Fighting terrorism

Fight against terrorism seems to be going nowhere - at least as far as its sectarian part is concerned. The two acts of terrorism on Ashura serve to highlight the government's failure on this score forcefully. However, the two meetings President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Jamali had in Islamabad in quick succession seem to indicate the importance which the state attaches to wiping out this menace. Terrorism in Pakistan is a multi-faceted phenomenon. One of its facets is led by Al Qaeda.

It focuses on western targets, and in that process it does not mind if this hurts Pakistan. The murder of French engineers who were working on a submarine project for Pakistan show that Al Qaeda believes in punishing this country for being part of the US-led war on terror. It also has not forgiven the Musharraf government for what it perceives to be its "ditching" of the Taliban government. Another monstrous side of terrorism is sectarian in nature.

It has been in existence now for nearly a decade, and the banning of several extremist Shia and Sunni parties and armed militias have made no difference to the situation. In fact, the horror in Quetta on Tuesday and the gory incidents last year point out that the sectarian fanatics have been able to survive underground; their sources of funding and arms have not dried up, and their networks are still capable of striking where and when they choose.

While there is no doubting the government's intention on this score, one is appalled at the way our security agencies are dealing with the situation. We have a plethora of intelligence and counter-terrorism agencies, both civilian and military, and it goes without saying that they prove themselves to be exceptionally vigilant and efficient when it comes to matters other than terrorism. Yet they have still to prove that they are capable of devising a long-term strategy that could root out this curse.

Invariably, in this struggle between sectarian terrorists and the security agencies, the former have turned out to be more resourceful and smart. In other parts of the world, intelligence agencies have been able to warn governments in advance of acts of terrorism. For instance, US intelligence had warned the Saudi government of the likelihood of attacks by terrorists in Ramazan.

The warning turned out to be true, and the terrorists struck Riyadh on Nov 9. In Pakistan, however, there is no example where the agencies have been able to pre-empt an attack. They might do a superb job when it comes to protecting the VIPs, but their ability to apprehended sectarian terrorists before they strike seems to be extremely limited.

Sectarian terrorism cannot be combated by a show of force in the form of heavy deployment of police and security personnel on a given occasion. Terrorists need perpetual monitoring and surveillance. One also cannot attribute the agencies' lack of success to the absence of high-tech gadgets and the modern methods of surveillance and eavesdropping, for surely the cooperation with American agencies in the aftermath of 9/11 must have helped them on this score. The truth is that in nine out of ten cases, success in intelligence cases comes from humint - human intelligence.

The history of cold war is full of astounding successes achieved by rival intelligence agencies by relying on moles and sympathisers planted in the right place. Basically, it is ingenuity and dedication to the job that gets results. From this point of view, our intelligence agencies' failure to penetrate sectarian networks is there for all to see.

Unfair EU decision

The decision by the European Commission to impose a 13.1 per cent definitive anti-dumping duty on bed linen imports from Pakistan with immediate effect is unfair. The proper investigations that should have been carried out as part of the anti-dumping proceedings by the relevant EU team were never completed. The decision has been taken on the basis of an incomplete investigation and punishes Pakistani exporters for no fault of their own. The EU initiated anti-dumping proceedings in 2002 against Pakistani exporters after a complaint was lodged.

Soon after, an EU team arrived in Pakistan and decided to inspect six out of a total of 178 companies that offered to be checked. In the midst of this inspection, the EU team members received an anonymous life: threatening letter, based on which the team left Pakistan. Now, the EU has decided to go ahead and impose the anti-dumping duty without concluding its investigations.

The ball is now in Pakistan's court, and it should act fast to protect the interests of its exporters. Islamabad needs to take this issue to the World Trade Organization so that an appeal can be lodged. The process takes two to three years to complete, so there should be no delay on our part. When the EU imposed similar penalties on Pakistan, India and Egypt in 1996, it was India that challenged this decision in the WTO and received a verdict in its favour in 2000.

Pakistan was able to benefit by default from this. This inaction cannot be repeated. The EU decision is also a good opportunity for Pakistan to study its strategy in protecting its economic interests abroad. The post of economic minister at the Pakistan Embassy in Brussels which has been lying vacant should be filled by an experienced and knowledgeable person. Also, both the government and Pakistani exporters need to enhance their representation at EU forums.

Combating polio in NWFP

Despite undertaking an aggressive campaign to immunize children against polio, the NWFP government, it appears, has to make a more strenuous effort to meet WHO's December deadline for the eradication of this crippling disease. Provincial health officials have complained that the lack of coordination between WHO and the health directorate is obstructing the drive to eliminate the disease.

They have also said that more facilities and funds are needed to ensure that children in remote areas are vaccinated. While the health authorities in the NWFP may have a valid point, it is equally important to spread awareness about the disease among people living in the most inaccessible areas of the NWFP and FATA. Many households in these areas do not welcome the presence of men on the immunization teams, while some families view polio drops with suspicion.

In a social set-up that actively discourages women from taking part in outdoor activities and where even the mainstream political parties feel compelled to advise women not to cast votes on election day, inclusion of fewer women on mobile health teams administering polio drops in far-off villages is perhaps understandable. Provincial laws, such as the one barring female patients from receiving medical aid from a male doctor, do not help matters either. It is legal and social anomalies like these regarding women's role in society that need to be removed. Polio is a viral disease.

Its possible outbreak in a high-risk community will not distinguish between striking a girl child and a boy. There is a need for evolving a public awareness strategy whereby these basic facts must be driven home to the masses so as to ensure their active participation in the drive against polio. Even though they face the prospect of team fatigue in accessing remote areas, the local health authorities must not slacken their efforts to immunize every child in every village. It would also be worthwhile to invest in the services of local women who would be able to explain to mothers the importance of administering the polio vaccine to their children.