The New Nation - Internet Edition

Bomb blast in Pakistan

THE death toll in the bomb attack targeting a hotel in Pakistan has reached 60 and the number may increase further. The carnage is one of the worst that Pakistan suffered recently. Not only it led to tragic loss of human lives, the incident will add to further destruction of the image of that country as a terrorism-infested one. Needless to say, such a branding is very undesirable for a country in all respects, specially for economic reasons. Foreign investments are particularly scared away from such perceptions.

Bangladesh can learn from the unfolding events in Pakistan. The violent happenings there are the handiworks of extremist forces. If Pakistan had evolved as a democratic state with institutions and political culture to take into account people's grievances and act on them positively, then very possibly there would be no inducements for extremism or terrorism. Dictatorial and authoritarian governments stifled the growth of democracy in Pakistan. Politicians who governed the country after a seemingly democratic transition, also did not play their role in a constructive manner. Thus, Pakistanis got neither the benefits of democracy nor good governance.

Like in Pakistan, extremist parties exist in Bangladesh. They made their presence through countrywide bombings and spreading of their message some three years ago. Timely action by law enforcement bodies at that time took away much of the wind from their sails. But the extremists are once again seen bent on staging a return and this constitutes a threat to the security and stability of the country. Thus, the law enforcement bodies need to be unrelenting in their vigil and actions against such groups. At the same time, the political parties will have to mature and do much better in providing the fruits of democracy and good governance to the people.

Conditional allocations for BJMC

ACCORDING to recent newspaper reports, the government has decided to provide Taka 125 crore to the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation to procure raw jute but on the condition the corporation will lease out eight of its jute mills. The finance ministry has 'tagged the condition' to lease out eight state-owned jute mills as the corporation has so far failed to do the job within the stipulated time set earlier. The ministry is financing the BJMC to purchase raw jute during the ongoing harvest season for its remaining 14 jute mills. A letter attaching four conditions, in this regard, has already been sent along with the allocation of the fund to the ministry concerned clearly stating that BJMC must get rid of the eight jute mills that are stated to be 'most sickly'. Besides the fund should be treated as a government loan repayable over 20 years at 5 per cent interest.

The jute and textile ministry, meanwhile, has lined up the process of leasing out the eight jute mills - as five of them located in Chittagong and Khulna regions are in final stage of transfer to private companies with a view to making them profitable ones again. Bureaucratic tangles and inexpediences at all levels in running an industry like this besides widespread corruption in fact, has turned the once-profit-earning jute mills into huge losing concerns under nationalisation since 1972. However, jute growers and traders are expecting more profits this year following high demand of raw jute in the international market for which prices have increased remarkably at the beginning of the season. Besides Pakistan and India - the two top buyers - China, Brazil, Spain and Thailand are Bangladesh's major markets for raw jute.

Prachanda visits India and vows to build New Nepal

Md. Masum Billah

Pushpa Kumar Dahal, the first elected Prime Minister of the People 's Republic of Nepal, paid his official visit to India. The most significant player and the biggest neighbour of Nepal. So, the visit marks the beginning of India's engagement with a new Nepal. India and Nepal agreed to review a more than half a century old treaty governing bilateral ties that Kathmudu says is tilted in faviour of New Delhi.The decision to have a re-look the 1950 Trade and Transit Treaty was taken during the visit. Pushpa Kumar Dahal's talked with his Indian counterpart Manomohan Singh regarding the issue..Nepal's foreign minister Upendra Yadav released the fact."Times have changed and we have up to upgrade the 1950 pact, " -said Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon giving hints that both the countries have agreed in principle to revise, upgrade and rethink on the treaty. Menon told the media that ' Nepal has been keen for many years that we look at the 1950 treaty and update if, we are ready to do it." He said foreign secretaries of these two counties would take up this issue. Ahead of Prachanda's visit he termed the 1950 treaty as 'unequal'. Now after his visit it is going to see a new phase for the betterment of both India and Nepal. The two countries also decided to set up a committee to review water-sharing management including flood and relief, This assumes significane in view of flooding in large parts of western Nepal and adjoining Indian state of Bihar after a breach in the embankment in the common river Kosi. India promised to give four million dollars as flood relief assistance.

The Nepalese have every reason to see new dream and new hope. The age-old bloody struggle claimed 13000 people. At the cost of their blood proclaims the existence of New Nepal. Their already impoverished economy saw a serious setback due to underground parties' violence. Still New Nepal is not free from political 'cleavages' and 'fault lines' like the ' Madhesh' versus the 'Paharies', the Janjatis versus dominant casts and the 'prosperous' versus 'paupers'. There are also disgruntled feudal and discarded political interest groups that would like to sabotage the new and emerging Nepal. Dahal will have to deal with these issue through subtle policies and in some case he will have to be stern. These issues are not related to his home only. It involves Indian issues. Understanding it, he has paid his visit to India and talked freely to his counterpart and foreign mission officials of India. Secretaries of water Resources of India and Nepal would meet in Kathmandu this month. Prachanda invited Dr. Singh for a visit to Nepal which has been accepted and dates for that would he worked out through diplomatic channels very soon.

Hundreds and thousands of Nepalese gave their active support to Dahal to come to mainstream politics leaving the guerrilla and violent ways. Definitely it's a model for the 'militant' groups active in this sub-continent that the militancy or violence at the cost of innocent people's blood no sustainable peace can be achieved. Definitely they are guided by some principles. Even then, it has been proved false. Nepal is the burning example. Pushap Kumar led the insurgent groups. Now he represents Nepali people and New Nepal saying 'goodbye' to insurgency. Nepali congress and the Communist Party of Nepal also joined the agenda of new Nepal basically as a tactical play for political survival against an obstinate and arrogant monarch.

It is also true to construct the 'New Nepal' it will take time. Till then all the polical players and countrymen will have to wait patiently. Their impatience may invite further chaos in Nepal.

Prajapati, a Nepalese worker, was leaving to start a job in cleaning factory in Qatar. He represents hundreds and thousands of Nepalese who despite a new Maoist -led government promising radical change, see no future in the impoverished Himalayan nation. He said, "I voted the Maoists and I believe that they genuinely want to change the country. But the changes they talk about will take ages and I cannot afford to wait for them." Like Prajpati 200000 Nepalese left for Middle East last year.

These overseas workers send at least one billion dollars sent back annually by 2.2 million dollar.. Nepal like one of dozens of developing counties depend on remittances. The Maoists vowed in their election manifesto that ' circumstances' which force Nepalese youth to travel to foreign countries shall be ended." But after gaining power, they realized vote-wing rhetoric and economic reality are two different things. Now they say " We realize that we cannot stop youth from going aboard for employment because we do not have job opportunity for them in the country, " Krishan Bahadur Mahara , A Maoists spokesman said. . Last year 400000 Nepalese left the country for Middle East and Malaysia. To construct the New Nepal, Dahal need to visit the Middle East as well.

Participation of women in constructing New Nepal attaches utmost importance. It is also another onerous task for the Maoist government to make room and opportunity for women to get them actively and truly involved in national building tasks. "April 2006 was the turning point in the history of Nepal that restored parliament and sovereign power of the people after ten yeas of intense political and social struggle," Dr. Bina, an adviser to the National Planning Commission and Social Development Division of Nepal said. She also said that .in the conflict directly or indirectly Nepalese women were engaged and it was opportunity for bringing real changes in the country.

Capitulation to corruption!

Kazi S.M. Khasrul Alam Quddusi

Only almighty knows how many more dramas remain to be unfolded in this land of nothing 'impossible'. In fact, more are in the pipeline if the contemporary happenings in our political scenario are any guide. It is now quite clear that the people that are entrusted with the rein of the country seem to invariably take it just as lightly that it is just a fun for them.

Some, however, can term it as adventurism or rather misadventure as well given the apparent capitulation of the current government, which despite starting their campaign with the hackneyed slogan of anti-corruption received unlimited applause from the otherwise naive intellectuals as well as all-time gullible masses of the land.

I, however, do not have the temerity to allude to smoothing like that they just amused the people as astute jokers. The ant-corruption campaign seems to have been shelved by the current government. However, the experiment extravaganza remains creating more of boredom among the citizenry.

I am more than convinced that the move to bring two most powerful woman leaders of the country to negotiating table is the latest of their futile experimentations. Though one wishes all the best to this move, we have every reason to be alarmed if we go back to the secretary-level 'circus' dialogue between two Abduls: Abdul Mannan and Abdul Jalil.

I have no intention to side with the propaganda that two women are at the crux of the problem facing the country. I rather think that this scenario has been brought to the fore quite intentionally so that people stop asking about the fate of the anti-corruption drive and forget about the more overriding problems such as political reforms, price-spiral, economic depression, law and order situation and so on.

This is not to mean that the government has failed miserably in these sectors, this is rather to remind of the fact that the government has remained half-hearted or misdirected in its initiatives for long. If we concentrate on the anti-corruption drive, it can be stated quite convincingly that the government has just let the prime suspects off the hook after being quite successful in netting them.

Truly, like other suspects, Tarique Rahman too had the right to proper treatment for his illness. Though the government claims to have released Tarique on humanitarian ground, Begum Khaleda Zia's statement regarding his long overseas-stay sends all the signals that the government has little interest even in pursuing the cases against him. The irony is, however, that Tarique's release is being termed as a victory of an uncompromising mother.

To be candid, however, this is the humiliating defeat of the true spirit of anti-corruption campaign in the country. After the much talked-about Tarique release, of course, most other suspects are also coming out in flying colors. Statements of Anti-corruption Chairman and Home adviser regarding the slowing down of anti-corruption cases are cogent proofs that the much- vaulted anti-corruption drive has already lost the steam and about to fizzle out.

What message can, then, the commoners draw? Are some influential people not indeed beyond the law of the land. Are laws in this country and cries for good governance not just for coxing the people and for fishing for compliments on occasions?

Though anti-corruption drive has already been dealt a severe blow, the people in the government seems to have no remorse whatsoever for this unwelcome surrender to the prime suspects.

The social cost of this anti-corruption fiasco might, however, be all the more awful. The fear is, then, not at all unfounded that an impression might become deep-rooted in the citizenry that none in the country is interested in arresting the wayward horse of corruption in the country.

Moreover, anti-corruption slogan is just a platitude only to dupe the common people thereby creating a disastrous craving for corrupt practices even among the people who have so far opted to remain aloof from corruption despite facing hardships and odds.Was then the so-called jihad against corruption not a great disservice to the nation?

Will the current anti-corruption failure not accentuate the feeling that corruption is quite appreciable in the country and to get rid of all sorts of corruption charges is just to use guiles and political pressure upon the ones who are still bent on fighting against this ill?

Admittedly, there is no escape from the iron cage of bureaucracy for running of state of affairs in a country. To many, thus, bureaucracy is a necessary evil. Does our current apparent anti-corruption fiasco, then, confirm the apprehension that corruption too has become a necessary evil in Bangladesh?

Whatever might be the outcome of the current anti-corruption debacle, majority people of the country have the guts to say no to corruption. The paradox is, however, that whoever took up the anti-corruption rein in the country just failed the nation and in so doing augmented social cost of corruption every time.

Despite the existing disappointment among the citizenry, I believe that the toiling masses of the country will succeed in pressing home the fact that corruption is not a necessary evil in Bangladesh and that they will not remain hostage to corrupt cartels forever in that this very malady is not theirs; rather it belongs to the rulers.

Downhill in Kabul

Jonathan Power

How far is downhill? Well, that's like asking how long is a piece of string. But whatever the answer, the American/Nato military effort in Afghanistan, triggered by 9/11, seems to have all the marks of a quick descent.

In Barack Obama's phrase, American public opinion doesn't get it. How could they when Obama himself, supposedly a fresh eye on the international scene, bangs the drum for more troops and yet more force?

Does European and Canadian opinion get it? Apart from the Canadians, who have had the good sense and the foresight to give a date for the withdrawal of their troops, public opinion appears to be asleep at the switch. Their young men are dying for a method of attack that the older men have devised without ever being challenge d to think it through.

The policy, made within hours of the atrocity of 9/11, seemed to be to try to bomb the country to cinders, irrespective of the number of civilian casualties, not learning the lesson of Dresden, that wild bombing rather than leading to capitulation merely reinforces local opinion against the aggressor. Later, troops on the ground have continued to alienate local opinion with their seeming inability to differentiate between fighters and civilians.

The war is being lost as the Taleban, defending Al Qaeda or just fighting for their own piece of earth, gain the upper hand, improving their strength and their military skills by the month. The popper growers watch their profits soar, with plenty of the profits going into Taleban coffers, because the West is unable to face honestly the one policy that might work- legalisation of the drug trade, as the former minister of finance of Pakistan, Sartaj Aziz, suggested in Prospect magazine. (He argued for a controlled experiment in one province.)

Bush, the American military and now Obama seem to think the only way out is to take their failed tactics into Pakistan, despite the opposition of the Pakistani government and its powerful military chiefs. (So much for territorial integrity, the war cry of Nato for Georgia.)

Last week, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress, that he wanted "a new, more comprehensive military strategy that covers both sides of that border." Al Qaeda bases inside Pakistan will be hit hard and the West wonders anxiously why public opinion within Pakistan is becoming dangerously anti-American and why, after many quiescent years, the anti-Indian mujahideen have retooled for new attacks on the Indian presence in Kashmir and even the Indian embassy in Kabul, and done so with the clandestine support of Pakistan's secret service.

India is increasingly seen as an ally of America which, although exaggerated, highlights India missing the opportunity offered by ex president Pervez Musharraf, with his generous compromises, to end the Kashmir conflict once and for all. In the eyes of Pakistan and many outsiders America should have pressed India to agree.

The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is 1,640 miles long, much of it virtually inaccessible remote and mountainous, with only the locals able to move freely on goat and foot paths. This is the distance between New York and New Mexico. It contains the warlike Pashtuns who provide nearly all the Taleban insurgents.

The 25 million Pashtuns are one of the largest tribal groups in the world. In fact they are the largest ethnic group without a state of their own. Pakistani and Afghan government institutions have never been able to gain a foothold in these areas. Taxes are not paid and outsiders repulsed. This goes back to the time of Macedonian would-be conquerer Alexander.

The British likewise were defeated. So were the Afghans and the Soviets. The latter killed more than a million Pashtuns and drove three million into exile in Pakistan and Iran and still they were compelled to retreat. As for post-independence Pakistan it has never controlled more than 100 metres to the left and right of the few paved roads.

The most remote place on earth has now become the most dangerous. But both history and present day activity suggest it can never be subdued by outside powers. At best, over generations, it can be quietly subverted. The Pashtuns want schools - at least for males - health services and agricultural development. (Twenty years ago I was the guest of the Pashtuns as I studied the work of the successful Pakistani NGO, "The Motorbike Bank", that offered credit and farming advice from a travelling motorcyclist, trained as an agronomist.)

Osama bin Laden is their guest and in the Pashtun tribal code a guest must be looked after and given protection. Bin Laden will have to be found by careful police work, as Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi war criminal, was run to earth by the Israelis.