Over the top

–By Iqbal Khattak

India and Pakistan have finally set the date for meeting since they stopped talking to each other well over a year ago. They will meet on February 25 to discuss issues the two countries face, and Kashmir and water disputes are likely to figure out prominently at the foreign secretary-level talks in New Delhi.

India shut all channels of dialogues with archrival Pakistan to protest Mumbai attacks in November 2008 when gunmen launched coordinated attacks in the Indian city killing close to 200 people. The Indian government directly charged Pakistan with helping the attackers. The sole surviving attacker is a Pakistani citizen and Islamabad arrested a few others on charges of facilitating the attacks.

There has been a marked shift in New Delhi’s approach to the resumption of talks with Islamabad. The Indian government has been pressing that Pakistan should first dismantle terrorist networks and should not use “terrorism as tool of foreign policy.” Islamabad denies the charge and instead pleads it has been “victim of terrorism” itself. This clarification carries weightage. The Taliban-linked militancy has wrecked the country and Swat Valley alone will require around US$1 billion for its reconstruction.

US Secretary Defence Robert Gates was in the region last month and he visited both the Southasian nuclear-armed states and his one statement in India was relevant to the two countries. He cautioned that the “syndicate of terror” operating in the region is a threat that intends to provoke an India-Pakistan conflict and destabilize the region.

The two countries have enormous economic potentials to progress and make peoples live far better lives than they have now. Poverty will go away from the two countries and their peoples will not need to go to Gulf states for jobs. But we should start longing that will happen? It looks a distant dream if we look at the two governments’ willingness to forge deep political and economic relations.

My family was reluctant to see me go to India in 1996 to cover the Cricket World Cup matches forThe Frontier Post because my parents feared for my safety. However, I found that their worries were ill-founded. Then I had a chance to visit India again in 1999 when Pakistan cricket team was playing Test series after 10 years break on Indian soil. In New Delhi, an Indian sports journalist invited me and Qamar Ahmed, the famous BBC cricket journalist, to a lunch at his home. The journalist’s wife prepared some delicious Indian dishes and I still remember the achar (pickle) served with the lunch. When we were out of his apartment the Indian journalist began talking about something which you can find in both the countries.

“Now, intelligence sleuths will chase me like a bee for inviting Pakistanis to lunch at home,” the Indian journalist said shaking head in discomfort at what the two governments can do to their peoples. Qamar Ahmed told the Indian host: “It would be the same case for me if I invite you to my home in Pakistan.”

It was the same case with me. For one year I was kept under observation by Pakistani intelligence agencies after I interviewed the former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in early 1999 and ex-Indian interior minister L. K. Advani when they invited both Pakistan and Indian cricket teams over a cup of tea during the Delhi Test match.

With this mindset the two governments treating its own peoples it is naïve to expect the new round of talks will pave the way for peace in the region. The two countries seem unlikely to resolve their disputes bilaterally, and without world powers’ involvement the two governments will continue to spend much of its resources on its military rather than helping its poor.

The media here has taken it as a “humiliation” that franchises at the players’ auction on January 19 in Mumbai ignored Pakistani cricketers for the third edition of the Indian Premier League this year.

“No buyer for Pakistani cricketer!” a ticker at the country’s widely-watched TV channel ran. And expert after expert—former Test cricketers, in this instance—were invited to seek their opinion as TV channel are wont to do. It did not come as a surprise to find a nationalistic flavour during the course of discussion on the treatment of the Pakistani cricketers when it takes place in context of India and Pakistan relations.

TV commentators argued since Pakistan is the world champion of T20 version of the game ignoring “champion players” speaks of what usually described in Pakistan as “Indian prejudice” towards its smaller neighbour(s). The poor member states of SAARC suffer because of these giant neighbours do not have cordial political and diplomatic relations among themselves.

It should have been expected from the Indian franchises in the backdrop of Mumbai attacks in 2008. It may have been difficult choice to bid for a Pakistani player at a time when Islamabad and New Delhi are not coming closer to each other over the question of terrorism.

However poor the reasons given to justify ignoring the Pakistani players may sound, getting visa would be a separate issue. The Indian franchise also denied the Indian lovers of the game a chance to see their favourite Pakistani cricketers who, no doubt, have fans in India.

If sport is kept away from politics there can be good chances to help improve relations between the two countries. In India-Pakistan case, cricket has always played a major role in bridging gaps and differences in the past. Cricket diplomacy has been proven an effective tool in bringing the two nuclear-armed states closer.

India is the world’s biggest democracy, agreed. The neighbours, however, have not been beneficiary of this opportunity. In the case of Pakistan, New Delhi has good relations with Islamabad when a military dictator rules Pakistan. However, these relations sour when the people’s government takes charge of the country. It is much like how Washington place sanctions on Islamabad when a civilian set-up is in control of the country and these sanctions are removed when military takes over.

Greater interaction at people-to-people level will make the two countries come closer to each other. And sportsmen can only make these bonds stronger. However, in absence of any Pakistani cricketer at the third edition of IPL will allow other forces, on both sides, to widen these gaps and rivalry between India and Pakistan. This will also make other SAARC member countries suffer as the two bigger countries in their region will grow militarily and consequently public spending on health, education and environment will shrink.

But New Delhi alone cannot be blamed for all the deterioration in its relations with Islamabad. The Pakistani mindset about eastern neighbour has to change from “enemy” to “friend”, and the two countries should sit together to resolve political disputes. What is striking is the American government attitude. It is not readying to play a role in helping the two countries with which it has good relations. What is said in public is not what you intend to do. This is sadly what global politics is all about.

The January 19 auction sidelining Pakistani cricketers will certainly hit peace-lovers hard in both India and Pakistan and allowing to creep into sports will not prove a good experiment. More than losing some bucks by Pakistani plays or an insult to national pride, The January 19 action is a loss of an opportunity for these neighbours to make an overture to peace.

Honourable members of the North West Frontier Province legislative assembly have been “pained” by screening of passengers arriving in the United States and on 12 January they passed a resolution condemning the move by the American officials who are simply ensuring the security of their people and nation. The movers of the resolution included parliamentarians from most political parties represented in the 124-member assembly. And some of them even belong to ruling coalition parties – liberal Pakistan People’s Party and secular Awami National Party.

The anger follows a decision by Washington DC to bracket Pakistan with 13 other countries from where “Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab-like” passenger can board a US-bound direct or indirect flight. The 23-year-old Nigerian failed to detonate explosives onboard a Detroit-bound Air America flight from Amsterdam on Christmas day. It was the second such attempt to blow up trans-Atlantic flight heading in direction of the US since 9/11 attacks in 2001.

It was described as “failure” of the security agencies to connect “intelligence dots” and President Barack Obama accepted the responsibility for this failure. One can hardly see such a gesture from rulers in Southasia in general and Pakistan in particular. However, what follows the failed bomb plot security at all American airports have been stepped up and a new controversial federal screening system has been installed  and this is the first test of the device that employs X-rays to “see” through passenger’s bodies in the search of hidden explosives and other weapons. The technique is able to watch through clothes and reveals the body’s contours with extreme accuracy, just as if the person would stay naked.

There are already critical voices claiming the high-resolution images are too invasive. In response, the authorities said the device was tuned to make the image look less explicit, like a drawing line, but still tracking down hidden objects.

I would not suggest that lawmakers who have felt so wronged so as to adopt such a resolution to express dismay at these new security moves. What would have been widely appreciated is if these honourable members also condemned Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab for attempting to kill innocent men, women and children. What would these members say if the bomber was able to blow up the plane and among the killed passengers there was a Pakistani also onboard the flight?

What would they do if the security forces are needed to carry out “naked search” of people either in Peshawar or Swat to stop potential suicide bombers if the poor country does not have technology to detect the human bomb? We should simply stop the forces from doing so or volunteer ourselves to help arrest bombers? Frequent checkpoints are hazardous, no doubt. Life should be left at the mercy of these walking bombers? Which side they will opt for?

A recent report from women advocacy group Aurat Foundation highlighted how brutally our society is treating its women. It recorded 155 cases of murder, 70 domestic violence, 14 honour killing, 22 suicides, 33 kidnapping and five rapes in the province in just the last six months. There has been no condemnation from these Honourable members. Reason for their silence on such bad treatment of fellow human being is beyond rationale. American-bashing is a good commodity to sell in Pakistan. Practically, these honourable members shy away when it comes to public service. There has been an appeal urging each lawmaker to donate their one-month salary to help terrorism-affected people. There has been a cold shoulder to this appeal by the very same honourable members, who are pained by “naked screening” of Pakistanis at the airports in the States, but the very same people having been hit hard by moving bombs have not “pained” them.

Iqbal Khattak

By Iqbal Khattak

Sometimes jokes turn serious. Constable Riazuddin Khan was popular among Peshawar’s journalist community for being loyal and dutiful, although such cops are a rare species in the Frontier Police. “Riaz, you know this building is under threat and you must be very watchful to deny suicide bomber of any opportunity to hit us right at our home,” I jokingly said while leaving the club premises some three weeks back.

“Don’t worry, sir jee. The (suicide) bomber will not reach you as long as I guard this building. He has to go over my dead body,” Constable Riazuddin Khan assured me. He proved it on Tuesday December 22 when this brave cop gave his life to stop a barbarous man having wrapped 10 kilograms of explosives and metals around his body from killing as many journalists as could have been possible on that day.

Had this bomber been able to sneak into the Peshawar Press Club building, he would have killed dozens of journalists who had just arrived to attend news conferences that normally start from mid-day. The 10 kilograms of explosives were good enough to raze this two-storey building to the ground. It would have been a massacre had the bomber managed to reach the target.

There is no single eye not tearful and there is no single journalist having not been moved by the bravery this police officer displayed when he sacrificed own life to save the lives of journalists.

Riaz was not seen as simply a cop guarding our press club; he was embraced as a member of the journalist community. Every time his service was transferred to other places, the journalists used their sources in the official machinery to get his positioning reversed and have him brought back.

With Muharram security beef-up, he was transferred again to guard an Imambargah in Peshawar. How could journalists release him this time when such transfers were reversed every time in the past? He returned to the press club duty the same fatal day.

In Southasia, police are notorious for being corrupt, rude, undutiful and poorly-behaved. Until recently, there cannot be many who say they are proud of the police. At least I can say this about Pakistan. It may be the case in many other Southasian countries too. However, the public perception of police is changing in Peshawar. And the change is taking place because these underpaid law-enforces are taking the brunt of terrorist attacks in Pakistan these days. On a number of occasions, the cops have stopped bombers from reaching their targets. On Thursday, the Peshawar police once again foiled the nefarious design of a group of terrorists when they obstructed a bomber from reaching his target, forcing him to blow himself up prematurely.

Such spirit on part of the police also makes society resilient. If a society refuses to surrender to the terrorists who bomb public places, media, worship places and funeral processions it becomes easier to defeat terrorism.

Journalists are scratching their heads trying to reach a conclusion what this attack on the press club in Peshawar symbolized. One group of journalists sitting in one corner of the club lawn believes the terrorists now make no distinction between combatant and non-combatants. The other group of journalists says the terrorists are killing innocent men, women and children in desperation as the territory they were holding is being taken back gradually since operations in Swat, South Waziristan and other places are meeting with success quicker than expected.

But it would be the sacrifices of Riaz and many of his colleagues to render terrorism defeated. Riaz is no longer with use, but each moment he had spent will be remembered by the journalist community. We owe our lives to his sacrifice. Now it is payback time.

SEE ALSO: [RAW FOOTAGE] Peshawar Press Club attack: Journalism under threat for Himal Southasia’s response to the attack and the raw CCTV footage of the suicide bombing.

I think, like many others, travelling helps one learn faster than reading books. I had the opportunity to travel to Denmark last month to attend the international conference on ‘Preventing torture within the fight against terrorism’ by Copenhagen-based International Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (IRCT).

New faces gathered at the conference, showing great interest in the subject of discussion: torture by the allies in the so-called ‘war on terror’. For me, it was an honour to meet the guests at the conference. But two guests made a particularly poignant impression due to their more unique experiences with torture. They were Sami Al Hajj, journalist for the Arabic language TV channel Al-Jazeera, and Erling Borgen, investigative journalist from Norway.

I felt ashamed at revelations that Pakistan had handed over “innocent people” even to the United States for their alleged links to ‘terrorism’. And Sami Al Hajj was one of them. Despite his being an accredited journalist with valid travel documents, Gen. (Retd) Pervez Musharraf arrested him and “sold” him to the US for a “few thousands dollars.”

Sami said: “I am collecting evidence against him and will soon move the court against him in London with a criminal case.” One can only hope that the independent judiciary in the United Kingdom will bring justice to Sami in this case against Pakistan’s ex-military dictator who was once the “darling” of the West and America.

The Sudanese journalist had spent six years in infamous US detention centre Guantanamo Bay and was released without any formal charge. How he underwent the entire ordeal during the detention period was shocking.

Erling Borgen, veteran Norwegian investigative journalist, stunned many by revealing how he exposed the “other face” of otherwise “innocent-looking” and “peace-loving” Norway through his TV documentary Et Lite Stykke Norge (A little piece of Norway). He exposed a side of Norway tucked under its international renown as promoter of peace through its annual Nobel Peace prizes awarded to outstanding men and women.

Norway is not as “innocent” as it looks from outside, Erling told the conference attendees. His documentary reveals how a Norwegian company Kvaerner “aided” the US in its torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, where Washington is keeping what it calls “terrorists” without formal charges and legal recourse to contest their detention.

While the tragic events of 9/11 may have united the world against terrorism, Bush Jr. spoiled the occasion by preferring unilateralism over multilateralism. His tenure severely damaged the US’s credibility as a believer in democracy, human rights and the torch bearer of civil liberties. The US’s opening up of the Guantanamo Bay Detention camp in early 2002 didn’t help its peaceful PR neither.

President Barack Obama understands the damage inflicted by the previous US administration to the US’s image abroad and that the closure of the Guantanamo Bay will heal the wounds of many, including those of the Americans.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for trying to change the world and will be travelling to Oslo on December 10 (Thursday) to receive the prize. Sami has a message for Obama on that occasion: “Mr President, close down Guantanamo Bay.”

International law prohibits torture under any circumstances, including threats to national security or any other state of emergency. “No matter the situation, states are obliged to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Ms Brita Sydhoff, secretary-general of the IRCT, told the conference in her welcome address.

The United States and all other countries, including Pakistan, should make sure they never use torture again in their fight against terrorism. ‘Rule of law’, not torture, is the best weapon to use against ‘terrorists’ in securing one’s motherland.

-Iqbal Khattak