Here are
some recent editorials I wrote for The Gulf Today. (Posted for my records)
Dubai
proves it cares
for
differently-abled
Dubai has
time and again proved that it is a caring city for all sections of the society.
One of
the primary challenges facing those with physical disabilities at airports
world-wide is mobility, especially while passing through custom counters and
reaching the gates.
Dubai has
taken note of this and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners
Affairs-Dubai has taken measures to cater to disabled passengers at all
terminals of Dubai Airports, including Al Maktoum Airport, by installing
special counters that will help make travelling through the airport easy,
enjoyable and comfortable.
It should
be noted that the move has been registered as the first in the Middle East and
one of the few in the world.
An e-gate
also has been allocated for disabled people, while the smart gate at Terminal 3
is the first of its kind in the Middle East which allows the disabled people to
complete travel procedures in 18 seconds only.
The
authorities have also chosen 20 well-trained officers who can use the sign
language to deal with people with physical disabilities.
Dubai
International Airport was the world’s busiest for international passenger
traffic last year, taking that title for the first time from London’s Heathrow
Airport.
Last
year, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum issued a law to protect the rights of people with
disabilities in the Emirate of Dubai.
The law
devotes cooperation among all authorities concerned in Dubai to provide health
care services, therapeutic services, rehabilitation for people with
disabilities, in addition to providing educational opportunities that are equal
to those provided to their peers at all stages.
The law
further stipulates providing public services to people with special needs,
including the use of roads, public transport, police and judicial services to
ensure their integration with the other categories of the community.
Sheikh
Mohammed had described them as "people with special challenges"
because they serve the interest of the community and nation by challenging
their physical disabilities.
The UAE
grants people with special needs the right to employment, education, marriage
and a decent living on par with all compatriots.
People
with special needs play a vital role in the fabric of society. The attention
given by Dubai to this important category in the community and its leading role
in the process of building and development is creditable. It sets a healthy
trend for other airports in the world to follow.
Indo-Pak
diplomacy
on
right track
At a time
when people across the globe are fed up of conflicts, any peace initiative
deserves a warm welcome.
In this
context, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unexpected meeting with his
Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in the Pakistani city of Lahore not only
comes as a surprise, but also indicates a potential sign of thawing relations
between the two neighbours.
It should
be noted that this is the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier since
2004.
Incidentally,
Modi’s visit coincided with Sharif's birthday and the wedding of his
granddaughter.
One of
the first public signs of the visit came Friday morning when Modi, during a
stop in the Afghan capital of Kabul, tweeted that he is "looking forward to
meeting" Sharif in Lahore, "where I will drop by on my way back to
Delhi." He also called Sharif and wished him happy birthday.
India and
Pakistan resumed high-level contacts with a brief conversation at climate
change talks at the COP21 climate change conference in Paris last month.
The last
visit to Pakistan by an Indian prime minister was in 2004 by then leader Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, who is credited with bringing about a thaw in relations with
Islamabad.
Seeing
Sharif and Modi chatting in a room happy and relaxed signified a cordial
approach.
In fact,
Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry indicated that Modi had phoned
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while on a visit to neighbouring
Afghanistan and asked if he could make a stop in Pakistan on his way home.
And the
Pakistan premier replied, “Please come, you are our guest, please come and have
tea with me.”
Not all
are amused, though. India's main opposition party, Congress, has been quick to
criticise Modi's "irresponsible" decision. The party wants to know
“what has changed in the last few months that made Modi go straight to Lahore
from Kabul."
A concern
for both countries is the frequent skirmishes along the border. A cease-fire
along the India-Pakistan line of control that serves as the Kashmir boundary
has largely held since 2003, but firing and gunbattles are fairly common, with
each side routinely blaming the other.
While
such issues need to be tackled, giant leaps begin with tiny steps.
The
Modi-Sharif meeting should be considered a turning point in India-Pakistan
relations.
If the
two nations manage improve their ties, the entire region will be benefited on
multiple fronts. Too many years have been wasted in avoidable animosity. It is time to give peace a chance.
Window
of opportunity
for
peace in Syria
The
setting of Jan.25, 2016 by the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria as the
target date to begin talks between various parties has raised hopes for a
possible solution to the five-year-old conflict that has shaken the entire
world.
Incidentally,
the announcement, issued in Geneva where the talks are also expected to take
place, comes just over a week after the Security Council adopted Resolution
2254, giving the world body an enhanced role in shepherding the opposing sides
to talks for a political transition, with a timetable for a ceasefire, a new
constitution and elections, all under UN auspices.
Syria's
civil war that began in 2011 has been the main driver of mass displacement,
with more than 4.2 million Syrian refugees having fled abroad and 7.6 million
uprooted within their shattered homeland as of mid-year. Over 250,000 people
have already lost their lives.
The
country is in ruins and the spreading of radicalism poses major security
challenges regionally and globally.
What is
also extremely disturbing is that a growing number of Syrian refugee children
are being pushed into the labour market to support their families and
exploited, often in dangerous conditions.
All
parties should immediately cease attacks against civilians, including medical
facilities and personnel and the indiscriminate use of weapons, including
shelling and aerial bombardment.
There is
a critical need to build conditions for the safe and voluntary return of
refugees and internally displaced persons to their home areas.
Relevant
Syrian parties should cooperate wholeheartedly in the peace process. The
situation on the ground should not be a reason to close doors on peace
initiatives.
Action
should also be initiated to alleviate the suffering of Syrian civilians and
refugees, through material, psychological and educational support to create a
secure and humane environment for them.
After
all, if the deadly casualty figures do not rattle human conscience and prompt
and united action to alleviate the sufferings of ordinary Syrians, what else
will?
As the UN
Special Envoy for Syria has stated, the people of Syria have suffered enough.
Their tragedy is now felt throughout the region and beyond. They deserve the
full attention and commitment from all their Syrian representatives, who should
show leadership and vision to overcome differences for the sake of their
country.
Leaders
deliberating on the Syrian issue should keep a flexible approach.
An
opportunity for peace has at last emerged and letting it go will not be a wise
idea.
Address
root causes
of
displacement
The
United Nations has declared that the number of people who have been forced to
flee war, violence and persecution looks set to soar in 2015 past last year's
record of nearly 60 million and the issue is a matter of serious concern.
According
to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the estimated figure includes 20.2
million refugees fleeing wars and persecution, the most since 1992.
The huge
numbers indicate the utter failure on the part of the international community
to protect helpless civilians in troubled spots.
An
astounding 2.5 million asylum seekers have requests pending, with Germany,
Russia and the United States receiving the highest numbers of the nearly one
million new claims lodged in the first half of the year.
Syria's
civil war that began in 2011 has been the main driver of mass displacement,
with more than 4.2 million Syrian refugees having fled abroad and 7.6 million
uprooted within their shattered homeland as of mid-year.
Separately,
Unicef has indicated that more than 16 million babies in 2015 were born in
conflict zones such as Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen or on perilous
journeys to escape fighting, which translates to 1 in 8 of all births
worldwide, or one newborn every two seconds.
What is
worrying more is that in addition to conflict and poverty, the effects of
climate change and lack of opportunity are making children increasingly
vulnerable and have pushed millions on dangerous journeys away from their
homes.
Refugee
children are often the most marginalised and hardest to reach and help. The
need to ensure an education for children in crisis should never be
underestimated. They face challenges like extreme poverty, social exclusion,
trauma and language barriers.
As top UN
officials point out, never has there been a greater need for tolerance,
compassion and solidarity with people who have lost everything. What is also
essential is a need for political will to help those who are forced to flee.
The
victims should be given all support and protection as per international norms.
When insecurity and hopelessness set in the minds of displaced persons, it
pricks the conscience of humanity.
All
efforts should be taken to break the trend where millions of men, women and
children are getting trapped in conflict zones around the world.
Governments,
civil society and humanitarian and academic partners should work together and
find ways to understand and address the root causes of displacement.
