Sustainable Development Policy Institute

Experts urge better water management to avoid conflicts
Shatqat Munir
The News International, Wednesday, May 28, 2003

ISLAMABAD: Water is fast becoming a scarce commodity, which needs to be conserved and harvested for future generations to address poverty, ensure food insecurity and growth. Its better management can save federation from possible conflicts and fragmentation, said experts on water issues.

They were speaking at the launching ceremony of a book, 'The Politics of Managing Water,' edited by Dr. Kaiser Bengali. The ceremony was organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute here on Tuesday. The book provides an overview of political overtones, which had developed into an issue of domestic and regional conflict. Chaired by former NWFP minister and chairman of SDPl's Board of Governors Shamsul Mulk, the ceremony was addressed by SDPI Executive Director Dr. Saba Gul Khattak, Managing Director Social Policy Development Centre Dr. Kaiser Bengali, Secretary General Sindh Democratic Party Ibrar Qazi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a PPPP leader and member National Assembly, and Senator Sartaj Aziz.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Saba said the book is a compilation of various aspects concerning the water is sues in Pakistan. She said that SDPl's focus of research is on environment and development issues and water is of prime importance.

Talking about the book, Dr. Kaiser Bengali said there is a dire need for water conservation in general and harvesting of water in particular in deserts and mountain areas. He said the book discusses intra and inter?provincial water conflicts and future scenario amid reports of growing scarcity. The chapter on Kalabagh Dam gives both views about the construction of this very politically charged dam. Both techno?centric and socio?centric approaches have been discussed in the book. "We need to improve water management instead of building structures. Dams do not produce water, they only store it. More dams do not make sense as we need to conserve water that would provide us more water with less cost as compared to building new storage," he said, suggesting to carry out lining of water channels and watercourses that would also create more jobs and conserve water and reduce land and environmental degradation.

Ibrar Qazi, a politician from Sindh, said that water is the only potential threat and conflict that mars relations between the Punjab and Sindh provinces. Other provinces do not have such inter?provincial conflicts. He accused centre and Punjab of harming Sindh's interests in terms of water distribution. He urged the people of Punjab to impress upon their ruling elite to stop what he called discrimination against Sindh and its people.

Alleviating the concerns expressed by Ibrar Qazi, PPPP leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that centre or Punjab would not like to annoy their Sindhi brethren, as they are very much part of this federation. He said no doubt that the rulers are callous and not giving importance to this very sensitive emerging conflict, lack of coordination among people of the four provinces is also aggravating the situation. "Let us sit together to sort out these issues amicably. If the water crisis was not settled, it could dent the federation any time. The growing water scarcity would further fuel such conflicts," he said Senator Sartaj Aziz said: "We should take water as a positive item as we have done in the past. Pakistan has doubled its irrigated area since its independence. Even then 75 per cent of our land is not under irrigation system. This resource should be tapped for growth and stability by diverting more water towards these lands."

Senator Sartaj was of the view that tube? wells in private sector had played an important role in reducing water logging and salinity, and put more land under cultivation. He said that Wapda's water segment has also been a good example in the past. He said the water management could do a lot in the existing circumstances. Water should not be dealt with as an isolated issue, rather it should be taken as a national priority in terms of its conservation and reuse, he added.

In his closing remarks, Shamsul Mulk called for observing integrity of Indus Basin to avoid any damage in future. "We should build upon the 1991 Water Accord and should evolve a water related conflict resolution mechanism involving all stakeholders. Such a mechanism should enjoy the confidence of the nation as a whole. The Kalabagh Dam issue needs to be tackled in the national interests and should not be politicised as it would cost heavily in such a situation," he said, calling for an amicable solution of water issue and consensus on Kalabagh dam.

Is it wise to grant MFN status to India?
Shafqat Munir
The News International, Friday, May 30 2003

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan should open its trade from any locked perception, owing to geopolitical dimensions and enter into regional, sub?regional free trade areas or arrangements as only free trade regime could ensure economic stability and prosperity, said experts. They were speaking at a seminar on 'Granting Most Favoured Nation Status to India' organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Thursday. Some of them were, however, cautious of giving the MFN status to India for the reason that New Delhi has been heavily subsiding its exports and always increases tension on borders with Pakistan.

Chaired by Dr. Abid Qayum Suleri of the SDPI, the seminar was addressed by Dr. Manzoor, ambassador and permanent representative at the Pakistan Mission to WTO, Geneva; Abbas Raza of the Trade and Industrial Technical Services; Sohail Altaf, vice president and zonal chairman of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI); and Nazeer Ahmed Saleemee of the WTO Wing, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan. The speakers discussed the implications of granting the MFN status to India with different perspectives.

Pakistan and India are likely to resume bilateral talks following expression of interest by both prime ministers to discuss various issues, including the one on trade between the two countries. The MFN status to India would be top priority in trade negotiations between the two countries, as India has been demanding this status as a member country of the WTO.

Dr. Abid Qayum Suleri said that the SDPI has arranged this policy dialogue at a crucial time so that the people of Pakistan could have a better understanding of the experts' view on granting the MFN status to India.

Dr. Manzoor said that Pakistan should take a lead in opening up its trade with India and all regional and international free trade regions as India has already enjoying benefit of opening up its trade with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other neighbouring countries with zero duty. He was of the view that due to some uncalled for assumptions and reservations, some countries still restrict their trade with the countries whom they consider political rivals. Most countries have realised the situation and started trade beyond political considerations and reservations. They are Taiwan?China, Arab?Israel, Russia?US and others. He said there is no harm in giving the MFN status to India as we already had given many concessions to India under regional trade arrangements and our successive governments had duly endorsed them since Zia?ul?Haq's era. In 1995?96, a study was conducted to see the impacts of giving the MFN status to India, which found that subsidies given by the Indian government to certain industries do not cause any threat to Pakistani industry, as major trade areas still remain to be competitive.

Dr. Manzoor said this might not be correct that transit trade from India to Afghanistan and Central Asian states under the MFN status could harm Pakistani products or give rise to smuggling. He said though there are restrictions on trade with India, even then Indian and Pakistani goods are traded between the two countries via Dubai and Singapore. He said transit trade facility should be seen separately with that of the MFN status. Due to tariff reduction, smuggling and underground trade have al

ready been reduced to a larger extent. He said we should not feel threatened from the Indian industry, as Pakistani industry is competitive enough. He said with opening of trade, economic activity would gain momentum and prices would come down. He said competition is a healthy activity that boosts economies. If anytime, one country feels any threat from exports on zero duty, they could levy anti?dumping duties and take safeguard measures to give protect to their local products.

Earlier, Abbas Raza said though giving the MFN status is equally important for trade and industry, it needs extra vigilance given Pakistan's geo?strategic situation and India's continuing protectionist approach and subsidies to its industry. He said Pakistan does not even have a tariff policy and both India and Pakistan could have better trade relations under the GATT. He suggested conducting a study on the trade situation before granting the MFN status to India. He said if India was given the MFN status, then it might divert huge sums to give subsidies to exports instead of spending more on defence to harm interests of Pakistan. He said granting the MFN status to India is equally important as the Kashmir issue, therefore, there should not hurry in this regard.

Talking about the impacts of granting the MFN status to India, Nazeer Saleemee said weak complementarity and competitiveness of economies do not appear to provide optimal benefits to Pakistan in the short?run. The Indian economy is highly protected through high tariffs, non?tariff barriers, import licensing and procedural formalities that make exports cumbersome. He said although opening of trade with India will provide a bigger market to Pakistan, there would be associated cost through trade diversion. India is the most frequent user of contingency measures to protect trade as it by now has taken more than 250 anti?dumping cases. He suggested that an in?depth study is required to identify as which of our industries are vulnerable to the Indian competition so that productivity of these units is improved through improvement of different standards. India needs to be persuaded to eliminate all non?tariff barriers and drastically reduce subsidies to provide a level playing field. He said experts opined that trade with India would help both countries in the long?run but granting the MFN status to India would be a political decision at the highest level.

Welcoming the would?be Pakistan?India talks, Suhail Altaf said business community in Pakistan hardly cares its profit from regional market to be opened in terms of giving the MFN status to India and opening trade with it rather it sees trade with India with a nationalistic approach. He said without resolving the core issue of Kashmir, peace would remain a farce and how could we do business and trade with India under tense atmosphere.

He said first Pakistan?lndia relations should be normalised, only then we could talk about benefiting from open trade. He said we are not scared of the Indian industry, but we do have concerns that there is no level playing field amid huge subsidies provided by the Indian government.

He said a Pakistani trade delegation is going to India on June 27 to explore normalisation of trade links between the two countries. We do support trade with India to get benefits from its market but we could not compromise on our national interests.

Textbooks should be changed to achieve goals of progressive Pakistan
SDPI holds seminar on state of curricula in the country

Rasheed Khalid
The News International, Rawalpindi/ Islamabad, Tuesday, June 17, 2003

ISLAMABAD: Dr. A H Nayyar has asked the government to undertake changes in the curricula and textbooks of Social Studies, Pakistan Studies, Urdu and English from class I to class Xll to realise the goal of a progressive, moderate and democratic Pakistan.
He was giving recommendations of a study he conducted with Ahmed Salim at a seminar on 'The subtle subversion: the state of curricula and textbooks in Pakistan' organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute here on Monday. Dr. Tariq Rahman of the National Institute of Pakistan Studies, QAU, presided over the seminar.

Dr. Nayyar said that there was a need to replace the existing books of Pakistan Studies with the books on history and geography of South Asia, which was the case before 1971. He said that in the first 25 years of Pakistan, children used to study ancient religious mythology of the region and the early great Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms of Mauriyas and Guptas, the Muslim conquests and the establishment of sultanates in north India. He said that this long historical perspective of our region is absent in more recent textbooks. Instead, he said, children are now taught that the history of Pakistan begins from the day the first Muslim set foot in India. He said that these disciplines like others have undergone a profound transformation in other societies and such changes need to be incorporated if our children are to develop the understanding and skills they need to keep up with their peers around the world in the 21st century.

He said that in an era of globalisation, our students should learn about their society in the larger context of other societies of the world and understand how their history and geography was linked to that of many others. He said that falsehood, distortions and omissions concerning our national history needs to be replaced by accounts of events that are supported by rigorous modern scholarship. He said that material encouraging or justifying discrimination against women, religious and ethnic minorities and other nations is required to be replaced with positive values of social equality, mutual respect and responsibility, justice and peace. He said that arbitrary concepts, incoherence, inconsistency and other pedagogical problems need to be replaced by a systematic set of modern ideas about history, society and identity based on well?established academic disciplines.

Dr. Nayyar regretted that curriculum wing of the Ministry of Education and textbook boards working under provincial governments must be abolished and replaced by the National Education Advisory Board entrusted the task of overseeing developing a new curriculum for public education in primary and secondary education, child psychology and pedagogy. He said that the board should be made up of leading academics, public and private educationists. He said that the proposed board should replace all existing textbooks starting next academic year where possible, with best available books in market that are free from problems identified and approve and commission new textbooks.

He said that education reforms should alter structure and content of the appropriate parts of the education decision?making and implementation bureaucracy.

Earlier presenting a summary of the report, Ahmad Salim said that identity and value system of children is strongly shaped by the national curricula and textbooks of Social Studies, English, Urdu and Civics. He said that a close analysis of independent scholars saw that over two decades, the curricula and the officially mandated textbooks contained material that is directly contrary to the goals and values of a progressive, moderate and democratic Pakistan. He said that a revision of curricula by the Ministry of Education in 2002 did not address the problem. He said that inaccuracies of fact and omission substantially distort the nature and significance of actual events in our history.

He deplored insensitivity to the actually existing religious diversity of this nation. He said that the books incite to militancy, violence and prejudice, bigotry and discrimination .He referred to glorifying war and use of force. He said that omission of concepts, events and material that could encourage critical self?awareness among students is also a cause of our backwardness.

Ahmad Salim said that the entire education is heavily loaded with religious teachings reflecting a very narrow view held by a minority among Muslims. He regretted that Pakistani nationalism is now defined in a manner that is bound to exclude non?Muslim Pakistanis from being Pakistan nationals or from even being good human beings. He referred to an excessive reference to ideology of Pakistan which is a post?independence construction devised by those political forces that were inimical to the creation of Pakistan. He regretted that repeated interventions by post?1988 elected governments failed to overcome the institutional resilience of the Curriculum Wing.

Dr. Tariq Rahman said that we should create a society in which there is no intolerance and changes in textbooks should not offend Muslims or non?Muslims. He said that by glorifying war, we do not serve the people. He said that the message should be pro?peace and pro?Pakistan, as the country cannot live without peace. He said that textbooks should not prove to be uninteresting, boring punishing devices for students.

PPP leader for debate on defence budget in parliament

Dawn, Rawalpindi/ Islamabad, Wednesday, June 19, 2003

ISLAMABAD, June 18: Like other budgetary provisions, the defence budget should also be discussed in parliament so that the people could know about the use of national kitty.
This was stated by the leader? of People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while speaking at a two-day conference on Population and Future: What Lies Ahead. The conference was organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Wednesday.
"What is the use of such a huge army when we have nuclear deterrence against our enemies", the PPP leader said, adding in the days to come, the economic and social issues would gain dominance in politics.
Chief Secretary of Sindh Mutawakkil Qazi said population growth was a global phenomenon. Believing that the gap between haves and have?nots is widening, he suggested that no one could address the issue alone, therefore, partnership between government and private sector was the need of hour.
The country representative of UNFPA, Dr Olivier Brasseur in his message read out on the occasion, said Pakistan's annual population growth rate was 2.1 per cent, which meant addition of 3.1 million people annually.
The population explosion has increased the pressure on recourses, therefore, water availability has declined from 5,300 cubic meter per capita in 1951 to 1200 cubic meter per capita per capita today, he added.
Ali. Tauqeer Sheikh said in agrarian society, the net advantage of having children started appearing within five years, as a child of that age started helping his parents in some chores.
He suggested that the only way to achieve better environment and reduction in population was to invest in education and ensuring health for all.
He said immense investment in the human capital was need of the hour otherwise ten years down the line things would go out of control.
Earlier, in her opening remarks, the head of population and environment communication centre of SDPI, Dr Jennifer Bennett, said the over population had become a scapegoat for all economic failures on all fronts.
"Yes, over population is and will be a problem but to say that only population is responsible for the rise in poverty and retardation of economic growth is unacceptable." She said it was not the over population that caused poverty instead it was vice versa.
She said the policy-makers should put more emphasis on poverty reduction strategies along with family planning. Later, in the second session, Dr A.R. Kemal said revenue sharing formula among provinces was responsible in a way for population growth, as it was based on population. Therefore, provincial governments don't mind over population, he added.
Concluding the session, the PPP leader Senator Raza Rabbani thanked the participants.

Poverty cause of overpopulation and not vice versa: Dr Jennifer Bennet

Mohammad Shehzad
The News International, Rawalpindi/ Islamabad, Wednesday, June 19, 2003

ISLAMABAD: Population is not a problem. Neither it is causing deterioration in the environment. It is the irresponsible consumption pattern of big powers that is causing environmental degradation, said a leading environmentalist.
"It is not population growth, but unsustainable consumption patterns that is the most serious factor causing degradation of our environment. The ecological footprint of living on subsistence is relatively small, often localised, and inconsequential unless it parts with traditional practices and becomes commercial," said Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, head of Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Pakistan at the preliminary session of a two?day conference on 'Population and the future: What lies ahead?" organised by the Population Environment Communication Centre (PECC) housed in Sustainable Development Policy Institute.
Sheikh maintained that population was not the cause of poverty but it was the latter that had given rise to population. Natural resources had been hijacked by the greed and powerful condemning the poor to produce more children for economic and social security. "The truth is, population is not a problem! Unhealthy, un-housed, uneducated, and unskilled populace is. And, all this challenges us to revisit our priorities and meagre resources that we have been allocating traditionally. Skewed social contract and the accompanying policies and financial allocations are the real reasons for the incidence of poverty. Fundamentally, it is not the magnitude of population that holds back the development process but the way in which topdown policies for economic development and population management are formulated and implemented.
Sheikh urged the policymakers and the rulers to face the reality that poverty is mainly due to monopolisation of resources; waste of human and natural capital; corruption; absence of across the board accountability, freedom of speech and expression, justice and rule of law; poor administration and management and bad governance. Due to these serious flaws and cracks in the system, the poor are becoming poorer and rich the richer.
"An increase in population is perceived as a revolution in making by every usurper and dictator. So, to keep the poor masses ignorant of this fact and perpetuate their illegal occupation on the human and natural resources, all usurpers try to brainwash the oppressed with the eyewash that increase in population should be condemned and stopped because it is the root?cause of poverty."
Sheikh argued that by controlling waste, the issues of poverty could be largely addressed while providing education to the entire population of the country. "Total estimated loss due to waste is around 3070 billions. People of Pakistan have suffered a loss of Rs. 500 billion in the form of defaulted/written?off loans?an amount sufficient to educate all the illiterate."
PECC's Director Dr Jennifer Bennet in her speech said that "population and the future" was a top priority agenda to be rigorously pursued at the national level. "Important because people make nations and without people the existence of a nation is meaningless. Development activities pursued by each nation must be pro?people and if the development policies of a country do not ensure the socio economic welfare of the people then shun such development."
Bennett propounded that "over?population" had become a scapegoat for all economic and development failures on all fronts. "The common perception is that because of over?population, poverty is increasing, that it is eating up the national resources and the national exchequer, and that it is retarding economic growth. Realization of rapid population growth and its consequent impact was realised, as way back, as in the early sixties, and since then national population programmes have existed to control the population, mainly through family planning Forty decades thence, we are not anywhere closer to what a country like Bangladesh has achieved in 10 years."
The baseline ingredients to Bangladesh success were political will and commitment, education, health, and employment generation. Likewise, the State of Kerala in India is an example still widely looked at for decreasing population through the provision of quality education, health and generating economic activities that ensured livelihood opportunities to both rich and poor.
Bennett also maintained, it was not overpopulation that was the cause of poverty. It was poverty, which was the cause of over-population! "If one studies the socio?economic and human development profile of Pakistan, it is clear that it is the poor who end up bearing a large number of children and not the education rich families. Why is this so? Why do poor countries and the poor in these countries prefer to have more children? Therefore, the much trumpeted phenomenon of over?population is a problem associated with the poor. Could it be possible that if the socio-economic status of the poor is ameliorated, the problem of overpopulation will automatically take care of itself?"
Bennett presented absence of linking the population factor with other factors as reason behind the failure of population programmes in Pakistan. Success of population programme depends on providing the rationale for smaller families and by providing the basic social and economic securities the people, that is to say the poor. For as long as these securities are not provided to the poor, they will continue to derive these securities in larger families. The so called rationale for smaller families will come only through cognitive development, which can be attained only through quality education for all along with access to basic amenities, health and livelihood opportunities. It will come only when the stark disparities between the rich and poor are minimized stringed with justice and equal opportunities for all. Contraceptive use will self?regulated and take its own natural course as a means to an end and not the other way round."
Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Mutawakil Qazi stressed on government civil society partnership for poverty alleviation and economic growth. His remarks that poverty was a global phenomenon that would stay on were flayed by the civil society. "It is really a typical bureaucratic approach that shows government's indifference and apathy to people's plight.
MP from Multan Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that poverty could not be allviated in the presence of huge army that is sustained at the expense the taxpayers' money that should be spent on the poor. He spoke highly in favour of forging friendly ties with India to make Pakistan prosperous and wealthy.

Govt urged to focus on masses empowerment

The Nation, Rawalpindi/ Islamabad, Wednesday, June 20, 2003

ISLAMABAD: The government should concentrate on pro?people development policies to ensure their socio-economic welfare as a country can only progress when the masses will be empowered.

These were the view of the speaker at a two-day conference “Population and Future: What lies ahead” which is being held local hotel.

The conference is being organised by Population and Environment Communication Centre of SDPI.

In his message on the occasion, Dr Olivier Brasseur, Country Representative, UNFPA, said that in a single year with our present population growth rate of 2.1, we are adding 3.1 million people annually, which means we are adding the population of cities of Faisalabad and Multan put together.

He said that the rapidly growing population has increased the pressure on resources. Water availability has declined from 5,300 cubic meters per capita in 1951 to 1200 cumm per capita today. He pointed that notwithstanding our government functionaries commemorate world population day, which is on 11th of July, each year, however, the statement made on these occasion are rarely translated into the action.

Speaking on the occasion the head of PECC, Dr Jennifer Bennet, said that the phrase of over population has become a scapegoat for all economic failures on all fronts. It is not over population, which is the cause of poverty; it is poverty which is the cause of over population.”

According to her, if the socioeconomic status of the poor is ameliorated, the problem of over population will automatically take care of itself.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, MNA from PPP?P said that in the days to come, the economic and social issues are to gain dominance in politics. He said that state has abdicated its role that it has to play to uplift the marginalised sections and the poor.

However, the political parties cannot become oblivious of the issues like health and education in future. Questioning that why our defense expenditure is not debated in parliament.

Ali Tauqeer Sheikh of LEAD ? Pakistan in his research paper s said that in Agrarian society the net advantage of having children starts appearing within five years as a kid of that age starts helping his parents in some s chores.

Dr A.R Kemal a noted economist, said that revenue sharing s formula between different provinces of Pakistan is responsible in a way for population growth as it is based on population.

Dr Mushtaq A. Khan of CRPRID in his presentation said that in Pakistan, poverty has doubled during last 15 years. Today 32 per cent of population of Pakistan is living well below absolute poverty line.

He disclosed that Pakistan has highest rnaternal mortality rate of 400 per 100,000 live births, which is unthinkable in any developed society.

About 40 per cent of children under 5 years are malnourished. 8 million women of childbearing age are anemic. At least 6 million children between age of 5 to 9 are out of school while only 63 per cent of population has access to water supply whose safety level is not known.

Irfan Mufti of SAP Pakistan observed that national security is I meaningless, a vogue term, until | and unless we do not invest in human security first.

Concluding the session, Raza Rabbani, Senator, who also chaired the session, thanked the participants.

Dr Mutawakkil Qazi, Shahab Khwaja, Deputy Secretary MOWPW, Kausar S. Khan of Agha Khan Foundation and Shahida Fazil of UNFP also presented their?papas in the first day of the conference.