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DAWN EDITORIALS PLUS OPINIONS

Dated: Tuesday, 09 June 2020

ICEP Research Analysts M.Usman and Rabia K.
Note:
We pick out those Opinions which is relevant to:
#Competitive Exams
#Essay Writing
#Current Affairs
#Historical episodes

Hence Dawn is not a CSS Magazine but a Political

Newspaper. So, those Opinions which is based on
Politics are left to the reader's own choice. Thanks
Sugar investigation
Bold step of Govt against Sugar Mafia: determined to Investigate Its own
allies:

PRIME MINISTER Imran Khan has sanctioned the launch of multiple

investigations against sugar mill owners on the basis of the findings of a
comprehensive forensic audit report prepared by the high-powered Sugar Inquiry
Commission last month. This is an unprecedented move against an entire industrial
sector, which has operated as a cartel and tricked all stakeholders — government,
farmers, taxpayers and consumers — for years without any accountability and
deprived them of tens of billions of rupees. The sugar cartel has allegedly cheated
farmers, evaded taxes, secured undue subsidies and committed corporate fraud
with impunity because of its deep political influence over all political parties and
successive civil and military administrations. The sugar inquiry has done a good
job by pointing out systemic issues in the industry. The report reveals how the
cartel duped the stakeholders every step of the way, from the procurement of
sugarcane from farmers to the sale of sugar — domestic and export — and how it
supplied incorrect and unverified data, besides using its political clout to secure
undue subsidies from decision-makers and regulators. It has also underscored the
collusion of industry regulators and owners for financial benefit.

NAB, FIA, FBR, CCP, SECP; are directed to take action respectively:

The investigations will be conducted by anti-corruption agencies such as NAB,

FIA and provincial anti-corruption bodies, as well as financial and corporate sector
regulators ie the State Bank, FBR, CCP and the SECP. All will be looking into
different aspects of the alleged fraud by sugar mill owners and will finalise their
reports in 90 days. For example, the State Bank has been tasked with probing the
possibility of sugar exporters having forged documents to secure freight subsidy
without actually shipping the commodity to Afghanistan, and bank defaults. NAB
will probe the issue of sugar export and other subsidies, and the CCP will be
looking into cartelisation that manipulates the market. Asset Recovery Unit head
Shahzad Akbar and Information Minister Shibli Faraz promised to “take on all the
mafias in the country one by one. Everyone will be held accountable, no matter
how rich or politically powerful”. That commitment will be tested in the weeks to
come. In the meanwhile, the government needs to satisfy its critics, who are
accusing it of allowing Jahangir Khan Tareen, the largest sugar producer and until
recently a close adviser to Mr Khan, to fly out of the country hours before the
announcement of the probe against sugar mill owners. Mr Tareen, who bankrolled
the PTI’s election campaign in 2018, has claimed he was going abroad for his
biannual medical examination and not running away.

Conclusion:

While industry practices need further investigation, especially to bring to book

those who have stolen billions over the years, it is equally important to reform the
sugar supply chain. That can be done by gradually deregulating the industry, doing
away with the support price mechanism, withdrawing curbs on the free import/
export of sugar and improving corporate oversight.

Abbreviations:

NAB: National Accountability Bureau

FBR: Federal Board of Revenue
CCP: Competition Commission of Pakistan
SECP: Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan
Vocabulary Section:

Sanctioned: official permission or approval for an action: he appealed to the

bishop for his sanction.
Cartel: a coalition or cooperative arrangement between political parties intended to
promote a mutual interest.
Tricked: a cunning or skilful act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone:
he's a double-dealer capable of any mean trick.
Impunity: exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences
of an action: the impunity enjoyed by military officers implicated in civilian killings.
Procurement: obtain (something), especially with care or effort, supply: food
procured for the rebels | [ with TWO OBJS ] he persuaded a friend to procure him a
ticket.
Duped: deceive; trick: the newspaper was duped into publishing an untrue story.
Collusion: an instance of conflict between opposing ideas, interests, or factions: a
collision between two mutually inconsistent ideas | the LP is a collision of different
styles.
Forge: produce a copy or imitation of (a document, signature, banknote, or work of
art) for the purpose of deception.
Freight: transport (goods) in bulk by truck, train, ship, or aircraft: the metals had
been freighted from the city.
Bankrolled: informal support (a person, organization, or project) financially: the
project is bankrolled by wealthy expatriates.
Biannual: adjective occurring twice a year: the biannual meeting of the planning
committee. Compare with.
To bring to book (idiom): to punish someone, or to make them explain their
behaviour publicly when they have done something wrong. If policemen have lied,
then they must be brought to book.
Beyond George Floyd
George Floyd death sparks new generation of activist in US:

THE tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has served as a

bellwether event, sparking protests in cities across the world against
racism and the state’s brutality. On the surface, it is about one man pinned
down by a policeman apparently due to the colour of his skin, and shown
no mercy despite his desperate cries for help. Of course George Floyd is
not the first victim of police brutality in America, and unless things change
drastically, he will not be the last. Another equally appalling video shows
police officers pushing an elderly white protester in the city of Buffalo to
the ground; the man lies on the pavement with blood oozing out of his ear
as officers march past. But as the protests in the US, Europe, Australia and
elsewhere show, the issue has morphed into something bigger than simply
police violence in America. Thousands of people have taken to the streets
calling for equality; this is a cry, as it were, from the wretched of the earth
against racism and oppression in all its forms.

If Americans want to Know who is responsible for Systematic racism,

they should Consult Mirror; The denial of racism would worsen the
situation:

Indeed, many so-called First-World countries have built democratic

structures and managed to give their people significant freedoms.
However, it should not be forgotten that many of these states are built on a
legacy of colonialism and slavery, and it is only over the last few decades
that they have adopted a democratic course. Moreover, these grim legacies
have helped shape the violence and intolerant attitudes today against
minorities. Only a few years ago, members of the far right in the US staged
torch-lit marches reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan’s activities. In fact,
much of the angst of the protests over the past few days can be seen as a
reaction against the rise of the far right in the West. Donald Trump’s
journey to power has been propelled partly by white nationalists, while in
Europe, the ideological children of fascism today sit in parliaments in
Germany, Austria and Hungary. But what is equally troubling is the march
of the extreme right in the former colonies. Narendra Modi and his
Hindutva acolytes are a case in point, while even in our own country
regressive forces lurk in the shadows, sabotaging efforts to create a more
egalitarian society. In such circumstances, progressive forces must unite
and continue the fight for a better, more equal world, and prevent the
forces of hate from dividing people along racial, religious and sectarian
lines.
Vocabulary:

Bellwether: an indicator or predictor of something: Basildon is now the bellwether

of Britain's voting behaviour.
Racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a
different race based on such a belief: a programme to combat racism.

Pin down: fix firmly in place; confirm, determine; force into revealing the truth.
Pavement (British): a raised paved or asphalted path for pedestrians at the side
of a road.
Oozing: of a fluid) slowly trickle or seep out of something; move in a slow, creeping
way: blood was oozing from a wound in his scalp | honey oozed out of the comb.
Morphed: change or cause to change smoothly from one image to another by
small gradual steps.
Wretched: (of a person) in a very unhappy or unfortunate state: I felt so wretched
because I thought I might never see you again.

torch-lit: protest where the participants Carry Illuminated torches.

Ku Klux Clan: Ku Klux Klan, either of two distinct U.S. hate organizations that
employed terror in pursuit of their white supremacist agenda. One group was
founded immediately after the Civil War and lasted until the 1870s. The other
began in 1915 and has continued to the present.
Angst: a feeling of persistent worry about something trivial: my hair causes me
angst.
Propelled: spur or drive into a particular situation: fear propelled her out of her
stillness.
Acolyte: an assistant or follower,a person assisting a priest in a religious service or
procession.
Egalitarian: adjective of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are
equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities: a fairer, more egalitarian society.
Building tragedy
YET another building in Karachi has collapsed, this time in Liaquat
Colony, Lyari on June 7.

YET again lives have been lost in a building collapse in Karachi — this
time in Lyari. The narrow residential construction is said to have boasted
no less than 40 living units or flats in a thickly populated area. The
condition of the building was such that residents were aware of the
imminent disaster. The lean five-storey structure appeared to tilt, an
ominous sign that apparently compelled some of the families lodged there
to escape. So far, six bodies have been retrieved from the debris of the
building that caved in on Sunday, and many people have been rescued. But
it is still unclear how many people might still be beneath the mountain of
concrete which has now become a site from where officials and politicians
of all stripes can conduct their favourite blame game.

Without the required institutional planning and regulating and

monitoring mechanisms for urban development, more accidents
cannot be ruled out.

In a city that has suffered so much on account of feuding in the name of

politics, Karachi’s tendency to exhibit strong signs of polarisation in times
of disaster was on full display yet again. The governor, along with the PTI
MNA from Lyari, was quick to point out that the Sindh Building Control
Authority under the PPP government was responsible for the collapse. One
wonders if there is a realisation that it is also the responsibility of
legislators, as elected public representatives, to try and protect the lives of
the voters of their constituency. At the same time, no amount of criticism
seems to embarrass the provincial PPP government, which after years of
rule has yet to reveal a development plan for this city of 20m. The SBCA
too must be held accountable, as it was after a building came crashing
down in Rizvia Society in Karachi in March. Unfortunately, such a course
hardly leads to positive results. The city is notorious for its haphazard
planning and dangerously built structures, many of them constructed
illegally in congested localities that can even render rescue work difficult.
More tragedies of the sort can be expected if the authorities continue to
neglect the state of housing.
Boasted: (of a person, place, or thing) possess (a feature that is a source of pride): the hotel
boasts high standards of comfort.
Tilt: move or cause to move into a sloping position: [ no OBJ. ] the floor tilted slightly | figurative
the balance of industrial power tilted towards the workers | [ with OBJ. ] he tilted his head to
one side.
Debris: scattered pieces of rubbish of something that is damaged.
Stripe: all Walk of life, (chiefly used in North America). a type or category: entrepreneurs of all
stripes are joining in the offensive.
Feud: a state of prolonged mutual hostility, typically between two families or communities,
characterized by murderous assaults in revenge for a previous injuries: a savage feud over
drugs money.
Haphazard: lacking any obvious principle of organization: the music business works in a
haphazard fashion.
Probing a post-Covid-19 world ( Important for Essay paper)

Jawed Naqvi

The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Delhi.

Column written on Discussion of three people in the Zoom video:

1. Tariq Ali: (Born 21 October 1943) is a British political activist, writer,
journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is a member of
the editorial committee of the New Left Review and Sin Permiso, and
contributes to The Guardian, Counter Punch, and the London Review of
Books. He teaches PPE at Exeter College, Oxford.

2. Jermy Corbyn: Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (born 26 May 1949) is a British

politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the
Opposition from 2015 to 2020. Corbyn has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Islington North since 1983. Ideologically, he identifies himself as a
socialist.

3. Arundhati Roy: Suzanna Arundhati Roy (born 24 November 1961) is an

Indian author best known for her novel The God of Small Things (1997),
which won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-
selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. She is also a political activist
involved in human rights and environmental causes.

All members respectively presented their views about how post pandemic situation
would look like, what ideologies would be amended or expired. It was really a
debate among scholarship people.

Search: stop the war coalition, you will find this on Facebook and click on it.

__________________________________________________________________
Introduction:

WOULD the post-Covid-19 world see a more equitable socioeconomic order, with
bourgeois parties forced to tend to the planet and the life it sustains? Or are we
heading towards more of the same — an unequal world spawning brutal conflicts
and human misery?

Topic of the discussion:

Tariq Ali hosted an online Zoom discussion with Jeremy Corbyn and Arundhati
Roy under his Stop The War banner. The topic was Coronavirus, War &
Imperialism. The anti-war movement that Ali and others organised post-9/11 did
not stop the American invasion of Iraq but it inspired strong voices against
imperialism across the continents.

Enjoy now the Writers view about the Topics being discussed there.

Also the fervour the anti-war protests infused has not waned, as can be seen from
anti-Trump demonstrations raging periodically across Europe, Australia or
Canada, and at home in the US. India seems to be the rare exception where, as was
the case with George W. Bush, Donald Trump is officially admired when his name
is mud everywhere else.

The anger and anguish over the racial murder of George Floyd blends into a force
that has also been driving the movement against war around the world. But there
are major challenges, and there are reasons for being cautious.

The anger over the murder of George Floyd blends into a force that has
also been driving the movement against war across the world.

Consider the presidential candidates in the November elections. Neither the

Democrat nor the Republican is averse to warmongering. It was a Democratic
objective under Barack Obama to encircle China with America’s oversized war
machinery, a policy Donald Trump is only reinforcing with less finesse and more
viciousness. His threatening rhetoric adlibs Hillary Clinton’s against Iran and
China, and the two though they belong to opposite parties are not distinctly
dissimilar in critical ways. Daniel Ellsberg did reveal, didn’t he, that presidents
belonging to both parties were complicit in pushing secret plans since the 1950s
for a nuclear war on the USSR and its allies. In this regard, the US elections in
November offer little joy.

Word has also been doing the rounds among anti-racism protesters in Minneapolis
and beyond that Obama short-changed the black constituency he purported to
serve. Someone had prematurely described his presidency as the end of history of
racism, it is said.

Colin Powell’s public support for Joe Biden too can be seen in a similar vein, as
one coming from the man who lied to the world for his troops to invade Iraq. And
he favours the candidate who presided over the destruction of Libya and Syria as
Obama’s deputy. All this happened without taking the foot off the accelerator in
the continued bipartisan destruction of Afghanistan.

At the discussion on Saturday, Corbyn was optimistic that the post-pandemic

world would be a chastised one in which mindless capitalism would give way to
healthcare and education as a universal priority, which in turn should deepen the
quest to save the earth and its environment from further degradation. Saving
humanity and saving the earth are coterminous in this laudable worldview, the
three participants agreed.
Corbyn’s optimism was anchored in the new awareness on all sides of the British
equation that the reviled and short-changed National Health Service had emerged
as the saviour of lives, including the prime minister’s, during the ongoing
pandemic.

There is a chance that the rest of Europe would accept Corbyn’s post-Covid-19
vision of a non-discriminatory, state-funded health system taking root, thereby
undermining the neoliberal argument for privatisation. Perhaps the Democrats
would be willing to recast Obamacare into a truly genuine health welfare scheme
in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Corbyn also spoke up for Britain’s anguished community of immigrants. He

leveraged the fact that the nurses and the poorly paid ancillary hospital staff of
cleaners and ward boys in the UK, comprised a large number of immigrants who
were at the helm of things at a very challenging time. This reality begs fresh
questions of the basic plank that drove Brexit. What would be the fate of that
divisive platform, which sowed deep discord within and between political
formations in Britain?

Tariq Ali took the view that the 2008 global financial crisis had raised similar
hopes of capitalism’s imminent course correction if not outright demise. However,
far from surrendering any quarter, capitalism bounced back in a more vicious
avatar.

Ali chose to stick to his familiar view, honed in experience no doubt, that mass
movements and not parliamentary approaches would eventually bring about the
needed change. But he did ask Arundhati Roy whether a challenge could be
thrown by India’s bourgeois parties to Narendra Modi over human rights abuses in
Kashmir and generally against his antagonism towards the poor, the minorities,
and the country’s left and liberal activists, far too many of whom have been thrown
in prison.

Corbyn referred to India but more positively. He took heart from the support he
saw from practically all communities for Indian Muslims in their campaign against
a religiously discriminatory citizenship law. The state turned it into a communal
slugfest.

Arundhati Roy disabused both of their easy notions of the Indian situation. The
knee and neck — reference to the way George Floyd was choked to death by the
policeman — were interlocked across the world, she said. Kashmir was not bereft
of this high-handedness nor was the rest of India. Roy gave credit to Rahul Gandhi
as one opposition leader who was speaking out against the oppressive Indian
regime. Sadly, he seems to be alone.

Conclusion:

It was an engaging discussion, and the format attracted large participation. It was
of course no substitute for Tariq Ali leading the students in a historic 1968
students’ uprising in Europe, or Jeremy Corbyn addressing an anti-Trump rally in
Trafalgar Square during his visit, or Arundhati Roy preferring imprisonment over
tendering apology to the supreme court. As happens with online discussions, not
everyone was completely attentive. For example, someone in the audience wrote to
ask if Ms Roy was single. She must have laughed, perhaps saying: “Singular”
NFC controversy (Important for understanding Current Affairs etc)

Basil Nabi Malik

The writer is a lawyer.

Notes

What is NFC:

The National Finance Commission Award or NFC is a series of planned economic

programs in Pakistan enacted since 1951. ... As per Constitution, the program
awards the designs of financial formulas of economic distribution to provincial and
federal government for five consecutive years.

How it is formalized:

The NFC Award is enacted through mathematical formulation between federal

government and provincial governments. The NFC generalizes the five kinds of
taxation, including the income taxes, sales tax, wealth taxes, capital gains taxes,
and custom duties taxes. The program is constituted under President of Pakistan
who coordinated and supervise the studies and calculations conducted by financial
specialists, economists, statisticians and mathematicians.

What is the Constitutional authority of NFC:

The National Finance Commission is constitutionally established by the

Constitution which laid the foundation of equal distribution of revenues between
the federal and four provincial governments of Pakistan. The Constitution grants
powers to President of Pakistan to constitute the program in five consecutive years.
The Constitution further stated:

The share of the Provinces in each Award of National Finance Commission shall

Within six months of the commencing day and thereafter at intervals not exceeding
five (consecutive) years, the President shall constitute a National Finance
Commission consisting of the Minister of Finance of the Federal Government, the
Ministers of Finance of the Provincial Governments, and such other persons as
may be appointed by the President after consultation with the Governors of the
Provinces.

— Article 160–165A: Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits; Part-VI, Chapter:1

Finance, source: The Constitution of Pakistan

_____________________________________________________________
Introduction:

THE 18th Amendment is considered to be the personification of the federal form

of government as it stands today in Pakistan. In much the same way, the National
Finance Commission is its embodiment in fiscal terms.

The function of NFC:

The NFC is a body constituted in terms of Article 160 of the Constitution. It serves
as the bridge between the federation and the provinces and inter se the provinces in
relation to the distribution of financial resources. Its mandate is to determine the
chunk of tax revenue to be included in the divisible pool, the vertical distribution
of funds between the federation and provinces, and the horizontal distribution inter
se the provinces.

As the forum is of utmost importance in addressing the financial concerns of the

federation and provinces, it has always been imperative that the creation of such
commission be inclusive and strictly in line with the Constitution.

How the the pinpoint of controversy started:

Unfortunately, the recent notification issued by the president, by which the 10th
NFC was constituted, leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, despite having been issued
with much fanfare, the notification seems to have created more controversy than
goodwill.

Did the president act on his own, or on the PM’s advice?

Various Reasons of Controversy:

Firstly, at the very onset, there is ambiguity as to whether the president had acted
on his own or on the advice of the prime minister. The notification appears to be
silent on this matter, and it has been conclusively held by the Supreme Court
already, the president is bound to act on the advice of the prime minister, who in
turn may only render such advice upon the matter being put before and approved
by the cabinet.

Secondly, there are a total of 11 persons notified to be a part of commission

proceedings, with the first five members being the respective finance ministers for
the provinces and the federation. The remaining six are non-statutory members
who could only have been notified by the president upon consultation with the
governors of the provinces, who in turn, could only have acted upon the advice of
the cabinet or chief minister of the respective province.

However, no indication of direct and effective consultation is apparent. In fact,

curiously, if the objections of the Sindh government are anything to go by, the
president has appointed the adviser to the prime minister on finance and revenue as
a member, and the finance secretary, government of Pakistan, as an ‘official
expert’, without effective and direct consultation of any kind. In fact, Article 160
does not appear to even recognise or acknowledge the role of an ‘official expert’, a
concept which appears to be entirely alien to the constitutional set-up in question.

Thirdly, the president has attempted to bring within the scope of the NFC matters
which are clearly beyond its jurisdiction. For example, the president has defined as
a term of reference the issue of ‘public debt’ and its repayment. However, the said
subject matter is covered by Entry No. 8 of Part II of the Federal Legislative List,
which clearly states that the Council of Common Interests is the appropriate forum
in which discussions, recommendations, and policy decisions regarding public debt
may be formulated, whereas parliament retains unfettered jurisdiction to pass any
required legislation in relation to the same in terms of Entry No. 10 of Part I of the
Federal Legislative List.

Furthermore, and amongst other things, the president has also sought that the
commission recommend an allocation of resources/ budget for Azad Jammu &
Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, whereas in terms of the Constitution, the assessment
and allocation of resources for the same is exclusively within the domain of the
federation and parliament. On the whole, such matters do not appear to fall within
its domain, and in defining terms of reference in relation thereto, the president
appears to be in violation of clear constitutional provisions.

Finally, delegating pivotal positions within the commission to non-elected

members appears to be in violation of the letter and spirit of Article 160 as well.
The commission embodies the will of the federation and provinces, as can only be
advanced by its elected representatives, and as such, it is imperative that such
elected officials convene and chair the meetings. Hence, in the absence of the
federation’s finance minister, in delegating the chair of the commission to the
prime minister’s adviser on finance and revenue, the president appears to have
erred.

Conclusion:

In light of the above, it is clear that the notified commission has given rise to
varying legal impediments which may handicap and impinge upon its ability to
perform its functions. As the commission is important for maintaining cordial
relations between the federation and provinces, the president would do well to
revisit and realign it in line with the Constitution.
Explanation in Urdu of the NFC problem:
Scales of accountability
Arifa Noor

The writer is a journalist.

IT was a scene straight out of an Amitabh Bachchan film when the ‘police’ (NAB
in this case) arrived too late to catch Shahbaz Sharif at his residence. The wanted
man had already left. It could be said of both Bachchan and Sharif that ‘in ko
pakarna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai’ (it is not just difficult to catch them, it is
impossible)!

All the NAB team achieved was providing considerable fodder to the ever-hungry
news channels because by the time there were reports that the team had left Model
Town for Raiwind, everyone knew that Shahbaz Sharif would now remain MIA till
the next morning’s hearing at the Lahore High Court. No one really thought the
high-octane ‘chase’ was meant to yield any result. When it is serious about an
arrest, the organisation goes where the man is — remember how it arrested Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi as he was driving to Lahore — and doesn’t bother raiding places
of residence in the hope that the man would be at home having a cuppa.

And this is not a particularly sceptical view of the matter. Most, if not all, are
convinced that for more than one reason Shahbaz Sharif, and most other Noonies,
have now done their ‘time’ and are not going to be returning behind bars soon.

The cases will continue, old as well as new. They will continue to be investigated
and the sword of another arrest will continue to dangle over them all but it will not
fall (easily). And the reason for this, or one at least, is that the party has fallen in
line. The sher may not have been tamed completely but it has retreated wounded
and that is enough. Because even as it licks its wounds, its existence provides some
pressure on the PTI the way Imran Khan’s roars earlier were a constant headache
for the PML-N government.

If the point is to keep them looking over their shoulders, it’s a job well done.

And this is why there is less of a brouhaha over the investigations into the PPP —
there is no reason to believe that the PPP needs any taming. The process is already
complete and there is little fear of any ‘misbehaviour’.

And this is what accountability is about in Pakistan — nothing more than a means
for political ends. It is not even to brand the bad old politicians as corrupt. For if it
was simply a campaign to tarnish them, then it would make sense to pick one case
which is easy to understand and hammer in the misdoing. Think Surrey Palace. To
launch investigations into a multitude of complicated cases just proves
counterproductive — a complicated LNG case which is barely understood by those
doing hour-long programmes on it, followed by allegations of illegal
appointments, followed by some misuse of government cars. Or in the case of
Sharif junior, Saaf Pani and Ashiana followed by assets beyond means. There are
so many allegations that there is a fear that none will stick in the public perception.
But then, that is not the point. However, if the point is to keep them looking over
their shoulders, it’s a job well done.

And that is why our accountability cases are not tight, well-written film plots but
endless soap operas.

Remember the Panama case? The entire saga began with the publishing of the
Panama Papers in April 2016; by November 2016, the hearings began in the
Supreme Court. The new bench was formed in January next year. The first verdict
came a year after the Panama Papers were published in April 2017. By May, the
JIT was formed and it presented its report in court in July. In the last week of the
same month, Nawaz Sharif was dismissed and his government wrapped up. A
short year and some months and the first season was over.

And then began the endless plot twists — three years later, the JIT, the apartments,
the money trail, the time we all wasted every evening discussing the merits and
demerits of prosecution, defence and receipts, everything lies forgotten. The main
accused is in London and everyone is as sure of his return (after medical treatment)
as we were last week of Sharif junior’s arrest.

Nothing has changed since the 1990s except perhaps the period in which NAB was
really active and feared was far shorter this time around. Its reign of terror under
the second Nawaz Sharif government and then Musharraf was perhaps much
longer.

And the PTI also knows this, despite its bravado in public.

Perhaps this is why its latest corruption push is against the sugar industry rather
than pursuing the older cases; it knows the earlier battle has already been lost. But
the support base still expects accountability so the party has found a new cause in
sugar, which allows it to deliver on its ‘promise’ of sparing no one, not even those
within its fold. It is like someone who abandons one diet plan for another in the
vain hope of losing weight.

There is no doubt that Imran Khan is fixated on accountability and punishing the
PPP and PML-N, but it really is nothing more than the hysteria of the star-struck
fan standing outside Shahrukh Khan’s house. He can say what he wants and he can
return there every day but he won’t be able to get any closer to the star, who will
remain out of reach.

And this is why it is hard to believe that Khan is driving the witch-hunt of the PPP
and the PML-N because if he was, they wouldn’t all be sitting in the comfort of
their homes and giving interviews left, right and centre on how evil and unfair
accountability under the PTI is.

But it still helps that we all believe he is behind the accountability agenda because
it also puts him under pressure by uniting all the other parties against the
government.For this reason — if no other — Khan should have second thoughts
about the accountability process
Karachi’s collapse
Dr Noman Ahmed

The writer is chairman, Department of Architecture & Planning, NED University,

Karachi.

YET another building in Karachi has collapsed, this time in Liaquat Colony, Lyari
on June 7. Initial reports revealed that residents were given notice to vacate due to
the building’s precarious condition. Building stock in the city has faced numerous
disasters in recent months due to various reasons. About 20 houses were destroyed
or damaged when Flight PK-8303 tragically crashed on May 22 in a residential
area. Recently, more buildings fell in the Ranchore Line and Gul Bahar
neighbourhoods, while on social media, users shared images of one suburban
building tilting as much as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Building collapses, fires in informal settlements and production

spaces/godowns/warehouses, flooding across major waterways and many other
tragedies have become the norm in Karachi. The metropolis functions in an
institutional limbo without a valid city plan, zoning controls and minimal
allocation of development and management resources.

Our institutional capacity to monitor building stock and identify land use-related
malpractices is shamefully negligible. The illegal conversion of land use from low
to high density is rising meteorically, despite repeated Supreme Court
interventions. The nexus of builders-developers-officials has led to dubious
authorisations of land use for lucrative commercial gains. Since zoning codes are
outdated and no valid city plan exists to manage development, such activities
flourish without restraint, with the so-called land-grabbing mafia a partner in
crime. Enforcement mechanisms are too frail to withstand enormous commercial
stakes.

Normally, a city plan would be prepared by the concerned planning agency,

notified after seeking and addressing stakeholder inputs, and enforced by the
zoning and building control authorities. In Karachi, this process has been ruptured
for some time now. Recently, the Supreme Court directed the Sindh government to
legislate on the province’s urban and regional planning matters. A draft law is
being prepared, and may be forwarded to the legislature. However, the bigger issue
is the need to create a capable and independent planning authority. With rising
urban disasters, there is an urgent need to complete these pending tasks. Besides,
local institutions must also shore up relief and rescue capacities in the wake of
disasters.

Urban development functions in an institutional limbo.

Karachi’s built environment is exceptionally challenging. Only a small fraction of

building stock can be categorised as properly designed and constructed under the
building control regime, such as the planned neighbourhoods of the south, east and
northeast. Most structures (residential, commercial, industrial, etc) have not
received any design and supervision input, resulting in whimsical plans and poor
materials being used. Dozens have been declared dangerous by various
committees, but are still occupied by overzealous tenants. Punjab, Neelum, Shah
Rasool and Delhi colonies, and upper and lower Gizri are saturated with haphazard
multistorey structures.

People live in such inhumane and unsafe conditions to save on high transport
costs. Access to fire tenders, ambulances and other emergency vehicles are a
serious issue, with rising incidents of building fires and collapses exposing these
inadequacies and leading to greater loss of life.

To make residents lives safer, many baseline interventions are needed. The
location of the plane crash last month, for example, will require a detailed
engineering investigation to assess the damage to and structural fitness of impacted
buildings and remedial measures.

Similarly, all informal settlements where multistorey construction exists need

detailed assessments. Buildings must be analysed on their current status;
occupancy and utility; structural stability; safety provisions; design and retrofit
exercises; potential hazards points; parking lot study; and hazard assessment to
identify the risks of the micro environment in which the building is located.
Similar appraisals must be done of under-construction buildings and building
plans. Building safety standards must be developed from this comprehensive
inventory.

On a district-wide scale, information on hazardous activities must be obtained. It is

commonly observed that such activities have penetrated city neighbourhoods
unchecked. Storage of gas cylinders, chemicals, flammables, etc must be
documented and dealt with according to safety regulations.

There are many larger issues that directly affect construction activities and
violations. A large number of agencies, mainly cantonments, do not follow the
provincial or local government’s writ on issues of development, thus creating
differing standards. Land-use data, required as a baseline to enforce any
regulations, does not exist. Without the required institutional planning and
regulating and monitoring mechanisms for urban development, more accidents
cannot be ruled out.