SIALKOT KILLINGS

I am at loss for words over the brutal murder of two teenage students in Sialkot. Students of Murray College, the alma mater of Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. These could have been my kids these could have been your kids. Murdred brutally in front of the mob, in front of the police in broad day light. No one had the courage to stop it. The killers will be brought to justice. But will we still remain a cowardly people with no respect or self respect.

We can beat and maim our women but we are not men enough to stop brutality when we see it. Cowards we are. The cowards of Sialkot. You have lowered the heads of Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz in shame. The cowards of Pakistan. Jinnah is ashamed of us. He turns in his grave. There will be retribution for this cowardice. One too many women have been dishonored in public, one too many non muslims murdered in the name of religion. Remember the two christian brothers. Remember Mukhtara mai. Shame on us. Shame on me.

I confess. I am one of those who feel concerned about the image of Pakistan every time something like this happens. But I am glad, this came on TV. This time more than ever before, Pakistanis have been exposed as the cowardly low lives that they really are. Nothing matters. We should be treated like crap all over the world we deserve it. We should have our houses bombed by foreign forces aided by our own government from our own soil. We deserve it.

And we thought our rulers are bad. We are worse. We don’t even deserve the rulers we have today. They are angles compared to us.

The video footage of the brutal murder is given below. You want to see yourself in a mirror then click on it. This is who we are.

Greater brutality has transpired countless times elsewhere in the world, not to mention right next door. But that does not lessen the sorrow an iota. Try telling that to the father and mother of the slain kids. Imagine they were your kids and then try telling this to yourself.

The news channels have moved on already. We are left in the company of our own wretched selves.

CONTRADICTIONS IN PAKISTAN’S MONETARY SYSTEM

By Kathay Kalame

Here are a few facts relating to central bank anchored fractional reserve banking system prevailing in Pakistan. It ( Central bank + private banks ) has a monopoly over the issuance of money, i.e. money supply. Even though money supply is measured as currency and deposits in the banking system, new money is not created by increase in deposits, it is created only when a new loan is made out by the banking system.

So there is contradiction number one. Money is measured as currency and deposits, but new money can only be created through making out a new loan.. This contradiction is apparently resolved by arguing that since the freshly made loan immediately appears as a deposit in the borrowers account, deposits rather loans are used as a measure of money supply. In my view this is just a very clever way of masking the fact that entire money supply of Pakistan is one giant loan at an usurious rate of interest–historically ranging between 8-18%. The weighted average rate of interest on the outstanding domestic bank debt currently stands at around 13%.

This one giant loan has to be repaid with interest (13%) over an average period of about 5-7 years. At a 13% interest rate, total repayments on a Rs1, 5 year term loan would be Rs1.39, assuming five annual principal repayments.

When a loan is made the money supply increases only by the principal amount of the loan, the interest component (Rs 0.39 for every rupee) is not created as money supply at the time of lending. In other words not enough money exists to repay the interest component. Therefore the system has to make additonal loans to create the money supply to pay interest on the past loans. However, these additional loans will have their own interest component which is absent from the system. That is contradiction number two. Hence, the overall loans within the system have to keep on increasing exponentially to keep this system going. If the rate of new loans creation or the rate of growth in the money supply falls below a three year average interest rate, the economy will experience a recession brought on by a money shortage. Or more accurately, a shortage of new loans to service the old loans.

The end result is that system wide debt keeps on increasing, always as a function of its base, i.e. at a percentage growth rate. A process known as exponential growth. And this is exactly the part not grasped by most. One of the greatest failings of mankind is their inability to truly grasp the true nature of exponential growth. Allow me to illustrate this with an example.

A billon rupees compounded at a 14% interest will double every 5.29 years. In 25 years it will be 25 billion and in 50 years Rs700 billion, Rs18.530 trillion in 75 years and in a hundred years Rs490.326 trillion. Every 25 years it grows by a factor of 26 !!! Now since the economic growth rate seldom exceeds 6-7%, GDP will double every 10.25 years. Suppose the base economy was Rs1 billion as well then in 25 years it will be 5.43 billion, in 50 years Rs30 billion and in a hundred years Rs868 billion. I suppose it is clear where this trend is headed. Debt creeps intially to overtake GDP in size, and then gallops to a size no longer sustainable by the GDP within a relatively short period in the life of a nation.

The situation in Pakistan is as follows. Pakistan’s GDP in 2008 was US$160 billion, growing at an average rate of 5% for the last 60 years and its total outstanding debt, public and private, domestic and foreign was US$118 billion. The wieghted average rate of interest on Pakistan’s total debt is around 9%. In 25 years at the average GDP growth rate of 5% Pakistan’s GDP would be US$542 billion. Its total debt on the other hand would have ballooned to US$983 billion. In 50 years the situation becomes more interesting. The economy would have grown to US$1.8 trillion and the debt would have grown to about US$8.4 trillion. So between, 25-50 years from now the current monetary system would force a system wide bankruptcy. Since Rupee is not the reserve currency of the world, I doubt if the country can sustain total debt of more than 200% of GDP. At current rates that is likely to happen within 25 years. As a nation, we do need to look at least 25-50 years forward. In fact we should be looking a 100 years out. However, let make the leap from a 1 year horizon to a 25-50 years horizon first.

The crisis that US Europe and Japan are facing has been brought about by these contradictory dynamics of the monetarty system. They are at crisis point today because this system has been running in their economies for almost a hundred years now. Pakistan will reach the same crisis point in the not so far off future.

Here is a fact Pakistan’s monetary system is also the standard in almost every single country in the world. And here is the problem, the logical end point of this system is disaster. Are we then doomed. Or is there is a solution. The goods news is that there is a solution and further good news is that it is not new. It has worked remarkably well in the past and some of the evidence of the abundance it generated can still be seen standing today.

Published at:

http://pakistaniat.com/2009/06/13/contradictions-in-pakistans-monetary-system/

INSPIRATION PAKISTAN:THE GARAGE SCHOOL

By Kathay Kalame

Shabina Mustafa has the true fighting spirit. 

She is waging a struggle against the forces of anarchy with her deep love and caring for the children of domestic workers from her neighborhood. And she is winning. She has reclaimed one community from the darkness of despair. And she is setting her eyes on more. All this and not a single shot was fired, nor a fist was thrown nor an unkind word spoken. He love for her children pulled in support from unexpected sources.

Her husband Flight Lieutenant Syed Safi Mustafa (S.J.) went missing in action in East Pakistan in 1971. Shabina was 20 years old back then. He left behind a two month old son, who Shabina dedicated a good part of her life raising to be a productive contributing citizen. Zain Mustafa is now a well known interior designer in Dubai.

In 1999 a maid’s daughter from Shabina’s building was denied admission in a sewing school because she could not read or write. That rejection prompted Shabina to open a school in her garage for all the servants’ kids from the neighborhood and Garage School was born. They have turned this small space into an oasis of learning. Not just the alphabet but, taur (grooming), tareeqa (approach), tarbiyat (training), taleem (education), and tareeqi (progress). These are the foundations of her teaching philosophy.

Ten years later the school has over 200 kids from Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh families in Karachi. Garage schools is their home where they celebrate their birthdays and religious festivals, get an annual medical check up and vaccinations. They get free education, uniforms, books and stationary. They also receive biscuits, milk, boiled eggs and vitamins to ensure nourishment for body and mind. They are taught tolerance and respect of all religions. They are provided social counselling to help instill confidence and feel proud of who they are and what they are aiming to achieve.

An adult literacy program is also being run in the evening on schools premises to teach basic Urdu, English and Math skills to parents and older siblings of garage school pupils. In addition, there is a four year adult literacy program to grade 10.

Six of her students are studying beauty courses with the aim of getting a job with a salon in Karachi. Another eight boys are learning carpentry. About 42 kids have left to join better schools, many still supported by their alma mater. Another four are awaiting their matric results before they join Indus Motors after passing the entrance test.

Shabina’s next wish is to move the school to larger premises with more facilities and a playground. She is already working on making it a reality with her trademark zeal and energy.

There is something unique about Shabina’s effort. It is an effort that started on very meagre resources. Something within the reach of most middle class families. She took care of her responsibilities to her family, i.e., her son and with her son’s support started a venture that is starting to bear fruit in abundance. She is a source of inspiration for many. Her’s is a model that can be copied by anyone who prefers making an effort no matter how small, to sitting on the sideline. She seized on a set back for one of the kids in her community and made that the launching pad for an enduring tree that will shade and nurture many for many years to come. With a little luck, her enterprise will grow and more people will imitate her.

This is one phenomenon that has the potential to spread like wild fire, and that would be entirely welcome. There are very few impediments to it other than personal resolve. The catching on of this phenomenon will be a clear indication that the silent minority has elected to act and take control of their and their country’s destiny..

Shabina has identified an arena where almost everyone can flex their resolve and make a solid contribution to progress of education and tolerance in our society. Most importantly, it is a small beacon of hope, but when it is particularly dark and silent, the flickering flame of a tiny little candle can be seen for miles. No doubt, enough of these tiny islands of light can light up the entire country.

More information, including on how to donate to The Garage School, here.

A video on The Garage School is available, here.

—
Published at:

http://pakistaniat.com/2009/05/31/garage-school/

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By Kathay Kalame

At the age of 4 me and my elder brother were roughly the same height. Then my brother shot up to almost twice his original height in about a year while my height increased by a mere 30%. In short, I acquired a complex about my height even though I was growing normally. Since my point of reference was Big Brother, I felt shorter after growing 30% than when I was shorter by 23%, simply because Big Brother had grown much taller.

The plight of the Pakistani Rupee in relation to the US Dollar is not much different today.

Pak Rupee v. US dollar, May 2007 - May 2009

Pak Rupee v, the GB pound, May 2007 - May 2009

(Above: The rates for the Pakistan Rupee vs. US Dollar, Euro, and British Pound, respectively, since May 2007).

Since July 2008, which is when the USD bottomed, it has zoomed against all major currencies except the yen. Rupee is the same size it was before the USD started zooming. So it looks smaller in relation to the USD. However, when compared to other currencies, the Pakistani Rupee seems almost the same size in relation to many, a little smaller in relation to some and a little bigger in relation to some like the Euro and the British Pound (GBP). However, since the reference point for most Pakistanis is Big Brother, they have a acquired a complex about the size of their currency, which is not supported by reality.

In July 2008, USD was PKR72, EUR was PKR114 and GBP was PKR143.
Today Dollar is PKR81 EUR is PKR110 and GBP is PKR125.

In short, since July, rupee has depreciated against the dollar, but actually appreciated against the euro and GBP. Also the depreciation against the dollar is fully explained by dollar’s apprecaition against other currencies of the world. In short, the Pakistan Rupee has slid, but only against the dollar and not due to a change in Rupee’s fundamentals but due to change in global risk appetite and flight to the dollar as a safe haven.

Compared to the January 2008 figures a not very dissimilar picture emerges.

In Jan 2008 USD was PKR62 EUR was PKR93 and GBP was PKR123.

Again rupee has appreciated slightly against the GBP and depreciated only half as much against the Euro as against the USD.

Then there is the other side of the argument where Brazil and Turkey have stood for a long time. They allowed their currencies to slide for decades to the point of liraization, nevertheless their economies grew robustly over that period. Brazil is the 10th largest economy in the world today at USD1.5 trillion and Turkey the 17th largest at USD730 billion. Today they have stable currencies. However, bulk of their growth occurred during a period of hyperinflation. When they did put the lid on inflation, the cost was a couple of years of steep economic contraction. It is important to note that there is more room to follow inflationary growth policies when the country’s foreign currency debt component is relatively low.

Pakistan needs to grow, without incurring the same level of debt that now has the OECD trapped in a catch 22. To get out of the slump they need to incur more debt. However, their slide was caused by unsustainable levels of debt in the first place. This is a contradiction of the prevailing global monetary system, whereby debt is money. To increase money supply debt has to increase proportionally. It is this system that must evolve to take humanity, not just Pakistan, to the next level.

Published at:

http://pakistaniat.com/2009/05/25/myth-rupee-depreciation/

ECONOMY REVIEW: THE GOOD NEWS FROM PAKISTAN

 

By Kathay Kalame

One hears often of  a gloomy prognosis predicting doom for the Pakistani economy. Lets see what kind of story the actual numbers tell in comparison to more advanced economies of the world.

In march 2009, Pakistan’s trade defit narrowed by almost 50%, as imports declined faster than exports [1]. Good news for the currency one would think.

Worker remittances were a record high in march 2009 at US$743 million an increase of 23% over last year. Cheerful news that.

While Japan’s exports plummeted by 50% [3], China’s by 26% [4] and India’s by 33% [5], Pakistan’s exports were down by 25%. Even though, the competitive peer group is formidable, yet Pakistan is the best performer.

On the corporate profitability front, during the worst global down turn in a century, Pakistan’s corporate profitability of listed companies declined by a mere 3% in aggregate in the 3rd quarter of 2009 [ JS report ].
Now let’s focus our attention on what is believed to be the most important measure of the long term health of an economy, Total debt to GDP. Total debt is defined as all debt in an economy including domestic and foreign, public and private. As the credit cruch has duly reminded the world, the best of human endeavour cannot endure the burden of debt. The largest, most technologically advanced, most innovative, most well governed countries in the world have fallen victim to the debt trap. How ironic.

Pakistan’s total debt is around US$113 billion. US$45 billion foreign debt [6] + US$37 billion domestic bank credit [7] + US$45 billion domestic government debt [8] – US$14 billion of domestic government debt held by banks [7].

Pakistan 2008 GDP at current exchange rate was about US$160 billion [8]. As a percentage of GDP Pakistan’s total debt is roughly 70% of GDP.

USA’s government debt alone is around 100% of GDP. Total debt, domestic and foreign, public and private is about US$53 trillion [9] or about 378% of GDP.

USA owes US$11 Trillion in governmnet debt [9], US$17 Trillion in financial sector debt [9], US$13.8 Trillion in household debt [9], and US$11.10 trillion in corporate non financial debt [9].

UK’s personal debt ( mortgage, credit cards, auto loans to households ) alone is more than a 100% of UK’s GDP [10], and government debt is an additional 52% of GDP[11]. Total domestic credit is about US$5.4 trillion or about 250% [12] of GDP. However, UK’s external debt around US$10.5 trillion [12] or roughly 500% of GDP, a staggering number–UK GDP is around US$2.2 trillion [12]. A soft reminder that a pull back by foreigners on the their deposits can create nothing short of mayhem in the country.

Japan’s government debt is about 170% of GDP [13], total domestic credit (less euphemistically known as domestic debt) is about US$10 [13] trillion or about 210% of GDP. Japan’s GDP is about US$4.8 trillionm[13].

The developed economies have paid for their progress through a mountain of debt and that mountain is starting to slide. If you follow the debate on the subject amongst the experts, the consensus is that there is no honest way out of it, bail out packages notwithstanding. The viability of these economies is now an open question.

USA, Japan and UK economies are going to shrink by between 5-10% over this year. Pakistan’s is expected to grow by about 2%.

I think the numbers bear testimony to the resilience of this nation. It takes a beating, but keeps on going. Yet if anyone concludes from the above that things are not as bad as they seem and therefore no need to get all worked up it would be the wrong conclusion. For the same reason that a docotor puts the most effort in a patient that has a hope for survival, and not in the one that is almost dead, Pakistanis must focus their efforts on Pakistan. Exactly how, is up to your imagination and resolve.

Pakistan has issues, very serious ones and most of them are related to governance. It is nothing short of a miracle that with such serious governance issues the economy is doing better than some top economies in some specific yet critical areas. Compared to the task that the OECD economies face, which has technical intractibilities, the resolution of Pakistan’s problems require political will. In other words Pakistan has the luxury to be able to choose and it has a fighting chance. It can choose to reform and decide which direction it is going to go. If, the country makes the right choices, it can emerge as a major global power house in 20 years or less.

Maulana Rum said, if an ant seeks the rank of Solomon, don’t smile contemptuously upon its quest. Everything you possess of skill, and wealth and handicraft, wasn’t it first merely a thought and a quest ?

Pakistan is no ant, out of 233 countires in the world, it is 6th largest in terms of population, 45th in term of GDP and 34th in terms of area. But maybe it needs to be as industrious.

Let the thought flourish, let the quest begin.

[1] http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aTHJPQEosyBU&refer=india
[2] http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Business/12-Apr-2009/Pakistan-receives-record-73943-million-remittances-in-March
[3] http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/mar/25/japan-exports-plunge
[4] http://www.thestreet.com/story/10470322/1/china-exports-plunge-26-in-february.html?puc=_reuters&cm_ven=REUTERS&cm_cat=Free&cm_pla=Feed&cm_ite=Feed&puc=reuters&
[5] http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/05/02/stories/2009050251340100.htm
[9]     http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/Current/z1.pdf [ table D3. Non financial + financial + foreign ]
[10]   http://www.creditaction.org.uk/debt-statistics.html
[11]   http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=277
[12 ]     https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/uk.html
[13]   https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html

–

Published at:

http://pakistaniat.com/2009/05/19/good-news-pakistan-economy/

THE IDEOLOGICAL ANTIDOTE TO TALIBANISM

By Kathay Kalame

The Taliban is a concept. Or more accurately, the reputation that a concept has. Without the concept, they are a loose militia band that can just as easily turn on each other. However, they are bound together by an extremist ideology that is a very strong unifying force for otherwise not unity prone tribals. That this ideology borders on the insane is besides the point. The real point is their unity around this ideology.

They stand for some things by their own admission and actions. The rest is ascribed to them by admirers and detractors alike. The result is conjuring of an incredible hulk like entity in people’s consciousness—a green giant in a righteous rage. A section of the society thinks this rage and strength can be unleashed on target while keeping the beast on a leash. Others believe, the rage is inexhaustible and has inevitably turned on the master. There is another section that considers them noble, valiant saviors. Furthermore there are varying shades of opinions along this tripod.

In the meantime, the Taliban are now waging war in Pakistan .

In this war they are unified around an extreme position bordering on the insane. Their opponents are not unified around Unity Faith Discipline, more esoterically referred to as Quaid-i-Azam’s Pakistan . The Pakistan that religious clerics, more fondly referred to as mullahs, rejected wholesale and opposed wholeheartedly during the movement for Pakistan. In case there is any confusion, the same people that now claim from the pulpits that Pakistan should live by their decree. They are but a minority. And the Taliban are but a handful bunch. And a nation of 170 million is held hostage by the latter and to ransom by the former.

But their appeal has been growing in part because of disillusionment of a vast section of society with the liberal moderates’ promise for a better future. People have experience with  the corruption of the system more than they have faith in their leaders’ ability to defend Pakistan . They live in fear that their country will be sold out or ceded by its corrupt politicians and they find no hope on the horizon.

These people need hope from the center, not from the right nor from the left. This is the hour of opportunity for politicians, army, bureaucracy and judiciary alike to shape up a little, and demonstrate that they can offer a better future through tangible action not rhetoric. Let people see that the system is not in so hopeless a spiral of corruption, that an extremist ideology like that of the Taliban may find currency with those wanting to shock it. 

We need a unified voice saying we reject the mullahs that opposed Quaid’s Pakistan. And we reject the Taliban that are mullah’s ideological offspring gone bad under fire and neglect.

The mullah’s are loud and the Taliban have guns and both rely on fear as their principal lever.

All of which is of no use against a nation united around its ideology. Just in case there is some debate on what the Quaid’s Pakistan stands for, let it be crystal clear that it is most certainly without a shadow of a doubt not what the Taliban are offering.

Published at:

http://www.pakspectator.com/the-ideological-antidote-to-talibanism/

TALIBAN IS NOT THE CORE ISSUE. EFFECTIVE POLICING AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE IS.

By Kathay Kalame

I am trying to work out which one is the greater challenge.

That there are Taliban in Swat or that the police and judiciary fall short of minimum standards.

To say that a militia of a few thousand fighters at best, is likely to run over a 600,000 strong Pakistan Army stretches creduility. Even the mighty Rustum feared taking on such odds in his own legends. That Taliban can run over Pakistan is similar to chicken little’s hue and cry about the sky losing altitude. However, absence of consequences for criminals CAN plunge the country into lawlessness.

In fact it already has and that is the clear and present danger.

Defense from external threats has always been on top of national agenda without exceptions. However, it appears that defense from internal threats, or law and order has been relegated to use in slang.

The per capita expenditure on law enforcement in District Rawalpindi, one of most well policed district, is Rs350 per person per year, with one police person for every 800 people. I don’t believe a scholarly effort is required to prove that this department of the state is badly dysfunctional.

The Lahore high court has 36 judges that adjudicate the disputes of about 90 million people. That is less than one Judge per 2.5 million people. No wonder LHC and its lower courts have 1.3 million cases pending as of April 2009

Peshawar High court has 13 judges that mind the disputes of 21 million people. That is one judge for every 1.6 million people. PHC and lower courts had 200,000 pending cases as of 1 April 2009

We need to fight the battle in NWFP. However, fighting a battle without a strategy for winning the war is another fanciful enterprise. That containing the Taliban will somehow cause the people of Pakistan to be more satisfied with their grievious lot is silly. To expect that if someone’s daughter is raped and there is no justice in court, they will sit tight and not pick up a gun or an axe and go for walk, is rather optimistic.

One in ten registered FIRs make it to court. That coupled with 1.6 million pending cases in the court system of Pakistan, says we are sitting on dynamite, getting dryer by the day, and starting to crackle.

Taliban is not the core issue. The core issue is effective policing and dispensation of justice.

It is not a tall order to appoint another 1,000 judges countrywide. Such a measure may re-motivate people to respect the law. That is a priceless dividend for a cost which is slender in comparison. Yet, the police is far from effective and the judiciary remains crippled.

Such neglect may be deliberate on the part of the government, but it seems there is a lot more that certain organized segments of the society, particularly the media, and civil society can do to motivate the government to focus on this issue. If a thousand militants, in an ex-tourist resort, armed with guns, can literally grip the attention of the world, what can a million organized voices armed with pens do.

Published at:

http://pakistaniat.com/2009/05/06/justice-police-law/

OUR FINEST HOUR

By Kathay Kalame

Maybe it is time to take a break from the usual self bashing and look at ourselves from a different angle. We have been taking plentiful stock of what we have been doing wrong. Maybe taking stock of what we are demonstrably capable of may lead us to a different starting point.

I can remember two instances within the last three years or so when the people of Pakistan set an example.

First, in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake in 2005, the outpouring of help from across Pakistan was revealing. It reassured itself that this nation still has a pulse. Granted there was looting and price gouging, but it was overshadowed by a rare display of concern and unified action from across Pakistan for their fellow citizens. One BBC report put it this way :

“Pakistanis have astounded themselves with their own generosity since the catastrophic earthquake that hit the country on 8 October. A tidal wave of ordinary people have rushed to help the victims of the earthquake, raising money or just hiring trucks and delivering goods to Kashmir. These actions of civil society, not seen since the 1965 war against India, have united the nation and they will have significant political implications. “

One interesting aspect was coordinating fund raising and logistics of relief efforts on email with the help of people on the ground. Pakistanis from across the globe got involved resulting in movement of money and material to the affected areas. People who previously did not know each other organized to do their duty of helping those in need. People from all walks of life contributed. One particularly inspiring instance was that of a Pakistani reporter who went to Muzzaffarabad to cover the devastation. He took a month’s leave to stay and help with the relief efforts. He was able to ease the pain of hundred of people. One man made a difference.

The media played a particularly commendable role and so did the charity organizations and other NGOs. It was good to see organized participation from the various political parties as well.

The government received a lot of criticism and a number of things were pointed out that could have been done better. However, Pakistan government’s response was speedier than that of the Bush administration’s in the wake of New Orleans. When the government of Pakistan wants to do something it does. And it should be no surprise. Pakistan government like any other government has a command and control structure. What materializes the command into a tangible action on ground is the perceived seriousness of intent and the attendant consequences for non-compliance. In such a system a single person at the top can make a big difference. Taking people to task works like a charm in raising the bar of performance.

The people of Pakistan earned themselves credit back then.

Second on the day of the long march to Islamabad, people came out en masse despite fear of possible suicide attacks sponsored by interests that did not want the long march to take place. Despite, considerable effort spent using and abusing state machinery to create hurdles and road blocks so that the will of the people can be thwarted, a sea of people came out and marched on until they got what they were looking for. The people set the stage, however, the role that Nawaz Sharif played did act as a catalyst. The sitting government did itself credit by not persisting with the untenable. Yet, the decisive nudge came from the military.

This was a truly unique occurrence. The lawyers movement, backed by civil society came to a certain point, but when backed by a popular politician, reached a critical mass whereby one of pillars of the establishment intervened and the people got what they wanted. A rare confluence. Now one can argue about the motives of each of the players in this interesting drama. However, there is no denying that people power was the lever that pressed on the gate until the gatekeeper fearing for the safety of the gate prevailed on the king to behave..

The CJ’s actions in the coming months will tell about whether he has earned the respect that people have showed him. It will be sometime before a jury can do in deliberation on whether the CJ is doing justice to his honorable office. Sure there will be knee jerk criticisms to his actions, some justified some not so, but it will take some time for the overall picture to emerge.

As some wise man said : “By union the smallest states thrive. By discord the greatest are destroyed.” Disagreement advances the thought process. But without open minds, disagreement quickly degenerates into discord. An open mind is a humble mind as it is open to the possibility that it many be wrong.

“Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts;” (Quran 13:11)

Maybe one part of such an inner personal change in the context of our nation is humility and maybe a greater measure of respect towards each other.

Both may help a great deal in forming a consensus where needed. Because if we ever were in need of forming a national consensus on how to deal with US’s presence in Afghanistan and the Taliban in Pakistan, it is now.

And if we are to push the envelope a little further, doing what we do to the best of our abilities, every day. This part will help us with what needs to be done post consensus.

Ironically, within the mess we are in, lies the opportunity of meeting our finest hour.

—

Published at:

http://pakistaniat.com/2009/05/03/finest-hour/

http://www.chowrangi.com/our-finest-hour.html

http://www.pakspectator.com/finest-hour/

http://www.daily.pk/local/other-local/9910-finest-hour.html

POLICE AND JUDICIAL REFORM IN PAKISTAN IS NO GOLIATH

By: Kathay Kalame

It is simple really.

No conspiracy against a country can succeed, if the country is not weak from within. Strong law enforcement can thwart any number of efforts on the part of individuals or militant groups to destabilize the country.

Rule of law in the civilian population is enforced by the police. Judgment is the business of the courts.

A few simple steps can make a tangible qualitative difference in both. A difference that a person on the street can feel.

The example of the motorway police is our starting point. When the government of Pakistan really wants to get something done it gets it done. It raised a new police force that is the standard of professionalism in the country. There is little debate, that motorway police is better educated, better trained and yes better paid than the police in the rest of the country.

For starters the same formula can be applied to the police force in selected cities of Pakistan. A two year pilot program can focus on district Rawalpindi.

Currently there are 6,381 police out of 4.2 million citizens in district Rawalpindi. Their total expense in 2007 was Rs1.4 billion out of which Rs119 million was non-salary expense. That means a salary expense of Rs17,000 per police officer per month for the entire district police. This number runs counter to the notion that police is grossly underpaid. However let’s say we wanted to double the salary of police personnel in the district, and have the people of district Rawalpindi pay for it, the additional expense would be about Rs28 per person per month.

A negligible price to pay for greatly enhanced law and order.

Now let’s look at their performance.

In 2008 15,348 cases were registered, out of which 1,662 were under investigation. Only 1,669 convictions were obtained in 2008 while 4,514 were acquitted.

The real sticking point is that about one tenth of cases registered were under investigation, the rest are lying dormant. It is obvious from these statistics that the scope for performance enhancement is quite extensive.

Rs28 per person per month would go a long way in solving this problem. And this is a problem worth solving, one district at a time.

The police force will be extremely amenable to reform if the reward a doubling of their salaries.

One can argue that for starters, we don’t need more police personnel, we just need the existing ones to be better educated, better trained, better motivated and better paid.

Once a problem is divided down to a manageable unit, the problem does not seem as daunting. Changing the behavior of 6,400 people is a very manageable task. In terms of a one man job this equal to that of the CEO of a medium sized organization or that of a Brigadier in the army. The money required is also a manageable sum and when divided into the population that will benefit from it, it turns out to be a negligible amount. In comparison, an average family can spend upto 400 times that amount on security guard and that safety does not extend beyond a few feet.

The same formula can be used to upgrade the police in the entire country, one district at a time.

A starting point is important.

Retrain the police force one district at a time, or one city at a time, bring the pay scales at par with the motorway police. Then take the same model to the courts. There are 54 judges on the Lahore High Court bench and they are responsible for all of Punjab which is about 70 million people. Increasing this number ten fold should not make a dent of any noticable nature in the treasury. It will however guarantee a more accessible and responsive justice system. Something, I suspect, the ruling elite of this country fear.

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Published at:

http://www.chowrangi.com/police-and-judicial-reform-in-pakistan-is-no-goliath.html

http://www.pakspectator.com/police-and-judicial-reform-is-no-goliath/

http://www.daily.pk/local/other-local/9799-police-and-judicial-reform-is-no-goliath.html

EAST MEETS WEST

By: Kathay Kalame

People of Pakistan and people of the US operate in such different contexts that it is hard to imagine that their fates are somehow linked. 

The people of Pakistan stood up to restore their chief justice. The realization may not have fully descended yet, but this is a history changing event. People power has another reference point for positive achievement. Publizcized properly, this has the potential to snow ball, with implications for Pakistan as well as internationally. The last time people power achieved something similar was when the people were able to force the elite class to restore Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

The people of the US rose up against the Vietnam war back in the 70s with such force that it was not for another 30 years that the US openly went to war again. Should the people of the US rise up again against waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan it would have an immediate and profound impact on the lives of the people of Pakistan. But why would they do such a thing ?

They may do so out of inspiration. One does not have be big or galmorous to inspire. The story or the defeated king and the spider demonstrates that.

They may also do this out of plain self interest, as the war is costing them more than they can hope to pay for within their lifetimes and beyond. These wars have mortgaged the future of America`s children.

To get to the end point, they may have to go back to the starting point, i.e., the event that created the excuse for America to go to war.

Like the pakistani people got their victory by sticking to the truth of the accusations levelled on Nov 3, the people of the US can have theirs by revisiting 9/11.

The events on 9/11 have a grave significance, they resulted in 3,000 American deaths and became the basis for the murder of almost 1.3 million Iraqis and thousands of people in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It is a matter of some importance as to who was responsbile for the carnage on 9/11 2001. As that is the basis for the greatest military adventure the US has ever embarked upon, supposedly to punish the culprits responsible for those events. Therefore, who is actually responsible for 9/11 is a matter of some significance.

When a country with the most advanced military in the world gets ready to wipe out a million beings of human origin, or in other words their next of kin, it had better make sure that this does not turn out to be a holocaust of mistaken identity.

However, such precautions were not taken. Only US$15 million were spent to investigate 9/11 and put together the 9/11 commission report. In comparision about US$65 million were spent to investigate president Clinton about possibly inaccurate statements involving the creative use of a cigar and real esate deals.

Eight years later, after the murder of 1.3 million human beings, a massacre of mass proportions, the questions remains as relevent as it was on Sept 12 2001, if not more. Who ?

There has been a disturbing amount of evidence pointing towards a massive cover up relating to 9/11. The most disturbing conclusion which appears to be gaining increasing currency amongst the people of the US is that the bald eagle is holding the smoking gun.

This is a claim of unusual import and it is not without supporting evidence. But then again evidence can be accumulated for or against anything and much of that may not be evidence at all.

Professor Naom Chomsky believes it is entirely irrelevent as to who is responsible for 9/11. Furthermore, according to him, “Even if it [i.e., the US government is responsible for 9/11 and not foreigh terrorists], were true which is extremely unlikely, who cares ! ” His view about who is responsible for JFK assasination is “who knows” and furthemore “who cares”.

I agree with his statement to the extent that 1.3 million people would still be dead whether the US government was responsible for 9/11 or Al Qaeda.

In that context “who” is not the relevent question. The relevent point is that the American public would go along with a proposed massacre in response to a perceived attack by a non state player. In order words the US public is fine with declaring war on countries in response to perceived attacks by a non state player.

The alternate explanation is that American public never agreed with it.. They just never objected strongly enough. Who would have thought, there would be a such a dear price to pay for not objecting strongly enough.

I have a friend from Pakistan who had to pay dearly for not objecting strongly enough to a marriage proposal by his parents. They went ahead and confirmed the engagement in his absence. Upon strong protest they argued that if he was not amenbale to it he should have protested strongly back then.. A lack of strong protest was taken as a signal of consent. Never could I imagine that something similar could transpire outside a village in southern Punjab, leave alone in USA, the country with the highest per capita lawyers and highest per capita inventors.

I further agree with Naom Chomsky`s statement relating to JFK to the extent that JFK would still be dead whether it was a deranged man who killed him or the US government. However, a mildly reasonable and objective person would admit the possibility that had JFK escaped assasination, he may not have allowed an invasion of Vietnam, which Lyndon Johnson actively precipitated. Also, the US invading Afghanistan or Iraq without blaming them both for 9/11 may not have been sellable at home and an invasion may never had taken place.

In short, we would have been looking at a very different history of the world. Now to the extent that these two events are history changers, I believe most people care who was responsible for 9/11 and most people would like to know who killed JFK. The suspicion that the same force is responsible for both seemingly unconnected events further adds to the interest in the matter.

Furthermore, it is of interest for the same reason why the justice system in a society, spends so much time and effort trying to ascertain who is the perpetrator of a grissly murder of an ordinary individual. At the lofty level to satisfy the demands of justice. But at a practical level to make sure that directed retribution by the justice system keeps the criminal encroachment from becoming a free for all. To make sure that the same murderer does not committ another murder and his example keeps other murderers from joining in. If murderers of ordinary people started getting away with it, society may very well collapse. The same argument applies to mass murder. However, it seems that mass murderers get away with it in relative ease. They are termed conqurers, in case of victory and war criminals in case of defeat.

Presidential murderers going unpunished or the suspicion of mini massacre of a people by its government pushed under the rug therefore is a matter of grave import. Not easily dismissed with someone saying who knows and who cares no matter what their standing or position in society..

Also to the extent that should the truth relating to 9/11 come out in the open, the current US adventure in Afghanistan and Iraq may have to end abrubtly due to mass protests at home, and withdrawal of international support, may also be a strong justification as to why the people should care, not just of US but also of Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and the world at large..

That the people of the US can take a cue from the people of Pakistan in getting the will of the people recognized is ironic. But it is reality. When a sleeping nation awakens such ironies become fact.

Here is another irony.

The Pakistan Army has lost twice the number of troops in operations in the tribal area, as compared to US military in Afghanistan. However, in the view of the US, Pakistan is not doing enough to deal with the Taliban militants in Pakistan and they continue to pose a threat to US forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan has lost about 1,500 troops to date in the tribal area and swat operations. The US army has lost about 700 and other coalition forces have lost about 500 troops during the entire occupation of Afghanistan. Someone bombs the US.

Now that the US is raising its military presence in Afghanistan by 50% and even contemplating carpet bombing of Balochistan, the interests of the people of Pakistan and US are more aligned than ever.

Both peoples can avoid bankruptcy in the financial and moral sense by exposing the facts relating to 9/11, a day that shall live in infamy in the annals of history.

As for the jihadis in pakistan`s backyard, no one should be naïve enough to think that american departure will make them less of a nuisance. That is again where the interests of the people of Pakistan are aligned with that of the rest of the world. Justice with strict law enforcement and development is the answer not military operation.

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Published at:

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=213510

http://www.pakpositive.com/opinion/2009/04/pakistan-us-east-meets-west.html

http://www.daily.pk/local/other-local/9693-east-meets-west.html

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/viewarticles.php?editorialid=725