THROUGHOUT history and prehistory Balochistan has played host to a range of civilizations. From the civilization of Mehargarh (3000 to 6000 BC), the red pot civilization of Zohb, the yellow pot civilization of Quetta, and Naal, which are older than the Indus Valley civilization of Moenjodaro and Harappa, to the Soan valley civilization (500,000 years old) in the Potohar region, the oldest archaeological site in Pakistan. It is not surprising, hence, that from its sands every now and then a mummy is unearthed or some dinosaur fossils stumbled upon.

Recently more than 1,500 fossilized bones of dinosaurs were discovered in 16 localities in and around the Vitakri area, Barkhan, Balochistan. The (73-65 million years old) fossils of dinosaurs were first discovered last year in the upper Pab Formation of Maastrichtian. The recent discovery is the second most important discovery of dinosaur fossils within a year by GSP (Geological Survey of Pakistan). With the unexpected discovery, Pakistan has joined the few countries which experienced the presence and extinction of dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.

Dinosaurs, giant reptiles, governed the earth for more than 165 million years before man. The world dinosaur is derived from Greek word deinos, meaning terrible, and sauros meaning lizard. They existed in sediments deposited during the Mesozoic Era, the age of middle animals reptiles 230 to 65 million years ago. An adult dinosaur weighed 80 tons, the equivalent of six to eight elephants with a height of seven metres and length of 25 metres. It could eat more than two tons of herb in a meal.

More than 110 kinds of dinosaurs existed in the world. They included the dinos of sea, earth and space (flying dinosaurs). The most famous are the Captosaurs, Proslopholis, Aptosaurs, etc. Not all of them lived at the same time. Most dinosaurs were herbivorous, some were carnivorous. They laid their eggs in far-flung areas burying them in the earth never to return. The kids would emerge from the shells to learn to feed by themselves.

These quadrupeds rambled over the planet during the Jurassic to the Cretaceous period (about 195 to 65 million years ago). Geologists believe that asteroids crashed into the earth to wipe out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Their period of extinction may have stretched over two million years. Today’s birds and lizards are thought to be the offspring of those extinct animals.

The 1500 dinosaur fossils collected from Barkhan area during the three-week field excavations are mainly of locomotry (fore/hind) limbs. They were identified as dinosaur fossils rather than of other prehistoric whales and reptiles because of their larger than life- size bones of the vertebrate and leg.

It is hoped that these discoveries will pique the interest of the local and global geoscientific community, and open up new avenues of research. Possible fields include the paths of migration of dinosaurs, the location of land bridges in Central and Southeast Asia during the Cretaceous era, associated with the impact of the meteorite collision with the earth, and the evolution of dinosaurs in Balochistan.

The existence of these reptiles in the upper part of Pab Formation indicates that Balochistan was not a barren land but had plenty of green pastures for them. The discoveries have strengthened the theory that millions of years ago there was an ocean Tethys where Pakistan is now. Balochistan was part of that ocean .

During the three weeks of fieldwork about 1500 bones and pieces of bones of different dinosaur species were collected. Teeth and pieces of skull vertebrate, ribs, pieces of skeleton were also collected.

The significance of the 1500 fossil bones is twofold. It helps research studies which determine the dinosaur species, their relationship, sizes, anatomy, extinction, etc. And it will aid studies on paleoenvironments, plate tectonics (movement of earth plates), age of host rocks, stratigraphy, vertebrate paleontology, etc, as well.

The dinosaur fossils are on display in the GSP Museum in Quetta. A similar discovery in Nigeria caught the worldwide attention of geoscientists, earning much foreign exchange. It is hoped that this discovery will have the same results in Pakistan. The GSP plans to complete the dinosaur’s structure in the museum is a creditable step. One that would need financial assistance. Let us hope the government steps in to help it realize its aims.

KARACHI is littered with unfinished dreams. People’s Hippodrome was such a dream that envisaged a world-class theatre at ST-26A, KDA Scheme-5, Clifton, by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. The original land use for ST-26 was amenity. During the 1980s the Civil Aviation Authority lured in the gullible Karachi Development Authority to bifurcate ST-26 and dished out to them some 50,000 square yards for the construction of a squash complex. The highups at the CAA has a history of narrating a sad story but the fact remains that the portion of the plot has been left to rot with a boundary wall and a guardroom.

During the last 20 years, due to lack of fresh cultural assets and erosion of the inherited ones, the cultural scene has degraded considerably. A few additions like Ibrahim Alibhoy Auditorium, Rangoonwalla Hall or the KMC sports complex at Kashmir road fell victim to general apathy, becoming redundant in an increasingly militaristic environment.

With mounting commercial interest and lukewarm enforcement of feeble building control laws most of the theatres were also lost to commercial building activity. More then fifty cinemas like Palace, Rio, Rex and Regal are simply no more with remaining 30 or so being lost without even being noticed.

Over the last 20 years the greed of the rulers, managers, bureaucrats and builders of the city saw shrinking parks and playgrounds. Many amenity plots have simply vanished. To compound the pain, vast open grounds, like the one at Kikri, have been completely overshadowed by illegal multistorey buildings. If some football or hockey field like China ground at Kashmir road had survived the mafia they have been encroached upon by some Sunday Bazaar.

In December 1994 the KDA handed over the resource-draining amenities of Scheme 5 to the KMC. In view of many parks and playground but no theatre or cinema in proliferating Clifton and adjoining areas, the Corporation decided to develop a cultural complex at the remaining 8.24 acres of ST-26 transferred under heavy encroachment by water tankers.

Construction of Faizee Rahmeen Complex by the KMC next to a similar project lying incomplete at the Karachi Arts Council (that the government has announced a grant of 50 million rupees) could have added colour to the fading cultural scene in the city. The Faizee Rahmeen Complex suffered due to a faulty yet grand design. Planned over a small plot and initial estimated costs of Rs100 million, the project has been cursed with chronic cost overruns and a poor internal design requiring massive quantities of concrete and steel.

While planning for the Hippodrome the KMC incorporated the lessons from failings of not only projects like Faizee Rahmeen but also the inadequacies of the ones like Squash complex etc. As unbelievable as it may sound, at the heart of the sprawling complex is a lightly covered auditorium with a 22x27 metres teakwood stage floor. The steel structure designed to hold the stage roof provides not only a clear 12-metre height for the props but also room for up to 480, 500, 1000 watts stage lights. There is a two-metre circulation space for the performers on the three sides and an equally wide pit space for the orchestra in front.

The spacious arena for some 2,500 people, a rising trapezium 40 metres deep, measures 24 metres across in front and 50 metres in the rear. The last row of seats is approximately two metres higher than the ones in front ensuring clear line of sight for everyone. It was proposed to initially cover the sitting arena with a tarpaulin canopy (to be ultimately replaced by light fibreglass) over steel wires welded on top of eight-metre high pylons raised on both sides. Later for comfort level cooling air- conditioning unit may also be added to facilitate the acoustics.

Structure and associated facilities including toilets, changing rooms for the performers, a compound wall to keep the future onslaught of the encroaching tankers or just plain stragglers were all completed by early 1996.

During 1999 the facility suffering from the official neglect was again given a facelift. Compound walls that were falling apart were once again repaired, the rusting metal again received a coat of red-oxide and the sinking top of the sewage drain passing through the property was again repaired as well as the removal of the tall weeds.

On February 11, 2000 the music maestros Junoon organized by Al-Umeed foundation performed in front of a packed audience for the benefit of special children. For a while the KMC kept the facility opened for public performances. But then the Corporation decided to let out the precious asset to some private party. Incidentally the KMC was itself giving way to the newly formed City Government and that process came to an abrupt halt.

The auditorium at Hippodrome shall occupy less then seven per cent of the total area of ST-26A. The original plans envisaged a comprehensive cultural complex, including an arts academy and arts gallery, and so much more. Karachi may be the only city in its league that continues to see a negative growth in outdoors and cultural activities especially cinema and theatre. Maybe with so much happening in the region this may not be the ideal time to talk about such activities. But meanwhile let us all guard an irreplaceable asset of the city.

THE National Database Registration Authority was set up about two years back to prepare electoral rolls and computerized national identity cards to minimize chances of impersonation and other malpractices in local, provincial and national election.

The first phase consisted of voters’ lists for election to union councils and town committees, to pave the way for district governments. The election commission, according to reports, had transferred Rs450 million to the organization. The result, however, was disastrous.

The lists were not only inaccurate but atrocious: men having been shown as women, old men as young men, besides the places of residence having been messed up in terms of villages, districts and even provinces. The chief election commissioner was much annoyed and rejected these rolls. He then used his own devices to hold election to local bodies on time.

For equipping every voter with a CNIC in the forthcoming provincial and national election, Nadra has embarked on the twin mission of (1) preparing cards for those who have never had one before and (2) substituting computerized and laminated cards for the non-computerized ones already with the people.

Only time will tell how Nadra will acquit itself this time. For securing a card from Nadra, the following prerequisites are essential: one, getting the prescribed application form; two, filling it up; three, securing photographs of the prescribed size and colour; four, obtaining attestation from a gazetted officer and a few specified functionaries; five, affixing thumb -impressions in a vertical or horizontal position; six, delivering the form to the concerned Nadra office for further processing.

The first task of obtaining the prescribed form is nothing short of an ordeal. Previously, it used to be sold by the post offices but now it has to be bought from licensed vendors of Nadra. My driver, who is semi-literate, bought a form for Rs3.50 but there were no printed instructions about how to fill it up, as was the case last time when I got one from the post office. I was also unable to understand why the driver was charged Rs3.50 when the price is Rs3. Perhaps a commission of 50 paisas is charged for the vendor.

I asked the driver why he had not brought the printed detailed instructions in the absence of which the form could not be filled properly and would be rejected and returned, wasting all the labour, time and money expended in affixing thumb-impressions, securing attestations, pasting photographs, etc. He said he had bought three forms for his adult family members but no printed instructions were made available.

Puzzled on hearing this, the writer went personally to the concerned Nadra counter in Gulberg, Lahore, to buy a form. Sensing perhaps that I was not an entirely safe person, the vendor, sitting alongside a Nadra supervisor, charged me Rs3 only and gave me a form, without any printed instructions. On my protest that the form was useless without instructions, the required document was ferreted out from somewhere and given to me.

Following a study of the new application form devised and now in use in Nadra, one has to concede that it is an improvement on the previous one prescribed by the defunct directorate of national registration, which was both confusing and complex and bristled with glaring redundancies. Even so, the form appears to be unrealistic and too ambitious in the context of Pakistan’s conditions.

Some time back the GHQ had taken disciplinary action against some officers who were found guilty of tampering with the computerized records to facilitate undeserved promotions for some officers. Hence the project of preparing a national database contains great details in the form — a tall order that can be avoided and the poor spared the vexation in a culture of rampant corruption.

Now a few words about filling up the form. A good deal of literacy and intelligence is required to fill it up. The instructions about photographs are confusing. One has to be pasted in the rectangle on the left top corner, but one is not sure where the second one is to be fixed because pinning on the first one is prohibited. The best bet is that it is to be pasted on the right top corner but one is apprehensive about the form being rejected by the head office.

Then the problem about the thumb-impression. Those who can sign have to affix one and the illiterate have to affix two, but a stamp-pad in black ink is necessary. This is an expensive bargain because it costs Rs25 or so and becomes useless for the buyer after affixing even six to eight thumb-impressions. The one good thing about the new form is that the attestation requirements have been simplified.

It is understood that on getting a receipt for the completed form, the date indicated for the delivery of the CNIC is five to six months away. This is a far cry from delivering the card at the doorstep and that also promptly. From all this, it is all too clear that the much-touted claim of arming every voter with a card by June 30, 2002, will not materialize. This possibility appears almost a certainty because, according to an investigative report about Nadra in Dawn’s Review of Sept 27, of the 35 million forms sold, Nadra has received back six million only.

This is alarming in view of the estimated 70 million eligible voters in a population of 140 million. It would perhaps not be unsafe to assume that the CEC will be forced to allow identification through other documents, such as passport and driving licence, in the forthcoming election to provincial and national assemblies. Thus the billions of rupees of this poor country are likely to go down the drain. Some money can perhaps still be saved if the inner working is looked by a proper authority. The new chairman is said to be an honest and competent man but has inherited a quagmirish legacy.

THE tri-nation Sharjah Cup which starts today is important for Pakistan since it is participating in an international competition after a long time because of prevailing world scenario. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe — the other two teams — have been competitively more in touch during this period.

The last series we played in England have left hallowing memories behind. The subsequent Asian Test Championship match against Bangladesh was significant only in the sense that some youngsters performed well.

Pakistan team for the event is all right but because of ban on Inzamam-ul-Haq for two matches a youngster will get a chance. In this context the omission of Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan from the 15-member squad is surprising while he was included among those named for the aborted series against New Zealand. His exclusion without a trial is intriguing.

Similarly, the omission of Fazle Akbar, who has been in impressive form in domestic cricket, is perplexing. The selectors seem to have forgotten his brilliant bowling that Habib Bank — who were at the receiving end against PIA which will be remembered for a long time.

Here let me strike a personal note when Zafar Altaf was the chief selector and the 1993-94 England tour was posing a challenge, Asif Mujtaba’s selection was being critically examined. When I pointed out that he had scored eight centuries in domestic cricket, overtaking Zaheer Abbas’ record and this is actually the parameter of our selection we either give due eight to domestic cricket or disband it all together. Zafar Altaf paused for a while and conceded Mujtaba’s claim. I have no hesitation in saying that as a player and selector he was most insightful and had excellent foresight.

Now the selectors are paid and I had welcomed this PCB decision but regrettably they are not paying back. In the recent PWD-Customs match neither the chief selector nor the other members watched the match for the first three days when several promising youngsters were playing.

This attitude will definitely frustrate them and surely does not reflect well on the selectors sense of responsibilities.

Even if a player scored a century or fifty his quality cannot be judged and if the chairman is not on the field he will have to depend entirely on a selector’s point of view or statistics which cannot describe the quality of batting. The temperament and technique is needed to be closely watched. If national interest is sacrificed on personal whims it will seriously harm the country’s larger cause. The PCB chairman who took a commendable initiative should take due notice of this lapse lest it proves counter-productive.

And now about the current Sharjah tournament. We will have to take Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe very seriously. Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardena, Russel Arnold and newcomer Kumar Sangakkara are no ordinary players and above all the king of off-spin Muttiah Muralitharan.

Zimbabwe too have the Flower brothers, Heath Streak and Alistair Campbell and they will have less pressure since the other two teams are superior. Both the contenders are better than us as far as fielding is concerned.

Here I am astonished at the omission of Imran Nazir who is a brilliant fielder and would have ideally filled the batting gap in the absence of Inzamam. Alongwith Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik he would have constituted an invaluable trio in the point, cover and mid-off positions.

But all said and done, I am sure Pakistan will Insha’Allah triumph. Sharjah is like their second home where crowd support will have a vital bearing on the final outcome.

Before concluding let me point out an interesting and ironical point. Imagine coach Mudassar Nazar who has the distinction of scoring the slowest century initiating Shahid Afridi the hurricane hitter of the ball who has the fastest century to his credit and Sikander Bakht, a medium pacer teaching tricks to the acknowledged express trundlers like Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Only time will tell how this equation works.

The writer is a former Test cricketer and ex-chairman of national selection committee.

THE Arabs before the advent of Islam were a warrior people. The tribes, with a few exceptions, mainly relied for their subsistence on plundering. Force was the arbiter and “blood for blood” was the measure of justice for them.

When looting was a regular source of income and revenge was the prevailing mode of life, one can very well imagine the general state of the society. It was nothing short of a miracle that under the guidance of the holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) both these basic characteristics of their life were virtually eradicated.

A general survey of the early period after the migration to Madina shows that nearly every battle was in self-defence. It is not possible for an objective observer to quote one example where the Prophet engaged in a war of aggression. The number of such encounters is not large and the persons killed can be counted in dozens. Unfortunately some biased chronicles classify every expedition sent by the Prophet for preaching and teaching Islam to the non-Muslim tribes on their request, as battles and wars. This wrong impression has been cleared by more recent studies.

A survey of the policies adopted by the holy Prophet after the Quraish and other tribes allied with them raised the siege of Madina and dispersed in 5. A.H., demonstrates that though slowly gaining power, the Prophet never waged a war of aggression but always tried preaching and extended an invitation to peace. When the Makkans, the Jews of Khaiber, and other non-believing tribes showed mischievous intentions or made preparations to attack the Islamic State of Madina, he did send expeditions and sometimes personally led them but nobody would classify them as wars of aggression.

As far as his peaceful approach is concerned, it can be divided into two categories; firstly he sent as preachers his trusted companions to tribes, who were inclined to accept or at least listen to what the Prophet of Islam had to say now that he had established himself as great leader who preferred peace to war and virtues and decent behaviour to sins and looting and pillage. In this category may be named the famous Companions Mu’az bin Jabal, Ala Al-Hazrami, Mugheera bin Shiba, Adi bin Hatim and Hazrat Ali and a number of others who went forth with the message of peace, that is Islam, though due to bitter experience they were some times sent with guards and small armed parties.

The second category of peaceful approaches is that of the Prophet’s letters to the rulers of the Byzantine and Persian Emperors and their local Governors of Egypt, Bahrain and Aila (now, probably Elath). To his preachers the Prophet advised that they should be easy and courteous with people, give them glad tidings if they reform themselves and abstain from any harsh measures and unnecessary altercation.

To the emperors and rulers he extended his invitations in simple terms. For example to Christians he quoted verses of the holy Qur’an (e.g., 3:64) to agree on points common in both religions. Special mention in this connection may be made of Negus of Abyssinia and the extremely cordial relations that existed with him in early Islam.

As a matter of fact, relations between two states are governed by an agreement if there is one between them. The Islamic state has been enjoined to follow in letter and spirit the terms of the agreement and the best example of this was provided by the actions of the Holy Prophet himself at the time of treaty of “Hudaibiyah.” The Muslims had agreed to return any fugitive Muslim from Makkah who came to them and one such fugitive did arrive as the agreement was being finalized though it had not yet been signed. The Prophet of Allah asked the fugitive to go back to Makkah as he was, under the treaty, bound to do so. This treaty of Hudaibiyah was breached by the Makkans when disregarding the treaty one of the tribes allied with them attacked the allies of Muslims.

I can do no better than quote specific directions about a peace treaty and its breach as found in the holy Qur’an: (Translated by A. Yousuf Ali). (1) “If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back, (their covenant) to them, (so as, to be) on equal terms: For God loveth not the treacherous.” (Al-Qur’an: Anfal, 8:58). (2) “But if they seek your aid in religion, It is your duty to help them, except against a people with whom ye have a treaty of mutual alliance. And (remember) God seeth all that ye do.” (Al-Qur’an: Anfal, 8:72). (3) “But the treaties are not dissolved with those Pagans with whom you have entered into alliance and who have not subsequently failed you in aught, nor aided any one against you. So fulfil your engagements with them to the end of their terms: for God loveth the righteous.” (Al-Qur’an: Tauba, 9:4).

A breach of treaty if seen necessary by the Commanders of the faithful should be announced as it was directed in the holy Qur’an in the following verse: (1) “And an announcement from Allah and His Apostle, to the people (assembled) on the day of the Great Pilgrimage — that dissolve (treaty) obligations with the pagans. If then, ye repent it was best for you; But if ye turn away; know ye that ye cannot frustrate Allah. And proclaim a grievous penalty to those who reject faith.” (Al Qur’an: Tauba, 9:1). (2) “If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms: For God loveth not the treacherous.” (Al Qur’an: Anfal, 8:58)

The Islamic history is replete with examples where the terms agreed upon were observed in letter and in spirit by Muslim commanders in such wars where it was practically impossible to hold back. For example, the city of Damascus was attacked from two sides and different terms were observed by the commanders in capturing it; for one of them had entered the city after negotiating with the enemy commander opposing him.

Even as late as in 1910-11 A.D. when during one of the Balkan wars the city of Adrianople with a Turkish garrison inside was laid siege of by enemy forces and there was shortage of food-stuffs, the commander of Turkish garrison, Shukry Pasha, was prohibited by the Qazi from confiscating food-stuffs from non-Muslims, because they were protected minority and the order of requisition was applied to the Muslims citizens’ stocks only.

The writer is a former chief justice of Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan.