DAWN Editorials - 4th January 2025
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 4:51 am
Falling temperatures
THERE’S a welcome chill in the political atmosphere as talks proceed between the government and the PTI over several outstanding issues. The groundbreaking for negotiations appears to have been done, with two meetings held in recent weeks, of which the latest is said to have concluded on a positive note. Another huddle is expected next week, once the PTI consults with its incarcerated founder to finalise its charter of demands for the government. If parleys begin in earnest, January could prove an important month: the PTI has previously stated that it wants negotiations to conclude before February.
It appears that the party may stick to two initial demands: the release of its workers, incarcerated in various cases, and a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024. Though these have yet to be presented in writing, it seems the bar is low enough for the government to engage without incurring political costs.
It is encouraging also to note that the participants of these meetings have an eye on the bigger picture. According to a statement attributed to the National Assembly speaker, all participants have agreed to engage in dialogue for the country’s betterment, “covering issues such as the economy, terrorism, and other critical matters.” This is just as well because though some measure of economic stabilisation has now been achieved, the growth needed to support the country will remain elusive till political stability returns.
In a recent meeting of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, the prime minister observed that the strength of any economy is rooted in its political framework and that Pakistan’s development is, therefore, directly linked to its political stability. Though Pakistan has secured memoranda of understanding worth billions of dollars with various countries, it will have great trouble realising them till the persistent uncertainty in the political equation is eliminated.
Regardless of the intentions of the negotiators, however, there remain many little hurdles in the way of a political resolution. The representatives in the dialogue committee, for example, cannot achieve anything on their own: they will need validation from the heads of their respective political parties at each step of the process.
Such hurdles could, of course, be swiftly cleared if the heads of the PTI, PML-N and PPP were to sit down and work out a modus vivendi directly with each other. The biggest barrier is the seeming inability of the opposition and government to come to terms with their respective situations. It remains vitally important for stakeholders to acknowledge and understand that politicians can still challenge opposing parties’ narratives without also being in a constant state of war with each other. It is hoped and prayed that this realisation hits home sooner rather than later.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025
Agriculture census
ACCURATE information relating to agricultural activities is vital for data-driven future planning, policymaking, as well as targeted interventions to increase the sector’s productivity and contribution to the economy. The periodic agricultural census is the most extensive way of collecting reliable information. Thus, the launch of field operations by the PBS for the country’s 7th agricultural census to digitally gather information on its activities gives hope of better informed planning and policymaking for the sector that contributes nearly a fifth to the GDP, and is an important driver of growth and the largest employer of the country’s labour force. Even though the census is being conducted after a delay of four years, it is hoped that the information collected through it on total area of land, location, size, use, and ownership; types of crops planted; farming techniques; use of irrigation; characteristics of the households; and many other topics will actually be used by the planners for policymaking and devising interventions to revive productivity, and the data will not be filed and forgotten in state archives.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector, in spite of its importance for agro-based exports, food security, employment generation etc, is the most neglected segment of the economy. It has been facing several challenges for decades. These challenges are not just affecting the crop sector but also the livestock segment, negatively impacting agro-based industrial exports and food security. In recent years, we have seen events like floods, droughts, heatwaves, etc due to rapid climate change depress farmers’ incomes and increase rural poverty and unemployment. There is no doubt that successive governments have strived to revive and boost agriculture output through input and other indirect subsidies, including but not limited to fixation of a minimum procurement or support price for crops like wheat and sugarcane. But these subsidies are mostly pocketed by large landholders or arhtis (middlemen). Smallholder farmers and landless tenants rarely benefit from government intervention and support because the policies are neither data driven nor evidence-based. Information collected through the agriculture census and disintegrated by experts can provide a treasure trove for the agriculture planners and policymakers, provided they are inclined to actually use it.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025
Biometrics for kids
ALTHOUGH the move has caused a panic among weary parents mortified at the thought of carting their children to Nadra offices, the interior ministry’s recent directive to incorporate biometric features into Form B for 10-18-year-olds is not without its merits. While the immediate catalyst for this decision remains unclear, historical instances of identity document misuse underscore the necessity for such measures. In 2009, a sitting federal minister faced allegations of human trafficking, involving the manipulation of Nadra records to facilitate unauthorised travel. Although she attributed the misconduct to a staff member, the incident highlighted vulnerabilities within the system. Last month, Nadra dismissed a director general for possessing a fake degree, raising concerns about the integrity of officials within the organisation. Additionally, in February 2024, five Nadra employees were implicated in the unauthorised issuance of CNICs to foreign nationals, further exposing systemic weaknesses.
These episodes, among others, reveal significant lapses in the management and issuance of identity documents, potentially facilitating illegal activities such as human trafficking and unauthorised immigration. The new requirement of fingerprints and photographs for Form B, coupled with mandatory parental presence and computerised birth certificates, creates multiple layers of verification that could help prevent identity theft and document forgery. However, the success of this initiative will depend heavily on its execution. Nadra must ensure that its centres are adequately equipped to handle the increased workload without creating bottlenecks. Parents and guardians must be adequately informed and facilitated to comply with the new requirements. Moreover, Nadra must ensure that its internal processes are transparent and that its personnel adhere to the highest standards of integrity to prevent internal exploitation of the system. While these measures may initially cause some inconvenience, they represent a necessary step towards securing our identity documentation system. The government should complement these technical measures with stronger prosecution of identity-related crimes to create an effective deterrent against document forgery and human trafficking.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025
THERE’S a welcome chill in the political atmosphere as talks proceed between the government and the PTI over several outstanding issues. The groundbreaking for negotiations appears to have been done, with two meetings held in recent weeks, of which the latest is said to have concluded on a positive note. Another huddle is expected next week, once the PTI consults with its incarcerated founder to finalise its charter of demands for the government. If parleys begin in earnest, January could prove an important month: the PTI has previously stated that it wants negotiations to conclude before February.
It appears that the party may stick to two initial demands: the release of its workers, incarcerated in various cases, and a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024. Though these have yet to be presented in writing, it seems the bar is low enough for the government to engage without incurring political costs.
It is encouraging also to note that the participants of these meetings have an eye on the bigger picture. According to a statement attributed to the National Assembly speaker, all participants have agreed to engage in dialogue for the country’s betterment, “covering issues such as the economy, terrorism, and other critical matters.” This is just as well because though some measure of economic stabilisation has now been achieved, the growth needed to support the country will remain elusive till political stability returns.
In a recent meeting of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, the prime minister observed that the strength of any economy is rooted in its political framework and that Pakistan’s development is, therefore, directly linked to its political stability. Though Pakistan has secured memoranda of understanding worth billions of dollars with various countries, it will have great trouble realising them till the persistent uncertainty in the political equation is eliminated.
Regardless of the intentions of the negotiators, however, there remain many little hurdles in the way of a political resolution. The representatives in the dialogue committee, for example, cannot achieve anything on their own: they will need validation from the heads of their respective political parties at each step of the process.
Such hurdles could, of course, be swiftly cleared if the heads of the PTI, PML-N and PPP were to sit down and work out a modus vivendi directly with each other. The biggest barrier is the seeming inability of the opposition and government to come to terms with their respective situations. It remains vitally important for stakeholders to acknowledge and understand that politicians can still challenge opposing parties’ narratives without also being in a constant state of war with each other. It is hoped and prayed that this realisation hits home sooner rather than later.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025
Agriculture census
ACCURATE information relating to agricultural activities is vital for data-driven future planning, policymaking, as well as targeted interventions to increase the sector’s productivity and contribution to the economy. The periodic agricultural census is the most extensive way of collecting reliable information. Thus, the launch of field operations by the PBS for the country’s 7th agricultural census to digitally gather information on its activities gives hope of better informed planning and policymaking for the sector that contributes nearly a fifth to the GDP, and is an important driver of growth and the largest employer of the country’s labour force. Even though the census is being conducted after a delay of four years, it is hoped that the information collected through it on total area of land, location, size, use, and ownership; types of crops planted; farming techniques; use of irrigation; characteristics of the households; and many other topics will actually be used by the planners for policymaking and devising interventions to revive productivity, and the data will not be filed and forgotten in state archives.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector, in spite of its importance for agro-based exports, food security, employment generation etc, is the most neglected segment of the economy. It has been facing several challenges for decades. These challenges are not just affecting the crop sector but also the livestock segment, negatively impacting agro-based industrial exports and food security. In recent years, we have seen events like floods, droughts, heatwaves, etc due to rapid climate change depress farmers’ incomes and increase rural poverty and unemployment. There is no doubt that successive governments have strived to revive and boost agriculture output through input and other indirect subsidies, including but not limited to fixation of a minimum procurement or support price for crops like wheat and sugarcane. But these subsidies are mostly pocketed by large landholders or arhtis (middlemen). Smallholder farmers and landless tenants rarely benefit from government intervention and support because the policies are neither data driven nor evidence-based. Information collected through the agriculture census and disintegrated by experts can provide a treasure trove for the agriculture planners and policymakers, provided they are inclined to actually use it.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025
Biometrics for kids
ALTHOUGH the move has caused a panic among weary parents mortified at the thought of carting their children to Nadra offices, the interior ministry’s recent directive to incorporate biometric features into Form B for 10-18-year-olds is not without its merits. While the immediate catalyst for this decision remains unclear, historical instances of identity document misuse underscore the necessity for such measures. In 2009, a sitting federal minister faced allegations of human trafficking, involving the manipulation of Nadra records to facilitate unauthorised travel. Although she attributed the misconduct to a staff member, the incident highlighted vulnerabilities within the system. Last month, Nadra dismissed a director general for possessing a fake degree, raising concerns about the integrity of officials within the organisation. Additionally, in February 2024, five Nadra employees were implicated in the unauthorised issuance of CNICs to foreign nationals, further exposing systemic weaknesses.
These episodes, among others, reveal significant lapses in the management and issuance of identity documents, potentially facilitating illegal activities such as human trafficking and unauthorised immigration. The new requirement of fingerprints and photographs for Form B, coupled with mandatory parental presence and computerised birth certificates, creates multiple layers of verification that could help prevent identity theft and document forgery. However, the success of this initiative will depend heavily on its execution. Nadra must ensure that its centres are adequately equipped to handle the increased workload without creating bottlenecks. Parents and guardians must be adequately informed and facilitated to comply with the new requirements. Moreover, Nadra must ensure that its internal processes are transparent and that its personnel adhere to the highest standards of integrity to prevent internal exploitation of the system. While these measures may initially cause some inconvenience, they represent a necessary step towards securing our identity documentation system. The government should complement these technical measures with stronger prosecution of identity-related crimes to create an effective deterrent against document forgery and human trafficking.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025