At a time when the entire world is in a state of turmoil, with crises that also impinge upon our national security, Pakistan is engaged in a debate about new provinces – or administrative units. What does this distraction tell us about our understanding of the reasons why the current system of governance has ‘collapsed’?
This is not to say that the idea of redrawing the boundaries of our provincial administrations is not of critical importance in the context of improving our system of governance and making it more accountable and more effective. But it must be discussed against the backdrop of the challenges we confront as a nation. For instance, will creating new provinces empower us to deal more effectively with resurgent terrorism?
Incidentally, the world this week has been reminded of the most dramatic and devastating act of terrorism in history with the observance of the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11 on Friday. A quarter century is a long time, but the consequences of those terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers of New York City are still relevant.
That is why this landmark anniversary is marked by a series of events and analyses at the global level. But it is in the US that the memories of that great tragedy in which nearly 3,000 lives were lost were recalled with a sense of national grief and passion. Ceremonies were held at what they call ground zero.
What has really impressed me is the journalistic expertise invested in covering the occasion across different media platforms. I have only occasionally watched CNN and have read a number of stories and commentaries in The New York Times and The Washington Post. There is, of course, BBC.
Naturally, the Pakistani media has also reported this 9/11 anniversary with dispatches from foreign news agencies. News channels have the facility to electronically communicate with Pakistani analysts stationed in, say, New York or Washington. However, our media cannot do justice to such assignments because of the limitations imposed on it.
I say this because our media would not be allowed to or even able to commemorate a national tragedy with truth and objectivity. For that matter, Pakistan may also figure, if only peripherally, in the story of what led to 9/11 and, in any case, we readily became an ally in the US’s war against terror. What that led to is something that we have not been able to fully explore.
I know that I am touching upon these issues in a rather cursory manner. Because I feel constrained to think about the current situation in Pakistan, the recent surge in terrorist activities that relate to incursions from Afghanistan is what we need to comprehend. The state of affairs in Balochistan and now also in Azad Kashmir is also a matter of urgent national concern. And this, as I suggested at the outset, has apparently nothing to do with the issue of creating new provinces.
Somehow, the idea that we need more provinces to improve the system of governance was dovetailed with the assertion that the current system has ‘collapsed’. There is general agreement that the system has failed. But how does one come to the conclusion that this failure of the system is caused by the existence of large and unwieldy provinces?
Actually, we have to first study the system that has prevailed so far. That raises serious questions about the present and previous ruling arrangements. The fundamental problem is the power balance between civilian and military entities. There has always been a central control over policy and security matters.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who had set the ball rolling in late July, had initially proposed a dialogue among all political parties to bring about the necessary reforms to the current system. Look at the entire political landscape and you will see that a dialogue between parties is simply not possible. In fact, political frictions have become more pronounced since the debate over new provinces began. The situation in Sindh is already quite explosive.
Interestingly, the issue has not yet arrived on the floor of parliament. On Thursday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tarique Fazal Chaudhry said that the parliament was expected to debate the issue of new provinces next month.
We have seen how serious issues are debated in parliament and how elected members of political parties behave when they confront their adversaries. Actually, a national debate should extend to all leading institutions, with academia and the media being at the forefront of this enterprise.
But where is the freedom in this country to undertake an informed and objective discourse on any potentially contentious matter? Both the campus and the media are under siege. And there was one certification of this fact this week.
On Friday, nine organisations that defend press freedom and human rights urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take “immediate action to address the country’s rapidly deteriorating press freedom environment”. Among these organisations are highly respected international bodies.
These organisations are: The Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, CIVICUS, the International Federation for Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the International Press Institute, the Freedom Network, Bolo Bhi and Rural Media Network, Pakistan.
In a letter to the prime ministers, the organisations said: “In recent months, journalists in Pakistan have disappeared, faced detention and criminal investigations, been blocked from reporting in certain parts of the country, and lost jobs due to government and law enforcement agencies’ pressure”.
The point, simply, is that journalists in Pakistan are not able to report freely and safely. Nor can social activists raise their voice against social oppression and injustices. Meanwhile, a system that has ‘collapsed’ is continuing to drag Pakistan down in the domain of human development. We lag behind other South Asian countries. How will new provinces help us in this regard?
The writer is a senior journalist. He can be reached at: [email protected]
