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Editorial: US’s India tilt

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is expected to visit Pakistan later this week along with a high-powered delegation. Before visiting Pakistan, Mr Gates will visit India and talk on issues of bilateral interest, particularly with reference to the security situation in the region. Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke will also travel to Delhi to explain US regional strategy to Indian officials. This raised questions whether the US can play the role of a mediator between India and Pakistan during this high-profile visit. However, both Holbrooke and India’s Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao have rule out any such possibility, in line with Delhi’s long-standing policy against third party mediation. It may be remembered that even while the Obama administration was deliberating on the portfolio of Mr Holbrooke as a special envoy to the region, Delhi expressed strong reservations against its inclusion, which were accepted by Washington.

Statements from both Washington and Delhi are a non-starter for security and peace in the region. These statements should be looked at in the context of the US’s bilateral relations with India and Pakistan. Washington’s relations with Islamabad are troubled at best. Developments in the decades following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan have led to mutual suspicion and mistrust. While Pakistan accuses the US of abandoning its ‘most allied ally’ once its immediate objectives were attained, the US is deeply suspicious of Pakistan’s dual policy of ‘good Taliban’ and ‘bad Taliban’. Despite diplomatic papering over, the two countries seem to be following different agendas in the region. Various issues including non-proliferation continue to dog mutual relations. This has led Washington to follow a carrot and stick policy with Pakistan.

On the other hand, the US attitude toward India is very different. It perceives India to be an emerging power and is strongly biased towards developing a strong strategic relationship with it. The US has pledged special concessions to India for transfer of nuclear technology, ostensibly for peaceful purposes, but this has raised legitimate concerns in various quarters about the space this allows for enhanced weapons production. Pakistan is particularly wary of this situation since this could mean a strategic imbalance in the region. Pakistan thus fears finding itself in a nutcracker situation, in which it is sandwiched by an intransigent neighbour to the east, and a perceived pro-India Afghan regime to the west. It is this perception that has led Pakistan to oppose India’s participation in any regional peace initiative, the fresh example of which is the forthcoming London Summit on Afghanistan.

India and Pakistan have so many unresolved bilateral contentions that they drown out all other issues, thus eliminating any possibility of an effective partnership for regional peace. Even if we concede that India-Pakistan bilateral relations should be improved, it is impeded by the fact that India is not satisfied by Islamabad’s efforts to clamp down on terrorism after Mumbai’s 26/11. This intransigence has also been true in the past. Delhi kept dilly-dallying on proposals for the resolution of the Kashmir issue proffered by Musharraf and cold-shouldered the olive branch held out by President Asif Ali Zardari after he took oath as president. Delhi’s insistence on firm action against jihadis operating from Pakistan’s soil as a precondition for talks has led to a freeze in relations. Therefore, one cannot have high hopes about easing of India-Pakistan tensions from the present tour of high US officials, although it might play a useful role in the fight against extremism.

To conclude, the US attitude is not very helpful. It is embarking on a strategic partnership with India, which can ironically give rise to greater regional instability as it feeds into Pakistan’s insecurities. US patronage gives India the feeling that it is winning vis-à-vis Pakistan on Kashmir and other regional issues. The very visible US tilt towards India is creating suspicions in Pakistan that this may eventually translate into Indian hegemony in the South Asia region in the near future. *

Second Editorial: Student’s suicide

In disconcerting news, an intermediate student committed
suicide in Lahore the other day. From the statements of her family, it seems she took this extreme step because she was afraid of failing in her examinations. Just a day before, she had appeared in a paper at her college, during which she sought the help of the invigilator on certain questions that she was unable to understand. Unfortunately, the examiner scolded her for not coming prepared and, according to her father, took a written statement from her that she had asked for help to solve the paper. Sensitive as some students are about their grades, this seems to have terrified her to such an extent that she ended her life the next day. One regrets the attitude of the examiner who could have averted this tragedy by behaving more appropriately. However, the problem goes beyond one particular incident, as more and more suicide cases are now being reported. Some time back, the suicide of a leading private university student in Lahore too created a heated debate on the tough criteria for passing examinations. This student had exhausted all attempts to qualify for a degree.

Suicides by students over bad marks are not new, nor confined to Pakistan, but we face a special set of circumstances that has heightened the importance of good grades for the job market. According to the 1998 census, people under the age of 29 constituted an overwhelming 70 percent of the total population. More recent demographic surveys indicate that Pakistan houses more young people of ages 15-24 than at any other time in the country’s history. At a time when the economy has been adversely affected by precarious security, pressure on young people to perform well in studies has increased manifold so that they may be able to secure the few jobs that are available. Parents also feel the strain and push their children to work even harder.

The current episode is a wake up call for us to review how we treat our younger generation and what pressures they face at this tender age. While it is for the government to take all steps to revive the economy and increase job opportunities, more importantly, parents, teachers and society at large have a responsibility to nurture young people, not pressurise them to breaking point. The media can play a significant role in sensitising the public about dealing with such pressures in a way that avoids triggering extreme steps. *

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