Long-term US-Pakistan relations
FOREIGN Minister Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri’s statement that Pakistan is seeking “a multi-tier” relationship with the US goes to show the importance Islamabad attaches to its ties with Washington. Speaking at a press conference in Washington on Friday, Mr Kasuri said that President Musharraf’s visit to the US next month could prove to be a turning point in relations between the two countries. He also said that Pakistan wanted the US to waive the remaining two billion dollars of debt this country owed to it. More significantly, he said that Islamabad would also be seeking greater US military support for Pakistan. Between President Musharraf’s last visit to the US in September last and the scheduled visit next month, a major event that has rocked the world and the region in which Pakistan is located is America’s invasion of Iraq. The attack, which was universally opposed, has unleashed a new wave of anti-American anger and resentment in the Muslim world. During this difficult period, Pakistan had to do some tightrope walking, for it had to reconcile its newly-revived friendship with the US with its membership of the Islamic fraternity and the equally sensitive responsibility of being a member of the Security Council. The president’s visit, thus, should provide an opportunity for the two sides to re-assess their relationship, narrow the area of misunderstanding and differences and broaden and strengthen the areas where cooperation could prove mutually beneficial.
Pakistan’s relations with the US over the last more than fifty years have seen many ups and down. It has ranged from close political and military cooperation to alienation that often bordered on hostility. However, notwithstanding this roller-coaster pattern of relationship, it is obvious that what unites Pakistan and the US is greater than what divides them. The US has been generally cognizant of the significance that attaches to Pakistan’s geo-strategic location. In the fifties, this led to Pakistan’s membership of the US-crafted anti-communist military pacts, and this country became what was often described as America’s “most allied ally.” Of course, this was not a sustainable position, and there were periods when the mutually supportive relationship gave way to misunderstanding. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan brought Pakistan and America together again and made this country the recipient of a new dose of economic and military aid. Pakistan, though, had to pay a heavy price for becoming a front-line state in terms of the rise of religious militancy and the spread of gun culture and drug abuse. The “abandonment” of Pakistan by America in the wake of the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan has been a painful chapter in their mutual relations. However, 9/11 and America’s war on terror — and more particularly against Al Qaeda and the Taliban — have brought the two countries closer once again and Pakistan has again become a “front-line” state. Against this background, one should attach importance to the foreign minister’s statement that the two countries would try to evolve a relationship that would not be “event-based.”
Situated in South Asia, Pakistan borders on central and south-west Asia and is located close to the Gulf region. It is a region where the US has vital economic and strategic interests. What Pakistan seeks are conditions of peace and stability which promote regional cooperation and economic growth. Conversely, what do not suit this country are conditions of conflict, regional instability and anarchy. Pakistan has suffered immensely on account of war and internal strife in its neighbourhood. It is in Pakistan’s national interest to cooperate with the world community in combating terrorism and promoting conditions of peace and regional stability. The aftermath of 9/11 has also seen America’s active “engagement” with South Asia, and the commendable efforts which Washington made last year to avert a devastating war between Pakistan and India.
No doubt, developing a warm and close relationship with the US in this unipolar world is in Pakistan’s long-term interests. This should not, however, be at the expense of Pakistan’s ties with any other country, including such a trusted and long-time friend as China, nor should this militate against Islamabad’s efforts to normalize its relations with Moscow. The need is for Pakistan to develop with the US a relationship that is not wholly dependent on the expediency of the moment.
For such prospects to materialize, Pakistan must of course put its own house in order in terms of political stability, democratic continuity, peace and public order. A country chronically troubled internally on various fronts, and that too in a region rife with tensions and uncertainty, can hardly expect to be taken seriously whether it is a question of forming durable partnerships or a matter of infusion of foreign investment.
Poor fund utilization
POOR utilization of development funds by Punjab, indicated in the recent accountant-general’s report, points to severe constraints in public service delivery. The provincial government has so far not utilized even one-third of the funds allocated for uplift in the 2002-3 budget. Out of Rs22 billion earmarked for the purpose, the provincial government used only Rs6.46 billion. Similar has been the performance of the district governments during the period under consideration. Schemes worth Rs5.591 billion were implemented as against Rs11.868 billion placed at their disposal. On the other hand, most of the province’s Rs126 billion non-development budget has been consumed. This speaks of the skewed expenditure priorities of the government and the failure to remove structural weaknesses, which inhibit proper utilization of development funds.
Delays in the approval of schemes and allocation of funds by departments, accounting for inadequate utilization, resulted in the waste of scarce resources and denial of the fruits of development to the people. Misappropriation and shoddy work also cannot be ruled out when schemes are executed in a hurry towards the end of the financial year. However, a better performance was expected this time round in view of efforts to decentralize the system of approval of schemes and allocation of resources for them. Earlier, the Punjab government had decided to give the districts more powers to administer their financial matters. If positive results are not forthcoming, there are likely to be snags in the process. These must be urgently addressed in order to achieve more effective utilization.
Kite string deaths
THE death of a three-year-old child by a sudden incision on his throat caused by a kite string illustrates the grim hazards of stray cord on Lahore’s roads. The boy was going with his parents on a motorbike on Friday when the tragic incident occurred. This was the fifth incident of its kind in the city in recent months. Kite-flying in Lahore has become a year-round activity, basant or no basant. The sport knows no age or status, with the young and the old blissfully unaware of the dangers posed by the twine which often gets strung across streets after being cut loose during aerial matches fought by enthusiasts. The cord, with a coating of ground glass, has a sharp cutting edge which can prove fatal if it suddenly comes into contact with a sensitive part of the human body.
Kite-flyers unfortunately have shown scant concern for this aspect of the problem. A media campaign must be urgently launched in order to sensitize kite fliers of the consequences of their actions. The authorities must also scour roads and congested localities to remove the potentially deadly string.