DAWN Editorials - 3rd february2025
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 5:08 am
Kurram fragility
JUST as the people of Kurram began to see some relief in the form of convoys laden with essentials reaching Parachinar and other parts of the district cut off from the rest of the country due to bloodshed, fresh violence on Friday showed that calm in the tribal district can be shattered very easily.
Local authorities had intervened to keep the peace after two men were injured in a firing incident. Yet even the government peacemakers came under fire, highlighting the volatile state of affairs in Kurram.
Assistant Commissioner Saeed Manan, who was trying to mediate, was shot but is, thankfully, out of danger. However, a policeman, Ashiq Hussain, later succumbed to his wounds. This is not the first time officials and security men have come under attack.
Last month, the then deputy commissioner Javedullah Mehsud survived a murderous attack in Bagan, while days later militants martyred a number of security men. A ‘limited’ counterterrorism operation was launched thereafter, but as the latest attack shows, much more needs to be done to pacify Kurram.
Admittedly, the Kurram imbroglio is complicated, where tribal disputes over land and water have become intertwined with long-running sectarian feuds. There is also a geopolitical and security angle, as many of the Sunni militant groups active in the area are on good terms with the Afghan Taliban, while Shia militants linked to the Zainabiyoun Brigade maintain a strong presence in Kurram.
Bloodletting has been continuing since last year, and matters exploded after a convoy was attacked in November. Since then, attacks and counterattacks have been frequent.
The state has made several — some would say belated — attempts to quell the violence, the most significant coming in the form of a peace deal hammered out on New Year’s Day. But clearly, it will take full commitment by all state institutions, as well as the earnest cooperation of local tribes, to make the agreement work.
A grand jirga was held on Friday in Kohat to discuss the Kurram situation. At this gathering, the KP government spokesperson seemed upbeat about peace prospects. While the state’s efforts to contain bloodshed are appreciable, it will take more than words to bring lasting calm to Kurram.
At the Kohat Jirga, the KP spokesman said it was essential that “miscreants” involved in troublemaking be handed over to the authorities. He also said a relief package for Kurram was being finalised. Both these issues are important.
Those involved in violence must face the law, while those who have suffered during the conflict must be compensated financially. Moreover, the closure of roads in Kurram cannot be tolerated, and all thoroughfares should be made safe for travel. Efforts to engender reconciliation and forgiveness between Kurram’s tribes must also continue.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025
Captive shift
THE objective of the Power Division’s directive to the public distribution companies, including K-Electric, to sign service-level agreements with industries using gas-based captive power for their electricity needs is to lure them away from their off-grid, in-house generation to the national grid. The idea is to arrest falling demand on the grid and boost the use of a huge idle grid capacity for slashing the burden of capacity payments on consumer tariffs. The industry’s total self-generation capacity across the country, mainly in Punjab and Sindh, is estimated to be 2,150MW. The government could slash its capacity payments on surplus generation capacity by Rs240bn and cut the consumer tariffs by Rs2 per unit even if the industry agrees to shut down 70pc of its in-house generation and shift to the grid. The authorities have already raised the gas prices for captive power plants from Rs3,000 per mmBtu to Rs3,500 per mmBtu to discourage the use of self-generation under its $7bn agreement with the IMF.
Captive power is quite popular among manufacturers, especially textile producers, due to a combination of economic, operational and infrastructural factors. Our energy infrastructure faces challenges such as frequent power outages, and voltage fluctuations, which can significantly disrupt industrial operations. Besides, in-house generation is cheaper than electricity from the grid, which enables businesses to control their energy costs, while ensuring uninterrupted production. The agreements with the industries will commit to the “provision of stable, reliable and high-quality electricity supplies to them, catering to their specific needs”. In case of supply disruptions or grid fluctuations, the distribution firms will face heavy penalties. The agreements will also cover mechanisms for addressing technical faults in electricity supply and dispute resolution. The question is whether distribution companies are in a position to give such undertakings to the industry. Although the Discos and K-Electric have large distribution networks, especially in Punjab and Sindh where captive power is located, the network is mostly unreliable and plagued with inefficiencies due to lack of investment in its upgradation, the key reasons why industries opted out of the grid in the first place. Unless the distribution companies start investing in their networks, it would be impossible to lure the industries back to the grid. But do they have enough cash to upgrade their network?
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025
Inheritance denied
PAKISTAN’s heritage — from the Hindu Kush range to the Indus banks and delta — is a testament to the richness of our identity. But one of the largest ancient civilisations has spent decades under threat because it was never a national priority. Recently, Karachi’s TDF MagnifiScience Centre organised a virtual journey to the cultural remnants of the Indus delta through digitally documented sites. A part of the Digital Heritage Trail by MaritimEA, an organisation focused on cultural heritage management, maritime archaeology and ‘blue economy master-planning’, The Lost Cities of the Indus Delta project digitally documents Lahiri Bunder, Bhambhor, Ratu Kot Fort, Ranu Kot, Jam Jaskat Goth, and more. While this is an encouraging endeavour, which acknowledges that preserved tangible and intangible antiquity can change our fortunes, the battle to shrink human interventions, plunder, and climactic impact must be fought in real time and on-site.
Neglect and greed have made vast archaeological tracts and treasures almost invisible. The eighth-century ruins of Mansura in Sindh, formerly known as Brahmanabad, are a case in point: without fencing and security, smugglers and ecological devastation blight this incomparable repository. Where heritage and cultural conservation cannot change the world, it can certainly make it worth living in. The government must do its duty to making preservation and restoration a political agenda with an effective budget and legislation, alongside the stringent application of the Heritage Act, 1974, and the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994. Pakistan’s rare inheritance requires international collaboration and best practices to create socioeconomic growth through tourism, employment and development. Such an undertaking is not easy. However, it is the most constructive way to rebuild a sense of identity, memory, tolerance and learning. Policies that define cultural rights so that inclusion and peace are sacrosanct form the most vital aspect of this journey.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025
JUST as the people of Kurram began to see some relief in the form of convoys laden with essentials reaching Parachinar and other parts of the district cut off from the rest of the country due to bloodshed, fresh violence on Friday showed that calm in the tribal district can be shattered very easily.
Local authorities had intervened to keep the peace after two men were injured in a firing incident. Yet even the government peacemakers came under fire, highlighting the volatile state of affairs in Kurram.
Assistant Commissioner Saeed Manan, who was trying to mediate, was shot but is, thankfully, out of danger. However, a policeman, Ashiq Hussain, later succumbed to his wounds. This is not the first time officials and security men have come under attack.
Last month, the then deputy commissioner Javedullah Mehsud survived a murderous attack in Bagan, while days later militants martyred a number of security men. A ‘limited’ counterterrorism operation was launched thereafter, but as the latest attack shows, much more needs to be done to pacify Kurram.
Admittedly, the Kurram imbroglio is complicated, where tribal disputes over land and water have become intertwined with long-running sectarian feuds. There is also a geopolitical and security angle, as many of the Sunni militant groups active in the area are on good terms with the Afghan Taliban, while Shia militants linked to the Zainabiyoun Brigade maintain a strong presence in Kurram.
Bloodletting has been continuing since last year, and matters exploded after a convoy was attacked in November. Since then, attacks and counterattacks have been frequent.
The state has made several — some would say belated — attempts to quell the violence, the most significant coming in the form of a peace deal hammered out on New Year’s Day. But clearly, it will take full commitment by all state institutions, as well as the earnest cooperation of local tribes, to make the agreement work.
A grand jirga was held on Friday in Kohat to discuss the Kurram situation. At this gathering, the KP government spokesperson seemed upbeat about peace prospects. While the state’s efforts to contain bloodshed are appreciable, it will take more than words to bring lasting calm to Kurram.
At the Kohat Jirga, the KP spokesman said it was essential that “miscreants” involved in troublemaking be handed over to the authorities. He also said a relief package for Kurram was being finalised. Both these issues are important.
Those involved in violence must face the law, while those who have suffered during the conflict must be compensated financially. Moreover, the closure of roads in Kurram cannot be tolerated, and all thoroughfares should be made safe for travel. Efforts to engender reconciliation and forgiveness between Kurram’s tribes must also continue.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025
Captive shift
THE objective of the Power Division’s directive to the public distribution companies, including K-Electric, to sign service-level agreements with industries using gas-based captive power for their electricity needs is to lure them away from their off-grid, in-house generation to the national grid. The idea is to arrest falling demand on the grid and boost the use of a huge idle grid capacity for slashing the burden of capacity payments on consumer tariffs. The industry’s total self-generation capacity across the country, mainly in Punjab and Sindh, is estimated to be 2,150MW. The government could slash its capacity payments on surplus generation capacity by Rs240bn and cut the consumer tariffs by Rs2 per unit even if the industry agrees to shut down 70pc of its in-house generation and shift to the grid. The authorities have already raised the gas prices for captive power plants from Rs3,000 per mmBtu to Rs3,500 per mmBtu to discourage the use of self-generation under its $7bn agreement with the IMF.
Captive power is quite popular among manufacturers, especially textile producers, due to a combination of economic, operational and infrastructural factors. Our energy infrastructure faces challenges such as frequent power outages, and voltage fluctuations, which can significantly disrupt industrial operations. Besides, in-house generation is cheaper than electricity from the grid, which enables businesses to control their energy costs, while ensuring uninterrupted production. The agreements with the industries will commit to the “provision of stable, reliable and high-quality electricity supplies to them, catering to their specific needs”. In case of supply disruptions or grid fluctuations, the distribution firms will face heavy penalties. The agreements will also cover mechanisms for addressing technical faults in electricity supply and dispute resolution. The question is whether distribution companies are in a position to give such undertakings to the industry. Although the Discos and K-Electric have large distribution networks, especially in Punjab and Sindh where captive power is located, the network is mostly unreliable and plagued with inefficiencies due to lack of investment in its upgradation, the key reasons why industries opted out of the grid in the first place. Unless the distribution companies start investing in their networks, it would be impossible to lure the industries back to the grid. But do they have enough cash to upgrade their network?
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025
Inheritance denied
PAKISTAN’s heritage — from the Hindu Kush range to the Indus banks and delta — is a testament to the richness of our identity. But one of the largest ancient civilisations has spent decades under threat because it was never a national priority. Recently, Karachi’s TDF MagnifiScience Centre organised a virtual journey to the cultural remnants of the Indus delta through digitally documented sites. A part of the Digital Heritage Trail by MaritimEA, an organisation focused on cultural heritage management, maritime archaeology and ‘blue economy master-planning’, The Lost Cities of the Indus Delta project digitally documents Lahiri Bunder, Bhambhor, Ratu Kot Fort, Ranu Kot, Jam Jaskat Goth, and more. While this is an encouraging endeavour, which acknowledges that preserved tangible and intangible antiquity can change our fortunes, the battle to shrink human interventions, plunder, and climactic impact must be fought in real time and on-site.
Neglect and greed have made vast archaeological tracts and treasures almost invisible. The eighth-century ruins of Mansura in Sindh, formerly known as Brahmanabad, are a case in point: without fencing and security, smugglers and ecological devastation blight this incomparable repository. Where heritage and cultural conservation cannot change the world, it can certainly make it worth living in. The government must do its duty to making preservation and restoration a political agenda with an effective budget and legislation, alongside the stringent application of the Heritage Act, 1974, and the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994. Pakistan’s rare inheritance requires international collaboration and best practices to create socioeconomic growth through tourism, employment and development. Such an undertaking is not easy. However, it is the most constructive way to rebuild a sense of identity, memory, tolerance and learning. Policies that define cultural rights so that inclusion and peace are sacrosanct form the most vital aspect of this journey.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025