| October 19, 2001 | Friday | Shaba'an 1, 1422 |
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Understanding the Taliban
Benazir’s wrong decision
Un-Islamic act
Police highhandedness
Misuse of Friday
A sharp contract
Missile attack
Chemical warfare?
Ridley in Afghanistan
Defiance
Employment of senior citizens
JUST when our self-esteem as a nation was at the lowest ebb as obscurantists ran amock killing people even in mosques and every young man aimed to migrate from the country, 11th September happened. A dastardly act, quite unjustifiable but one of its fall-out strangely enough, was rehabilitation of Pakistan in the world by providing us a window of opportunity to extricate ourselves from he abyss of bigotry in which we were wallopping. Whether we shall avail ourselves of this opportunity, only time will tell.
Ironically enough while for the moment the timely and correct decision by General Musharraf changed our destiny for the better, a service of incorrect decisions by America and India resulted in the advent of the decline of the supremacy of America in our times and gravitating of Pakistan towards Central Asia rather than the subcontinent, as it was poised to do at the time of Agra summit.
The initial reaction of shock and disbelief from the Americans was understandable which was translated into blustering rhetoric by Bush Jr. but the Americans in their desire for revenge forgot that war against terrorism cannot be a declared war, it has to be, by its very nature, a covert war for any lasting success to be achieved. The more the American President was carried away by his own rhetoric and his soaring popularity, the more he was caught in the quagmire of Afghanistan.
Bombarding a country to stone age, which is already in stone age, does not make sense but it does serve to consecrate the resolve of those it aims to destroy and earns them undeserved sympathy from their co-religionists. Perhaps the Americans will eventually be able to install a new government in Kabul, but predictably its rule will extend only to the outskirts of Kabul. The rest of the country would then sink into anarchy thereby becoming a hotbed of terrorists, exactly what the Americans set about trying to prevent by launching their attack on Afghanistan. Perhaps engagement of Taliban by Americans on the political front with monetary incentives would have achieved better results, because whether one likes it or not, the Taliban government is the first effective government that Afghanistan has had in the last quarter of a century.
When Musharraf went to Agra earlier this year any signs of concession from India at the time would have been gratefully acknowledged and would have eventually led to a normalization of relationship between the two countries. But the inherent antipathy that all Indian politicians, without exception, harbour against Pakistan did not permit them to give that concession.
These wrong decisions by India and America would have many repercussions on political, economic and cultural fronts in this region. Politically it is likely to lead to division of Afghanistan into North and South, akin to the division of Korea. The two parts and each part within itself will then be constantly warring with each other and Pakistan will inexorably be sucked into Southern Pakhtun part thereby permanently destabilizing its western borders and at the same time de-linking Pakistan from the subcontinent and its emergence as a pseudo Central Asian State.
Economically this incident will have an adverse effect. The scare of more terrorists attacks will inhibit travel and business mobility while indiscriminate stringent controls on movement of money in the wake of attempt to deny finances to suspected terrorists would curtail investment and consumption and would also lead to channelling of money into underground economy. Both these will result in the slowing down of economy leading to eventual worldwide recession and the process of the emergence of a global economy will be greatly retarted and may even come to a halt.
Culturally, the chasm between the West and the Middle and Near East that was being bridged because of migrations and movement of people from one part to the other would again be widened leading to increase of suspicion and mistrust.
M. SHAIQ USMANI
Karachi
MR Kaiser Bengali’s article, ‘Understanding the Taliban’ (Oct 14) will remove some of the misunderstandings about the Taliban, particularly in America and Europe where they are being painted as most uncivilized people.
In the deafening propaganda by the governments and the news media, no one cares to know what they have done. Despite their insular interpretation of religion, the fact remains that they have provided security to the people who were suffering in the anarchy created by the warlords belonging to different factions and engaged in infighting and plunder.
Mr Bengali’s article may be a source of getting the right information about the ‘protectors’ of the ‘damned’ Osama Bin Laden. There are, however, many things in the said article that are contrary to facts. He alleged that thousands were maimed as a result of the US supplied landmines planted by the Mujahideen. I do not know what is the source of Mr Bengali’s information. The fact is that the landmines were planted by the Russian military and their hirelings. Readers may recall that the freedom fighters who operated from Gashtia, Paktia and the Panjshir valley were prevented from advancing towards Kabul by laying these mines. Not a single mine was planted by them.
Mr Bengali has alleged that ‘this is the second time in less than a quarter of a century that Pakistan has lent its hands to the US to shed the blood of Afghans’.
He means to say that Pakistan joined US in shedding Afghan blood for the first time in 1979.
The fact is that Pakistan and the US joined hands to stop the Russian army from spilling the blood of the victims of aggression. It was the aggressors who killed a million of the Afghan people and not Pakistan or the US.
The ongoing military action against Afghanistan should not lead us to make allegations that have no relation with reality.
PROF MUKHTAR ALI NAQVI
Orlando, US
WITH her constant rhetoric on all subjects, Benezir Bhutto considers herself to be the wisest person on earth. Her sycophants also continue to advocate for her return, to destroy what little is left of Pakistan’s economy. Even the print media is making capital out of it by publishing her statements along with her photographs absolutely oblivious of her status as an absconder and a leader whose rule will remain as the most controversial and destructive in the history of Pakistan.
Among the most damaging projects of her period, the creation of the IPPs tops the list. Having served in WAPDA after retirement from the army, I found the organization efficient as well as highly prosperous. Ms Bhutto tore WAPDA into tatters along with shattering the economy of its consumers. The highly stupid decision of creating the IPPs resulted in the increase of electricity tariff from Rs 1.50 per unit to Rs 6.70 for domestic consumers and much higher for industrial and commercial enterprises.
It was widely known that thermal power only suited the countries which produced their own fuel, why didn’t the First Couple know it? While the common man is strangulated, industry and commerce in the country have gone down the drain since the fateful move.
On an inquiry by the Lahore High Court, it transpired that WAPDA paid Rs 85.83 billion to the IPPs for the purchase of power during 2000-2001. It is a colossal amount obviously collected by taxing the poor consumers. It also came to light that while in 1994-95, the extra need for electricity was estimated at 2,000 MW by 2000, an agreement for the purchase of 6,623 MW was signed with various IPPs. Under the agreement which provided for 60 per cent compulsory purchase of power, WAPDA was even obliged to close down its own power generation units to make unnecessary payment of billions to the IPPs.
It is also said that Hubco and Kapco, producing 2,000 MW could have easily met the additional requirements of electricity, which means that there was absolutely no need for creating the IPPs. They were only created for the personal benefits of the First Couple.
RAFI NASIM
Lahore
THE suicide attacks by hijackers of passenger planes in the US have been attributed to a state of desperation allegedly caused by the prolonged Palestine-Israel conflict. Denying rights for an independent Palestinian State is not a valid reason for committing mass murder of innocent people by persons with suicidal tendencies.
Islam does not justify suicide by desperate people. Kindness is enjoined upon fellow-passengers as per Islamic injunctions. How do the Muslim clerics condone the barbaric act of suicide which leads a person to hell?
Such anti-Islamic acts paint a distorted image of Islam which is a religion of peace and does not allow killing of a single person in an unlawful manner. Speaking of armed jihad, it can only be declared by a righteous Imam or head of a democratic Islamic state which does not exist in Afghanistan.
Similarly, every person in Pakistan cannot declare jihad on his own which would result in Fitna or Fasad which is condemned as worse than slaughter by the Holy Quran.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
A policeman is shown rudely dragging a bewildered old demonstrator by his shirt collar (Oct 16). The bearded person is perhaps of the age of the young constable’s father and does not seem to possess anything objectionable in his hands. This is simply atrocious.
Can we not expect our policemen to be a bit soft when dealing with women or senior citizens? Moreover, the poor demonstrator in the picture was not indulging in any anti-social activity like torching public vehicles or pelting stones at the private cars or the police vans.
M. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
IS not Friday a day meant for prayers and meditation individually and collectively? Then why have our so-called ulema chosen Friday as the day of protest?
Instead of preaching love, brotherhood, compassion and fellow feeling, some of our ulema go out into the streets with their followers, disrupt traffic, shut down shops and torture fellow citizens by paralyzing life. Is this what Friday is meant for?
Perhaps they are doing this because it is difficult to collect people and make them hold demos. This requires commissioning transport and spending money on petrol. But on Friday, they get the faithful without spending money, for they exhort those who come to offer prayer to go out into the streets and disrupt life.
Many of their followers carry sticks and threaten to vandalize shops and burn vehicles. Is it what one expects of the ulema? Must they destroy the sanctity of Friday for political purposes?
KHALIL GUL KHAN
Karachi
KINDLY recall that in October 1947, the only country in the world to oppose Pakistan’s application for the membership of the United Nations was Afghanistan. Pakistan then was a barely two-month-old innocent in the family of nations.
Today, regardless of the price, Pakistan is the only country in the world continuing diplomatic relations with the same Afghanistan. Imagine the contrast.
Allow me, sir, to cite here a Ghalib verse to highlight the connotation of this phenomenon for the edification of hearts and souls of General (late) Ziaul Haq, General (r) Gul Hamid, General (r) K.M. Arif and General Pervez Musharraf; also Ms Benazir Bhutto, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, and Mr Abdus Sattar. This list of selfless lovers of the faithless (bewafa) sweethearts could, of course, be much longer.
Phir usi bewafa pe martay hain
Phir wohi zindagi hamari hai.
A.B.S. JAFRI
Karachi
DEFENCE Secretary Rumsfeld has expressed regret for the loss of life of civilians in Afghanistan as a result of US missile attack, saying it was unintentional. Could somebody on behalf of the plane hijackers on September 11, similarly express regret for the loss of innocent lives in the WTC and Pentagon and say it was unintentional, the objective being simply to knock the bottom off America’s pride?
S.G. JILANEE
Karachi
LET everyone in the world take notice of the fact that the US is preparing the ground for a chemical or biological attack on Afghanistan with its increasing propaganda of anthrax attacks in the US.
The US has realized that it cannot defeat the Taliban and can never arrest or kill Osama bin Laden. The only option the US is left with is to use chemical or biological weapons in areas where it suspects that Osama is hiding. The way Bush says “we will smoke them out of their holes”, clearly shows that the US has reserved chemical or biological attack on Afghanistan as an option. The anthrax propaganda will simply justify an attack under the banner that they have been biologically attacked and now they are justified to respond in the same manner.
Let the world keep in mind that the US is about to commit this crime. We have to do something to hold it from doing so. Let’s not forget they were the first to use nuclear weapons in 1945.
MUMTAZ HUSSAIN
Mardan
I WAS rather disappointed when I read the diaries of Yvonne Ridley (Oct 14 and 15). She was obviously seeking an adventure of the Barbara Cartland type but to her disappointment and our relief, the Taliban behaved in the most gentlemanly manner.
To begin with, she went to Afghanistan with no rationale as such. It seems as if she staged her own capture because it is difficult to believe that a woman of her age and background would act as she did, on the back of a pony. And that, too, happened at the end of a journey that had challenged her self-control under more difficult circumstances. To my mind, her behaviour in captivity seems to be aimed at inviting attention and trouble without realizing the gravity of the situation of a country at war.
The Western world is full of such attention-seekers and the media should not encourage such people.
ROMANA SHAIKH
Karachi
THE “government’s much-trumpeted de-weaponization drive has hit snags as former Afghan warriors, who recently came to Peshawar after ending their self-exile abroad, are openly displaying sophisticated arms” (Dawn, 15).
“Se dicen la juticia es ciega, aparentemente la ley es ciega” (it is said that justice is blind, apparently law is blind) — Venezuelan proverb.
PROF DR. P. NASIR
Gujarat
WHAT a dilemma that people who steered society to its present development level and worked hard throughout their working careers are considered unfit for work when they grow in age. Physically fit and power packs of knowledge and experience, they are declined employment even in private organization on various pretexts. No room for argument, it is the choice of employer!!
By observation, the established middle level employees in private organizations, who enjoy the confidence of the employer, are the strongest deterrent to the employment of senior citizens. A substantial number of established employees in the private sector simply do not wish to share their task with anyone. They easily manage to shun off the younger employees and engage them in functions which lead them to embarrassing blames and counter blames about the functions assigned to them. Consequently the young employees end up with termination of their jobs or the smart ones of them read the wind and quit the jobs by themselves.
But senior citizens equipped with their knowledge and experience do not take long time to discover the situation in an organization. Also they are not easy to be sidelined by another employee. Their pursuit is to meet the approval of the employers with their dedication in the functions assigned to them. If they notice anything going wrong in the organization, they do not feel shy to talk about it with the established employees, which often brings them in conflict. The attempts to oust senior employees are, thus started on the pretext that they fight.
Some employers in the private sector trust their established employees more than they should. When a case of conflict is reported to employer against senior citizens, the employer should exert himself to investigate the facts to ascertain whether it is simple personality clash between the two employees or the dispute has the merit of “a positive role being attempted by the senior citizen in the best interest of the employer” which is obstructed by the established and older employee for no good reason.
Such an attitude taken by the employers themselves can solve such problems and can pave the way for further employment of senior citizens in the private sector.
President Gen Pervez Musharraf has sounded support for the deployment of senior citizens as they are highly valuable and can be good at their jobs till their end.
In the private sector, some organizations have crowds young females, or only young males. This obviously happens with employers’ own choice and militates against the social obligation to provide employment to every able worker, including senior citizen! Therefore, a law should be enacted whereby the work-force in every organization should consist of the enacted proportion of young employees, females and senior citizens. Also the salaries and benefits of the senior citizens should be either better or at par with others, by virtue of the same enactment.
M.M. KHAN
Karachi
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