DAWN Editorials - 25th January 2025
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2025 4:57 am
Bureaucratic approach
WHEN bureaucrats fancy themselves as scholars, universities suffer. It’s a pity this is a lesson the Sindh government has yet to learn. Its latest scheme — to allow civil servants to head universities — has produced precisely what bureaucrats least enjoy: protest and disorder. The province’s campuses have erupted in demonstrations, much to the chagrin of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who has responded with that most bureaucratic of solutions: threats. The government’s logic is circular enough to make a geometry professor dizzy. Universities are failing, it claims, so they need bureaucrats to save them. Yet these same institutions just showcased 417 research projects at a technology expo, suggesting they are rather more alive than advertised. The real dysfunction may lie elsewhere: the current system of appointing vice chancellors involves interviews shorter than a tea break, with results seemingly predetermined. Mr Shah’s evidence for the needed change is equally puzzling. He cites cases of misconduct among current PhD-holding VCs, rather like a doctor diagnosing a broken leg by pointing at a headache. If existing leaders are failing, it rather raises questions about who appointed them — which would be Mr Shah’s administration, responsible for selecting 38 VCs.
Pakistan’s higher education challenges are real enough. The country desperately needs to reduce its dependency on foreign technology and boost innovation. But imagining that bureaucrats — whose own departments are hardly paragons of efficiency — will spark an academic renaissance is like expecting a traffic warden to conduct an orchestra. After the 18th Amendment devolved education to the provinces, Sindh had a chance to nurture world-class universities. Instead, it seems intent on creating what might be called ‘Yes, Minister U’. The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association, now in its sixth day of protests, fears that academic independence will be sacrificed on the altar of administrative convenience. The irony is rich enough for a business school case study: in trying to fix universities, Sindh risks destroying what makes them work. Bureaucrats may excel at many things, but fostering innovation is rarely among them. Mr Shah might do better to reform his selection processes than replace scholars with civil servants. As it stands, his solution risks turning centres of learning into outposts of officialdom — a transformation that would earn an F in any economics class.
Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025
Stalled talks
ONE step forward, two steps back. That had been the progress so far in long-awaited negotiations between the opposition PTI and the ruling coalition, but all talks have now been called off by the PTI’s incarcerated founder after a ‘raid’ on an allied lawmaker’s residence.
Following the raid, former prime minister Imran Khan decided on Thursday that the government was being ‘non-cooperative’ and, therefore, there was little to be gained from continuing negotiations with it. One wonders if he was a tad impatient in making that call.
After all, his party had previously announced that talks would be given a chance at least till the end of January, after which it would take decisions regarding its next steps forward. The government, too, had promised to respond to the PTI’s written demands by Jan 28 and had repeatedly asked the party not to abandon the committee set up for parleys between the two political camps.
It was, no doubt, a poor play by the authorities to sanction a raid on the residence of Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Hamid Raza, who also serves as the PTI’s spokesperson for the talks committee. The PTI chief saw it as an attack on the negotiating committee, noting that “negotiations based on ill intentions cannot succeed.”
However, Mr Khan should not have let the incident distract him from the bigger picture. Any negotiation with the government was never going to be easy, given the chasm between the two camps. His party has also been aware that there are spoilers who were unhappy with the process from the start. It would have been wiser, therefore, not to react to the provocation. However bitter their differences, both parties need something from each other if they hope to keep their share in the country’s political future. They should have remained committed to the process.
Perhaps there is an opportunity yet to salvage the talks. Though he has ended negotiations, the PTI founder still wants judicial commissions to probe the events of May 9 and Nov 26. Given the government’s confidence and conviction regarding its position, it does not make sense for it to delay the matter any further. It should let independent arbitrators investigate the facts so that these chapters may be closed and the country can move on.
There is a dire need for all national leaders to act sensibly if they wish the best for the country’s future. Much damage has been done by their inability to resolve their differences through political channels, and yet it seems that the temptation to keep looking to the ‘third umpire’ has not yet gone. A mutually acceptable solution must be found to return executive power back to the people, where it rightfully belongs. The status quo is not sustainable.
Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025
West Bank’s turn
MERE days after pausing the Gaza genocide, Israel has turned its guns on the occupied West Bank.
Though Israel had been conducting raids in the West Bank while simultaneously carrying out the slaughter in Gaza in the aftermath of Oct 7, 2023, with the ceasefire taking effect in the Strip on Sunday, Tel Aviv is now free to concentrate its attention on the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Raids were stepped up earlier this week, with around a dozen people killed, while residents of the Jenin refugee camp have been forcibly evacuated.
As a UN official has noted, Israel is applying “war fighting” methods in the West Bank. While Tel Aviv had cited Hamas as the casus belli for the Gaza rampage, the West Bank is ruled by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. This shows that Israel has a problem with all Palestinians, regardless of their political affiliations.
Israel’s actions in the West Bank have very swiftly shattered the illusion that the Gaza ceasefire would bring peace to the occupied territories. The Zionist state — as it has shown over the decades — thrives on conflict, and peacemaking is not a priority for the Israeli ruling elite.
Couple this with the fact that the current occupant of the White House is surrounded by zealous Zionists, and the future for the Palestinians does not look good. It is highly likely that Israel will try and annex the West Bank, with the Trump administration egging it on. This will likely turbo-charge the Palestinian resistance, as Arabs in both Gaza and the West Bank fight for survival.
It is also a fact that the Lebanon ceasefire is due to expire in a few days, and Tel Aviv has no plans to withdraw from south Lebanon. While Hezbollah may be weakened, it can still put up a fight. Therefore, it may only be a matter of time before the ‘multifront’ war resumes in the region.
Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025
WHEN bureaucrats fancy themselves as scholars, universities suffer. It’s a pity this is a lesson the Sindh government has yet to learn. Its latest scheme — to allow civil servants to head universities — has produced precisely what bureaucrats least enjoy: protest and disorder. The province’s campuses have erupted in demonstrations, much to the chagrin of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who has responded with that most bureaucratic of solutions: threats. The government’s logic is circular enough to make a geometry professor dizzy. Universities are failing, it claims, so they need bureaucrats to save them. Yet these same institutions just showcased 417 research projects at a technology expo, suggesting they are rather more alive than advertised. The real dysfunction may lie elsewhere: the current system of appointing vice chancellors involves interviews shorter than a tea break, with results seemingly predetermined. Mr Shah’s evidence for the needed change is equally puzzling. He cites cases of misconduct among current PhD-holding VCs, rather like a doctor diagnosing a broken leg by pointing at a headache. If existing leaders are failing, it rather raises questions about who appointed them — which would be Mr Shah’s administration, responsible for selecting 38 VCs.
Pakistan’s higher education challenges are real enough. The country desperately needs to reduce its dependency on foreign technology and boost innovation. But imagining that bureaucrats — whose own departments are hardly paragons of efficiency — will spark an academic renaissance is like expecting a traffic warden to conduct an orchestra. After the 18th Amendment devolved education to the provinces, Sindh had a chance to nurture world-class universities. Instead, it seems intent on creating what might be called ‘Yes, Minister U’. The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association, now in its sixth day of protests, fears that academic independence will be sacrificed on the altar of administrative convenience. The irony is rich enough for a business school case study: in trying to fix universities, Sindh risks destroying what makes them work. Bureaucrats may excel at many things, but fostering innovation is rarely among them. Mr Shah might do better to reform his selection processes than replace scholars with civil servants. As it stands, his solution risks turning centres of learning into outposts of officialdom — a transformation that would earn an F in any economics class.
Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025
Stalled talks
ONE step forward, two steps back. That had been the progress so far in long-awaited negotiations between the opposition PTI and the ruling coalition, but all talks have now been called off by the PTI’s incarcerated founder after a ‘raid’ on an allied lawmaker’s residence.
Following the raid, former prime minister Imran Khan decided on Thursday that the government was being ‘non-cooperative’ and, therefore, there was little to be gained from continuing negotiations with it. One wonders if he was a tad impatient in making that call.
After all, his party had previously announced that talks would be given a chance at least till the end of January, after which it would take decisions regarding its next steps forward. The government, too, had promised to respond to the PTI’s written demands by Jan 28 and had repeatedly asked the party not to abandon the committee set up for parleys between the two political camps.
It was, no doubt, a poor play by the authorities to sanction a raid on the residence of Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Hamid Raza, who also serves as the PTI’s spokesperson for the talks committee. The PTI chief saw it as an attack on the negotiating committee, noting that “negotiations based on ill intentions cannot succeed.”
However, Mr Khan should not have let the incident distract him from the bigger picture. Any negotiation with the government was never going to be easy, given the chasm between the two camps. His party has also been aware that there are spoilers who were unhappy with the process from the start. It would have been wiser, therefore, not to react to the provocation. However bitter their differences, both parties need something from each other if they hope to keep their share in the country’s political future. They should have remained committed to the process.
Perhaps there is an opportunity yet to salvage the talks. Though he has ended negotiations, the PTI founder still wants judicial commissions to probe the events of May 9 and Nov 26. Given the government’s confidence and conviction regarding its position, it does not make sense for it to delay the matter any further. It should let independent arbitrators investigate the facts so that these chapters may be closed and the country can move on.
There is a dire need for all national leaders to act sensibly if they wish the best for the country’s future. Much damage has been done by their inability to resolve their differences through political channels, and yet it seems that the temptation to keep looking to the ‘third umpire’ has not yet gone. A mutually acceptable solution must be found to return executive power back to the people, where it rightfully belongs. The status quo is not sustainable.
Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025
West Bank’s turn
MERE days after pausing the Gaza genocide, Israel has turned its guns on the occupied West Bank.
Though Israel had been conducting raids in the West Bank while simultaneously carrying out the slaughter in Gaza in the aftermath of Oct 7, 2023, with the ceasefire taking effect in the Strip on Sunday, Tel Aviv is now free to concentrate its attention on the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Raids were stepped up earlier this week, with around a dozen people killed, while residents of the Jenin refugee camp have been forcibly evacuated.
As a UN official has noted, Israel is applying “war fighting” methods in the West Bank. While Tel Aviv had cited Hamas as the casus belli for the Gaza rampage, the West Bank is ruled by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. This shows that Israel has a problem with all Palestinians, regardless of their political affiliations.
Israel’s actions in the West Bank have very swiftly shattered the illusion that the Gaza ceasefire would bring peace to the occupied territories. The Zionist state — as it has shown over the decades — thrives on conflict, and peacemaking is not a priority for the Israeli ruling elite.
Couple this with the fact that the current occupant of the White House is surrounded by zealous Zionists, and the future for the Palestinians does not look good. It is highly likely that Israel will try and annex the West Bank, with the Trump administration egging it on. This will likely turbo-charge the Palestinian resistance, as Arabs in both Gaza and the West Bank fight for survival.
It is also a fact that the Lebanon ceasefire is due to expire in a few days, and Tel Aviv has no plans to withdraw from south Lebanon. While Hezbollah may be weakened, it can still put up a fight. Therefore, it may only be a matter of time before the ‘multifront’ war resumes in the region.
Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025