Opinion View from the neighbourhood | Alarming video from Manipur and IMF’s report on Pakistan: What the Pakistani media is talking about

Dawn (July 23) said, “between the videographed incident of May 4 and its public revelation this week, Mr Modi was being toasted in powerful Western capitals as the leader of a robust democracy, a strategic partner. Were the hosts unaware of the tragedy unfolding for Manipur’s women and elsewhere?” More so, considering the statement of one of the women who said that the police had handed them over to the mob, “It is difficult then to accept that Mr Modi would have been kept in the dark by his own party” about the “horrors of Manipur”. Daily Times (July 21) says, “For a country that takes great pride in a long list of its fiery goddesses and powerful deities and spares no occasion to lecture its neighbours on the rights of women, among other minorities, India does a terrible job of walking the talk.”

Pak-Iran ties

Last week, Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff General Asim Munir met with Iran’s top military leaders to discuss deepening relations, bilateral trade, and security measures to eliminate terrorist activity at the border. The media is optimistic about the agreement promising economic cooperation as well as “pledging to boost sharing of intelligence and ensuring boots on the ground” (Express Tribune, July 18).

Dawn (July 18) said, “One of the major irritants standing in the way of improved Pakistan-Iran relations is the presence of armed malign actors active along the common border of both states… Therefore, it is understandable why border security was a dominant theme during army chief Gen Asim Munir’s recently concluded visit to Iran.” Express Tribune (July 18) said this visit was “momentous, as it took a holistic note of bilateralism”. Also, “President Raisi reiterated Iran’s strategy to transform security borders into safe economic borders by developing border markets and cooperation in the energy sector” so as to “stem the rot”.

Child abuse cases

A report by the Punjab government in Pakistan showed that from January-May, there were almost 1,400 instances of child abuse in the province, with 69 per cent of the victims being boys. It was also revealed that 55 per cent of the perpetrators were neighbours while 32 per cent were strangers.

Express Tribune (July 17) says, “Socio-economic stresses, power imbalances, and cultural taboos are just a few of the contributing factors that perpetuate the cycle of abuse.” Dawn (July 17) says, “this is only the tip of the iceberg, as the weakest and most disadvantaged segments of society — children, women, the poor — often do not report the trauma they suffer.” Both Dawn and Tribune recommend measures to deal with the situation. Dawn says, “a database of sex offenders… can be a useful tool to keep criminals away”, and “setting up special courts for child abuse cases” can ensure they are not lost in the “massive judicial backlog”. Tribune echoes the legal solution and adds, “Strengthening the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau is crucial… Furthermore, coordination among various stakeholders, including the police, parents, and relevant agencies, is essential. Sensitisation and capacity-building programs for those who interact with children regularly, such as teachers and healthcare providers, can contribute to the early identification of abuse cases and the provision of appropriate support.”

Surge in power prices

As part of the IMF’s $3 billion Stand-by Arrangement programme, Pakistan is expected to produce a primary budget surplus of 0.4 per cent. To achieve that, the government began by increasing the per unit price of electricity by PKR 4.94, bringing it up from PKR 24.82 to PKR 29.78. The media collectively believes that this move puts an unnecessary toll on the already struggling public and that there are other ways to achieve the budget surplus.

Express Tribune (July 17) brings in the factor of market monopolies that electricity distribution companies enjoy, which “give them little incentive to improve distribution infrastructure and collection”. They have “failed to reign in so-called ‘line losses’ to improve their viability and are all too happy to stick the public with the bill”. The Nation (July 18) agrees with this and advocates for market liberalisation: “Competition is the way forward to protect consumer interests and revitalise the economy.” Dawn (July 17) talks about the other options that would not place the burden on the public saying, “it could have designed a framework to fix the deep-rooted energy sector to cut losses, taxed undertaxed sectors… and launched a credible privatisation plan… but it didn’t”.

IMF report

On July 18, the IMF’s Executive Director for Pakistan released a statement on the country’s economic crisis and the need for bail-out money from the IMF. The media discusses the measures that PM Shehbaz Sharif’s government will have to take for long-term structural reform and to get Pakistan back on its feet.

News International (July 20) says, “PM Sharif has a duty to present this arrangement in the proper light and win broad-based institutional and popular support for its implementation… The need of the hour is to turn each challenge posed by the programme into an opportunity. The Nation (July 20) says, “most of these decisions will be hard to take, but we must remind ourselves that we are making up for decades of inefficient governance, planning and delayed reforms.” Dawn adds that “It is a foregone conclusion that the next government will need another, longer-term IMF programme to resolve structural challenges.”

adya.goyal@expressindia.com