The New Nation - Internet Edition

Protect flood victims from epidemics

THE Director General of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, at a press conference stated the other day that twenty-two districts of the north-eastern zone have been affected by floods. The floods have not only damaged crops on farmlands but also hearths and homes of millions of people. Even some flood shelters and healthcare centres in affected zones have been damaged.

As the duration of the floods has become longer their after effects have appeared in the scene. Children and women who have gone to flood shelters in different zones, have remained without food or taken polluted water for meeting their thirst. These people have become victims of diseases including diarrhoea, fever and influenza. They do not get services in rural healthcare centres wherefrom doctors and nurses have also moved away for safety. Those who have left their damaged and flooded homes remain in shelters with inadequate supply of food and medicine. Mothers carrying their children across the flooded zones look for shelters. In such a context, the onus of providing service and food and shelter for affected people falls upon the local government bodies and offices of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management.

The hapless people, who turn penniless due to damages of their assets, hamlets and crops have to be urgently provided with necessary support from philanthropists in the society and official agencies. Disaster response and healthcare services should be strengthened with assurance of service from doctors and nurses and supply of medicine for treatment of diseases, so that outbreak of epidemics does not follow the floods as double disaster for the victims.

Simplifying admission procedure

THE Education Adviser held a consultation meeting with the vice-chancellors of public universities the other day for simplifying the admission process to universities. The meeting examined different options and reportedly put some recommendations.

There is no unified process of admission in the public universities. In Dhaka University admission tests are held on unit-basis under which a student has to appear at one test examination. In some universities separate admission tests are taken for each subject. Gaps between different tests cause trouble for the admission seekers. Fees for admission forms are uneven and high. Different suggestions regarding admission test were put forward at the meeting with much emphasis on unit-based tests, which were viewed as less hazardous. To make evaluation of merit of students easier, it has been decided that result sheets will contain subject scores along with grade points. An aim of discarding the process of admission tests on the basis of gradual qualitative improvement of public examinations has been kept in view.

The admission procedure needs to be such that both merit and aptitude for subject of a student can be correctly ascertained. The merit of a student can be judged from scores in the previous public examinations and admission test results. A student should be free to choose a subject. This aim can be attained through subject-wise admission tests. The admission forms should be made easily available. Again, the whole system of higher education should be job-oriented. Access to higher education should selectively be made available for the meritorious students. Without such an overall change, mere simplification of admission procedure would not be enough to give higher education a focus.

New Cold War in the offing

Md. Masum Billah

Russia and Georgia have shut down their embassies in each other's capital following Tbilisi's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Moscow on September 2 following Russia's occupation of parts of the country and recognition of two rebel regions. Georgian parliament unanimously approved a resolution lifting the state of war in Georgia. A state of emergency is declared on those Georgian territories where Russian occupation forces are still present including Abkhazia and the former South Ossetia- autonomous district. The state of war was declared on August 9 as Russia bombed the country and the Georgian and Russian armies battled for control of South Ossetia, a Moscow backed breakaway region. Russia sent tanks and troops into Georgian territory in what officials say was a response to a Geroian offensive on August 7 to retake South Ossetia.

Moscow withdrew the bulk of its forces from Georgia under a French-brokered ceasefire agreement but thousands of Russian troops remain deployed which they say peacekeepers. Russia later recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia another breakaway region, as independent states drawing condemnation from Georgia and many Western countries.

On September 4, Dick Cheney Vice President of the United States, a hawk and one of Moscow's hardest critics, visited Georgia since Tbilisi tires to retake breakaway region of South Ossetia by force. Cheney said , "After your nation won its freedom in the Rose Revolution, America came to the aid of this courageous young democracy, referring to the peaceful revolution in 2003 which brought Georgia's pro-western president Mihel Saakashvilli to power.We are doing so again as you work to overcome an invasion of your sovereign territory and an illegitimate, unilateral attempt to change your country's borders by force that has been universally condemned by the free world. "

He continued "Russia's actions have cast grave doubt on Russia's intention and on its reliability as an international partner-not just in Georgia but across the region and indeed throughout the international system".

Cheny's visit is certain to rite the Kremlin which has accused Washington of fuelling tensions by emboldening Saakashivili a US-educated lawyer with close ties to the administration of Bush. Both Azerbaijan and Georgia are links in the chain of Western -backed energy corridor bypassing Russia which the West fears could be in jeopardy following the Kremlin's military thrust into Georgia.

European Union foreign ministers traveled together via high speed train from Paris to Avignon on Septemerb 5 in a show of unity over Georgian crisis ahead of crucial trip to Moscow by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. 26 out of 27 EU foreign ministers were to arrive in Avignon South Franch via train from Paris. "We will continue this weekend to prepare matter ahead of a crucial meeting in Moscow on September 8 between Sarkozy and Russian counterpart Dmitry Dedevdev." EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana said. In this meeting Georgian president Mikhai Saakashvili cautiously endorsed a deal to pull out Russian troops but insisted any final settlement with Russia must respect his country's territorial integrity. He made it clear that he still considers the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia part of his country. He says "there is no way Georgian will ever give up a piece of its sovereignty, a piece of territory".

But in contrast Russia established diplomatic ties on September 9 with Abkahazia and South Ossetia promising to keep thousands of Russian troops in the breakaway Georgian regions for a long time to come. The move drew a furious response in the Georgian capital Tbilisi where Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria described it as ' yet another step in the annexation of Georgia's sovereign territories'. At an EU summit on September 7 EU leaders froze talks on a new strategic pact with Moscow and said they would review all ties following Russia's refusal to pull its troops out of Georgian following fighting there last month. Meeting is a manifestation of EU unity and clear message to the Russian Federation of its wish to establish relations based on solid and mutual respect.

China, Kazakhastan, Kyrgyztan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan voiced support for Russia's active role in resolving the conflict in Georgia according to the draft of a joint statement released by Kremlin.Leaders from the countries met in the Tajik capital of Dushambe in the Sanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional group set up in 2001 to counter Nato influence in the strategic control of Asia region.

"We deplore Russia's excessive use of military force in Georgia and its continued occupation of parts of Georgia" said the statement from Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the United States. Former German president Edwrad Shevardnadze warned meanwhile Russia's recognition of the regions would boomerang on Moscow in an interview with Ashahi Shimbun, the popular and leading daily of Japan. It will encourage separatist movement within ethnically diverse Russia.

In moves evocative of Cold War cat and mouse games US military ship carrying humanitarian aid and docked at the southern Georgian port and Russian sent a missile cruse and two other ships to a port farther north in a show of force. Russian Agricultural Minister said that Moscow could cut poultry and port import quotas by hundreds of tons hitting American producers hard and thereby raising prices for American shoppers. Moscow has reacted angrily to Western criticism saying it fails to reorganize that Moscow used military force only in response to a Georgian attack against South Ossetia where tens of thousands of Russian citizens live.

Russia accused the West of ratcheting up tensions in the Black Sea with an increased Nato naval presence and warned against isolating Moscow over the conflict in Georgia.

It's not a common practice to deliver humanitarian aids using battle ships, says Moscow. Georgia allowed Russian peacekeepers to operate in Abkahazia under 1994 Moscow agreement and in South Ossetia under the 1992 Dagonys Agreement.

Now Georgia demands the immediate withdrawal of the peacekeepers from Abkahazia and South Ossetia regions and their replacement with neutral international peacekeepers. Some 2300 people have registered as internally displaced in the town of Gori and 800 of them are staying in a tent camp erected earlier in the week- UN High Commissioner for Refugees Spokesman Helene Caux told journalists. The newly displaced in Gori all have stories of intimations including boastings by the militia in buffer zone villages. People talked about militias as interesting the village shooting in the air harassing the inhabitants and looting their properties.

Russia could end all cooperation with Nato if the alliance moved to grant Georgian membership RIA Novosti, state news agency comments. " From a moral-political point of view , accepting Georgia to MAP would look like Nato moving to the side of the aggressor"-Dmitry Rogozin said referring to grant Georgi'a Nato's Membership Action Plan status.

The resolution that was adopted at the Bucharest summit that said Georgia and Ukraine will become members of Nato Cheney last week vowed that Wahisington would support for Baku, Tblisi and Kiev and urged Nato to unite in order to ward off a return of 'time-drawing' in Europe.

At April summit Nato leaders agreed on statement saying Nato expansion and its support of a planned US anti-missile system in Czech Republic and Poland is a 'strategic error'. Last month Moscow announced a suspension of cooperation with Nato in a number of areas such as freezing visits to Russia by Nato officials and suspension of joint military exercises. Meanwhile, US confirmed that Georgia and Ukraine will become member of Nato. It shows that Moscow and Washington slides into acrimonious relationship inviting a cold war.

Emerging Pakistan-China relations

Dr.Abdul Ruff

Asif Ali Zardari, the new president of Pakistan, who was sworn in on Sept 09 in the presence of Afghanistan president Karzai, has chosen China for his maiden foreign trip and will visit China next week to negotiate a nuclear deal similar to the one between India and the USA. Zardari has already announced that his first foreign visit will be to China, a close ally of Pakistan for decades. Official sources indicate that Pakistan is already in touch with China for the nuclear deal to meet its energy crisis and the talks would start during Zardari's trip. Zardari's visit will coincide with the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games Sep 17 for which Pakistan has been invited and he will participate in the closing ceremony as well.

Under a proposed deal, China will supply nuclear material to Pakistan to meet its energy crisis. According to an official, 'This has nothing to do with the US-India deal but that has certainly provided us a way out to meet our energy crisis. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) may be signed for reaching an agreement on energy deal. Of course it will take time to finalize the deal after going through its details but the initial talks would start with the agreement during Zardari's visit

For the last many years, Pakistan has failed to meet its growing energy needs and the situation has worsened since November 2007, with the country facing massive power cuts and adopting summer time to benefit the most from daylight and save energy. Pakistan and China have a long history of close cooperation that started in early 50s and saw stronger ties during former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's era. As foreign minister in military dictator Ayub Khan's government, Bhutto played an active role in bringing Pakistan and China closer when the US was distancing itself from Pakistan in the mid 1960s. In the last three years, there have been 10 state visits by Pakistani officials to China. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was the last top official to visit China last month. In April, former president Pervez Musharraf has also visited the country.

Pakistan gives China most favored nation (MFN) status and is now establishing a bilateral Free Trade Area (FTA. Over the past two years, the trade volume between the two countries has jumped to $2.5 billion a year, accounting for 20% of China's total trade with South Asia. More importantly, Chinese investment in Pakistan has increased to $4 billion, registering a 30% increase just over the past two years since 2003. The growing economic cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad is also solidifying their strategic partnership. Before leaving for his visit to Beijing this past December, Pakistani Prime Minister Aziz told reporters in Islamabad: "Pakistan and China are strategic partners and our relations span many areas." Last year, China and Pakistan conducted their first-ever joint naval exercises near the Shanghai coast. Last December, Pakistan opened a consulate in Shanghai.

A major breakthrough in PaK-China economic ties was achieved with the Deep Sea Port project in Pakistan with Chinese assistance. Although the Gwadar Port project has been under study since May 2001, the U.S. entrée into Kabul provided an added impetus for its speedy execution. Four months after the U.S. ordered its troops into Afghanistan to remove the "Taliban regime", China and Pakistan joined hands to break ground in building a Deep Sea Port on the Arabian Sea. The project was sited in an obscure fishing village of Gwadar in Pakistan's western province of Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan to the northwest and Iran to the southwest. Gwadar is nautically bounded by the Persian Gulf in the west and the Gulf of Oman in the southwest. The government of Pakistan has designated the port area as a "sensitive defense zone." Once completed, the Gwadar port will rank among the world's largest deep-sea ports.

The foundation for the Deep Sea Port was laid on March 22, 2002. Having set up its bases in Central, South, and West Asian countries, the U.S. virtually brought its military forces at the doorstep of China virtually threatening the Chinese. Beijing was already wary of the strong U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf, which supplies 60% of its energy needs. It was now alarmed to see the U.S. extend its reach into Asian nations that ring western China. Having no blue water navy to speak of, China feels defenseless in the Persian Gulf against any hostile action to choke off its energy supplies. This vulnerability set Beijing scrambling for alternative safe supply routes for its energy shipments. The planned Gwadar Deep Sea Port was one such alternative for which China had flown its Vice Premier, Wu Bangguo, to Gwadar to lay its foundation in 2002. The convergence of Sino-Pakistani strategic interests has put the port project onto a fast track to its early completion. In three years since its inauguration, the first phase of the project is already complete with three functioning berths.

In the past, Pakistan endured prolonged economic and naval blockades imposed by the Indian Navy. Pakistan was interested in the project to seek strategic depth further to the southwest from its major naval base in Karachi that has long been vulnerable to the dominant Indian Navy. To diversify the site of its naval and commercial assets, Pakistan has already built a naval base at Ormara, the Jinnah Naval Base, which has been in operation since June 2000. The Gwadar port project, however, is billed to crown the Pakistan Navy into a force that can rival regional navies.

The port will be complemented with a modern air defense unit, a garrison, and a first-rate international airport capable of handling airbus service. Although the total cost of the project is estimated at $1.16 billion USD, China pitched in $198 million and Pakistan $50 million to finance the first phase. China also has invested another $200 million into building a coastal highway that will connect the Gwadar port with Karachi. The second phase, which will cost $526 million, will feature the construction of 9 more berths and terminals and will also be financed by China.

Initially, China was reluctant to finance the Gwadar port project because Pakistan offered the U.S. exclusive access to two of its critical airbases in Jacobabad (Sind) and Pasni (Baluchistan) during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Beijing took up the project on guarantees from Islamabad.

The port project set off alarm bells in India which already feels encircled by China from three sides: Myanmar, Tibet, and Pakistan. To counter Sino-Pak collaboration, India has brought Afghanistan and Iran into an economic and strategic alliance.

These external concerns are stoking internal challenges to the port project.

Presently, ill-focused on Islamabad, India is in urgent need of a shorter transit route to quickly get its trade goods to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Iranians are already working on Chabahar port in Sistan-Baluchistan, which will be accessible for Indian imports and exports with road links to Afghanistan and Central Asia. India is helping build a 200-kilometer road that will connect Chabahar with Afghanistan. Once completed, Indians will use this access road to the port for their imports and exports to and from Central Asia.

Baluchistan, where the project is located, is once again up in arms against the federal government. The most important reason for armed resistance against the Gwadar port is that Baluch nationalists see it as an attempt to colonize them and their natural resources. Several insurgent groups have sprung up to nip the project in the bud. India is alleged to have supported the insurgency and obviously, Pakistan blames India and Iran for fanning insurgency in Baluchistan. The Chinese in Pakistan are vulnerable because of their tense relationship with the Uighur Muslim majority of Xinjiang- a factor the anti-Muslim New Delhi uses as a "chip" with China.

The port is intended to serve China's economic objectives of integrating Pakistan into the Chinese economy by outsourcing low-tech, labor-absorbing, resource-intensive industrial production to Islamabad. The project will also seek access to Central Asian markets for energy imports and Chinese exports by developing road networks and rail links through Afghanistan and Pakistan into Central Asia. The scheme will benefit the Muslim-majority autonomous region of Xinjiang, through a massive infusion of development funds and increased economic links with the Central Asian Islamic nations of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The Gwadar port provides China a strategic foothold in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, although to the alarm of India and the unease of the U.S. sitting opposite the Strait of Hurmoz, through which 80% of the world's energy exports flow. The port will enable China to monitor its energy shipments from the Persian Gulf, and offer it, in the case of any hostile interruption in such shipments, a safer alternative passage for its energy imports from Central Asia. Its presence on the Indian Ocean will further increase its strategic influence with major South Asian nations, particularly Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

To connect western China with Central Asia by land routes, Pakistan is working on building road links to Afghanistan from its border town of Chaman in Baluchistan to Qandahar in Afghanistan. Eventually, the Gwadar port will be accessible for Chinese imports and exports through overland links that will stretch to and from Karakoram Highway in Pakistan's Northern Areas that border China's Muslim-majority Autonomous Region of Xinjiang.

Considering the overall perspective of Pakistan-China relationship, the forthcoming visit of President Zardari is expected to further boost the economic ties and energize the partnership strategic tempos with Beijing. The Gwadar Port project is the summit of long partnership so far and that will bring the two countries closer in maritime defense as well.

Annoyed with emerging Pak-China military relations, India on Sept 08 conveyed to China its unhappiness over the latter's move to block the NSG waiver but Beijing insisted that it played a "constructive" role at the 45-nation grouping's meeting in Vienna last week. China had joined six other countries, which had questions about non-proliferation issues at the NSG, compounding difficulties for India in securing the waiver. The Chinese representative had expressed apprehensions that the waiver for India could affect the international non-proliferation system. Using the excuse of India waiver, China has apparently started batting for a similar exemption for Pakistan as it says that NSG should "equally address the aspirations of all parties for the peaceful use of nuclear power while adhering to the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism."

Like the USA doing this globally, India has been making strenuous efforts to destroy this strategic friendship between its "enemies" China and Pakistan. India hopes to use US resources to achieve the destructive goals in the neighborhoods.

Unfortunately for India, US-India strategic partnership is only to contain china, however, since USA is not favoring Indian project of destabilizing Pakistan quite willingly. In any case it is pretty tough trying to end a bond that is well cultivated over decades and constantly tested for reliability and durability. Pakistan-China ties, therefore, are expected get a fresh impetus following the visit of the Pakistan's new leader.