Money mess
The Bank of Punjab scam has triggered a debate across the country on what should be done legally about other loan defaulters
By Shaiq Hussain
The startling revelation in the Supreme Court recently by an accused in a major loan scam involving the Bank of Punjab that he bought many 'influential' people to get a court verdict in his favour has triggered heated debate about the necessity of legal action against other loan defaulters who had plundered the national exchequer but remained unscathed because of their enormous power and clout.

conflict
Surging strife in store
West's strategic compulsions and its renewed preference for military are putting the fragile democratic setup in Pakistan in danger
By Aimal Khan
The strategic equation in the region is changing rapidly and Pakistan is facing hardship in coping with it. The traditional mindset of the establishment and unwise policies is a major hurdle in this regard which pushes the country to the diplomatic isolation besides serious internal backlash.

PERSONAL POLITICAL
The curse of living in 'interesting times'
By Beena Sarwar
Visiting newspaper offices in Sweden some years ago, I was struck by the relative ease and routine manner in which journalists obtained information. Any envy was overtaken by the comforting thought that at least it's never boring to be a journalist in Pakistan. Someone obviously threw the proverbial Chinese curse at us: "May you live in interesting times" and added, for good measure, "not just interesting, but downright dangerous."

Naseem-ur-Rehman, working for a private organisation, was quite perturbed after he came to know through 668 system generated by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to check the mobile phone SIMs' ownership, that 13 mobile phone SIMs have been registered with different companies in his name. His worries, which were genuine because he has only one SIM in his name, forced him to rush to a nearby client service centre (CSC) of a mobile phone company to block other SIMs. Naseem became part of those long queues of thousands of people waiting for their turn in front of cellular companies' franchises and CSCs across the country to block the SIMs illegally registered in their name.

This is the price which mobile phone consumers are paying for the wrong policies of the government and ambitious plans of the cellular companies to meet the subscription targets.

This new SIM Information System -- 668 -- of PTA, introduced a couple of months back, has shocked thousands of customers with the fact that the total number of mobile phone connections issued against their CNIC (Computerised National Identity Card) is much higher than they actually had.

The franchisees of various cellular companies from different parts of the country, talking to The News on Sunday (TNS), confirmed that they had to register millions of SIMs with "fake" entries to meet the demand of their companies after PTA asked for all record of the registered and sold SIMs. The goal was to evolve a proper system for the verification to cope with the increasing crime and terrorism involving unregistered SIMs.

The mobile phone companies, which are among the biggest ad-clients of media in Pakistan these days, have been setting ambitious targets to increase the number of their customers, according to the franchisees. "There was no procedure followed to sell the SIMs and we were forced to sell the SIMs to meet the set targets," a franchisee said, adding, "Actually this type of ambitious target should not be for things like SIMs." "These competitive targets of the companies actually brought the connection price down and the SIMs reached even small shops and vendors in streets who were selling them for rupees two hundred without any verification," another franchisee in Islamabad said.

A few months back, millions of 'fake' forms were filled up on the pressure of cellular companies as they wanted to give their record to the PTA within the prescribed deadline. "We even bought photocopies of CNICs from photostat shops at the rate of up to Rs 10 per copy to make the "record" and send it to the companies to submit before PTA. The result of such fake entries is now before the people," another franchisee from Lahore told TNS, adding, "There was a person in his office who was shocked to know that 530 SIMs of various companies were registered in his name."

A number of unregistered SIMs is still operating in the country despite the fact PTA has blocked over 10 million numbers so far, reliable officials of the authority told TNS. PTA had claimed that all unregistered cell phone connections would be blocked before the introduction of a new SIMs verification system.

PTA, the official regulator of the telecommunication sector in Pakistan, has introduced a new system from April this year involving the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) for verification of customers' data.

Under the new system, a cellular company issues a non-active SIM to a customer who is required to dial 789 (through that non-active SIM) and the call is diverted to the call centre of the operator concerned. After the online verification of the consumer's antecedents from Nadra, the SIM is activated in the name of the verified customer. In case of incorrect information the consumer is asked to contact the customer services centre of the mobile phone operator or the Nadra Swift Centre. An operator can issue 10 connections against one CNIC. Under the agreement, Nadra charges Rs 12 for each verification.

In the past, operators' franchises, outlets and kiosks would issue a SIM after having a copy of NIC/CNIC from customers, and there was no system in place to verify the 'copy of NIC/CNIC'. Last year, Senate Standing Committee on Interior was informed that Nadra had no record of 35 million mobile phone users.

According to PTA report, the number of mobile phone subscribers reached up to 100 million by 2009 with a growth rate of more than nine percent. After the launch of the new system, it rose with a growth rate of three percent.

PTA officials, talking to TNS, said mobile phone customers used to buy SIM from unauthorized sale points and did not fulfil the presale formalities including proper filling up of Cellular Service Agreement Form (CSAF). PTA found that customers did not take interest in registering SIMs in their names despite repeated warnings by PTA and mobile operators that use of unregistered SIMs is illegal. Another reason of this problem had been misuse of CNIC copy, at franchises and retailers level, of those customers who did not properly fill up the CSAF. PTA had informed the mobile phone subscribers that they should write the number of a particular mobile connection on the copy of their CNIC before providing it to franchises for a new connection.

Khurram A Mehran, PTA director public relations and media, however, said the authority was aware of the problem. "We are trying to streamline the system that is why the 668 service has been launched," he said. PTA advises unauthorised SIM owners to register the SIM in their names within seven days of notification from concerned Customer Services Centre otherwise their calling facility will be stopped after thirteen days and the SIM will be completely blocked after seventeen days of that notice, he mentioned.

vaqargillani@gmail.com

The cultural scene of Islamabad has always been a point of discussion for its citizens. The capital city, called as the first planned metropolitan of the country, still struggles to earn a cultural identity despite passing through various phases and completing 47 years of its unique history. The founders and builders of Islamabad focused more on political and structural developments of the city, ignoring the cultural aspect.

Surrounded by marvellous Margalla Hills and decorated with lush green forests and natural springs and ravines, Islamabad had to face the brutal aftermath of war on terror.

Looking back, in the 1980s Pakistan Television (PTV) came up with a few musical evenings and started a series of programmes to amuse the music and fun-loving Islamabadites. But it could not sustain for too long. Also, all three cinemas of the city closed down within years, restricting the movie-loving families to their homes. The Federal Ministry for Culture could not prevent even the closure of its own cinema NAFDEC, situated in Blue Area, the heart of the city.

Pervez Musharraf's times saw some cultural activity: music shows, fashion evenings, concerts, exhibitions and gala dinners. In fact Islamabad became a city where evenings were lively and colourful.The city's event-managers ventured out and organised a mega fashion show in the Jasmine Garden to exhibit Mughal era dresses, poetry and music. Capital Development Authority (CDA) organised many music concerts at its open air theatre, Lok Virsa staged various folk music shows and handicrafts exhibitions on its garden and Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) remained busy in displaying artwork of many painters.

Islamabad Club's Auditorium was also a place that was humming with cultural activities and it was not easy to get it booked for any function because it had back-to-back reservations for theatre performances of young and upcoming artistes.

Two five-star hotels, Marriot and Serena, had always been booked for fundraising shows and the autumn and spring evenings there were full of colourful events.

But Islamabad has been once again giving a deserted look for the last two years. Its evenings are again dull. The organisers, who were active during last few years in introducing Islamabad on cultural map, are depressed. Although security is a major reason, they also feel the heat of global recession.

"We are at war not only against terrorists but also against the poor economic conditions which has forced the sponsors to stay away from investment in cultural activities," said Rez Ali Shah, one of the country's top event managers, who has been organising a number of Islamabad's functions.

"The establishment of 'Red', 'Green' and other security zones has made this city a barrack of security guards and investors have flown to relatively bigger markets of Lahore and Karachi," says Rez, who estimates that the cultural events in Islamabad have reduced to 50 percent.

Fashion photographer Kaleem Ahsen says nobody is willing to sponsor or invest in cultural events being staged in the capital. "This is a city where people no more buy tickets for shows, and investors have shifted to other markets to earn money," he lamented. "Businessmen and investors, who used to launch their products from Islamabad, are now opting for Karachi and Lahore for better security," he said.

"After Marriot Hotel blast, artistes fear to perform here because we are situated right behind the Marriot Hotel in Red Zone," said Musarrat Nahid Imam, Director Pakistan National Council of Arts. "The Ministry of Culture has given us clear instructions to continue with all our activities, but artistes don't want to stage any show here. Everybody is waiting for a good time," she said, adding foreign embassies have also cancelled their planned programmes due to security fears.

Charity shows are also hit hard. "Our vocational training centres and schools for poor children are facing severe shortage of funds, said Samina Pirzada, a social activist who organises charity shows to support her NGO Voluntary Women Organization (VWO)."We could not stage any mega show for last one year. We can't even find a place to do a show here. Things are really bad," she said.

Organisers may wait for a better time, however citizens have no other option but to watch horrible news on TV channels or stay tuned to invading Indian movies and dramas. Islamabad still has no identity on culture map.

The startling revelation in the Supreme Court recently by an accused in a major loan scam involving the Bank of Punjab that he bought many 'influential' people to get a court verdict in his favour has triggered heated debate about the necessity of legal action against other loan defaulters who had plundered the national exchequer but remained unscathed because of their enormous power and clout.

Sheikh Afzal, the owner of a steel mill, who is accused in the Rs 9 billion loan scam told the Supreme Court that he bribed with millions of rupees a federal minister, a former government advisor, a former attorney general, former president Bank of Punjab and some other facilitators to get out safely of the country as his name was placed on the exit control list.

Sheikh Afzal's case is being seen as another appalling instance of rampant corruption in the society. One positive result, however, is the initiation of intense debate across the country on what should be done legally about other loan defaulters. One media report said that industrialists, military men and politicians got loans worth Rs 100 billion written off from banks since 1985, according to the National Assembly Secretariat record.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and host of other leaders said in their reaction to press reports on massive loan defaults that those who looted billions of rupees must be punished in accordance with the law of land.

Legal experts like Barrister Mohsin Ranjha also support strong legal action against loan defaulters and he didn't see any legal hurdle in its way. Barrister Mohsin said the Supreme Court could take fresh suo moto notice of billions of rupees loan write-offs in the past as it did in 2007 before it was dissolved as a result of emergency proclamation by ex-president Pervez Musharraf.

"Suo moto notice was taken against loan write-offs by different banks during the last eight-year rule of General (retired) Musharraf and some years before that," he added. He said that the boards of various banks wrote off loans to cleanse their balance sheet.

He said even during the hearing of Bank of Punjab loan default case, the apex court was requested for a suo moto notice of other written off loans. Nonetheless, some economists believe that loans were written off in the past because of the pressing need of that time such as to clear the way for the privatisation of different banks by clearing their assets, and it couldn't be termed corruption and embezzlement on the part of government functionaries.

Dr. Ashfaq Hassan Khan, a former finance advisor, told TNS that a circular was issued by the State Bank of Pakistan in 2002 launching an incentive scheme to waive off the non-performing loans of different organisations running in loss for years to clear the way for the privatisation of different banks. "It was a rational step and it was an action required at that time," he said.

He said that he was not ruling out any foul play by some influential quarters at that time in some cases. However, he said, it was also a fact that in 2000 and the years to follow massive loans given by different banks were stuck up and it was a major hurdle in their privatisation and hence the State Bank had to issue the circular to clear the banks' assets.

The strategic equation in the region is changing rapidly and Pakistan is facing hardship in coping with it. The traditional mindset of the establishment and unwise policies is a major hurdle in this regard which pushes the country to the diplomatic isolation besides serious internal backlash.

Unfortunately, the civil-military relation has not changed in favour of civilians rather efforts are underway to further strengthen its military component. West's strategic compulsions and its renewed preference for military are putting the fragile democratic setup in Pakistan in danger. History is repeating itself and the establishment, after getting signals from its foreign masters, is again conspiring against democracy. No doubt the present political government is inept and lack capacity and vision but any attempt to weaken or disturb it in one or other form will be a serious blow to democratic setup in the country.

Nearly all of Pakistan's neighbours harbour suspicions and blame it for supporting militants or letting the Pakistani soil to be used for terrorist activities. Our major western donors are not satisfied with our performance in war on terror and pressing us for more concerted efforts for rooting out terrorists.

Pakistan is going through the same critical situation that it faced soon after the 9/11 when US left the then leadership with no option but to side with it. Whether the West's concerns are real or perceived ones, the Pak-US relations have reached a critical stage after President Obama's recent warning to Pakistan.

In his two-page handwritten letter to his Pakistani counterpart, President Obama has sent a stern warning and urged him to stop using militants as strategic tools. The letter, recently delivered to Zardari by US National Security Advisor James Jones, has reportedly identified five militants groups -- al-Qaeda, Afghan Taliban, Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Tehrik-e-Taliban -- and has demanded closer collaboration against it.

In return America has offered Pakistan an expanded strategic partnership, including additional military and economic cooperation besides an effort to help reduce tensions between Pakistan and India. Failing to deliver, the US warned of "using any means at its disposal to rout insurgents based along Pakistan's western and southern borders with Afghanistan".

The increasing external pressure on Pakistan for 'do more' against the militants and the emerging internal security challenges due to the militancy and ongoing operation is creating a very delicate and complex situation.

The rehabilitation of millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is turning out to be a more difficult task than the military operations. Unfortunately, the internal displacement process is very fast than rehabilitation and reconstruction. The large swathe of land in FATA and northern and southern districts of Frontier is wearing a look of occupied land overrun by enemy forces with social, economic and physical infrastructures destroyed.

If the IDPs were not properly compensated and rehabilitated and affected areas not reconstructed, it could spark social tension and unrest. The militancy and operations have brutalised the conflict-hit societies and it would take years and would require systematic counselling and psycho-therapy to normalise the victims of war, particularly women and children.

The strategic balance in the region drastically changed after 9/11, particularly after US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The US and its NATO allies are badly stuck in Afghan quagmire and they desperately want to clear the mess in Afghanistan.

The discourse over talks with Taliban and exit strategy in western security community and media is sending wrong signals. The Taliban are becoming bolder and ordinary Afghans are getting scary and confused. Taliban's regional supporters are in no mood to withhold their support and they are also repeatedly showing their strength, outreach and striking capacities by hitting high-profile targets in Afghanistan.

Despite the troops surge announcement by President Obama, the fighting fatigue is more visible among the US and its allied forces than the militants. Talks with Taliban is gaining currency as Afghan civil and military officials and Nato command are all stressing the need for dialogue with Afghan militant groups. But some leaders of Northern Alliance and regional actors such as India are still opposing talks with Taliban.

The Pak-India proxy war and rivalry in Afghanistan is also leaving deep impacts on security situation in the region. The Pak-India rivalry is further creating complications in the region. The US is facing difficulties in striking a balance between the competing interests of India and Pakistan in Afghanistan. On one hand the US is looking forward for active Indian role in Afghan reconstruction and wants to share the burden with it, while on the other Washington desperately needs Islamabad's support in fighting terrorism.

Both India and Pakistan are pushing US to accommodate their strategic concerns in its Afghan strategy. India is not ready to accept any role for Taliban in Afghanistan while Pakistan is advocating engagement of moderate Taliban. India terms Pak-China close strategic cooperation the root cause of instability in South Asia, while policy makers in Islamabad blames India-US-Afghanistan nexus for instability in Pakistan.

Islamabad is very critical of Indian role in Afghanistan and blames it for fomenting terrorism in Balochistan and Waziristan. Though not yet made public, Pakistani officials claim they have got strong evidence of Indian support to terrorism in these areas.

During the recent visits by high-ranking US officials, Islamabad not only expressed its reservation over troops surge in Afghan areas bordering Balochistan, but also stressed the need for restarting the composite dialogue with India for easing tension on eastern border. Islamabad is also warning US not to disturb the strategic balance in South Asia by ignoring Pakistan's strategic sensitivities by conceding active role to India in Afghan reconstruction. Despite significant improvement in its ties with US, India is still having some reservations over America's growing ties with China and its soft stance on Pakistan.

Whether the new US policy of troops surge is a step in right direction or will further complicate the situation in Afghanistan? How will the regional state actors respond to it? How the US will succeed in taking on board two of its most important, though hostile, allies -- Pakistan and India?

After failing to show any significant progress militarily as well as politically during the last eight years, now the US and its Nato allies have limited options in Afghanistan. The time factor is also very important. They will have to show their performance and deliver before their pullout in 2011.

Though shattered and scared by suicide bombings, the dwellers of the walled city of Peshawar are now mentally prepared to face worst situation in their lives anytime, anywhere. The historic city has witnessed 55 bombings, suicide hits and rocket barrages since May, 2009, five of which ripped through crowded places within only eight days, killing hundreds of innocent people.

Any bang, even the slamming of a door, is enough to turn the face of an ordinary Peshawarite pale. Parents of schoolchildren relax only when their kids return home safe. A few even decided not to send their children to school. Nobody wishes to go to parks or bazaars. People celebrated Eidul Azha with simplicity. Even those celebrating weddings have decided to keep their celebrations in low-profile due to the ongoing violence in the town. Fridays are considered to be more vulnerable as suicide bombers believe the holy day is most suitable to die and kill.

"The worst victims are children who have either witnessed terror attack or lost parents or relatives. Down with depression, they have developed a constant fear and a sense of loss. They are also facing insomnia, nightmares, irritability, poor school performance and behavioural problems. Children going through this stressful period can be subject to post-traumatic stress disorder in the coming future," Dr Gohar Amin, former head of the pediatric section of the Fauji Foundation Hospital, tells TNS.

Unfortunately, neither the government nor the private sector has come up with an idea to establish an institution to treat the psychologically-affected Peshawarites. Even the existing hospitals lack proper trauma care facilities to treat blast victims.

"We don't have any specific centre and there is no plan to establish such a facility. However, anyone can visit our psychiatrists at local hospitals if they need help. We also have a psychiatric hospital inside the Peshawar Prison where a large number of people get treatment daily," the Director General Health NWFP, Dr Fazal Mahmood, tells TNS. People, however, mostly avoid visiting the hospital inside the prison for security reasons.

The official admitted that the entire population of Peshawar has developed some psychological disorders and mental illnesses due to the recent bombings and terrorist attacks. "We used to send psychiatrists to treat IDPs. But today everybody, including myself, has developed depression and other mental disorders. We cannot send doctors to every home," the top health official of the province remarks, adding his entire staff was shocked after a blast near to his office recently.

People are desperately looking for peace in their city. "We want peace to be restored before we lose our loved ones. I have named my newborn niece as Aman (peace) to express at least my desire for peace in the region," opines Kashif Aziz, a fourth grade student of the Central Superior Science College.

Not only children and women, policemen have also developed certain psychological disorders and behavioural problems. A station house officer disclosed he can not force his cops any more for extra duty, as they are already overburdened as well as scared of being attacked by terrorists. This is why motorists complain of rude behaviour of cops at checkposts.

Visiting newspaper offices in Sweden some years ago, I was struck by the relative ease and routine manner in which journalists obtained information. Any envy was overtaken by the comforting thought that at least it's never boring to be a journalist in Pakistan. Someone obviously threw the proverbial Chinese curse at us: "May you live in interesting times" and added, for good measure, "not just interesting, but downright dangerous."

The roller coaster ride of Pakistan continues, with many passengers unsure whether the seat belts and the mechanisms are in working order. As I write this, speculations are rife about the 'expected' change of face in government. But then, if one were to believe the forecasts of newspaper and television pundits, this would have happened months after the first elected government in 12 years took over power in March 2008.

The government may be still standing because those who would love to send it packing recognise the need for it to continue, if only for their own vested interests.

Take the armed forces of Pakistan whose behind-the-scenes power is no secret: they are unused to taking orders from or getting their money channelised through 'bloody civilians' (as one retired army officer put it in a letter to the editor that sparked of a series of spirited rebuttals). But it has to change with Washington's policy shift towards working with an accountable, civilian, elected government in Pakistan rather than a military strongman as it has traditionally done.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who heads the country's second-largest political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is studiously refraining from demanding mid-term polls. He apparently realises that the Zardari-headed government will last at most for another three years. But a military coup will mean struggling for another decade just to bring back the democratic system.

"They should just impose martial law," said a friend, rattled by the closure of educational institutes after suicide bombers hit the Islamic University in Islamabad. I can understand her frustration but this is hardly a solution. People put up with prolonged periods of military rule that are responsible for the situation we face today, but get impatient within months with civilian governments that are allowed in to sort out the mess created during years of military rule.

True, civilian governments tend to be bungling, inefficient, and corrupt, more concerned with power politics than with development and long-term strategies. But the cycle of elections and elected governments completing their tenure has to continue in order to weed out the inefficient and corrupt, and allow another level of leadership to develop and emerge.

The impatience is fed by a frenzied 24/7 news culture that focuses on all that is going wrong or is expected to go wrong. Journalists become partisan nationalists, placing themselves at the centre of news events and overplaying their own importance and crystal ball skills.

What gets left out of the dominant discourse is how for the first time a Pakistani government has rejected the use of 'terror' as a foreign policy tool, tried to bring the army under civilian control and categorically stated that 'India is not the enemy'. Such thinking is anathema for certain elements within the 'establishment'.

But let's not speculate about what will have happened by the time this appears in print. Instead, let's end with the report 'Pakistan Fashion Week Kills 90 Terrorists' in Maila Times, a satirical website started in February that updates once a week.

Spoofing the overkill of comments on how Pakistan's first Fashion Week was a bulwark of defiance against the Taliban, the report notes the terrorists' inability "to handle the extremely haraam nature of fashion week". They were "shocked to death – literally" after looking at pictures and videos from the event.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik was quick to point out that the PPP and the President are supporters of the thriving fashion industry in Pakistan and that the democratically-elected government by the democratic loving people of Pakistan voted for 'sexy'.

If speculative and sensational reports are going to be the order of the day, might as well get a laugh out of it. After all, we live in interesting, if not 'maila', times.

The writer is a freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker – www.beenasarwar.wordpress.com