Back to blogging

Four and a half years is a long time to be absent from blogsphere; much has changed, and all is topsy turvy. I will endeavour to keep my blog updated as regularly as possible.

Street grooming

This evening's news are dominated by the conviction of nine men for horrendous offences relating to child sex exploitation. The news makes ones hair stand on end. Details of the news are easily available online.

One particular issue that interests me is whether race is related to the issue of grooming, and in particular whether it is an issue for Pakistani men. The BBC and ITV gave a slightly different flavour to this issue: The BBC One news at 6pm said that Asian men were involved in only around 25% of such offences, and that the majority of offences were committed by lone white men. On the other hand the ITV news at 6:30pm emphasised that Pakistani men were invovled in over 80% of group offences of this nature; i.e. where the grooming and exploitation is done by groups of men.

Either way, the news is not good for Pakistani men and some very serious individual and community level introspection is warranted. There should be no buryinig of the head in the sand. The issue of the attitude of Pakistani men to white women, and to sexuality in general, must be addressed.

Land theft - Mirpur

A Palestinian once remarked that unlike the theft of personal objects, which can be sold to faraway buyers or hidden, this is not possible with land. There is a constant reminder that that land over there has our ancestors footprints on its every inch. There it stands as a torturous reminder about which nothing can be done. I do not believe that analogies are always accurate and do not want to belittle the huge plight of the Palestinians. Nevertheless, this is the sort of feeling many people from Mirpur and its Dadyal sub-district now feel with land theft on the rise.

Various factors have colluded to create demand for premium land. This includes plans to raise the dam and a general demand from British Mirpuris keen to build palatial residences. Into this mix fall some very archaic land laws, which include various levels of ownership, occupation and land use. Throw in venal politicians from all parties and none and you have the making of a society not too different from the wild west.

The most pernicious factor in this mix are corrupt land administrators, known as patwari, and politicians. The former are all too happy to fill their pockets with backhanders and the word patwari is almost a swear word often used as a synonym for dishonesty in general. The latter are keen to reward loyal supporters and those who spend money on their campaigns; they have very few scruples about playing with land that does not belong to them – as if it is their personal fiefdom to distribute as they wish.

Beholden

There is an on and off debate in the UK about how parties should be funded. Should they receive state aid, corporate backing or donations from individuals and what should be the limits? Similar problems, but only more serious, prevail back in Mirpur – except that there is no debate about these matters. No one bothers to ask whether democracy is not rendered pointless if individuals can spend many lakhs of rupees on their favourite candidate.

Let me spell out the issue. At election times in Azad Kashmir, hundreds of individuals go from the UK to back their candidate. Some spend many lakhs of rupees on their man – the cost of running public events, food, transport, and even for outright bribery of village elders who control significant vote banks. Successful candidates are bound to feel obligated to reward their backers. With corporate backing, at least the relationship is a touch impersonal. When a selection of well off individuals are your main backers, the relationship is very personal and it is well nigh impossible for the politician not to feel beholden to such people.

Even if a politician is whiter than white, and this is a ridiculous concession for a to-the-core-corrupt system that is AJK, it would still be impossible not to feel at least a tinge of obligation. In the real world of AJK politics, where there is only variation in the degree of turpitude, it is in fact more than a tinge of obligation. Backers are given free rein to enrich themselves. This includes control of local funds and acquiring land that belongs to others.

Welfare dependency

Should welfare benefits be capped at £26,000? Most working people would probably say yes, particularly as that is a lot more than many hard working people take home after tax. For decades, Western welfare policy has struggled between two conflicting principles, how to encourage self-sufficiency and betterment and to ensure there is a safety net for those who fall on hard times. The latter is not based on ideology - it is the mark of a civilised society and common humanity that those who fall on hard times should be assisted.

Depending on how the policy is configured, whether in the direction of self-betterment or liberal assistance, a culture of permanent welfare dependence can easily develop. Now there are proposals to re-configure in the former direction. There are no easy answers. Times are tough and jobs are scarce. In the 1990s and the early parts of the new century, the job market was booming and a good opportunity to encourage the long term unemployment away from welfare dependence was squandered.

Assisted dying

The Commission on Assisted Dying has recommended that doctors be given the power to assist terminally ill people, subject to strict restrictions, to end their lives. Details of the recommendations are easily available online. Some thoughts on the ethics.

This emotive subject has been in the background for sometime now, especially since some terminally ill people and their families travelled to Switzerland where assisted death is legal. There are several religious and ethical arguments against legalising assisted death. Many people would argue that life is from God and only God has the right to take it. If this argument carries little weight with some, there are more general ethical concerns.

Whether you are religious or not, life is sacred. This sacredness is undermined if the possibility of legally ending it is in the background. It is conceivable that those terminally ill will feel under pressure to end their lives simply out of guilt that they are placing an enormous burden on their families. Even when, as in most cases, families are highly supportive, the thought cannot be avoided that they are imposing a burden which they can legally end. It is a difficult situation to be in.

We need excellent end of life and palliative care, not assisted death.

Iqbal's 'Stray Thought'

Allama Iqbal is well respected, if not always well understood, in Pakistan. The art of using the odd quote from Iqbal to illustrate any and every argument has been mastered to a high degree. Recently I stumbled across Iqbal’s Stray Thoughts (easily downloadable from the Internet). Some of the apercus are highly original and perceptive; others are less so. One such thought (Stray Thought number 84) says: ‘If you wish to become a public leader you ought to know how to flirt with the Dame Public. Entertain her with platitudes and, if necessary, with lies’.

Iqbal’s message of rationality, progress and unity have been ignored, but this is one insight which Pakistani politicians have not failed to take on board in their contemptuous dealing with the people of Pakistan