O P I N I O N S

EDITORIALS

All-party talks welcome
But women’s Bill must go through
Though belated, the offer to consult all political parties on the Women’s Reservation Bill is certainly welcome. It ended the four-day old stalemate in Parliament, allowing both the Houses to finally get on with their business. The talks, as and when they take place, are expected to address the concerns voiced both in and out of Parliament about what is undoubtedly a contentious piece of legislation.

SIT’s summons to Modi
The truth must be unmasked come what may
The summons issued to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by the Special Investigation Team appointed by the Supreme Court to fix responsibility for the 2002 post-Godhra carnage is a step forward in the quest to find answers to nagging questions that continue to haunt the country’s conscience.

Paying to be duped
Illegal immigration takes its toll
Statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have confirmed what anecdotal and other accounts have established — illegal immigration from Punjab continues unabated in an increasing hostile world environment. It comes as no surprise that 84 per cent of such immigrants are uneducated — if not, many of them would have joined the ranks of the other Indian immigrants who have made a place in the world with their professionalism and skills.

• Thought for the Day

ARTICLE

On the road to equality
Women’s quota Bill can cause social change
by Rajindar Sachar
A welcome demonstrable step in favour of gender equity and a chink in the arrogant male chauvinism have been struck by the passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill  by the Rajya Sabha.

MIDDLE

A world transformed
by Roopinder Singh
These girls are bright, they do well in their exams and what happens after that ... they come and meet you a few years down the line, with a baby in their arms. What have they done with their education? Which of your students has done well, professionally? What’s the use of educating them?”

OPED

Recession impacts growth in Haryana
by Gobind Thukral
THE economic meltdown has taken some shine out of Haryana’s economic well-being. The state’s fiscal health is not as rosy as it was a year back. For three consecutive years, 2007 to 2009, the state showed a constant surplus Budget, which was a reflection of good economic growth and better management practices.

Salt ban battle takes shape in New York
by Rupert Cornwell
FOUR years ago New York City’s health commissioners banned artery-blocking transfats in restaurants. Now, if a legislator has his way, the chefs at without salt.

Inside Pakistan
Why General Pasha remains ISI chief
by Syed Nooruzzaman
What was being intensely speculated has proved to be true. ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, due to retire on March 18, has been given one year’s extension in service.

EDITORIALS

All-party talks welcome
But women’s Bill must go through

Though belated, the offer to consult all political parties on the Women’s Reservation Bill is certainly welcome. It ended the four-day old stalemate in Parliament, allowing both the Houses to finally get on with their business. The talks, as and when they take place, are expected to address the concerns voiced both in and out of Parliament about what is undoubtedly a contentious piece of legislation. But then both the government and the vocal opposition needed some breathing time and a face-saver to emerge from the embarrassing situation of their own making. The relief , therefore, showed on the face of the UPA troubleshooter and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as he folded his hands and expressed his hope that the assurance of talks would assuage the feelings of all members and allow business to be conducted smoothly. Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Yadav also badly needed an escape route after having disrupted the proceedings over the preceding three days and after getting increasingly isolated over the issue. The please-all offer has, naturally, satisfied all these sections.

It is, however, to be hoped that the government will not use the need for talks to put the Bill on hold. The stiff opposition to the Bill in its present form has been known for a long time, in fact ever since the Bill was first introduced 14 years ago. There was general agreement that the Bill, which would require amendment of the Constitution and ratification by at least 15 state Assemblies, each one by two-thirds majority, would require a consensus across parties. But no political party utilised the last decade and a half to build that consensus or develop an informed public opinion. Even now the contours of future consultations are far from clear. The demand for a ‘quota within quota’ for Muslims or OBCs is best dealt with, as suggested by the Congress president, by letting political parties nominate as many women from these groups as they like. But then by that logic, there would be no need for mandatory reservation of seats for women either. It could well have been left to the political parties to nominate more women to contest elections, something that even the Congress has failed to do over the years.

In any case, it is in the interest of the nation that the government does not go back on the Bill at this stage. The government must not allow any delay or dilution while containing the damage caused by its inept handling of the Bill.

SIT’s summons to Modi
The truth must be unmasked come what may

The summons issued to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by the Special Investigation Team appointed by the Supreme Court to fix responsibility for the 2002 post-Godhra carnage is a step forward in the quest to find answers to nagging questions that continue to haunt the country’s conscience. That eight years have elapsed after the horrible massacre before such a basic aspect of investigation could take off is testimony to how slowly the wheels of justice move in our country. It is ironical indeed that with the cases relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom proceeding at a snail’s pace, some draw solace from the pace of investigations in the post-Godhra riots cases. It was the BJP government in Gandhinagar that is in the dock on the 2002 incidents as it was some leaders of the Congress party that were believed to be responsible for the ghastly incidents of 1984. That tells the story of how politics has got derailed in our country and how vote bank politics plays havoc with the lives of innocent people.

It speaks volumes of the courage and tenacity of the complainant Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the 2002 post-Godhra riots, that she has waged a dogged battle to unmask those who may have instigated the massacre or looked the other way while lumpen elements were killing and looting at will. Zakia Jafri’s petition says Modi, along with other ministers in his government, conspired to “allow the massacre of Muslims”. She has alleged that the chief minister and his colleagues instructed policemen and bureaucrats not to respond to pleas for help from Muslims being attacked during the riots. These are serious charges that Mr Modi must answer convincingly if he is to shake off the image of being complicit in the carnage.

It is imperative that the truth behind Ehsan Jafri’s murder and that of so many others in the post-Godhra incidents be established. The SIT, which under former CBI Director Raghavan has set about its task in right earnest, must be given complete backup to complete its task without fear or favour.

Paying to be duped
Illegal immigration takes its toll

Statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have confirmed what anecdotal and other accounts have established — illegal immigration from Punjab continues unabated in an increasing hostile world environment. It comes as no surprise that 84 per cent of such immigrants are uneducated — if not, many of them would have joined the ranks of the other Indian immigrants who have made a place in the world with their professionalism and skills.

The UNODC report maintains that 20,000 persons from Punjab try to migrate illegally every year, and most of them do so by selling off a part of their land. They sell off tangible assets for an intangible dream that often turns nightmarish. The study shows that the preferred destination is the UK, with its English language and the large Punjabi diaspora being the main attractions. Ironically, because they are uneducated, the immigrants lack English language proficiency, and thus they face many difficulties. Illegal immigrants have 57 other destination countries, including the US.

It is vital that we equip our citizens with specific skills that are in demand in destination countries. The Indian diaspora is centuries old, and the reasons for immigration remain the same, a perceived lack of opportunity at home and the dream of making it big in a foreign land. Most of the Punjabi immigrants, according to the study, are young, 55 per cent between 21-30 years. Lack of education contributes to their being duped by agents who promise them the moon, while sometimes delivering them to hell. The agents are seldom punished, because victims often reach out-of-court compromises and don’t pursue cases. The agents should be punished to the full extent of the law and effort must be made to ensure that the immigration sector operates in a transparent manner, is regulated properly and all players are held accountable for their actions.

Thought for the Day

If you have a dream, give it a chance to happen. — Rich Devos

ARTICLE

On the road to equality
Women’s quota Bill can cause social change
by Rajindar Sachar

A welcome demonstrable step in favour of gender equity and a chink in the arrogant male chauvinism have been struck by the passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill by the Rajya Sabha.

It is justly being celebrated by women and all right-thinking men as a step towards ending the commonly accepted version in India of a woman being either as a mother, a daughter or a wife, but not as an individual with her own personality, notwithstanding the commendable achievements of a woman being the President of India, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Minister of the biggest state in the country. The Bill is, however, only the beginning of a fight for gender justice.

The passing of the Bill has generated extraordinary confidence among women in the country. That enthusiasm should not be allowed to be frittered away by what one is fearing of political expediency by not passing this Bill in the present session of the Lok Sabha, but waiting for the next session which will be months away.

Some weak-kneed persons in the ruling party may trot out the excuse of the danger of passing the Budget or the risk in the weakening of outside party support. There seems hardly any justification for this gloomy view — a last-minute corrective action by the Prime Minister and Mrs Sonia Gandhi (notwithstanding the shaky advise of their advisers) in insisting on passing the Bill in Rajya Sabha was the real knock-out blow against the opponents of the Bill.

Of course, this was made much easier by the open and correct support given by both the BJP and the Left parties. That support is still available. Notwithstanding the bullying buster by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mr Sharad Yadav, these diehard obscurantists cannot muster strength or make a cleavage in the support given by the BJP and the Left on this issue.

The Yadav trio need to be reminded to freshen up their Lohia readings — the mentor had clearly opined that reservation for women was an instrument in social engineering; he never suggested splitting the strength of the women’s quota by further dividing them in sub-quotas.

Another fear put forward is that a no-confidence move by the Yadavs might tempt the BJP and the Left to make use of this opportunity. I do not see any such possibility. Notwithstanding the cleavage in their political formulations, the women electorate as such will never forgive a political party, which sought in any way to trifle the numbers and endanger the passing of the Bill in the present session.

Surely, some kind of via media can be worked out. This writer knows the fuel price hike is one of the most contentious issues — each party can project its own stand, but that cannot and should not result in any danger to the stability of the government. Could not the fuel price hike differences be sorted out by these three parties by following the Lenin’s slogan of “two steps forward and one step backward”, say, by suspending the fuel price hike in the present scenario and taking up this issue in the next session?

It may look a little anomalous and frustrating, but the overall compulsion of passing the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha in this very session is of so overwhelming importance that some kind of adjustment is necessary among the Congress, the BJP and the Left parties.

Half of the state assemblies have still to approve of the Bill before it can become a law. If the enthusiasm generated is not made use of in this very session, the Bill may run out to become empty rhetoric and face the danger of being caught up in mutual mudslinging with uncertain prospects and might suffer a near-fatal blow, as it happened in the past.

The opponents of the Bill are projecting false fears. The argument that the women’s quota will be monopolised by urban women is a red herring. There are about 200 OBCs in the Lok Sabha. It is a stark reality that it is not their public service, but merely the caste configuration that has preferred them. Similar results will follow even after reservation for women. The only difference will be a big chink in the male bastion. That is the real reason for opposition by a section of the male legislators.

Crimes against urban women are no less heinous than those against rural women. Women as a class cannot be bifurcated in the matter of injustice. The creation of artificial sub-quotas within this suppressed section is a conspiracy of male chauvinism to perpetuate its dominance.

The provision of a sub-quota for OBC women runs the risk of being held as un-constitutional. The reservation of seats is guaranteed only for the SCs/STs in Article 330. The framers of the Constitution did not intend further fragmentation of the legislatures on caste lines.

The latest Asia-Pacific Human Development Report estimates that the under-representation of women in the workforce costs the region about $89 billion each year — roughly equivalent to the GDP of Vietnam.

In South Asia, on critical issues such as health, adult literacy and economic participation, the gaps between men and women are very large by world standards, and almost half the adult women in South Asia are illiterate, a higher proportion than in any other region in the world. Women in South Asia can expect to live five fewer years than the world average of 70.9 years.

The opponents of the Bill refuse to treat women as equals. It is this mindset that is sought to be destroyed by the Bill, which selfish politicians are resisting while pretending to fight for social justice.

Women are not asking for grace and charity. Their contribution to the cause of nation-building exceeds that of men. An International Labour Organisation study shows that “while women represent 50 per cent of the world adult population and a third of the official labour force, they perform nearly two-thirds of all working hours, receive a tenth of world income and own less than 1 per cent of world property.” Therefore, reservation for women is not a bounty but only an honest recognition of their contribution to social development.

The reservation for women would check the muddy polities that their menfolk have brought about. It can lead to social consciousness in political life. It will also help break the criminal-politician nexus — the real danger to our democracy. The working of this law will unleash a powerful agent of social change, gender respect and social reforms.

The writer is a former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court

MIDDLE

A world transformed
by Roopinder Singh

These girls are bright, they do well in their exams and what happens after that ... they come and meet you a few years down the line, with a baby in their arms. What have they done with their education? Which of your students has done well, professionally? What’s the use of educating them?”

The diatribe came from a petulant youngster and it was flung at his mother, the then Principal, Government College for Women, Patiala. “This is not a professional college; it’s one with focus on liberal arts. It takes time before you effect change in society. When I was a student, there were precious few girls who were educated, be it in Patiala or Lahore, where I studied.”

In 1975, the Principal went on to become the first woman Vice-Chancellor of a university in north India, one of the three in the world at that time. Now, she headed an institution that prepared many professionals. Some of these students were those whose mothers had studied under her. By now, career was firmly on the agenda of these young girls, and many became professionals ... things had changed a lot.

A few years later, again in her new assignment as Chairman, the gender-neutral term of Chairperson had yet to gain currency, of the Staff Selection Commission, New Delhi, she saw many young women competing for traditionally male bastions, encouraged by role models like Serla Grewal and Kiran Bedi.

As Mrs Inderjit Kaur Sandhu and I sat together to see the tumultuous scenes in the Rajya Sabha while the women’s Bill was being ‘debated’, we started chatting about women politicians. India had taken a lead over many Western nations in giving franchise to women right from Independence, the struggle for which had thrown up many women leaders like Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asif Ali, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and Vijayalakshmi Pandit.

When we are young, the names of women political leaders like Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Benazir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, were on our fingertips. These ladies fought in a world of men, and left their mark on the polity of their nations. The way the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha is enough indication of how vested interests can try to sabotage progressive moves.

Empowering women has many consequences, some unintended, but that is a result of power. The world that my mother saw has been transformed in her over eight decades of existence. After the debate, she said: “Once you asked me how many of my students became professionals. Their education made them ambitious for their daughters, who did well in various professions. You know what, a number of my students became active in politics, too. Who knows, we will soon see their granddaughters in Parliament.” Mother is always right. But then, you already know that, don’t you?

OPED

Recession impacts growth in Haryana
by Gobind Thukral

THE economic meltdown has taken some shine out of Haryana’s economic well-being. The state’s fiscal health is not as rosy as it was a year back. For three consecutive years, 2007 to 2009, the state showed a constant surplus Budget, which was a reflection of good economic growth and better management practices. During the current year, 2009- 2010, the government has admitted that the revenue collection was adversely affected. There was a significant decline in the growth rate of state tax revenues and collections under stamp and registration and urban development acts.

Moreover, Haryana suffered critically due to the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission for the welfare of its employees. It implementation has put an additional financial burden of Rs 6,000 crore per annum on the state. Since the arrears were to be paid to the employees with effect from January 1, 2006, the state had to cough out huge money. The total salaries and pension outgo during 2010-11 shall be a whooping Rs 11,630 crore – nearly four times increase since 2001. The revenue deficit is primarily on account of the impact of the Sixth Pay Commission, with the annual pay increase impact for 2010-11 amounting to about Rs 2,600 crore, and the arrears of pay and pensions amounting to about Rs 1,570 crore.  The Central government, despite pleas, has not come to the rescue of the state government. In fact, since its per capita income is the second highest after Goa, it was denied benefits given to some other states.

The 13th Finance Commission has used the per capita income of Haryana as “Fiscal Capacity Distance”, in its formula for horizontal distribution of central taxes among states. This criterion has been assigned the maximum weight of 47.5 per cent, while the other criteria, namely population, area and fiscal discipline have been assigned less weights of 25 per cent, 10 per cent and 17.5 per cent, respectively. Due to this unique position, its in shareable pool of central taxes has marginally come down. However, the total devolution to Haryana under the latest Finance Commissions is Rs 19, 470.30 crore as compared to devolutions of Rs 8, 040.44 crore during the 12th Finance Commission period. Though Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his Finance Minister, Capt. Ajay Singh Yadav, have appealed to the Centre, they cannot protest the way Punjab does.

The total expenditure, excluding repayments, under the Budget estimates 2010-11 is projected at Rs 33, 600.84 crore, of which revenue expenditure is Rs 28,482.64 crore, while the capital expenditure is Rs 5, 118.20 crore. These signify, respectively, an increase of Rs 2,004.73 crore, Rs 1,818.49 crore and Rs186.24 crore over the corresponding projections in the revised estimates of 2009-10. The Budget for 2010-11 projects a revenue deficit of Rs 3, 941.81 crore. Fiscal deficit is placed at 3.6 per cent of the GDP. In fact, the deficit during the last decade has hovered between two and four per cent. Rising debt at Rs 44,000 crore should worry the state and it has now to pay interest to the tune of Rs 3,913 crore or nearly 16 per cent of its revenue.

The total plan expenditure during the five years from 2000 to 2005 was only Rs 9, 235.41 crore, whereas the plan expenditure for just the current year is going to cross Rs 10, 400 crore. In the last five years, the spending on the plan was 230 per cent higher than that of the previous regime. The average annual plan outlay growth rate during 2005-2010 is 37.83 per cent per year, compared to just 4.8 per cent during 2000-2005. This, however, does not take into account rising the inflation and fall in rupee value. There is an increase of Rs 400 crores to budget plan of Rs 10,000 crore for 2009-10 despite constrains which is 46 per cent higher than the actual plan expenditure in 2008-09.

An analysis of annual growth shows at constant prices, with base year 1999-2000 showed that the growth in GSDP in 2008-09 is 7.9 per cent. The primary sector (agriculture etc.) contribution stands at 19.8 per cent in 2008-09, whereas that from the secondary (industry and manufacturing) and tertiary sectors stands respectively at 28.8 per cent and 51.4 per cent. The contribution of the primary sector to GSDP has registered an increase of 3.5 per cent, while that of the secondary sector increased by 5.4 per cent, and that of the tertiary sector recorded a growth of 11.2 per cent. The declining share of the primary sector and the increasing share of the secondary and tertiary sectors indicate a maturing of the economy. As per advance estimates, at constant prices the GSDP’s expected growth is 8.1 per cent. But it is agriculture and allied sectors that take care of gainful employment for over 50 per cent of the population and also provide essential food grains etc. to the nation. The time to gloat on its fall has not come.

The per capita income at current prices has increased by 16.8 per cent from Rs 59, 008 in 2007-08, to Rs 68, 914 in 2008-09. During the current year, it is likely to grow further by 13 per cent to Rs 77, 878 at current prices, and by 6.2 per cent to Rs 44, 493 at constant prices. But we all know the per capita criteria of finding prosperity are flawed.

There is a huge power subsidy of Rs 4, 643 crore during 2010-11, which is 20 per cent higher than the allocation for the current year. This includes Rs 1,671 crore on plan side and Rs 2, 972.04 crore on non-plan side. Irrigation gets Rs 1, 616 crore which includes Rs 768 crore on plan side and Rs 848 crore on non-plan side. 

The Congress government hopes to create a total revenue of Rs 30,085.98 crore and estimates its expenditure at 33,600.84 crore during April 2010 and March 2011. For a small state like Haryana, these figures sound huge. Government’s total salary and pension bill would be enormous burden. Haryana can certainly gallop with a large staff and such big money. Yet, there is something that could hold back the state. There is too much of government with officials of all kinds adding to the flab. The present government has added 60,000 more. In a welfare state we do require a government that pays full attention to education, health, transport, industry, agriculture, electricity and irrigation besides host of social welfare activities. Yet, the leaders can certainly study the necessary requirement and prune what is not required. Prudence should the watchword. Also, where is the reward and punishment system?

The government in Haryana, as in other states, and the Centre, suffers from some maladies which are proving fatal. One is inefficiency and the other is corruption. Both are eating the vitals. The government either does not get much useful feedback or cares little to use what it gets. At another level, there is not much meaningful monitoring to find if the money is suitably utilised. Reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General year after year ritually point out to these faults that are in abundance. But remedial measures are scanty. It is here the government shall have to pay attention.

Salt ban battle takes shape in New York
by Rupert Cornwell

FOUR years ago New York City’s health commissioners banned artery-blocking transfats in restaurants. Now, if a legislator has his way, the chefs at without salt.

The language of Bill A. 10129, introduced by Felix Ortiz, a representative from Brooklyn, in the New York State Assembly, could not be more specific.

“No owner or operator of a restaurant in this state shall use salt in any form in the preparation of food for consumption by customers,” it says, whether on or off the premises. The penalty for every violation would be $1,000.

Mr Ortiz, long a campaigner for healthier eating in the state’s schools and for restaurants to display the nutritional content of that they serve, insists his proposal is designed only to save lives. The measure would be a “giant step” in the right direction. “We need to talk about two ingredients of salt: health care costs and deaths.” He cites a recent report by the World Health Organisation showing that at least three-quarters of the sodium consumed in the United States n where the average daily intake is 3,400mg, half as much again as the generally recommended maximum of 2,300mg n comes in pre-prepared or restaurant foods.

“Studies show that reducing the amount of salt people eat, even by small amounts, could reduce cases of heart disease, stroke and heart attacks as much as reductions in smoking, obesity and cholesterol levels,” Mr Ortiz maintains, arguing that billions of dollars and countless lives could be saved.

In fact, the New York Assemblyman is not the only local politician campaigning against salt. Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s mayor, wants the salt content of pre-packaged and restaurant food to be reduced by 25 per cent over five years. The city estimates about 1.5m residents n out of a population of 8.3m n already suffer from high blood pressure, which excess consumption of salt tends to make worse.

Those alarmed at the relentless advance of the nanny state will moreover be pleased to learn that the proposed measure does not prevent the consumption of salt in restaurants. Cooks may be barred from using the stuff, but salt cellars will still be on the table for patrons.

But that has been scant consolation for the culinary stars of a city that likes to think of itself as the restaurant capital of the world. Salt or no salt, Mr Ortiz’s idea has sent the collective blood pressure of the city’s gastronomic establishment soaring.

Fast food might be full of sodium, “but in a kitchen that’s doing fine dining, the use of salt is moderate,” John DeLucie, chef at The Waverly Inn and the soon-to-be-opened Lion restaurant, told the New York Daily News.

The last word, however, belongs to Tom Colicchio, star of the TV programme Top Chef, and owner of Craft restaurant. “If they banned salt,” he says, “nobody would come here anymore.” Those who wanted to taste food without salt should “go to a hospital and taste its food.”

— By arrangement with The Independent

Inside Pakistan
Why General Pasha remains ISI chief
by Syed Nooruzzaman

What was being intensely speculated has proved to be true. ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, due to retire on March 18, has been given one year’s extension in service.

The questions now being raised are: Has he been favoured “to ensure that the military effort against militancy, which is currently underway, continues without any disruption”, as The News has commented? Or Lt-General Pasha’s closeness to Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has been the deciding factor? Or is General Kayani, due to retire in November, preparing a strong case for the grant of an extension to himself?

Before the decision to retain Lt-General Pasha was announced, three other three-star generals were granted extension in service on the same pretext as given in the case of the ISI chief. An editorial in Daily Times explains it thus: “… These are extraordinary times. Not only are we in the middle of a war inside the country (Pakistan), we are also a frontline ally of the US in the war on terror.” The other beneficiaries are Corps Commander (Peshawar) Masood Aslam, Lt-Gen Sikandar Afzal, now on UN assignment, and Lt-Gen Tanvir.

Preparing a case for Kayani?

Lt-General Pasha’s case falls in a slightly different category. The ISI is technically under the control of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. That is why his extension in service had been vetted by Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani before General Kayani made the announcement. The civilian factor has, however, been there only in name. The Pakistan Army has never allowed any civilian to be appointed as ISI boss.

General Kayani, it seems, has sent across the message that Lt-General Pasha’s services cannot be dispensed with so long as he is there as Army Chief. As leading Pakistani journalist Syed Talat Hussain points out in his article in Daily Times (March 11), “Both as the head of the ISI and as the Director-General, Military Operations, he (Lt-General Pasha) has been General Kayani’s most trusted comrade. His centrality to General Kayani’s scheme of things is reinforced by the rapport he has developed with his counterparts across the world’s most important capitals, including and primarily Washington, Riyadh, London and Beijing. A newcomer to the job would have taken time to develop this comfort level….”

The same arguments can be given when the time comes for General Kayani’s retirement. He can be described as indispensable. But this will go to prove that institutions and rules are not as important as individuals in Pakistan.

Disapproving of the decision in favour of Lt-General Pasha, a Dawn editorial says, whatever the compulsions or his achievements, “there must be another officer in the entire Pakistan Army who is capable of stepping up and filling General Pasha’s shoes.”

The paper highlights a basic flaw in the very appointment of Lt-General Pasha as ISI chief, “the Pakistan Army high command showed an astonishing lack of foresight when it appointed General Pasha. One glance at the calendar would have alerted those involved in General Pasha’s appointment that he would reach the age of retirement before his term as ISI chief would expire. Had someone who had at least three years to go before reaching the age of retirement been appointed in October 2008, the question of an extension would never have arisen.”

Will Zardari shed his powers?

Very few people take President Asif Ali Zardari seriously. That is why when he reiterated his commitment on Tuesday to restore the constitution of Pakistan to its original form, as it existed in 1973, people began to ask if this would really happen. He was speaking at an awards presentation function organised by the All-Pakistan Newspaper Society in Islamabad.

Those who doubt his intentions say that the Constitutional Reforms Committee appointed for the job may be there only for the satisfaction of the people waiting for the scrapping of the controversial 17th Amendment, which gives enormous powers to the President.

Mr Zardari provided an indication of what might be there in his mind when he said on Tueday at the Aiwan-e-Sadr function that the constitution reforms would be accomplished “by the end of next month”, as reported by The News. However, during his interaction with journalists and others later on, he tried to correct himself by saying that what he really meant was “by the end March” and not April. Was it a slip of the tongue? Democracy enthusiasts in Pakistan are keeping their fingers crossed.