Economy, Balochistan and the US

The meeting on Balochistan should have shown some gratitude for the great work of the Frontier Constabulary in the total absence of a government. Our economy cannot improve at the hands of proven failed managers. And with the US defence secretary’s visit to India, the American arrogance in dealing with Pakistan is breathtaking.
Here is a quick look at these issues. Dual nationality: Egypt has proven to be a better democracy than Pakistan. Mubarak was sent to jail. But despite epic corruption, violence and incompetence, no politician has gone to jail in Pakistan. Let’s jail a politician for corruption and no general will escape scrutiny either.
Now we are discovering that Pakistan was being run since 2008 by American and British citizens. Despite lying under oath, President Zardari’s key aides Farahnaz Ispahani and Rehman Malik have the audacity to confuse issues and drag in the irrelevant question of loyalties of overseas Pakistanis.
In Egypt a leading candidate from a religious party was disqualified from running for president because his mother was a US citizen. In England, when Princess Diana wanted to marry an Egyptian, legal experts cringed at the thought of a foreign stepfather for England’s future king. President Obama continues to face serious questions about his place of birth. And yet our politicians have the audacity to violate the law and defend it.
Economy: Would you appoint President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani to run your business? Would any business in the US (which brokered the 2007 deal to bring this coalition government to power and continues to be its biggest backer) trust these two gentlemen with running Microsoft or GE? Then why are two ex-jail inmates in corruption cases running one of the largest countries in the world? Pakistan’s ruling elite is mired in mismanagement and corruption. It won’t pay taxes, is a burden on the country and has little vision or creativity. It is bad news in

the best of times. How do we expect it to show any skill in these tough times that require professionals at the top?
The US: The anti-Pakistanism of American officials is breathtaking. Not even the slightest of respect or appreciation for Pakistan. Leon Panetta will be the third senior US official to visit India and the region since Obama’s visit last year. The Americans continue to pay a hefty price for transporting their weapons through the northern channel but are loath to pay Pakistan a fraction of that or apologise as you do to friends. Utter arrogance.
These are the same Americans who gave Pakistan soybeans in exchange for money we paid for F-16s. American officials realise that the Pakistani political elite is full of doormats who will relent under the right amount of pressure. Now CIA is ratcheting up its provocations on our border and restarting covert activities inside our country using American diplomatic passports.
Balochistan: The problems in Balochistan are a direct result of the incompetence of Pakistani politicians inside and outside the province. He may be too shy to say it but the army chief was probably the only party in the cabinet meeting on Balochistan to have done anything positive there in recent years. The military, and especially the navy and army, have built schools and colleges and healthcare facilities where our Baloch youth in remote regions have any chance at all at education and healthcare. The politicians in the province have been good at building palaces abroad than doing anything for Balochistan.
Sadly, last year the government removed hardworking and peaceful Baloch politicians from Dera Bugti to appease a terrorist now based in Switzerland. How that terrorist moved to Europe is another example of how the Zardari government failed to prevent the US government from providing sanctuary to anti-Pakistan terrorism.
The government refuses to clamp down on terrorists operating in Balochistan from bases in Afghanistan, or deal with its own political allies involved in kidnap for ransom. And yet they expect the Frontier Constabulary to sit by idle and take no action.
The FC deserves to have been given some credit for the great work it has done keeping the peace in the total absence of the Zardari government. The meeting should have also said something about assassinations and disappearances committed by The BLA in the province.
It’s good that the military is trying to nudge the politicians to play a positive role in Balochistan but there is little chance of that happening considering the quality of leadership.

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