order to benefit from their expertise. The people of this country have heard enough stirring sermons about stamping out crime and terrorism with an iron hand. With the death toll in acts of terror mounting by the day and new threats hovering on the horizon, it is time for the government to finally act.

Saving Moenjodaro

SOON after the discovery of the third millennium BC ruins at Moenjodaro by Sir John Marshall in 1921, fears had been expressed as to how this World Heritage site could be conserved. Since then experts have failed to find an effective and sustainable method of conservation, and the ruins have continued to face the threat of extinction from the rising ground-water table and salinity. Only 10 per cent of the buried city stands excavated, as further excavations have remained suspended since 1931 pending a long-term conservation strategy. A number of methods suggested by international experts have been tried, including the installation of tube wells to pump out excess ground water, building of rain water channels and mud-coating of the crumbling walls and structures. But nothing has been truly effective in stopping the rapid decay of the prehistoric site.

Moenjodaro was flooded twice, first in 1956 and then in 1976, by the nearby River Indus, but is now out of danger after the government constructed four embankments to save it from any future floods. Unicef funding for the conservation of the ruins was suspended in 1997 following the international expert committee’s failure to come up with a decisive method of conservation, but was restored last year. Now a panel of international experts has suggested the plantation of salt-resistant plants around the ruins, which will act as a wind-breaking device and block the air-borne salt particles from reaching the site. As for the rising ground water table, an effective remedy has yet to be found; the installation of the tube wells earlier on had resulted in more damage to the ruins. Clearly, this means there is a need to invest more money into research for finding an effective conservation method. Given its constrained resources, Pakistan cannot do this alone. The ruins of Moenjodaro are a heritage of mankind, and an effort to save these will have to be a collective one. The rapidity with which the excavated site is facing decay calls for an urgent and sustained international effort, in terms of both expertise and funds needed to save these precious remains of one of the greatest and oldest human civilizations.

Thalassaemia control

A PROPOSAL by medical experts on World Thalassaemia Day to go through blood screening before marriage needs to be considered. The debilitating disease, which causes the production of abnormal red blood cells and leads to anaemia, affects at least a hundred thousand people in the country with five thousand new-born children being added to this number every year. Since thalassaemia is a hereditary disorder, Pakistan’s population is particularly vulnerable to a rise in its incidence since marriage between cousins is quite common here. The disease has particularly bleak consequences for those afflicted. Despite costly treatment requiring extensive blood transfusion, bone marrow transplant, and a heavy dose of vitamins and other medicines, patients see their life expectancy shortened to just around 15 years.

Doctors are right in suggesting that given Pakistan’s peculiar cultural traditions, the rising incidence of thalassaemia could be effectively countered by following the example of other countries where inter-marriages were common. Italy and Cyprus were cited as having instituted laws that require couples to undergo blood screening before marriage. Following this route might be somewhat impractical in our case given that a significant proportion of our population lives in the countryside who may not be easily persuaded to overcome the hold of centuries-old traditions and abide by such a law. However, at the very least, the ministry of health, in conjunction with non-governmental organizations and through its network of basic health units and voluntary health workers, should initiate a public awareness campaign urging people to undergo blood screening before marrying a cousin or other close relation.