Daily Times

Is Islamabad a city of containers? Physically, yes, it looks like a city filled with a large number of containers, placed at chowk points or routes in a standby mode. If you want to dispatch your goods from Islamabad to Karachi, the cost of transportation is half the cost of transport from Karachi to Islamabad. The reason is that more imports are received at the port city of Karachi. Afghan transit trade adds to this traffic upcountry. However, for a trader, the confiscation of containers is causing anxiety. Different traders have shown apprehension that their export orders are getting delayed, which could result in a financial loss as well as the loss of foreign exchange to Pakistan.

What is interesting for us is that these containers, which provide safe means of transportation through shipments, are an important tool for effective utilisation in trade and politics. For example, in the past political upheavals, the containers were used by the politicians to stage protests at D-chowk Islamabad as well as approach routes to Islamabad. One such container offered a luxurious stay to the political leadership for boarding and lodging with friends around. It also provided a ready-made stage to mount and start fireworks of politics. Although such demonstrations create a pull on economics, trade, environment and a distraction from the core burning issues such as Kashmir. Since August 5, the Indian government has turned Kashmir into a closed container for the Muslims in a state of fear, anguish and trauma. With one lakh martyred, one and a half lakh arrested, one lakh made orphans, their homes have been turned into closed containers for about 88 days.

They can, however, dig the graves in their houses, where it is different from containers. They can’t speak from the rooftops of their houses to complain or ask for help. Containers are a wakeup call for the so-called champions of peace; a wakeup call for the women’s rights champions; a wakeup call for UN and a matter of shame for Indian fascist leadership.

It has been reported that the government and opposition have reached an agreement to allow the opposition to hold its rally at H-9 ground Islamabad instead of the D-Chowk. Being close to Kashmir Highway, this activity is likely to interfere in the public route, particularly those passing from Kashmir Highway. We should remember Kashmir on Kashmir Highway.

Containers provide a secure means of transportation through the sea. The US ports receive thousands of containers daily. After the attack on Afghanistan in 2002, there came a brain wave in the minds of policymakers. The US forces started transporting Afghan prisoners in the containers. It was thought that these will be safe as well as a discrete mean of transporting Taliban prisoners, particularly while transiting through the war-torn terrain of Afghanistan where the US forces had no authority or control.

During this process, they failed to appreciate and arrange the provision of fresh air and appropriate human transportation conditions for the prisoners of war. The absence of human rights representatives could not monitor the situation as they were not present on the ground, which resulted in mass casualties of Afghans due to asphyxia. Unfortunately, no one has taken up the matter in the ICJ or the UN. No cases of war crimes could be reported against the invading forces by any independent organisation to date.

Besides, human traffickers also gave it a try for illegally transporting human beings into the US as illegal immigrants. This option did not work well and the inhabitants of these locked containers died en-route for various reasons.

These events made the US government think of introducing the container security initiative or CSI which bounds the container dispatching nation to get it inspected and sealed prior shipment. This seal is then opened in the US by the customs authorities. Therefore, the probability of receiving a surprise on the US ports was reduced. The congressmen moving these bills had feared that a nuclear device could be shipped on an American-bound vessel for detonation in a US port. One can well understand that a docile container lying on the roadside is not that simple as it covers the entire spectrum of conflict starting form as political speech to a nuclear holocaust.

Providing a safe means of transportation through shipments, containers are an important tool for effective utilisation in trade and politics

What is there for us, in Pakistan? The answer is it should be intelligently used to boost our exports. The livestock export should be planned through improvised containers. Prime Minister has recently approved medium and small scale entrepreneurship development program. The CEO of this authority is likely to be appointed in December 2019. A three-year strategy is being planned for implementation.

It is time to develop a livestock export plan in this model. The completion of the first phase of the CPEC provides better road connectivity. Firstly, a national-level CPEC utilisation plan should be prepared. The containers from China to Gwadar, on their way back to China, should be loaded with Pakistani goods to be exported to China. Pakistan exports livestock as a byproduct of its dairy industry and earns 14 per cent of its GDP. Its index grew up to 141 in 2015; indicating it has a great potential for exports if investments are made for breeding animal in farms. The investment can either be made through government or Foreign Direct Investment. The initiative of the government for enterprise development and financial support can bring a large influx of exportable livestock.

The government should consider establishing livestock handling zones at Gwadar. One plant for slaughtering and packing meat has been established at Karachi’s Bin Qasim Port. Frozen or chilled meat should be shipped or airlifted for exports. During the Eid-ul-Azha season, there is a demand for sacrificial animals in the Gulf countries. Small size dhows should be used for their shipment on the lines of African Nations (Somalia and Sudan) model.

I believe that livestock export model, using the investment from local or foreign resources and utilising CPEC infrastructure, will be very helpful in boosting exports from Pakistan, leading to poverty alleviation, economic growth, food production and addressal of the climatic change. After all, the livestock does not involve any rocket science. It is in the expertise of Allah; the only one with no helper or idols to share in His domain.

The writer is a freelance writer and a retired commodore of Pakistan Navy