CCI back on track?

Prioritising issues

The first meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in a year, unfortunately, turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. The much awaited census has been ‘rescheduled by consensus’, apparently, because of security concerns. It turns out that we simply cannot carry out the survey until the military can guarantee security. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the army, the last census in ’98 (already seven years past the due date), would also not have taken place. Now, according to the press, a revised action plan for the population census can be expected to be approved in a matter of weeks, while some say it could take a few months.

However, occupied as the military is with Zarb-e-Azb, it is strange that the government expects it to lend the appropriate number of troops, which it cannot at the moment, in a matter of weeks. There is reason to expect, therefore, that it might be considerably longer before necessary security arrangements can be put in place. For the moment, though, the existential war must take priority. That is not to say the government should not move on other issues the Council can cater to.

Granted, the census is essential for crucial issues like tax collection, distribution of resources, infrastructure development, etc. But until the government is hamstrung by the army’s commitments, it must still leverage the Council to settle numerous outstanding issues between provinces. That the government had to be literally arm-twisted into calling the 28^th meeting of the Council – after a year as opposed to the mandated quarterly meetings – does its democratic credentials little good. Already it makes the news often enough because of senior ministers’ disregard for the Assembly. And the ruling party called local party elections only when forced by the Supreme Court. For a party that boasts saving democracy and what not, this is not a good track record. Hopefully it will start taking CCI, at least, more seriously and the provinces will work more smoothly together.