Food Crisis in Pakistan: Causes & Recommendations – published in Urdu in Nawai Waqt on July 31 2008
Although the whole world is facing food crisis unfortunately agricultural country like Pakistan is also confronting this dilemma and that too because of its own faults and short comings. Most depressing and painful point is that instead of learning a lesson we are further aggravating the whole situation. That is why food crisis is getting complicated with each passing day. Our government has not yet analyzed that omissions are not infertile they grow and produce more if not well managed as it has been seen in our country for the last 4 months. In 2007 increase in edible’s prices was 20% but it has flown to 40% in 2008.
854 million people world wide are living an ineffective and unhealthy life due to shortage of food. Developing countries are more victims of food shortages. Pakistan is enriched with fertile land and people can manage to produce variety of vegetables like tomato, potato, green chili etc in their lawns or even can plant them in small areas of their homes, and for this not very high technology is needed. Prices can be brought down this way too. Encourage people to plant trees and teach ways to preserve them. We can take people out from the whirl pool of problems by engaging them in constructive activities. In this regard Government should allot plots and land to the youth of rural and urban areas so that they can use it not only for agriculture purpose but also can construct and build either homes or plazas. For agriculture purposes, people should be provided with good seeds on reasonable rates. If energy savers can be given on reasonable rates why seeds cant be provided too on economical price? Media should also work for this issue.
I don’t want to be involved in the “politics of blames” but I am trying to give practical solutions to the problems by bringing awareness among masses. As a Pakistani citizen and people’s representative it is my duty. Any political aspect if depicted in this article should be ignored but my concern as an opposition member should not be avoided or ignored. In third session of 2007 this food crisis was nominal but they turned out to be a “giant” from “dwarf” in the 4 months period of caretaker as well as of the present government. One of the major reason was that both of the governments did not have any agriculture and food related strategic vision and unfortunately much work is not yet being done only “time passing fruitless” measures are inline.
Food security is very important just like personal and national security. It should be included in the constitution. It is not a political slogan any more. It is a reality that political parties should confront and face. But no matter, what government must bring back is “Roti” on the old prices of November 2007. This is not an impenetrable issue. Government should work on it. By analyzing how many people buy “Roti”, make a mechanism of providing subsidy on the flour used in houses and available in markets. Increase the support prices of wheat and announce it in time. DAP should be brought back on 50% subsidy given by PML Q instead by 30%. 50% subsidy should be given on tube wells with permanent provision of electricity and where government cannot provide electricity then it should provide subsidized diesel for those tube wells. In order to eliminate hoarding construction of “store houses” be established on district level according to the percentage of population and local government should scrutinize the whole process.
If neighboring countries can provide free electricity for tube wells then why cannot we give 50% subsidy? Increase in G.S.T should be taken back. It is an unfair move to issue BB card after increasing GST. GST should be zero rated on kids related items so that parents can utilize their savings on the nutritious ness needs of their children. There should also be a proper check on the allocation of prices on the food items available in market for kids.
There is not much difference in the prices between those of utility stores and of regular market. (Utility stores do not cover even 2% of population). Government should take strict notice of illegal profiteering. Due to artificial inflation items are 15% to 30% expensive now. Therefore it is important to eliminate middle man’s role. With the help of NADRA complete data should be made of the whole population and collect information consisting of people’s interests, their buying power and living standards and style and also get information from them about the market and freight charges etc.
In private sectors local investors should be given rights as those of “Metro” like multinational stores and then restrict them to open 50% of their branches in underdeveloped areas of Pakistan. This way people will get quality things on reasonable rates that they are unable to get from utility stores. Local industrialists will not be effected. There should be no compromise on quality and every one can benefit from the opening of more multinational stores. In order to reduce poverty and enhance buying power government should restrict these “Big Stores” to keep hand made things as this will promote cottage industry too.
Milk and biscuit program should be started for the children of schools in order to fulfill their nutritional needs. Parents should be given cashable vouchers as the provision of this support will help them brought up a healthy generation.
There is an increase in the prices of cooking oil, sugar and rice from 50% to 150%. It is important that government should take measures to eliminate hoarding and release food vouchers to 71 million food deficient people.
Another important factor I want to talk about is the effect of climate change on the future agricultural production. Our country is getting affected due to climate change. With the help of an NGO Global Impact Change much work has been done in our time of government. Climate change and its effects pose serious threats. If proper care will not be taken country can be like Yemen and Afghanistan. We should keep in mind the situation of Ethiopia and Somalia. It is very important that Parliamentarians, civil society, political parties and media should play their role to the best of their abilities.
Keeping in mind increasing temperature we should revise the time of sowing of the seeds. We will also have to analyze the due to deforestation earth’s fertility s getting effected due to there is reduction in not only fertile lands but also grazing lands which is an earning source for the poor. They get direct and indirect part of food from these lands. Increase in temperature is a key factor which is destroying fields. It is important that we should invent new seeds for our harvesting according to the temperature. In future, temperature can go upto 5% centigrade in Pakistan.
We should work on seasonal weather predictions as nothing is being done so far in this respect. We should devise immediate strategy on this. Clear effects can be seen on the South semi arid part of Pakistan. Due to increase in temperature wheat production will be reduced to 3500 kg per hectare from 4300 kg per hectare which is nearly 800 kg per hectare less. In the same way there will be a reduction from 4000 kg per hectare to 3250 kg per hectare in South Semi dry areas which is 750kg per hectare less. In Northern Sub Mountains it will be reduced to 2000 kg per hectare to 3000 kg per hectare which is 1000 kg per hectare less. In Northern Areas it will increase from 2600 kg per hectare to 3500 kg per hectare which is 900 kg per hectare more than the actual one. But the actual thing is that Northern Areas constitute only 2% in the national production. Due to glacier melt and floods these crops can be destroyed. Northern Sub Mountains constitutes 9%, Southern Semi dry Area 42% and Southern Full Dry Area 47% of the land. In 1990 rice production was 4200 kg per hectare which in 2025 will increase up to 4000 kg per hectare. We need to bring changes in irrigation methods. Instead of flood irrigation we should concentrate on the Furrow and Bed Plantation technique so that water can be saved.
Similarly in order to increase rice production instead of filter irrigation and plantation, dry plantation technique should be promoted. If we will bring forth new technologies only then less water will be used. Wheat uses 75 millimeter water per hectare. 225 millimeter per hectare is used on 3 crops. 5 cycles should be completed in this process which means that in the same quantity of water instead of 3, 5 crops should be harvested. Nominal reduction will take place in the production which will not make much difference but this way water will be saved and stored.
We should bring agriculture research from public sector to private sector with a better mechanism. And for quality research government should announce attractive incentives with rewards. In this regard Ministry can play the role bridge between farmers and the researchers. The details of USAID food security fund should be brought in the parliament. The committee on Global Environmental change chaired by Prime Minister should be made highly effective. In order to better utilize population, human resources in agricultural field should be strongly implemented.
Financial support should be given to the farmers so that they are able to harvest in time which will increase production benefiting both the governments and the farmers.
Just like other sectors, government has become futile in agriculture sector too so it is very important that government should bring all related issues to it in the Parliament and should take advantage from the proposals given in this regard. And if the government shows its consent more recommendations can be given with in the parliament.
INTRAFAITHS AND INTERFAITH HARMONY published as Urdu article in Nawai Waqt on 22 July 2008
In every religion of the world “peace” has got the basic importance. No religion teaches to resort to the terrorism tactics. The world scholars and the sane people of the world agree to this basic teaching. All the religions encompass the teaching of peace, security and tolerance. Islam, Christianity, Bhudism and other religion also taught tolerance about the other religion. There is no basic concept emerging regarding resorting to excesses to the believers of the other religions. That is the reason humanity comes first than religion. All the religions talk about the “Dialogue”. This is the right way to defeat terrorism effectively. Unfortunately, interfaith dialogue, which had started Fourteen hundred years ago in Madina, had weakened with the passage of time. It is worth mentioning that during that era when education and awareness had not matured, the dialogue process were in vogue. Now, when these faculties have matured unfortunately the dialogue process died off. We need to strengthen the dialogue process, for which competent scholars and religious leaders are required, so that the misunderstanding does not arise at any level. The academic issues must be resolved with academic debates, greater tolerance, without jumping to conclusion with preconceived ideas. The scholars of all the religions must take into account the utmost care, so that followers of different religions must not fall apart and resort to extremist activities. In this regard ban must be imposed upon the books of Pseudo scholars and writers, which give rise to the differences, like Suleman Rushdi, Tasleema Nasreen and blasphemous cartoons from Denmark. The international laws made by the United Nation must be enforced to foster interfaith harmony especially the western countries must think to act upon these lines. The originators of all the religion must be respected alike. It is of great importance to know that Muslim world never ever ridiculed any of the originators or his close associates. One must think that why after all Muslim countries, like Kashmir, Palestine, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan are made victims. The unresolved problems of these countries are also a great impediment in the way of interfaith dialogue. Muslim world has the right to think that “East Taimur” issue being the area of majority Christian dwellers has been resolved within weeks, whereas the issues regarding the Muslim world are either left unresolved or, take ages to get settled. All the religions must respect the places of worship of the other religions. The term “Clash of Civilization” is being used for last 35 years, why after all this term must not be finished after having known the cause of its origin. At this point in time the most disputed issue is of “Jihad”. In the Muslim world “Jihad” was flourished, sponsored and exploited by the Western world to foster their designs in Afghanistan against Russia. Before that “Jihad” use to be under the authority of the respective government. The world powers must review of her attitude in this regard. Pakistan had to face the negative fallout of the Afghan Jihad. In this regard there is a need to evolve a long term strong strategy, in which the base should be the realization of our own mistakes and then proceeding forward under an international “Truth” and Reconciliation commission. In this regard Western media must also review its attitude and adopt a reasonable way to benefit the humanity. It must be known that world cannot by benefited by mere making tall plans of MOUs at Al-Azhar, Sikandria, Cairo and Islamabad etc. All the world leaders and religious scholars must honestly pay respect, displaying the flexibility and tolerance toward other religions and countries. For sure Islam and constitution of Pakistan support the interfaith harmony and present government must also provide assurance in this regard for future cooperation as well. This infact would be a matter of great pride for the Pakistan.
Now we come to the intrafaith harmony. Islam teaches Muslim to abide by the laws of Allah Almighty and do not fall apart. First of all Islam talks about the humanity and peace. The same formula is applied amongst the Muslim of the world. Islam teaches that good Muslim is the one, who is harmless to other Muslims. Islam also teaches that, if an ordinary dog dies of hunger and thirst within the area under the jurisdiction of a ruler of that time, he would be entirely responsible and accountable. By this one can well imagine the importance of human being and than of a Muslim in Islam. Islam teaches us to honor each other dignity and respect and forbade to kill each other. In the light of above, intrafaith dialogue must be initiated as soon as possible. The religious leaders and scholars also not bring forward disputed issues in the public gatherings and mosque. The religious leaders must evolve consensus before publishing or discussing religious matters in public. The ideology of Islam based on welfare, fraternity, and on good values must be foster. The good practices and orders of Islamic culture should be implemented upon, through state authority also. The controversial literature must be strictly banned; loud speakers must also be strictly banned. It should be not utilized for addressing unnecessary religious gatherings to show strength etc. There must be frequent interaction among the leaders of various sects. Any controversial issue arising from the discussion must be taken care of and should also be resolved amicably forthwith. In this regard there needs to be close contacts among the religious leaders, popular leadership and law enforcement departments. A comprehensive arrangement to celebrate/observe the religious occasions be done well before time. The worship places be guarded properly. The process of allotment of the mosques should be made transparent by the local Government. Already existing disputes must also be resolved as soon as possible. All religious controversial cases be resolved harmoniously among the different parties and government should also provide assurance and withdraw the cases against people of different religious sect. The Friday prayer should be lead by the learned religious leaders/scholars and their sermon must also be alike. There must be ban on speech delivery in the mosques. Arabic language should be made compulsory in public schools and English language in Mudrassas (Seminaries). Maddrassas should be brought in the national main stream. The government should enforce Islamic laws within the bound of constitution. Their must be one Islamic rule for the country and that must be respected by all. It is a fact that the system of whole universe is based on justice (equality). Till such time we think and talk of justice (equality), we will not be able to surmount the existing problems/issues faced by the world.
‘100 Day Betrayal’ The News
By PML MNA Marvi Memon
The raison d’etre of PML’s white paper on the coalition government’s 100 day mismanagement derives from the insistence of the government to commit themselves to be accountable to the people through various promises made during elections and on assuming charge of government. As ‘constructive opposition’ in a parliamentary democracy it is our duty to give a critique on their promises of improvement so that they achieve their targets faster for the betterment of the masses.
In essence their 100 day charge sheet can be drawn on three accounts. Firstly a severe deterioration of commodity prices thus standard of living from what they were handed over as commodity balance sheet. Secondly, a deteriorating law and order situation in the country. Thirdly no visible results on their promises based on the Charter of democracy leading to a crisis of leadership in the country ensuring Pakistan’s nose diving international image.
On commodity pricing and standard of living indicators, they failed to maintain status quo and to improve which was essentially their election promise. Employment Placement Bureau made for PPP jialas came under immediate target and lost credibility for giving employment without party bias. On ‘roti kapra makaan’ slogan, the doubling of wheat prices from what we gave in ‘virsa’ has had a burdening effect for the masses. Cement price increase impact of 25% due to budgetary announcements will make the ‘makaan’ dream difficult and so will the impractical house schemes with burdening down payments unaffordable for most government servants. Pittance education budgets will make education promises history. Food inflation rising from 11% to 30% this June has not been curtailed through any intelligent plans. The macroeconomic fundamentals, the basis for raising standard of living have been destroyed by the irresponsible ‘fudging’ allegations of the government. Whether it is PIA, railway, transport, kerosene, oil and gas, CNG or food prices the people have witnessed sharp rises since coalition took charge in March. Confusions over CNG pricing announcement alone cost consumers an estimated Rs 62 million hit in one day. Most astonishing is the potential announcement of alternate day supplying of petrol! Non compliance on load shedding exemption for textiles and tubewells is another betrayal to the people. Non compliance on energy saving through early closure of markets, as well as no plan being presented on loadshedding reduction through extra bricklining, dams and other rental power projects is another hit on standard of living.
Secondly on the law and order front which is the constitutional responsibility of any government, we have witnessed a rise of violence incidents and a dent in federal control in Balochistan, NWFP and FATA despite democratic peace deals, claims of so called new multi pronged approach. With hot words from Karzai on the rise despite high level Pakistani visits to Afghanistan, pressure from US officials increasing affecting our sovereignty, dents in the relations of PPP with ANP and PMLN over war on extremism strategy approach, it seems that increasing violence is the people’s fate in our villages and cities. Despite a commitment on the floor of the House to initiate a government-opposition committee on the subject and bring the issues under parliamentary ambit, no progress has been seen on this vital parliamentary democracy indicator. Certain parts of the settled and tribal belt are growing further apart from the rest of the country due to systems of government mismatch, with shariat and shura on one side. Even the methodology for the UN probe for Mohtarma’s shahadat has not been finalized within 100 days by the coalition.
Thirdly on charter of democracy, the relegation of democratic values has been apparent through parliament being treated as rubber stamp, whilst policies are being made elsewhere. The political victimization of opposition has been rampant. The attack on the President who is a part of parliament has been unjustified and un-democratic. The war of words and lack of cohesion within PPP old guard and new as well as within the coalition government has been disappointing leading to a lack of performance on people’s needs. The dilution of meritocracy in employment generation has been detrimental to democratic principles. And the rejection by government of national reconciliation offered by opposition has damaged our political fabric. The austerity drive promises have been equally hollow with air-conditioning regulation flouting, foreign trips worth no returns and renovation drives by higher officials.
Most disturbing is the farce of a constitutional reform package leading to a dilution of balance of power between state institutions, as well as a u-turn on the judiciary promise. The 29 judge clause in the Finance bill bypassing Senate approval, in effect indemnified the PCO; whilst the supplementary grant acceptance indemnified the previous government’s constitutional position. Such confusions have led to a lack of confidence in leadership. No coherence of purpose within PMLN and PPP leading to long marches and National assembly walkouts by government against government, have set new farcical trends in democratic principles. Even parliament’s supremacy through early meeting of National Assembly standing committees including PAC and its public hearing have been ignored. Truth and Reconciliation Commission has not been established Nelson Mandela style despite many speeches on the same by Mohtarma and current PM. Press freedom laws are still in the committee with no visible results, and so are the FCR laws which PM had promised to abolish.
The idea of presenting the hits of the government on its own 100 day promises is to keep government on check. As new parliamentarians we wish to set new trends of healthy opposition so that ‘net net’ the people of Pakistan benefit from our pointing the misses out. The idea is not to be personal and vindictive in the attack. Government needs to refrain from living in the past and needs to get out of the ‘virsa’ syndrome. They accepted a balance sheet on March 24 2008 to make it better not worse. They cant keep avoiding ownership. We hold them accountable for 100 days only. The people of Pakistan deserve governance; strong vibrant leadership and national reconciliation is the only way forward. We wish them success not failure.
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Resolution of Kashmir in the News
by Marvi Memon, Member National Assembly, Standing Committee on Kashmir and Northern Areas
“What is important to us is not Kashmir but Kashmiris. Solution of Kashmir needs to be within the parameters of humanity. Kashmir’s resolution needs a deadline. We would have preferred if all parties had sat together with the Huriyat leadership for dinner and discussed resolution versus all of us meeting them separately.” Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain PML President’s message at the PML dinner for Mir Waiz Umer Farooq, Professor Ghani Butt and Bilal Loane was crystal clear.
It was my first face to face meeting with the Kashmiri leadership and I had a sense of responsibility in playing my role towards its resolution however small the role might be. As we broke bread and chicken tikkas at the table I couldn’t help but marvel at the sense of positive energy that they transmitted about resolution. There was no bitterness and no tiredness. Professor Ghani’s die hard approach hit me when he said he would not want to travel to any other place other than India and Pakistan including the Kaaba till he considered himself a ghulam.
After all here was a leadership who had struggled against India’s policies on the subject and paid in blood for decades. How had I struggled for the Kashmir cause? Mere student speeches, articles in newspapers, drawing room conversations with foreign diplomats? And now speeches on the floor of the House? My contributions for the Kashmir cause were so very small and mere words. I had not lost a dear one for the cause, I had not been incarcerated, I had not suffered physically for the cause. And yet like many other Pakistanis my emotions on the subject of resolution were very high. I have always seen it as an unfinished agenda of partition, as a subject which is part of our jugular vein. I have tried to pass its importance to the next generation so that the sense of urgency is not lost whilst India tries to skim over it and focus on other issues like trade first.
Consider me a hardliner on the subject but I have always been skeptical of India’s intentions to push other subjects before Kashmir or even the ‘Line of Commerce’. Thus I am grateful to President Musharraf for his role in making India accept the centrality of Kashmir, for his out of box solutions. For us inching towards resolution by accepting conflict transformation which means that we are reaching accommodation between parties in conflict through interactive processes that lead to reconciling tensions and redefining interests. I am grateful that as part of the Composite Dialogue there is some progress on people to people contact and on buses!
I am impatient like many Pakistanis and especially Kashmris. Thus when Professor Ghani gave me a serious look and said ‘its your duty to work for our resolution’ I thought yes it is our duty which we have fulfilled dutifully for 60 years but we have not had a concrete win on. I must admit I cannot share their sense of optimism that this issue will be resolved soon, perhaps because I am a Hobbesian realist or perhaps because the words of Manmohan Singh ring in my ears: “short of session, short of redrawing boundaries, the Indian establishment can live with anything as far as the question of Kashmir and Pakistan is concerned.” And the words of the Kashmiris also ring in my ears: “UN resolution implementation, self determination” Perhaps with a Hindu leadership which has the power base the issue might inch faster?
Mir Waiz is correct when he stated that talk is not enough. We must move beyond. We must sit as one team with all political parties in Pakistan and agree on a common strategy so as to impress upon India the urgency. We must meet with all 3 parties to the dispute in Srinagar and Muzafarabad rather than Delhi and Islamabad. We must get China and US to play their role in convincing India for resolution. In my humble opinion, Kashmir’s resolution is not just one agenda item on our Composite Dialogue but THE agenda item. I hope that together with government we as ‘constructive opposition’ contribute towards its resolution, take President Musharraf’s efforts forward and fulfil our duty towards the millions of Kashmiris who have lost dear ones for self determination.
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Minoo Bhandara – 17 June 2008 – The News
What a gentleman, what a parliamentarian, and what a human being! He was loved by so many. He mentored so many. He was a people’s person. Today as I write about him few hours after his death, I cannot help but think of what courage he demonstrated as a parliamentarian representing the minorities, by picking up the most controversial liberal progressive agenda. He ruffled so many religious sensitivities and yet he stood tall till the end, only to be taken away from us by his dream of seeing the famous Taklamakan desert in China.
Whether one agreed with his causes or not is not important today. It’s the conviction with which he picked these causes as a Treasury bench member which is noteworthy. On the opposition benches it is only but natural to demonstrate greater oversight authority over the executive. But doing the same whilst sitting on the treasury benches requires double the courage.
Over golf and other events I had the opportunity to discuss with him the role of a parliamentarian, the obligations of a good legislator, about the norms of parliamentary practice. He presented me with my library of parliamentary procedural books which I shall always treasure. My biggest regret will be that I never got to spend time with him discussing the rationale behind all the controversial bills he submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat. We had planned to do so after his return from China. But this was not meant to be.
During his tenure as PML MNA 2002-7 some of the constitutional amendments he proposed were as follows: Article 52 (Duration of National Assembly), Article 107 (Duration of Provincial Assembly), Article 51 (composition of National Assembly), Article 54(2) (Summoning of parliament), Article 55 (voting in the Assembly and quorum), Article 2(B) (Islam as state religion), Article 62 (qualifications of membership), Article 63 (disqualifications of membership).
He made headlines with his conviction that religion should be kept separate from politics. He believed that in Quaid’s vision of Pakistan, there was no role of religion in politics; and that terrorism could only be tackled by separating the two. He presented a bill regarding deletion of the word “Ideology of Pakistan” from the constitution of the country. Such views upset many in parliament but he maintained his stance. Soon after this he proposed another bill to amend the Blasphemy laws. He took many bullets on this one too. He argued that all Pakistanis were equal citizens regardless of religious affiliation, and thus all needed to be treated equally under the law. Rather than seeking to repeal the current blasphemy laws he made an effort to make blasphemy illegal against Jesus Christ, Buddha, and central figures of other religious faiths.
Earlier on similar grounds he charged the PTV with blacking out a news in its main Khabarnama on the unanimous adoption of a resolution by the National Assembly on including in the curricula the full text of Quaid-i-Azam’s August 11, 1947, speech to the Constituent Assembly. Perhaps the most controversial of all his assembly interventions was his refusal to vote in favor of a joint resolution condemning the Israeli aggression against Lebanon demanding all Islamic countries to protect Lebanon. His was the sole voice against this resolution asking for a similar condemnation of Hizbollah.
Whilst I never had the opportunity to serve with him in the National Assembly, he is remembered as a parliamentarian who took great interest in developing the rules of procedures by which we are supposed to conduct ourselves in parliament. Before his trip to China, soon after I took oath as MNA he shared with me a copy of the letter which he had written to the new speaker. I remember reading through his passionate appeal to the speaker to spend judiciously and to rule courageously and judiciously as per rules.
Whilst many might not have agreed with his opinions on certain sensitive subjects, it is his courage to make his points as a lone voice in an assembly like ours which strikes me today. Tolerance for difference of opinion and respect for all points of views even if different is not an easy path in a society which is ridden with extremism. His was the minority voice.
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Protecting the environment – The News
By Marvi Memon
6/5/2008
The environmental issues facing Pakistan this year include pollution of freshwater and coastal water bodies, air pollution, lack of proper waste management, deforestation, loss of bio-diversity, desertification and climate change. Every year, nations try and improve their environment indicators but it seems that they are in a race where they are running just not fast enough to win. The PML-Q for its part, due to the 7.5 per cent average GDP growth rate achieved in the last three years of its government, has contributed its fair share to the improving environment. Improving the environment should be an issue that should unite not divide us. In that context, we, as a ‘constructive opposition’, are duty-bound to set aside our political differences on this issue and urge the government to move rapidly on all the goals set down in the National Environment Policy of 2005.Often in Pakistan with a change of government comes a change in policy goals. This is a counter-productive practice and needs to be avoided. The idea should be to take the baton forward and together win the race. We owe our future generations a consensus on solving environmental issues. It is heartening to note that since the environment is an issue for ordinary people it has made its way into media headlines.In the past 30 days alone, the media has given me – as one opposition MNA – enough information and specifics to be able to ask the government questions in the form of 26 call-attention notices and to draft eight environment-specific resolutions. Whether those issues will make it to the floor of the House or not will be the ultimate gauge of the seriousness of commitment to this very important issue by the ruling parties and will also determine whether speeches made today on World Environment Day are mere rhetoric.
In this context as well I would like to present readers some current environmental concerns. The people of Pakistan can decide whether these are pressing enough for the government to act on them.
For example, 600 walnut trees are being cut in Kalash valleys. Why? Is the possible extinction of the Palla fish an issue for the government to act upon? Why is the CNG bus project facing so much delay? What is the government doing about the rising cases of diarrhoea and gastroenteritis among children as a result of ruptured sewerage lines? What is being done to check deforestation which is rising at an alarming rate? What has become of the clean drinking water project? What is being done about the timber mafia that is depriving local communities along the Karakorum Highway of income? Why is the government not doing anything about preserving our priceless historical sites like Moenjodaro? Why is nothing done to improve the lives of our mountain porters or to protect mountain villages from advancing glaciers? Is the silting of our dams due to deforestation not an issue? Should the House resolve to protect the country’s mangroves, deserts, glaciers, rivers, lakes and its atmosphere? Should the House resolve to build a ‘green volunteer force’?
If the answer to this small select sample of current environmental issues is a resounding ‘yes’ then we have achieved a consensus already. Whether we debate these issues endlessly on the floor of the House, discuss them in seminars arranged by NGOs or whether we make rhetorical speeches at government functions does not make much of a difference to ordinary people. What an 11-year-old, like my son Murtaza, deserves to know from his government is whether these issues will be resolved soon. The race is on and we need to win it together is my humble submission as an environmentally-conscious parliamentarian.
The writer is a member of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Environment.
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Afghanistan: Integration of counter insurgency, counter narcotics and development policies
By MNA Marvi Memon
(May 12, 2008 Institute of Regional Studies Seminar in Islamabad)
There can be no doubt in any political analyst or policy maker’s mind that until counter insurgency, counter narcotics and development policies are not reviewed in unison, there will continue to be unabated turmoil in neighbouring Afghanistan. For there to be progress on all three fronts a long term strategy needs to be formulated which recognizes the past shortcomings and encourages complete integration.
Counter insurgency
The counter insurgency tactics need to comprehend the nature of the neo Taliban movement. Other than employing modern technologies, taking advantage of the lack of order created by multinational forces, it is also a movement which has integrated the international jihadist movement, accepted free market orientation and has a firm belief in the Deobandi movement. The neo Talibans provide the populace with a cause that feeds off the lack of political representation given to Pushtuns. The lack of proportional Pushtun representation in the Afghan National Army is one such example which also feeds the insurgency. The Pushtuns are 40% of the population and yet only 32% of the officer cadre in the ANA. In contrast Tajiks are 25% of population and are 56% of the officer cadre. Such disparities need fixing if the root causes of insurgency are to be managed by the counter insurgency actors. Moreover the attacks on Pushtuns due to them being classified as Taliban sympathizers as corroborated by Human Rights Watch has made their sense of deprivation more acute pushing them closer to the insurgents. Pakistan has always maintained that this balance of representation is critical for peace in Afghanistan and that till the disenfranchisement issues are politically handled the neo Taliban movement is bound to gain momentum. Pakistan has urged for the inclusion of all political forces within the mainstream Afghan central government.
Other than an understanding of neo Taliban motivations, an understanding of what has weakened the state control is required. There is clearly no control of the state over most of its territories. The Ministry of Interior needs reform. The system has been geared for accommodating warlords with their own power base and not allowing functionaries who are loyal to the central government to consolidate its influence even in Kabul. Moreover it is reported that the administration is corrupt, arrogant, unskilled, doesn’t deliver basic services and is not creating its legitimacy. All these factors need to be addressed in the counter insurgency strategy.
The recruitment strategy of the Talibans also needs to be countered through an effective counter insurgency strategy. The approximate 7000 hardcore recruits and 10,000 non core village recruits need to be absorbed as part of the productive members of the state rather than being captured or killed.
Whilst the counter insurgency effort has been led by the US, many other Western nations have participated with various degrees of commitment. It is this lack of a cohesive ‘one team’ approach which has led to limited success in all the goals, be they military, development or anti-narcotic.
The shortcomings of the different actors launching the counter-insurgency need to be evaluated. A very important component of this effort is the National Service Directorate which is Afghanistan’s intelligence service estimated at 15,000 informers. They have had limited success due to their methods being largely traditional and technologically primitive; this has led them to penalizing local population and thus alienating them from central government and pushing them further towards the Taliban.
Mostly the common criticism made of foreign forces has been their reliance on massive air firepower, lack of attention for developing local knowledge and a failure to utilize knowledge due to swift rotations of their staff. The foreign forces have also been criticized for their attitudinal problems. 44 complaints were launched against US forces by AIHRC in June 2003-June 2004 period. And 113 the next year. Complaints revolved around lack of respect of locals, to recreational looting of agricultural fields to unauthorized access of homes. Such activities are counterproductive for any development initiatives that may be launched. The winning of hearts and minds under such conditions is not possible. Such issues need immediate attention if any integrated approach is to be expected.
The multinational character of the counter-insurgency forces has suffered from lack of unity of intents issues. There are many examples of the rifts showing lack of unity of intent but the one pitting the Germans against the Americans and British in 2006 within ISAF is most noteworthy. These rifts have added to the uncertainty thus instability and consequently the disillusionment of the population with the foreign forces. In the final analysis it is such lack of cohesion that also drives the population to support the Neo Talibans.
One such example of counter insurgency disunity resulting in counter narcotic inefficiencies is when British troops in Helmand avoided interfering with the eradication efforts (even abstaining from seizing opium) whilst in Kabul US officials were lobbying the government to start spraying poppy fields. The decision taken in this regard irritated British, Canadian and Dutch diplomats who tried to prevent adoption of aerial eradication. Such lack of unity is neither productive nor does it lead to increased security in the rural areas nor the strengthening of central government legitimacy.
The role of another counter-insurgency actor namely the Afghan military Forces (AMF) has also drawn criticism. Their militiamen were not effective as they were not being paid on time with food allowances being delayed as well. Their indiscipline, lack of clearly defined chain of command, primitive organization has caused serious issues. The other type of militia is the private armies of strongmen and governors. However since most of these governors did not have the means to recruit significant numbers there were shortcomings and lack of cohesiveness here as well. The next type of militia which attracted most criticism was the private security companies whose high handedness reduced the dividends of development. Finally the village militia which had the most potential for patrolling also lost its legitimacy due to poor funding.
All the above forces were plagued with corruption, indiscipline which added to the insurgency’s success. There are many examples of the police’s illegal activities some even in the narcotics side. These illegal activities in turn made the local population turn towards the Taliban since they could no longer expect law and order from the police. There is no doubt that the low pay structures of the police also ended up corroding the will and ability of the police to oppose the Taliban. Moreover, in the final analysis, it was the police’s own involvement in narcotic trade reduced their legitimacy.
The link of counter-insurgency and development efforts lies in the development approach whereby it is said that there is no point in trying to kill of all the fleas; the solution is to prevent fleas from infesting the dog by undermining conditions that would allow the fleas to breed. Thus development was meant to clean the country of insurgency. The fact that the development approach to counter insurgency was mixed with the traditional approach (which was periodic raids to prevent insurgents from consolidating their presence) meant that Talibans were able to develop their strongholds. Again the issue is the consistency of one approach. The dispensation of patronage combination with counter insurgency traditional mechanisms was patchy and inconsistent. Similarly on the narcotic side, even though there was high rhetoric of narcotic eradication, since this was combined with unbalanced action it did not produce the right results. In the Taliban days there was a significant decrease whilst now Afghanistan is leading the world opium production and cultivation efforts.
Similarly the problem of patronage policies has always been the inability of development aid reaching the right people. Early 2007 estimates of US and British defense officials clearly acknowledge that upto half the aid to Afghanistan failed to reach the target market. Authorities siphoned half of it and the rest was hoarded by village elders and not distributed to the villagers. These issues need better management.
It is also important to accept that whilst the Talibans have always been pursuing a policy of destabilization consistently, the counter-insurgency efforts have not been blessed with more than one year of a particular strategy being rolled out consistently. Frequent change in strategies has led to insurgents succeeding in their aims.
2008 is certainly a key year for the strengthening of the Afghan state. The Taliban are entrenched in the South, running parallel governments in several districts and controlling the majority of secondary roads. They have also been successful at hitting ‘soft’ Western civilian targets in Kabul. This has taken the insurgency efforts onto a higher danger level. The fact that the domestic and international actors have failed to counter the entrenchment of the insurgency in Afghanistan is problematic. Especially since elections need to be held on time which wont be possible if the Talibans are increasing their entrenchment. Their position on elections which are a sign of a stable state has been unequivocal. They have pledged violence in the event of elections being held on time. The UN could handle this situation by insisting on member states increasing security and counter insurgency efforts in Afghanistan.
Development policy
One of the key objectives of development policy carried out in Afghanistan should be to win the hearts and minds of the local population and to strengthen the state so as to minimize insurgency. The weakness of the state feeds the insurgency and thus all efforts are required to strengthen state institution across the entire geographical territory of Afghanistan.
The issue lies in the fact that the development process has to date been too centralised, top-heavy and insufficient. It has been prescriptive and supply-driven, rather than indigenous and responding to Afghan needs. As a result millions of Afghans, particularly in rural areas, still face severe hardship Conditions of persistent poverty have been a significant factor in the spread of insecurity as well as narco trade and narco lords.
There have been calls on the donors for improving the impact, efficiency, relevance and sustainability of aid. There needs to be stronger coordination and more even distribution of aid, greater alignment with national and local priorities and increased use of Afghan resources. Indicators of aid effectiveness should be established, and a commission to monitor donor performance is required which decreases the chances of pilferage theft and corruption. The integration of the refugees returning from Pakistan is actively required and so is the management of their drug abuse and rehabilitation issues. Donors need to cater sufficient resources for their movement, rehabilitation and development.
It is felt that government capacity to deliver development is weak and corruption is rampant which is hindering service delivery and undermining public confidence. Reforms are urgently required in public administration, anti-corruption and the rule of law. A rural development program is required which builds local government to deliver these very services thus channeling more funds directly to communities for development.
Agriculture is the mainstay of Afghanistan which supports 80% of the population. Agriculture diversification and substitution of drug cultivation is urgently required as a development and a counter narcotic strategy combined. It is a known fact that aggressive eradication and licensing are not useful counter narcotic strategies. Instead a long term sustainable development strategy which prioritizes support for substitute agricultural produce is urgently required. Additionally a greater outreach to community elders is required and firm action against major traffickers at all levels of the elite hierarchy is required.
No doubt it is the separation of US and NATO commands which creates inconsistencies in operating standards and gaps in counter insurgency methods. These need to be minimized. In the final analysis all positive development strategies need inclusion in the Afghan national Development Strategy.
What needs to be recognized is that the pace of reconstruction and development projects is not as slow as it is because of lack of funding, rather it is the lack of skilled workers which hinders utilizing of development funds in Ministries and adds to the delay. Aid agencies are also hindered in implementing their projects due to security considerations. Thus the integration of development areas and security zones away from the insurgency zones needs careful mapping.
However it is important to note that increasing development assistance without a better development strategy and corruption free delivery mechanism is useless since it will feed the bureaucratic corruption chain rather than add reconstruction and development value.
What is urgently required is support for institution strengthening, supporting parliament, supporting elections, an improved civil service, disarmament and reintegration of ex-combatants, a reformed national police force, so that development efforts complement counter insurgency and counter narcotic efforts.
Counter narcotics
The counter narcotic strategy implementation requires prioritized political will. The problem is serious as the quantum is fast increasing. Since 1991 Afghanistan has been the leading producer of opium and has now also become the main cultivator of the drug. The initial problem of counter narcotics strategy has been the statistically unknown quantum and the definition problem. This has made measurement of illicit drug use difficult and has made strategy formulation equally difficult.
The corruption within the narcotic control aid has made the positive efforts redundant as well. The typical sins of narcotics control plague Afghanistan in as much as they plague other countries. The sin of the politics of necessity being the first; the developing countries don’t necessarily attach priority to these problems. Second is the sin of politics of corruption typified by countries where politicians are either directly or indirectly involved in illicit activities particularly drug trade. Afghanistan is no exception. The third is the sin of politics of denial whereby developing countries blame western demand for the supply from their soils. Interestingly the US is not seen to be the destination of the Afghan supply thus many observers have commented on the lack of commitment of counter narcotics US efforts. Fighting a $3billion industry with a budget of few hundred million and not treating narcotics as long term development issue is a demonstration of the low priority US has attached this goal in Afghanistan.
The causes of drug usage in Afghanistan stem from poverty, a social environment resulting from two decades of civil war, violence. No doubt this does provide the populace with understandable set of motivations especially since war has caused deaths which have ravaged the family units, with the number of widows and orphans increasing. Survival strategies and rehabilitation institutions are sparsely spread due to lack of transparent funds. There is a vicious circle linking a weak state to narcotic strategies failing.
Interestingly the Taliban’s persecution of drug users produced a society where drug users could not be identified easily since they were underground for fear of persecution and thus remedial measures of health care were more problematic. Now that the persecution has reduced, this healthcare system has become victim of corruption instead. Additionally the complete ban by Taliban was a temporary policy which increased the debt burden of the Afghan farmers, whilst increasing the wealth for Talibans. Had this ban continued it is estimated that Taliban would have faced a revolt from debt ridden farmers.
There is no doubt that the strategy of compensation of opium poppy growers has led to an erosion of counter insurgency efforts as some of these funds have been directed through narco lords to sympathizers of ALQ. Moreover, the miltia involved in narco trafficking has further driven the populace away from the state towards the Taliban thus fueling the insurgency drive.
Considering the fact that one hectare of poppy requires approximately six times the number of person days of work, the substitution of other agricultural products needs to be developed as a viable commercial activity for the impoverished population. The problem is that opium unfortunately has become a non-perishable, low weight, high value item that represents a commodity for achieving food security. Its attractiveness as a reducer of hunger in a society where food is scarce adds to its value and so does the fact that in the cold and depressed environment its habitual intake is popular amongst the impoverished. There has been little effort made towards a sustainable policy to eliminate its cultivation.
Whilst the Afghan government has given a deadline in 2016 for opium poppy elimination, there is a strong likelihood of this being missed due to the nature of Afghan society: mental health problems, poverty, food insecurity, repression, social disruption, conflict, warlords, commanders, militias, opium farmers, drug traders, and lawlessness. These are all prevalent features which add to the lack of cohesion of counter insurgency and development efforts. Whilst there is no doubt of an Islamic connotation which discourages its use, this has not prevented its spread since time immemorial. Proper tracking mechanism and enforcement is the only solution, but again this possibility is mired due to the fact that counter insurgency weaknesses have reduced control of the central government in the entire country.
Firstly there is a need to adopt a comprehensive long term approach. Secondly strengthen the implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy. Thirdly reject proposals for aggressive eradication since small farmers cannot easily shift to alternative crops thereby accentuating poverty and driving them for protection towards Taliban. Fourthly, reject proposals for licensing cultivation for medical opiates since that confuses the elimination message and is useless due to no tracking methodology.
The problem with the new counter narcotic strategy formulated by US authorities is that it is based on the five pillars of improving public information, alternative development, eradication, law enforcement, and justice reform. It doesn’t take into consideration Afghanistan’s deteriorating security and volatile political situation. The US strategy is meant to fight the insurgents and the narcotics trade simultaneously which it cant do due to capacity issues. NATO is short of soldiers to fight the Talibans let alone fight narco lords. Whilst at best German helicopters can fly over large opium fields they are not in a position to physically enforce compliance due to shortage of resources. For this a tripling of military and police resources would be urgently required. The sad fact is that private militia belonging to narco lords and traffickers are better paid and equipped than the Afghan National Police which puts the police in conditions where they can be bribed by these militia.
Conclusion
Instead of linking counter narcotics to counter insurgency strategy, it would be prudent to link it to a comprehensive long-term development strategy. Narcotics in Afghanistan are not only a law enforcement issue. The central government is very far away from establishing its authority in rural far flung areas. Afghanistan is a traditional country, where the issue should be dealt locally rather than nationally. A fraction of financial resources which are available could be dedicated to empower traditional councils in villages and district levels, which could become good interlocutors between the government and local farmers in the context of an efficient and effective counter narcotics policy.
The link between counter narcotics, counter ‘insurgency’ and development policies needs better holistic mapping as well as a constant redefining for relevance. The ‘insurgency’ root causes need to be resolved eventually through the proportional political representation of all ethnic forces in Afghanistan including the Talibans. Counter narcotics requires the political will of the US and an inclusion of the long term sustainable policy within their priority lists. Development requires a strengthening of the state institutions and transparent delivery systems. None of these policy initiatives are possible without immediate and complete integration at all geographical levels. For the sake of an Afghanistan devoid of strife this integration is of immediate importance.
