Brainstorming on top NWFP issues

By Afzal Hussain Bokhari

Vanishing writ of the government, receding level of good governance and worsening condition of NWFP's economy are some of the top issues that have taken the form of table talk in homes, offices and shops not only in Peshawar but also in other urban centres of the province. Our sister publication, the daily Mashriq, arranged the other day a highly stimulating and thought-provoking public forum on the burning issues that stared the province in the face. Hosts of the forum, Asif Nisar Ghayyasi in Peshawar and Rasheed Safi in Islamabad, sought the opinions of eight media persons. Extracts are being reproduced below:

Anchor person Hamid Mir said the present lull in fighting was not a sign of peace but militants were busy reorganising themselves. He was of the opinion that security forces had struck secret deals with militant leader Maulvi Nazeer in South Waziristan and Hafiz Gul Bahadur in North Waziristan. They had done the same in Swat, where members of the ruling ANP complained that they were still being denied access to the Imam Dheri, the stronghold of Maulana Fazlullah. He said that American drone strikes had killed TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and now his successor Hakimullah Mehsud as well.

Columnist Irfan Siddiqui linked the unrest in NWFP to the country's foreign policy which supported the war on terror. He claimed that Pakistan had neither been in the past, nor was in the present and never would be involved in future in a war imposed from above.

He said that some policies of the federal government were accentuating the sense of deprivation among the people of NWFP and this reminded him of what had happened in the East Pakistan. He took exception to the fact that the name of the province had not been changed officially but the ANP government was using stamps of 'Pakhtunkhwa' on files, which could cause legal complications at a later stage.

Columnist Ayaz Amir said that in 2008 and 2009, the militant Taliban were in virtual control of the Malakand division and the tribal territory. However, the situation in the first two months of 2010 had drastically changed the landscape.

The militants had now been on the run and the writ of the government had largely been restored. However, the threat of extremism had not disappeared altogether and there was a danger that it might strike again with a vengeance.

He lamented over the fact that the role of some government institutions with regard to combating militancy had been ambiguous and questionable.

Correspondent of Voice of Germany, Imtiaz Gul, said that the success of security forces in Malakand division and decrease in subversive acts were by all means good omens. However, these would continue to be freak signals as long as 100 per cent normalcy did not return to the affected areas and confidence building measures were not introduced among the frightened masses.

Total defeat of the militants was necessary and the common people should once again show trust in the government institutions. Much had already been done but much more remained to be done to revive the spirit of life among the people. He said that the past ANP leadership was accused of having separatist tendencies but the present leadership had returned to the mainstream politics.

Resident editor of Dawn, Ismail Khan, said that lack of good governance and the lack of provision of sufficient funds were the two main causes of the backwardness of Frontier province. In the last meeting of the National Finance Commission, the NWFP was given a huge amount as its share of the net profit of the hydro-electric power production.

However, the provincial government had not yet worked out its priorities as how to spend the money. The NWFP administration should immediately sort out both its short term and long term priorities.

On its part, the federal government should also be generous in providing funds. It was a pity that the federal government was paying in dollars to power rental projects but ignoring the cheap hydro-electricity produced by NWFP.

Anchor person Saleem Safi said that along with the government, the people were also responsible for the problems. After attaining the position of an MPA, MNA, Senator or a minister, the elected representatives often quarrelled over petty issues and did not concentrate on long term benefits of the people.

On coming to power, Mian Nawaz Sharif served his province by constructing the motorway but to the contrary Ghulam Ishaque Khan remained the president of the country but did not do anything for NWFP. Jihad against Russia and war on terror did not benefit the province.

Resident editor of the News, Rahimullah Yousufzai, said that the NWFP was suffering hardships due to the policies made by the government, army and the sensitive agencies. The people from the Frontier first took part in the Afghan jihad. Later, they started getting training for Kashmir jihad.

Thus a militant culture spread from one to the other end. It was painful how in seminars, colleagues from Punjab taunted by saying that the country suffered because the NWFP as a whole was militant and unreasonable. He said it was the duty of the elected representatives to atone for the mistakes of the past and mitigate the sense of deprivation found among the masses.

President of Peshawar Press Club, Shamim Shahid, said that for the first time in history, the NFC had started awarding smaller provinces like NWFP and Balochistan. At this, powers with vested interests panicked and one could clearly see that the establishment, politicians and the media in Punjab had openly taken up cudgels against President Asif Ali Zardari.

He lamented over the fact that Fata and NWFP appeared to have been handed over to extremists, terrorists and hired assassins. Due to wrong foreign policies, all of Pakistan's neighbours felt estranged with it. However, for the sake of progress and peaceful coexistence, the government should review its policies according to the ground realities.