Of black suits and diplomacy
A week-long dialogue among students to bring about peace and harmony in the world
By Haneya H Zuberi
Last week, diplomacy was in the air when 970 diplomats hailing from all over Pakistan participated in the All Pakistan Lahore Model UN Conference, which most of us know as LUMUN. An atmosphere of professional diplomacy meant to bring about peace and harmony through effective dialogue was seen at LUMS.

"There was no gas in my house throughout the day. We used kerosene oil stove to cook food," says Tasneem Khan, a housewife and resident of Gulshan Park, Mughalpura Lahore. "The price of one litre kerosene oil is Rs 75 and cooking a meal for a family of six can easily burn one litre of oil," she adds.

Many gas consumers in Lahore are without gas for a good 12 to 14 hours -- and are forced to resort to other more expensive option, such as electricity, LPG or kerosene oil, to meet their daily energy needs. And this despite promises made by the federal minister for petroleum and natural resources in Nov. 2009 that there would be no loadshedding for domestic consumers.

Managing Director Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Rashid Lone also announced two months ago that there will be no gas loadshedding for domestic consumers during winter. "Domestic consumers are on top priority of government", he reportedly said.

The situation on ground is quite the opposite: Another housewife complains that her family used kerosene oil to cook food all of last month yet the gas charges turned out to be more than the previous month's -- "We spent more than Rs 2500 on kerosene oil and Rs 800 on gas." She says gas is available in houses along the main road of her locality.

But the situation is not so in the main road houses. "Yes, there is gas throughout the day in my house but pressure is very low for most of the time. The gas supply is at its best during the early hours of the morning," says Adeel Asghar, 35, whose house is on the main road near Lal Pul.

Resultantly his household routine had to be changed. "We take breakfast earlier than usual," he smiles.

For 40 year-old Muhammad Ali, a resident of Samanadab, electricity is not affordable. Food in his house is cooked on an electric heater, and he is compelled to run his car on petrol given the shortage of CNG. "This means at least Rs 5000 extra per month -- and I wonder how long this situation will last. How can the government justify the 18 percent increase in gas price when the supply is so scarce?" he asks.

The situation is relatively better in DHA, Gulberg and Model Town. "The pressure remains good throughout the day except for a few hours during the evening," Zeeshan Ahmed, a resident of N-Block DHA Lahore tells TNS.

People whose businesses are dependent on gas are among the worst affected. Fifty year-old Inayat Bibi, a widow and mother of four daughters, is one such case. She makes an earning by ironing clothes of people living in the surrounding localities. She is helped by her four daughters. "We used a gas iron which was earlier very cheap. But gas loadshedding has reduced our work and hence earnings by 50 percent."

Inayat Bibi is forced to use an electric iron now -- "But our clients have refused to pay extra to cover our increased cost," she says.

SNGPL officials say that there is no loadshedding for domestic consumers. "The problem is the gap between demand and supply. At present our need is more than 2300 million cubic feet of gas while only 1800 million cubic feet is available. In Lahore only, there are more than 0.9 million domestic consumers while every year there is 10 percent increase in it. We need more than 900 million cubic feet of gas to fulfill their needs," Naeem A Khan, spokesperson of SNGPL tells TNS.

"Due to severe cold and unavailability of the commodity the pressure remains low so those houses which are near the main line keep getting uninterrupted supply of gas. The situation is relatively better in posh areas because you have big houses and are less populated. While the density of houses and population in low and middle class localities is high and infrastructure is old," he says.

According to him the situation is unlikely to improve in the near future. "Consumers need to manage gas accordingly. Majority of gas appliances used in our country are substandard and consume at least 50 percent more energy than normally required. So we need to switch to relatively better equipment," he says.

MOOD STREET

On the bright sunny morning of the New Year, lying in my cozy bed, I got a call from my Indian friend Dhananjay who very excitedly asked me to read The Times of India. The paper contained the details of a new Indo-Pak project "Aman ki Asha" launched by The Times of India and the Jang Group.

After his call, I tried to recall my recent Indian tour. Like the past many years, last month I again got a chance to go to Delhi to perform in a theatre festival hosted by Ryan International School. More than 30 countries participated in the festival and once again the Pakistani group was the most sought-after. Without any exaggeration, every Indian was curious to meet the delegates from Pakistan. It is this curiosity that makes us friends with Indians every year.

I recalled this little Indian boy who came to us and politely asked us if we were from Pakistan? Then, very hesitantly, he asked one of our group mates," Can I touch you?" We thought he was joking but after seeing the mixed expression of seriousness, interest and nervousness on his face, my friend replied, "Yes, sure you can." He cautiously touched him with his right index finger, as if he feared my friend would grab him and take him to some strange place. He shouted happily, "Hey, I have touched you. You are just like us…. Aren't you?" Everybody started laughing. At that moment, I realised the depth of his statement and then joined the party.

This is not the first time that I saw this. Each year when I visit India, I have to answer many strange queries regarding different aspects of life in Pakistan. Why I am not in veil? How do I know Hindi? Why I am not wearing gharara? Am I allowed to talk to a male? How do I get permission to get out of home? Why our male members don't sport beards? And why aren't they wearing shalwar kameez with our special prayer cap?

They have doubts about Pakistanis and they consider us conservative and rigid. Perhaps, unlike India, our media depicts only this picture of Pakistan. They neither have Pakistani news nor entertainment channels running on their cable networks. Through 'Aman ki Asha', it seems, the perception may change on both sides. Donald Williams has rightly said, "For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective."

While going through the ratings of the polls conducted to know the will of the citizens of both the countries about the relationship strategy between them, I realised that Pakistanis are more flexible in terms of developing sound relations with the other side. Again the reason is the same; the Indian locals don't know us well and they are afraid to join hands with Pakistanis.

After this project we have another "Asha" from media practitioners. That there ought to be a media channel collaboration so that both sides get to know each other better. With these projects, there may come a time when we would get visa for the country instead of specific cities, with no ridiculous requirements like police reporting. All we need is dialogue and trust.

*Art on Silk at Shakir Ali Museum, an

exhibition of new work by Abida Iftikhar.

Today is the last day.

*Exhibition titled 'Good Looking: Vision and

Society in Contemporary Art' at Grey Noise till Jan 15.

ARTISTS INCLUDE

*Exhibition of Indigenous Crafts of Pakistan at Nairang Gallery till Jan 15.

*Exhibition: Char Rah - featuring the works of Nizakat Ali Depar, S.Sajjad hussain, Mahnoor Hussain and Qurat Ul Ain Shams

at The Drawing Room Art Gallery till Jan 18.

*Solo show by Naheed Fakhar at Hamail Art Gallery till Fri, Jan 22.

*Exhibition: 'Essence of Natural Reserves' by Muhammad Arshad

at Ejaz Art Gallery from Thu, Jan 14 to Fri, Jan 22.

*Exhibition of paintings by Ambrin Zafar at Nairang Art

Gallery till Jan 25.

*Lecture by Rafay Alam on Social and Environmental

issues in the Urban development of Lahore at Cafe Bol on

Wed, Jan 13 at 7:30 pm. cafebol3@gmail.com

*Lecture on The Life and Times of Frantz Fanon, one of the most influential thinkers and revolutionaries of

the 20th century at Cafe Bol on Sat, Jan 16 from 7:15-10:15 pm.

Making today count and walking the talk, an imperative of the new order necessitated by a back against the wall syndrome, must now be strongly manifest in our vision for the collective good of cities and our survival.

Breaking the mould… and thinking way outside of the box is a default precursor to 'steering a direction' for 'quality of life for all'. When children wake up in Mexico City, Cairo, Sao Paulo, Kasur and Lahore, they see a brown cloud in the air, blue is replaced with brown when they make drawings in school, is this the world we want ? Blue skies, clean air and water, a sense of place, public amenities and safety seem to be replaced with the grey brown monster of desperation, congestion, pollution, anxiety, violence and insecurity.

Auto exhaust in particular, is a suffocating threat in the developing world, where millions of new cars flood streets and roads not built to hold so many vehicles. Why are we in this dilemma, and with all the resources at hand, not effectively able to do something? The problem is that behind the screen of public attitudes lies the reality of powerful private interests, an old entrenched order that governments are reluctant to topple.

The entire 'context of the discourse' must be re-evaluated and defined. Sustainable urban and environmental development must now be defined as 'human development' because words like urban, economy, progress, ecology, environment, equity and democracy are meaningless unless understood within a 'realistic framework' of need and provision for all. The inhuman exploitation and brutal animalistic instinct, defined by the new 'so-called' international order labeling cities as 'engines of growth', isolates, undermines and excludes the human aspect which is at the core of this theory. This exclusion, a brainwashing tactic to fool people into believing that this is right, simply because they are voiceless silent spectators, causes symptoms of unrest, insecurity, subjugation and false values.

For Lahore, the city we all love, those who can speak and make a difference must be heard for the welfare of those who suffer in silence, for generations of children who need to know that the sky is blue and not brown, for pedestrians who endanger their lives everyday, for people who have no viable options of 'public transport', for the 70 percent who drink contaminated water and breathe toxic polluted air, for management strategies for disposal of over 9000 tonnes of solid waste generated by the over 10 million people, for the city itself, that is screaming for a 'traffic management body' to review, define and enforce integrated systems and layered synergised networks into the 'living organism called a city'. For those who are unable to access their unique canal and its 600 acres public park in the form of green belts, simply because too many cars, belonging to too few people need to drive even faster, condemning forever the 90 percent who are crushed under the weight of this inequity, can there ever be progress in such a situation?

The provision of viable, functional and cost effective options for all is the only way forward for progress and development. These questions cannot be ignored by the leadership. The sway of 'special interest' is a sign of weak political leadership on environmental issues. 'With 'informed' public sentiment nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed'. It is imperative to 'rethink basic assumptions', needs of the people based on the above should become an integral part of decision making and lead to a genuine 'new paradigm' as leadership and groups of people understand how 'irreversible environmental degradation mortgages their future and the future of generations to come.

The tragedy of not enough for all, is the product of war, poverty, bureaucratic and political incompetence, they are problems of 'distribution, not of supply'. Misguided leadership needs to correct itself if it is to steer 'real' development and progress, policy-making must not be ahead of fact-finding. To truly deserve the mantle of 'Environmental Leadership', political leaders must move beyond image-making toward 'stronger action'. Far-sighted add effective 'Green Leadership' is the need of the day, let us start by making Lahore a 'pilot project for greening of cities', and revive its inherent dignity and beauty for all, now that would be 'development and progress'.

Road to furnace

More than 1000 steel related industries are causing serious environmental hazards, especially noise and air pollution in various localities of Lahore, especially Northern Lahore. So far the government has not done anything to shift these industries outside the city.

Relaxed attitude of authorities concerned towards unauthorised rapid industrialisation in residential areas is the main reason for the mess and presently Northern Lahore has become a hub of light and heavy steel industry. Localities such as Shadbagh, Misri Shah, Daroghawala, Bhagatpura, Baghbanpura, Mughalpura, Chah Miran, Tajpura, Taj Bagh and other nearby areas are full of industries, which include steel foundries, steel re-rolling mills, steel furnaces and scrap yards. All of these industries are spreading different types of pollutions, especially air and noise pollution, besides creating vibration and heat.

Besides the residential areas, a good number of steel mills are also operating around historical monuments like Shalimar Gardens and other Mughal era structures in North Lahore. The Environment Department of City District Government Lahore (CDGL) did serve notices on 48 such mills, but in vain.

Ironically, majority of the mills are using used tyres and substandard rubber products to keep their furnaces alive. The key environmental hazard spread by these steel industries is air pollution. These furnaces release pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides and toxic metals.

The movement of heavy traffic for bringing in raw material or lifting the finished products is also adding to the problem. The movement of heavy traffic also causes traffic congestion for hours, also adding to noise pollution.

Shahid Bhatti, an environmentalist, says the principle air pollutants in the smoke include toxic metal dusts and fumes of lead, chromium, cadmium and zinc. These air pollutants restrict photosynthesis, increase respiratory infections, cause birth defects, acid rains, and lung damage. He maintains that lead and cadmium are also present in the fumes released by furnaces that cause collapse of central nervous system and degeneration of joints, lung and kidney diseases.

A family physician, Dr. Nusrat Hashmi, says that serious health problems such as asthma, lung cancer and other respiratory problems are being reported from this area. "Blood pressure and heart diseases are also increasing due to air pollution," he tells TNS.

As per Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, all industrial units cottage or large are supposed to obtain NOC from Environment Protection Department (EPD), but over 90 per cent industrial units are operating without fulfilling this legal formality.

Junaid, a resident of Daroghawala, says the residents are facing serious health problems due to smoke released by steel related industries. "A permanent haze remains over the GT Road area and it becomes impossible for citizens to stay home during summer because of this smoke," says Junaid.

A number of residents TNS talked to demand the Punjab chief minister visit the area and see for himself problems the residents are facing due to pollution. They further demanded the chief minister take immediate steps to shift the steel related industries from the area.

When contacted, EPD spokesman said the department is aware of the issue and steps are being taken to reduce pollution in Northern Lahore. "The EPD has already started a detailed survey in Northern Lahore to assess the situation. The department is also working on shifting these industrial units outside the city," he informs. The spokesman said recently two steel industries installed scrubbers to control air pollution, and the department is assisting many factories in installation of scrubbers.

The EPD spokesman disclosed the department had also served notices on 15 steel mills that are New Shalimar Steel Mills, Khalid Asif Steel Mills, Gujjar Steel Mills, Khalid Siddique Steel Mills, Akram Steel Mills (I), Pervaiz Akhtar Steel Mills, Akram Steel Mills (II), Shahbaz Steel Mills, Tariq & Sons Steel Mills, Zafar Steel Mills, Nazir Jogar Steel Mills, Jabbar Steel Mills, Batiala Steel Mills, AF Steel Mills and Bismillah Steel Mills.

Last week, diplomacy was in the air when 970 diplomats hailing from all over Pakistan participated in the All Pakistan Lahore Model UN Conference, which most of us know as LUMUN. An atmosphere of professional diplomacy meant to bring about peace and harmony through effective dialogue was seen at LUMS.

In a country where drone attacks are like a natural calamity; "Let us not Fight" was indeed an amiable theme. The sixth LUMUN comprised `16 committees. This year the host team went a few extra miles in an effort to bring about a quality debate. They provided voluminous, comprehensive study guides to the delegates. To ensure that the participants have spent sufficient hours researching what is required for the conference; a "Research Review" had to be submitted by each delegate to the committee chair.

Mian Taimoor, Secretary General of LUMUN 2009, told TNS, this year an attempt was made to bridge the gap between the underprivileged and privileged.

The LUMUN Social Responsibility Programme did a commendable job by visiting schools in slums, conducting public speaking workshops in order to prepare a team for participation in the conference.

This team participated along with the rest of the participants. This not just helped form a connection between the students of elite schools and underprivileged schools, but also opened a casement of opportunity for the participants. Training workshops were held in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad a month prior to the conference. Numerous guest speakers were invited to the committee sessions to add new dimensions and perspectives.

The conference would have been incomplete if it was not for the social events the wonders of the "Global Village", the concert on new year's night "The Show Must Go On" which welcomed both Elvis and Marilyn when it came to costumes and the formal dinner "A Tale of Two Cultures". Each event was packed with excitement and proved to be an excellent time for the delegates to relax. The conference had a daily newspaper The Diplomat which covered not just the serious proceedings of the committee sessions, but was also a source of light reading for the delegates as it contained humoured bits and reports of funny happenings which took place during the day. There was an independent committee of journalists (ICJ) which had sixteen journalists. Each journalist sat in a committee and did all the reporting.

The feedback of participants has given an insight to the quality of debate and the proceedings of the committee sessions. Muzna Sarwar was a delegate in Disarmament and International Security Committee where the topic under discussion was Nuclear Security Assurances. After five days of diplomatic talks the committee came to a draft resolution which stated that non-nuclear weapon states would be granted negative security assurances after they have been inspected by the IAEA. The nuclear weapon states would call for nuclear checks in these states twice a year.

Saim Ejaz Chaudhary, a UN Development Fund for Women delegate felt that the conference was a great learning endeavour for him. This was his first MUN, and he said that he learnt a great deal about the delicate art of diplomacy. He also got a chance to interact with the members who came under the Social Responsibility Programme and felt that it was great having them around as part of the conference. Zara Zafar Alvi, a delegate of UN Development Network, felt that the level and quality of debate was not the same as before. This was her second MUN. She felt that the social events were very well organised and the host team did a great job in putting them up.

Amn Rehman, a delegate from UN Environment Programme where the topic of discussion was Security and Environment, felt that participating in the conference was not just a great learning experience for her but also broadened her horizons. Her committee came to a resolution that a framework must be formed which deals with conflicts which have stemmed from the issue of natural resources.

Rabiya Ather, a delegate from the Special, Political and Decolonisation Committee, felt that the quality of debate was good and the fellow members in her committee were very well researched. A crisis topic was introduced in her committee to draw a plan of action if the right wing had taken control of the Capital and the nukes. The plan of action devised by her committee was to deal with this problem through negotiations.

Fatima Ali, a delegate of the Historic General Assembly, felt that the standard of debate was decent and that she learnt that diplomacy was an art which could be achieved only by tact and intellect in order to produce mutually acceptable solutions to a common challenge. Her committee discussed the Gaza crisis 2008 where Hina Jilani was invited as a guest speaker. She shed light on the issue of Gaza crisis under her perspective. This helped in expanding information and exposure of the delegates. Fatima also extended her appreciation for the well-designed and comprehensive website as well as the well-organised social events.

Looks like LUMUN stood up to its claim and managed to bring about "serenity which rolled everyone over and made the Halcyons that charmed the winds of rage and waves of animosity into calmness and peace!" Or if not entirely that then at least made everyone a believer of what Will Rogers said "Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice Doggie' until you can find a rock"!