The tent city in the scorching heat, filled with females with tears
in their eyes, grief in heart felt satisfied with the feeling that
at least there is someone to listen to them. Their choked voice and
falling tears could reveal all their sorrows. A mother whose four
sons died on the same day. Another mother looking the way for her
eleven children. A wife waiting for her husband to come along with
his children and stock. The tears of the mother who had left her
disabled child on the mercy of God because when they were ordered to
leave their home no male was present to carry the child. A mother in
law who’s newly wed daughter in law died because a bullet hit her in
the chest and she was buried without any funeral prayer and a proper
grave. A niece whose uncle was shot dead while he was cutting the
crops during the break in curfew and didn’t even notice that the
break was over. The families which had orchads of different juicy
fruits and whose crops were ready to harvest had left them and today
they were standing in long ques in order to get food. Stocks, crops,
relatives they sacrificed all for the sack of this country and its
people. Listening to their stories one could fee the devastating
pain in their heart. The earthquake was much better for us than the
present situation. At least by the time our wounds healed. We could
hope of the rebuilding of our homes. But today they have snatched
everything from us. What is our crime? A girl crying for her four
year old sister. She said with a low voice that they had to leave
their sister on the mountains because that little soul was unable to
walk any more with them and they didn’t had the energy to take her
on their back as they do with tired children. She said this time is
worst than doom’s day for them. The reality is that every heart has
a new story to tell but we have nothing else to offer other than
consoling them and telling them that they’ll be back to their homes
very soon! —Islamabad
Omar fails to act
Sushil Vakil
It is quite unfortunate that violence has disturbed peace and calm
in the Himalayan town which has recorded 40 per cent voter turn out
in the last Parliamentary elections and without any untoward
incident. Again, it is the same hilly district where sometime back
young Kashmiris turned up in large numbers at the Army’ recruitment
camp. The young men seemed eager to don the Indian Army’s uniform
which, ironically, had come to be seen as a symbol of ‘oppression’
in the Kashmir Valley thanks to the vitriolic anti-India campaign by
the All-Party Hurriyat Conference and other Islamist, pro-Pakistan
organisations.
The Baramulla protests led to the killing of four people and injury
to scores, despite the curfew restrictions. Well, the blame goes to
the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah again for mishandling the
situation. Like Shopian, the administration this time also failed to
soothe the tempers which were on boil while at the same time
allowing separatist forces to turn smoking gun into a mushroom cloud
and to their advantage. Moreover, the failure on the part of chief
minister to take action in time has resulted in spreading the
violence to other parts of the valley. His incompetence to quell
month long violence indicates his inexperience and ineptness to
handle the situation. The continous sequence of violations clearly
expose the political immaturity of junior Abdullah to tide over the
crisis.
The government has also ordered a magisterial probe into the firing
incident. The investigations would be completed within 10 days,
official sources said. But strangely enough, despite the state
government’s orders for withdrawal of central para military troopers
from the district, the overall situation in the valley remained
tense. It is strange that the government has taken decision on such
a sensitive issue without weighing any pros and cons. This is
blatant compromise with the security set up as the demand for the
removal of security forces will pour in from other affected areas as
well. The decision seems to have been taken to escape the public
wrath against the nine month old Omar government. —Via email
Independent judiciary
Muhammad Arif Shafi
Supreme Court of Pakistan has suspended carbon tax on petroleum on
July 7th which resulted in cutting the prices of petrol (up to Rs10
per liter), diesel (Rs8) and kerosene (over Rs6) from the following
day. It might be the first fruit of independent of Judiciary for
public. (Supreme Court had already announced a Judicial Policy for
the provision of speedy Justice, which will take some time for
benefiting masses.) It was the President on the very next day after
the POL prices reduced who became a hurdle to it. The President on
the morning of July 9th signed an Ordinance named The Petroleum
Development Levy Ordinance 2009, which increased the prices of
petroleum again up to its previous level. All this was done with the
advice of our democratically elected Prime Minister.
Government might have it own justification in the name of so-called
public interest but the Ordinance has certainly disappointed people
who are already scared of price hike. It is our bad luck that the
governments in our country have always taken the decisions against
the will and demand of people and a lways looked the interests of
ruling or privileged class.—Peshawar
Fazlullah seriously injured?
Asem M Awan
There had been an impression that unless the security forces
eliminate the top TTP leadership, the war against terrorism cannot
be won and certainly there would remain the fear of terrorists’
regrouping. According to ISPR the command structure of TTP, their
communication system, particularly the FM radio, and the routes of
their supply line have been damaged seriously. Swat and Buner have
been cleared and the people have started going back to their homes,
which is a highly positive development. But the good news is the
elimination of a number of top ranking TTP leaders including Shah
Dauran, Abu Jandal, Ibne Aqil, Ibne Amin, Commander Naseeb Rehman
and many others.
The report of Fazlullah being seriously injured indicates that the
impression was wrong that the military had not been able to identify
and hit the high value targets. It also means that the facilities
being used by Fazlullah and his accomplices were not only hit but
destroyed. It also dispels the impression of any possibility of the
terrorist groups reorganizing and reasserting their control in any
part of the area in future. At the same time there is need for
effective administrative control and better policing. Efforts should
continue to eliminate the TTP leadership once for all to make the
country secure and people relieved. —London
Carbon tax
Salam Shah
Practically striking down the carbon tax suspension order of the
Supreme Court by promulgating a presidential ordinance, Mr Zardari
has virtually pitched himself against the public sentiment. This
speaks volumes about the economic policies of the current ruling
junta. The government’s moral bankruptcy is evident in a report by
Dr Furrukh Saleem published in a national English daily of July 9
which says that the imposition of carbon tax is actually to finance
our rulers’ extravagance and needless foreign trips. Somebody should
tell the government that in these times it cannot hide anything from
the public and such blatant disregard of the public sentiment would
result in its ouster sooner rather than later. —Haripur
