Raymond Davis Fiasco/ Freedom and Unfreedom

A CIA contractor Raymond Davis, charged with murdering two Pakistani men, has been freed after the victims’ families pardoned him and accepted financial compensation under the Diyat law. It was not a surprising decision as many knew that the US was continuously urging Pakistani officials to release Davis on the grounds of having immunity from criminal prosecution given to all diplomats through the Vienna Convention.
As always, our political leaders bowed down before the US will. But what is new is the way it has been done, which has raised many questions in the public mind. How can a family that was pushing for justice suddenly decide to accept blood money? If that is the reality, then why did they not appear on the media? Why was the lawyer changed at the eleventh hour? It is understandable that because of security threats, Davis was sent through a secret flight, but why was the media not allowed to be present at the final verdict of the court? Astonishing is the fact that the plane was ready a night before the court’s decision; why and how?
The PML-N has been continuously criticising the PPP for being puppets in the hands of the US government, but then why did it react the same way when this case came to the courts?
What our politicians have failed to predict is the shift that is coming in our society. Gone are the days when people used to agree with their sharp fox tactics, thanks to the media, which has enlightened the minds of people today. Drama time is over.
For a highly mismanaged case, Pakistani authorities must now be ready to bear the brunt of the public reaction to the release of Davis.

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The News: http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=36831&Cat=11

Daily Times: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C03%5C18%5Cstory_18-3-2011_pg3_7

Catastrophe in Japan

Massive devastation was caused in Japan by an earthquake of 8.9 magnitude leading to ten-metre-high tsunami waves. It was reported to be the seventh-most powerful earthquake that has ever been recorded. The reason for this seismic activity was Japan’s location on the joints of four different earth plates – the Pacific plate and the Philippine plate to the east and the North American and the Eurasian plate to the east. Many meteorologists view this earthquake as a continuation of the 2010 Haiti earthquake (7.0 magnitude), the 2010 Chile earthquake (8.8 magnitude) and the earthquake that hit New Zealand recently which was 6.3 in magnitude.
For now, action is required on humanitarian grounds to help the affected people. At this time of great distress, we need to express solidarity with the Japanese people. My profound sympathies are with those who saw the tough tide of nature and lost their dear ones.

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The News: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-11-35859-Catastrophe-in-Japan

Middle East Doctrine

The Middle East has started to deteriorate and disintegrate. The US, a sinking ship, is searching for ways to manage the turmoil. Although on January 20, 2009, Obama in his inaugural speech said, “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”
By pondering and delaying to act against oppressive Arab regimes, the credibility and commitment of the US have come into question. While commenting on Egypt’s recent uprising, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, during the conflict vowed that “our evaluation is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the genuine needs and interests of the Egyptian people”. Gradually, with increasing chaos, US narratives began to shift, slowly at first but then much more quickly. What we saw at work in Egypt was evidence of a new Clinton propounded Middle East doctrine. She tried to hedge US bets by keeping a foot in almost all camps, maintaining contact with different sectors in society, emphasising ‘stability’ when regime endurance seemed feasible, and then emphasising ‘orderly transition’ when change seemed probable. It was a mixture of realism, opportunism and an aspiration to intervene without being seen to intervene.
What sort of friend to Egyptians has the US been? How trustworthy is its record of sustaining democracy in Egypt? Does Obama believe the US will not be held accountable? The fact remains that history is being written by those who were always on the wrong side of it.

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Daily Times: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C02%5C24%5Cstory_24-2-2011_pg3_7

US Double Standard on Revolution in Egypt

The US is being criticised for maintaining its grip on oil economies by backing its autocratic puppets in the Middle East. Though many theories of goodwill, idealism, liberalism, democracy, free speech and peace are propounded, the fact remains that those who formulated these concepts are the chief neglecters of these standards. The US, instead of giving moral prop up to the Egyptian people, endorsed a near-total Internet blackout in Egypt. An American advocacy group ‘Free Press’ claims to have uncovered a link to a California-based technology company that allegedly sold the Egyptian government the equipment that allowed it to track online activities of the Egyptian people.
Already the US media’s coverage of events in Egypt is severely criticised by many. People are questioning whether reporting by the US media is professional and impartial or US-interest centric and commercially driven?

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The News: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-11-30436-Revolution-in-Egypt

Global Price Hike

According to a UN report, world food prices have hit the highest level on record in January. It is said to be the highest level the index has reached since 1990. Though this price hike has affected many countries, the report depicts Somalia and Uganda as some of the hardest hit countries. The ongoing unrest in Ivory Coast, which is a key transport hub, has critically increased. A serious price rise also engulfed Asia, where a surge in prices occurred due to crop failure. The problem is set to worsen after a massive snowstorm in the US, floods in Australia and rising unrest in the Middle Eastern countries.
What needs to be done is that the governments must avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. In reaction to the spiralling prices, they should resist the banning of exports and hoarding of food. Big companies should adjust to higher raw material costs. Rising food prices have been cited among the driving forces behind the recent popular revolts in North Africa, including the uprising in Egypt and ousting of Tunisia’s long-time President Ali. Thus, we need a better plan of action.

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Daily Times: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C02%5C10%5Cstory_10-2-2011_pg3_7

A wave of revolution — III

Canvassing the tide of change in Egypt, Syrians are asking what these uprisings may mean for them. The news of unrest in Cairo has brought a flutter of exhilaration to Syria, which is founded on principles that are similar to Egypt’s. Like Egypt, Syria has been ruled for decades by a sole party and a security service that maintains its throttlehold on its citizens. Both countries, in an effort to curb unemployment, were struggling to reform economies subdued for generations by central control.
Nevertheless, could the domino effect that spread from the streets of Tunis to Cairo soon hit Damascus? Probably yes. That is why smelling a rat before time, the Syrian government has blocked thousands of websites deemed opposed to state interests and has also banned Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networks.
Though the Syrian authorities have denied accusations of curtailing these services, the fact remains that they are afraid of a burgeoning middle class all across Damascus. The Saudis will need to build a whole village for Arab presidents once they run out of US-protected villas. But what if Saudi monarchs face the same challenge? After all, Syria and Egypt are not far from Saudi Arabia. If Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Bashar-ul-Assad and Hosni Mubarak go in the same way as Ben Ali then the US will also have to revise its flawed policy of verbally pronouncing the ideal of democracy while practically backing monarchs and despotic rulers just for the sake of oil.

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Daily Times: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C02%5C05%5Cstory_5-2-2011_pg3_7

Obama’s monologue

In his first annual State of the Union Address after the Democratic Party lost its majority in Congress, President Obama pledged that his nation would invest in green energy, stop subsidising obsolete energy sources, break the dependence on oil and biofuels, would lay more emphasis on innovation. The basic thrust of his speech was on jobs and the economy. He proposed a five-year freeze in non-security discretionary spending, which he said will reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade. Furthermore, briefing Americans on foreign policy; he reaffirmed the decision to start bringing home US troops from Afghanistan in July, praised the Tunisian people on their achievement, and discussed developments related to Iraq and Iran.
From what he said in his speech, Obama seem to realise the fact that although the US remains the most powerful country on earth, it is underperforming as a nation, and that China and India have shown great resurgence, on the other hand. Indeed, the two countries have successfully developed the quality of their intellectual capital. Therefore, one of the key words in Obama’s speech was “reinvent.” The important points missing in his speech were that no single policy proposal was cited. His remarks on US foreign policy appeared to have been made without conviction. He failed to comment on the current situation in Cairo, for example. It was almost as if what he was saying was all part of his re-election campaign, even though the elections are nearly two years away. Thus, the public reaction to what he said was mixed. In other words, his speech lacked what can be described as actual content.

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The News: http://old.thenews.com.pk/28-01-2011/ethenews/e-28060.htm

Stop bulldozing public interests/ Lavish lodges

Today, when the social, economic, political and religious sufferings of the people can be heard from every crevice of the state and when public frustration is mounting, our leaders, instead of realising their duties, are regrettably adding fuel to the fire. The announcement of the construction of new parliamentary lodges in Islamabad, costing Rs 3 billion, and statements from the finance minister proclaiming the limitedness of resources that is forcing policy makers to slash the development budget, allocated for the greater good of the public, seem to oppose each other.
The masses are confused. If our economy can afford 50 protocol cars for politicians, if it can afford to construct a lavish underground tunnel for parliamentarians and if it can afford high cost foreign tours then why is it unable to afford development projects in sectors that pertain to the common man like health, education, railways and energy resources? Why can the money not be used to control poverty, unemployment, target killings, enhanced ransom and extortion cases? Why does the government fail to save the flood victims from dying in the freezing cold? Why can the economy not be utilised properly to impart righteous knowledge of Islam to our populace, in order to curb the menace of extremism? Why can we as a nation not use our resources to find our own feet instead of begging for foreign aid?
The time has passed when people used to be oblivious to ground realities. Now the nation possesses a critical eye on every decision that our leaders make. Our leaders should learn from what happened in Tunisia and what is going on in Egypt and why all this has happened. They should stop enhancing personal assets and bulldozing the public interest before they are forced to face the same destiny as the leaders of Tunisia.

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The News: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-11-27460-Lavish-lodges

Daily Times: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C01%5C28%5Cstory_28-1-2011_pg3_7

Pak Tribune: http://www.paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=235776

Tides of Change

Massive demonstrations in the Egyptian capital have been calling for an end to Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule. The protests are perceived as an upshot of unrest prevailing in Tunisia. In Egypt, Algeria, Jordan and several other Arab countries, protesters are asking for autocratic governments to be held accountable for high unemployment, soaring prices and political repression.
The recent protests have led many to question the double standards of the western world, especially the US, which despite their claims to be the champions of democracy, supported many of these governments.

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The News: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-11-28319-Tides-of-change