Islamabad invitation
A FORMAL invitation has now been extended by Islamabad to leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) to visit Pakistan for discussions. This is a logical corollary to all the efforts that have been made in the past few months to create a congenial atmosphere for a politically focussed attempt to tackle the Kashmir issue. From what the foreign office has said, it seems that the APHC representatives would be encouraged to go where they want and to talk to whom they wish, which is as it should be. APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in an interview with Dawn last month, had said Hurriyat wanted a “triangular” dialogue, but stressed that it wanted also to meet Azad Kashmir leaders and the mujahideen, both the latter two being crucial to a peaceful settlement. The Mirwaiz had also said that the APHC itself had two or three roadmaps that it could share with Pakistan and India, and it can only be hoped that following their Pakistan visit, the APHC leaders would have an opportunity to talk to the Indian government.
No one is under any illusion that the recent confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan can on their own provide a Kashmir solution, and this has been repeatedly stressed. But equally it is clear that without a more rational equation between the two countries, a solution is not possible. The CBMs so far have addressed humanitarian concerns, and constitute an important milestone in the way to grappling with the knottier disputes. What the Kashmiris are facing on a daily basis is really felt only by them: the area under Indian control has been run virtually as a military camp, with grave human rights violations. It is only natural that a majority of Kashmiris should feel that the progress in Indo-Pakistan relations so far has left their daily concerns unaddressed, and it is up to the Indian government to realize the alienation that it has managed to create among the people of the Valley. The wishes of the Kashmiris are vital to a just and durable settlement, and respect for the views of the APHC is absolutely necessary because right now that is the closest we have to an organization representing a broad cross-section of Kashmiri opinion.
What we are all still looking or should be looking for is a viable Kashmir policy. As such the statement issued by the all-parties’ Kashmir conference in Islamabad on Monday that it “rejects” the government’s policy on the issue jumps the gun a bit. It is also not clear why it was said after the conference, which included the ARD, that it neither welcomed nor condemned the Kashmir bus link. The link has been greeted by people on both sides of the Line of Control, and one sees no point in anyone waffling over it. All political parties have to tell us how we should proceed rather than stick to a rejectionist line. But the conference was right in demanding that parliament should be taken into confidence about the state of the dialogue process between Pakistan and India, when it may be possible to develop a national consensus over the way forward on Kashmir. No policy on any issue can be sustainable without a democratic basis.
Ban on seafood
PAKISTAN’S seafood industry once again finds itself in dire straits as a result of a twin ban — one by the government and the other by the European Union — on the sale of fish products to EU countries. This is starting to tell on export earnings. With seafood exports to the EU accounting for 54 per cent of Pakistan’s total earnings from this industry, it is feared that the losses sustained during the period of the ban, imposed by the government a few months ago, have already run into several million dollars. This state of affairs may well worsen if the seafood authorities fail to fulfil the strict conditions of hygiene stressed by the EU. Fish is a highly perishable food item and the slightest carelessness in its handling can lead to serious health consequences. On this score, the EU inspection team, that had visited port facilities and other seafood units in Karachi earlier in the year, had every reason to be dissatisfied with the situation. Turned off by the sight of fishing boats spewing oil, defective storage facilities and the poor hygiene of those handling the fish, the EU has threatened a complete ban on seafood exports from Pakistan unless the government devises a strategy to ensure the safety of the products by June 10.
Realizing the long-term implications of such a ban and to meet EU standards, the government has set about planning a number of measures aimed at improving conditions in the harbour and at fish processing units. It is expected to apprise the EU of these. One only hopes that it is serious about implementing the necessary corrective measures or else it stands to lose a major market. Already, EU buyers of Pakistan’s seafood who have not been receiving their regular deliveries are threatening to switch over to other sources of supply in the region. This could spell disaster for the industry that has a very small market within the country where fish consumption is one of the lowest in the world. For a country that expects to double its annual seafood exports, strict adherence to high standards of hygiene and quality control is imperative.
League compromise
THE removal of former Sindh minister Imtiaz Sheikh from his position as the PML’s general secretary for Sindh is apparently designed to sideline the issue rather than resolving it in a proper manner. However, Mr Sheikh’s proposed appointment as vice-president of the party’s central body seems to give the impression that the PML leadership did not give much credence to the corruption charges levelled against him by the Sindh chief minister leading to his removal from the provincial cabinet. The chief minister had at a press conference levelled serious allegations against Mr Sheikh, who later returned the compliment by making similar charges against the CM. The matter was probed by an official of the prime minister’s inspection team who was despatched to Karachi to record the statements of those on both sides. In the interim, the Sindh police and the officials of the anti-corruption department launched a campaign to arrest certain revenue department officials believed to have been accomplices in the former revenue minister’s alleged shenanigans.
The way the issue has been handled means that either the allegations were not meant to be taken seriously in the first place and were simply an effort by one individual to remove a potential rival from the scene, or that the PML is not very averse to having in its ranks those tainted by allegations of wrongdoing. Pakistan must be among the few countries where corruption accusations are routinely brandied about but are neither seriously investigated nor appear to create any great anguish amongst those named. Ministers and public functionaries seldom offer to step aside while the charges against them are adjudicated. If Mr Sheikh had offered to step down and present himself before an inquiry, that would have been the best proof of his innocence and would have spared the ruling party the embarrassment it has been experiencing on this score.