From Brussels, with no love

On the morning of June 1 when I left Lahore to attend the summit between Pakistan and the European Union, the situation in Pakistan was worse than ever. The ashes of the Ahmadi massacre that terrified the country were still in the air. The war that international militants have launched against the US in 2001, has now turned against us, a frontline state. Since October 2001, Pakistan has provided the US with five air bases. This means that two thirds of Pakistan’s air space was gifted as an air corridor for US operations in Afghanistan.

Since we have a soft border with Afghanistan the pressure of US forces forced the militants of Afghanistan to seek refuge in Fata. The net result was the rise of extremism across Pakistan. If wars are fought according to the cost-benefit formula, this war seems to be a lose-lose situation for Pakistan. Though Pakistan’s sacrifice cannot be measured in statistics, numbers are important to comprehend the irony of the situation.

In the past nine years, Pakistan has suffered more than 150 suicide attacks and 639 bomb blasts. As a result in the last year alone, foreign direct investment fell by 45 per cent. The GDP growth rate has declined from a high of around 9 per cent in 2005 to 1.2 per cent in 2008-09. The hotel and tourism industries have received a death blow. According to one source hotel occupancy is as low as 30 per cent now.

From Pakistan’s perspective, two important issues need to be addressed here. The first is economic recovery while the second is ending civilian casualties. The first task seems achievable, while the second appears difficult. For instance Pakistan’s economy could be given a boost if the EU gave duty-free access to Pakistani exports. This has been provided to the country’s competitors but not to Pakistan. The prime minister must have tried his best to get this concession from the EU but could not succeed. In the concluding session that took place on June 5, the EU president quite clearly said that this issue — of free market access — would be “looked into”. The summit brought to the surface the reality that the EU will help Pakistan only after it sinks into the least developed category.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi put it succinctly when he said “we are disappointed”. In ‘our’ war against terror where we and the West are equal partners, the loss of life of ordinary citizens is only taking place on our side of the world. While people in the West are dancing in nightclubs and drinking in bars, much blood of the citizens of the front-line state of Pakistan is being shed. In a joint press conference, Nato secretary-general had great words of praise and tribute for Pakistan, yet it also appears as if the international community, Nato and the US are not bothered by the situation, since they know that their fight is being fought with the blood of the Moon Market martyrs, the Qissakhwani bazaar martyrs, the GHQ Parade Lane mosque martyrs, and so on. While sitting at the headquarters of Nato — peace not only appears to be partial but also remains a farce for our part of the world.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2010.