The New Nation - Internet Edition

Averting landslide tragedies

LANDSLIDE has struck again claiming at least fourteen lives including three women and five children. The tragic incident took place on Monday morning at Motijharna slums on the slope of the Batali Hills in the port city of Chittagong. Large chunks of soil rolled down from a height of 10 to 12 metres smashing huts below. Eleven of the victims were buried alive in their sleep while another succumbed to his injury on way to a hospital. Slightly over a year ago, at least 128 people died in big landslides at some spots in the port city.

Landslide occurs in hilly areas especially where hills are made up of loose sandy soil without hard rock base. Such hills at times cannot withstand heavy rainfall or jolts of earthquakes. But human intervention in the hills seems to have increased the frequency of such incidents. Hill grabbing and cutting is widespread in the Chittagong region. As a result of the cutting of the natural base, the hills lose stability and fail to withstand heavy load of soil at the top. The topsoil of the hills in Chittagong become soft, lose compactness due to heavy rainfall and slide down the slopes. Landslide appears to occur at places where bases of hills are cut.

Following the landslide last year, differnt quarters had urged the authorities to stop cutting of hills. The government should immediately order a survey to see the condition of the remaining hills and take measures to stabilise them, if possible. People living in the risky zones should be shifted to safer places to avoid further loss of life and property. Hills maintain ecological balance and give protection against natural calamities and should be protected by all means.

Rich-poor gap puts children at risk

ACCORDING to a UNICEF report, the widening gap between the rich and the poor in Asia's booming economies like India and China is leaving many mothers and children behind and putting youngsters' lives at risk. More than 40 per cent of the world's children who died before their fifth birthdays in 2006 lived in the Asia Pacific region. 'The divide between rich and poor is rising at a troubling rate within sub-regions of the Asia Pacific, leaving vast numbers of mothers and children at risk', the State of Asia Pacific's Children 2008 Report says.

South Asia is lagging on public spending with only 1.1 per cent of gross domestic product allocated to health care. With half of the world's kids living in the Asia Pacific, the report said, extending health services to the poorest was key to achieving the 2015 global goal of reducing under-five mortality by two-thirds of 1990 levels. Within the region, Southeast Asia made the largest strides in combating child deaths, with mortality for under-fives now half than what it was in 1990. In China, the report says, child mortality dropped between 1970 and 1990, but the decrease had since slowed and the country needs to take big strides to regain early progress. China's overall disease profile now resembles that of an industrialised country, but inequities in access to quality health care and huge disparities in health outcomes remain prevalent and entrenched.

The Asia Pacific as a whole has seen a 34 per cent reduction in the under-five mortality rate since 1990. Out of every 1,000 births in the region in 2006, 59 infants died before their fifth birthday. The 2015 target is 30 deaths per 1,000 births. Pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition are the main killers. Vast inequalities in income stand in the way of child survival and should be remedied.

Disposal of the case of deposed judges in Pakistan

Dr. M. S. Haq

At present, the case of deposed judges of Pakistan has got several dimensions. For example: the national interest dimension; the constitutional dimension; the legal dimension; the time dimension; the dimension of power, politics, expectation and individualism; the dimension of reputation and image building; the implementation (I mean pertinent decisions, per se) dimension; the dimension of threat, risk and vulnerability; and the dimension of future. A proper disposal of the case would require inter alia an effective and efficient management of all those dimensions in a sustainable manner, enabling people of Pakistan - either directly or otherwise - to take the right decision at the right time and cost in relevant areas.

A few questions now are: How best and quickest Pakistan and Pakistanis could do all those things? How best and quickest the friends (including inter alia the US), the well-wishers, the neighbors (including inter alia India and Afghanistan) and others (including inter alia the World Bank and the UN) could assist Pakistan and Pakistanis in the effort towards overcoming the country's present day challenges including inter alia those connected with or ancillary to (or both) the judges' case - as applicable? What best and how quickest the country's political leaders, influential people of Pakistan and concerned others could offer to say, poor people of Pakistan at this hour of need, distress and deprivation?

Taking into cognizance above and related factors against the backdrop of Pakistan's overall current situation, the country and the people could take number of steps towards meeting the requirements. A number of them have been presented below - not in the order of priority and important - as a checklist, per se:

1. dissect unresolved issues - for example up to and including today, this 20th day of August 2008 - pertaining to reinstatement of judges. Isolate less problematic issues from more problematic ones. It could be that the issue of other deposed judges is less problematic than that of the chief judge or vice versa, for an instance;

2. settle immediately and if possible, cases of reinstatement - I mean those containing less problematic issues and possess relatively quick fix potentials - under the authority of parliament and with a prior technical clearance (in pertinent areas) from Supreme Court of Pakistan and other relevant entities.

The final decision could go in favor of or against the concerned judge-s in the greater and overall interest of Pakistan, per se. All concerned should be ready to accept that. They should also be ready, in a concerted fashion, to face situations that might arise out of above decision, for an instance. In any event, the door of court should remain open to any of the affected judges;

3. if the case of chief judge is found to be more problematic than that of other deposed judges, then take time for say, re-examining and re-evaluating the case in light of the country's existing and evolving situations and more importantly, in light of the best and overall interest of Pakistan, to mention a few;

4. do not rush to judgment with regard to any of the above cases against the backdrop of for example, possible future agitations by lawyers and others, time lag implications and other risks and vulnerabilities in relevant areas.

I am suggesting it here because a bad precedent in pertinent areas could do more harm than good to the country both at present and in the foreseeable future;

5. do political as well as legal justice to the case of judges as far as humanly possible, and as appropriate. Do not become over emotional or over confident (or both) over the judges' case. Develop immunities from exaggerating the case before people of Pakistan, the media (print, electronic, others) and others.

Do not let the judges' case go beyond the control of Pakistan and Pakistanis at this critical hour of the nation's history. Be more open to the people on the judges' case. Share with them (including inter alia members of lawyer communities and civil society) - in a more constructive and result-oriented manner than that at present - challenges and opportunities associated with the judges' case. Take extra initiatives for taking on board all political parties in the parliament - including PML-Q and MQM - while dealing with, and deciding on, judges' and other related cases therein;

6. attend other competing national priorities particularly those concerning the poor vis-à-vis the judges' case. There exists at present a legal guardian to take care of matters pertaining to what I would call the country's supreme justice - - that is, Supreme Court of Pakistan which is functional. On the other hand, poor people of Pakistan are, in a sense, becoming increasingly guardian-less due to say, the political turmoil, as well as instability in the name of a few PCO judges, for an instance. Anyway - Almighty God is the Guardian of each and everything.

One of the concerns here is: the entire people of Pakistan cannot be held hostage - on a continuous basis - to the cause of those judges which (I mean the cause) is not, in certain senses, based on solid premises, among other things.

It will not be out of place to mention here: PML(N) - which is now seemingly very active in matters relating to judges (the ultimate motive is unknown to whom it might concern) - does not hold even the second position in terms of popular votes in the national assembly election of the recent past;

7. finish house-keeping jobs before for example, the reinstatement of judges. Those jobs should include inter alia: enactment and enforcement of an indemnity act covering areas and periods as required, as well as appropriate; enactment and enforcement of an act reflecting on proper, justifiable and sustainable sharing of the state power between and among presidency, legislature, executive and judiciary - both during peace times and in emergencies; a future code of conduct for judges - all in the greater, overall, short term and medium interest of Pakistan. I did not mention deliberately - long term - in the above sentence because I do not want to become an easy victim of naïve realism in the face of ever growing reality of uncertainties;

8. draw contingency plans for dealing with for example the post reinstatement challenges and opportunities. Do first things first in the judges and allied matters in a lawful, parliament-centered, cost-effective, result-oriented, transparent and accountable manner; and

9. work towards securing the independence of judiciary for all time to come at least under the sovereign Pakistan.

The last word: it is expected matters pertaining to a few deposed judges including the chief judge will not be instrumental in inter alia further destabilization of Pakistan between now and the foreseeable future. It is also expected Pakistan will be able to set examples in pertinent areas for others to follow those - through the foreseeable future. Let us work for the best for all.

Will Georgian conflict further escalate?

Md. Masum Billah

No tank, no Russian solder has left Georgia till August 19 though it was supposed to have begun on August 18 according to the peace deal brokered by France to end the conflict between Russia and its southern tiny neighbour Georgia. Russian troops entered Gori, an important and strategic Georgian city, on August 14 after the two sides signed ceasefire that called for their forces to pull back to the positions they held before the fighting started. Hundreds killed since hostilities broke out. The United Nations estimated that 1180000 Georgians have been uprooted. Russia says some 30000 residents of South Ossetia fled into the neighbouring Russian province of North Ossetia. To help these displaced people aid is flowing into Georgia but humanitarian groups said that lawlessness and banditry made it impossible to distribute it in the worst hit areas. Bush warned this situation in this language, "We will use US aircraft as well as naval forces to distribute relief goods."

Paramilitary and criminal groups are taking advantage of the uncertainty and the lack of administration and police. Watkin, UN resident coordinator described the situation as "In terms of security it is very similar to what happened after the invasion of Iraq." On August 14, a visit to Gori by UN security officials on a mission to assess the security situation ended in disarray when they were held up at gunpoint and had two of their UN-marked vehicles stolen. People fleeing the conflict zone have told AFP of widespread looting, arson and murder and several journalists in Gori have been robbed at gunpoint." We have access to everywhere except the neediest areas" Daniela Cavin, a regional spokesman for the EU's humanitarian department told AFP." We don't know how many people are in the conflict zone. All those that were able to leave have left but the ones have stayed are the most vulnerable."" In principle we should be able to get access but the security situation doesn't allow us to go in at the moment. We are pushing to have that access"."-Jessica Barry, a spokeswoman of humanitarian group said.

Georgia, bordering the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the 1991 break up of the Soviet Union." One can forget about any talk about Georgian territorial integrity because I believe it is impossible to persuade South Ossetia and Abkahzia to agree with the logic that they can be forced back into the Goergian state"---- Foreign minister of Russia Lavrov said.

The United States expressed its reaction to the conflict. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew on August 14 to France and then to Tbilisi to reinforce US efforts to rally the world in defense of a free Georgia. She told in Washington "This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia where Russia can threaten a neighbour, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed." She continued, "Russia's six day old military action in Georgia is a throwback to darker Cold War times." Bush says, "US stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia and inside that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected." Actually their message goes like this that Russia has perhaps not accepted that it is time to move on to a new era in which relations between states are on the basis of equality and sovereignty and economic integration.

Human Rights Watch further reported that they witnessed terrifying scenes of destruction in four villages that used to be populated exclusively by ethnic Georgians. They saw armed Ossetia militia members in camouflage fatigues taking furniture, TV sets, heaters and other household goods out of houses in one village.

The remaining residents of these destroyed ethnic Georgian villages are facing desperate conditions with no means of survival, no help, no protection and nowhere to go. Any sort of conflict invites untold miseries to millions who don't have any link or belonging to it.

The world leaders must realize it genuinely. Each conflict originates from their ego and petty interest. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has rightly said "It is completely unacceptable for the legitimacy of the democratically elected government of Georgia- to be put into questions." Like all other truths it is equally true that The problems in the Caucasus cannot be solved militarily."

It shows a ray of hope that in the midst of continued tension Georgian president Mikeil Saakashvili called for talks with Russian president to prevent a 'definite estrangement' between the two sides. It is true that Russian relations with European Union will seriously damage if Moscow fails to fully implement the peace deal it signed with Georgia. Sarkozy emphasized in their telephone call, "Withdrawal without decay of all Russian military forces which have entered Georgia since August 7". The two presidents agreed on "development as quickly as possible of international Overseas from Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)

Georgia says Russia is meddling in its internal matters. Russia argues it cannot stand aside because many of the people in the breakaway are now its citizens and supporting the separatists.

Georgia accuses Russia of playing double standard role. Russia is suppressing its own separatists in Chechnya while encouraging the separatists of Georgia. Russia has become more involved when Georgia expressed his interest to join Nato. The Russian army announced that it had liberated the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvaki as Georgia declared a state of war. South Ossetia broke from Georgia in early 1990. It has since been a constant source of friction between Georgia and Russia. South Ossetia has long sought unification with North Ossetia which is inhibited by the same Ossestian ethnic group but ended up across the border in Russia after the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991.

The present conflict between these two neighbours could widen to bring in the other Soviet republics, United States and Europe. Perceiving the fact, the United States and European Union are leading a diplomatic push to prevent all out war between Russia and Georgia.

USA calls on Russia to cease attacks on Georgia by aircrafts and missiles , respect Georgia's territorial integrity and withdraw its ground combat forces from Georgian soil. But a Russian defense official's indication of 'complete withdrawal from Georgian proper is not imminent' baffles us. Still we hope to see peaceful solution to the present conflict.

Emerging Pakistan-USA relations

Dr.Abdul Ruff

India suffers not only from a superiority complex, but also always "fears" something to happen to itself. Power struggle and power game in Pakistan and Bangladesh "cause" fear in New Delhi and it very loudly talks about it, although it is a known fact that Indian intelligence has been working to destabilize its neighbors and more importantly Pakistan. Now it wants to use USA to help fulfill its historic ambition. Pakistani politicians Zardari and Sharif called the resignation of president Musharraf the victory of people and dictatorship is gone and Pakistan will now embark upon a path of Islamic transition.

But the most important issue concerning Pakistan's future role in the world and region is its relationship with USA, the traditional partner and ally, importantly because of the flirting of India towards Washington. For USA seeking to assert its military superiority world over, nothing is unholy. But Pakistan, under threat from India and US-controlled Afghanistan, any regional realignment could impact negatively on its future course and it is important to study, its policies have to be prudent too. USA can even ruin Pakistan if it desires so in the era of "terrorism" .

The exit of President Pervez Musharraf from the political stage in Pakistan opens up an era of both possibilities and risks for the country. The alliance that came to power after the elections in February will now really have to get to grips with its biggest challenges - a possible economic meltdown and the growing militant threat in the north-western tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. If they fail, it may spell the end of the hopes of Pakistan ever becoming a successful Islamic republic and not just an Islamic democracy. For the successful conduct of domestic policies, Pakistan has to reset its foreign policy as per the need to take this fractured country to greater heights and brighter lights.

For quite some time now, Pakistan has been talking at length about democracy as opposed to military regime. But even after Musharraf shed his uniform the situation remained the same. A former military general is not fit to be the president of Pakistan, according to neo-democrats of Pakistan. Democracy is a vague concept propounded by the US-led West for their own good. Islamic nations have to cultivate the Islamic way of life without feeling shy of Islam.

As per suggestions, Musharraf has done enough for Pakistan in various capacities. Distortion of the constitution, manufactured political groups that supported him, insurgency in Afghanistan, Talibanization in the northwestern frontier region and a structurally weak economy all count against him. Musharraf justified his 1999 coup by saying that nuclear-armed Pakistan was on the verge of being declared a terrorist state and an economic basket case after the chaotic rule of then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He then abandoned Pakistan's support for Afghanistan's "hardline" Taliban regime and joined the US-led "war on terror" after the September 11, 2001 attacks, bringing an influx of US aid money into the country.

The threat of a new Cold War with the Russians has been making headlines around the world, but the upheaval in Islamabad is potentially even more destabilizing. Something in the Musharraf approach clearly struck a chord with George W Bush - at a practical level it would have been almost impossible for the US to conduct effective operations in Afghanistan without the co-operation of neighboring Pakistan. On the face of it, that made Pervez Musharraf a familiar figure on the American political stage - the military strongman who while not himself a democrat, was nonetheless a keen supporter of the world's most powerful democracy and whose support was rewarded with American aid - around $10bn in this case. Now there is the resignation of Pervez Musharraf - the Pakistani military strongman who ignored the differences of opinion within his turbulent Muslim country and declared it to be an ally of the United States in the "war on terror". He is not the first such figure to alienate huge sections of his own population in pursuit of Washington's approval and friendship. But the Pakistani leader's personal style dovetailed neatly with the Bush approach to politics too - both men liked the idea of following simple strategies based on big ideas, rather than troubling themselves with the detailed issues of day-to-day politics.

Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is in the hands of the army and the army is not changing hands, so whatever the situation was before is largely what it will continue to be. It is a sobering thought for Americans that even under a pro-Western military strongman, Pakistan to some extent faced both ways in the "war on terror". Under a democratically-elected coalition government, the country might become an even more complex and ambiguous partner.

Pakistan is probably the most difficult issue the next president will face. It is both a victim of "terrorism" unhealthy alliance between USA fighting to kill the Muslims in Arab world. The reason why Pakistan is so different - and so difficult - for the United States is because within its own institutions of power there are competing impulses about where the country's true interests lie.

People in Pakistan are intolerably annoyed with the brutal killings of Muslims in Pakistan. That has to be balanced against the fact that Pakistani agents have arrested hundreds of al-Qaeda suspects in recent years, including a number of key players who were handed on into US custody. In the fractious and sometimes dangerous world of Pakistani politics, the coalition may well find itself pre-occupied with its own survival. And it will have to be mindful of a strong streak of anti-Americanism in Pakistan which is not entirely confined to Islamic fundamentalists.

President Bush, and whoever follows him into the White House, will need to be subtle and determined if they are to keep the new Pakistan somehow involved in the America-led alliance which fights the "war on terror". Pakistani Army is deployed in the tribal areas around the country's border with Afghanistan - but there have been signs lately that the Americans say they do not believe they are getting good value out of this proxy war.

Many Pakistanis in turn resent the idea that their army is being paid to operate on behalf of the United States. A future President Obama or President McCain might complicate the situation by stepping up American deployment in Afghanistan and raise the profile of the US campaign there. It has been the policy of US president to "deal" with trouble spots around the world and the US-Pakistan ties will be intact.

President Bush was quick to stress the importance to America of working with the new Pakistani leadership, but the challenge for the next president is to persuade the new regime in Islamabad to remain focused on the "war on terror". The American hope is that a democratically-elected government will be a more natural partner than a military dictatorship, but it is far from certain that things will work out that way.