| October 28, 2001 | Sunday | Shaba'an 10, 1422 |
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The question of insecurity
The origin of terrorism
A war without winners
Education for the deprived
Path of peace and amity
Counterfeit goods
British Airways services
Guddu Barrage
Federal reserve force
Unused plots for parks
Nadra’s ID cards
Advice to Haj pilgrims
WHAT are the rallies being organized by our religious parties intended to achieve? Do they really think creating disturbances in our cities, blocking traffic, and interfering with people’s daily lives constitute a jihad?
In the first place, what is happening in Afghanistan is not a jihad. But let us not go into that. For argument’s sake, I say, OK, what is happening in Afghanistan is jihad. So then go to Afghanistan! What are the demonstrators doing in Pakistani cities?
Do the demonstrators know that they are making India very happy? The Indians look to the demonstrators with hope, praying that the demonstrations will go out of hand and Pakistan will be out of the US-led world coalition. Will that serve Pakistan’s interests?
If Pakistan goes out of the world coalition, will the US stop bombing Afghanistan? I repeat the question: suppose Maulana Fazlur Rahman becomes Pakistan’s president. Will the Americans stop bombing Afghanistan? No, sir, in that case, the bombs will fall on Pakistan. In fact, the Indians will fire not a shot. They would let the Anglo-Americans do their job. Then they will come marching in. Is it what the religious parties want?
It is not the economic aid that matters. It may be peanuts, or it may not even be peanuts. The big issue is that by coming on the side of the world coalition, Pakistan has pulled itself out of isolation — much to India’s chagrin. In fact, Indians are mourning, and they look to the religious parties as their allies who would reverse the trend and make them happy by creating difficulties — not for the government of Pakistan but for Pakistan itself.
The so-called religious parties also planned an attack on a Pakistani air base. Is it not a matter of shame that the religious parties have reduced themselves to the role of Mukti Bahini?
Let the so-called ulema know that the people of Pakistan are with Pakistan, while some — thought not all — clerics have cast themselves in the role of Pakistan’s sworn enemies.
In this hour of crisis, they are merely creating fitna — especially on Friday. May God give them wisdom. What a shame that instead of preaching restraint, love and kindness to their followers they are encouraging them to create lawlessness on the streets and hurt Pakistan’s interests.
Mercifully, all ulema are not part of these demos. Many have either supported Pakistan or chosen to keep quiet. May God bless them.
JAMAL JAMEEL
Karachi
THIS refers to Javed Jabbar’s opinion on the insecurity of big states (Oct 22). His article makes fascinating reading, alternating between good observations and pretty simplistic analysis.
I vigorously object to his dangerous statement on plurality. He writes: “The factor of pluralism is like a latent but a live volcano which, if not held in check, threatens eruptive disintegration.”
I’m not quite sure what Mr Jabbar seems to imply. The United States of America where I have been living the past 10 years has been, and continues to be, a classic example of how pluralism — whether be it in religion, race, or other personal beliefs — can enrich and energize a society. The United States is a powerful, rich and great place to live and raise your family, partly due to the great contributions of immigrants who are welcomed and allowed to realize the great American dream symbolized by the statue of liberty.
With pluralism, you get to listen, appreciate, understand and inculcate the “other” viewpoint which is so essential to social harmony and peace.
Plurality is perhaps the single biggest contributor of innovation — be it in medicine, industry or any other human betterment endeavour.
It is no wonder United States reaps the benefit of plurality by attracting the best talents from all over the world who, in turn, make significant contributions to keep the positive cycle roaring along.
MADHU CHAMPAT
California, USA
WRITING under the heading ‘ To combat those who stand behind the attacks of September 11’, Marwan Bishaara suggests (Oct 23) that terrorism has journeyed from Afghanistan to New York through the Middle East. In fact, terrorism has travelled from the Middle East to New York and from there to Afghanistan.
In the modern times, the Jews first took to terrorism. It began when Britain signed the Sykes-Picot Pact with France to divide the remains of the Ottman Empire. A year later, in 1917, the Balfour Declaration promised a national home for the Jewish people. Under international law, as Faial Bodi has pointed out, the declaration was null and void since Palestine did not belong to Britain. According to the League of Nations, it belonged to Turkey.
In 1947, when the UN accepted the partition of Palestine, the Jews constituted 23 per cent of the population and owned 5.6 per cent of the land. By 1949, through organized terrorism by Jewish gangs like Haganah, Irgun and Stern, the Jews came to control 80 per cent of Palestine and 770,000 non-Jews had been expelled from their own country.
From that day on, there has been no end to Israel’s expansionist designs. This observation was made by the then US President, Jimmy Carter, at Camp David in September 1978. They flouted the UN resolutions asking for the withdrawal of their armed forces from Arab territories.
Even now Ariel Sharon’s forces are re-occupying the once liberated parts of Palestine. And when the US asked him to withdraw, Israel behaved defiantly to its most loyal friend who provides it with $3 billion in aid annually. While President Bush tells the world,‘either you are with us or with the terrorists’, Israel, nurtured and pampered by the US was founded on terrorism and has been engaged in it all along since then.
PROF DR. P. NASIR
Gujrat
THOSE who treat symptoms and not the underlying causes, do not cure the malady. Those who act in anger and in haste defeat themselves or land themselves in a bigger loss. But I suppose, it is in the nature of politicians to pander to the lowest common denominator of what is perceived to be the public mood.
The happenings of Sept 11 have let loose a flurry of both oratory and instant war. The imagery of bombardment of Afghanistan, daily briefings, fleeing of helpless civilians, the faces of bewildered kids (malnourished and wounded to boot) juxtaposed with sermons of the high priests of freedom and democracy just do not make sense.
The worst performance is by the UN (whose secretary-general and the organization are the most recent winners of the Noble Prize), which has abdicated its role in favour of the leader of the sole super-power and his very voluble ally.
But the question of questions is “where do we go from here? No credible answer is forthcoming. A new dispensation in Afghanistan which will ensure stability, peace and unification of this proxy battle-field of super-powers perhaps? Not likely. End to the terrorism? Certainly not, because there are highly emotive issues of dispossessed people and stark economic inequality, which haunts the globe. These issues and the violence they engender will not go away.
And what about the other bloody battlefields of Chechnya, Palestine and Kashmir? How can sanity return, if just fair-minded solutions are not found through universal institutions and weight of moral consideration?
Not a good beginning to the 21st Century — a war sans end and sans goals. In the meanwhile, Ariel Sharon and his like can proceed with their agenda because the world is pre-occupied elsewhere.
H.N. AKHTAR
Karachi
THE idea to salvage the future generations of innocent and poor Pakistanis and much more deprived and backward Afghans from the tightening noose of medievalism and the restrictive yoke of obscurantism through establishing a forward-looking parent institution like Pakistan-Afghanistan Education Foundation was very prudently elucidated by Shahid Javed Burki (Oct 17). It seems to be the one of the most effective ways of saving this region from complete retrogression in the hands of enthusiastic fanatics.
Instead of pumping millions of dollars into the war machinery, being built to fight terrorism, the United States and its allies should allocate maximum funds to establish and run an integrated chain of schools and educational centers throughout the region. These institutions must provide free of cost teaching and training in computers, modern sciences, latest subjects of humanities and arts to those raw minds of the nation who now have to join mullah-operated madressahs only because their parents and guardians have no access to modern schools and colleges.
TARIK JAFFERY
Karachi
I am not competent enough to list all the qualities that qualify a good human being, a good Muslim or a follower of any other faith. But I think that a few of these are:
Do not kill fellow beings in hate and anger; do not steal, rob, plunder and grab that which does not belong to you; do not terrorize, opress and forcibly suppress those who do not agree with, or are weaker than you; do not rape or otherwise criminally assault other people or countries, do not be inflexible and intolerant.
I must stop and ask a simple question: do we accept that the above-stated is a part of our heritage?
I am sure an overwhelming majority of those reading this would agree and say, yes. To them I say do not be shy, uneasy or confused about what is happening around us. Stand up and speak out against all the multipulators / exploiters of universal human and religious values.
Whether it be the Al Qaeda or the John Birch Society, the Zionists or the PLPF, Sipah-i-Sahaba or Shiv Sena or of such ilk, let good human beings and people of true faith say empathically - enough is enough! This torturous road of extremism and hatred is not for us. Leave us to follow the gentle path of love, peace and human togetherness.
SHAHID N. AHMED
Karachi
REPORTEDLY, trade in counterfeit goods in Pakistan is quite widespread and innocent consumers are being deceived and looted by a well-organized and well-entrenched mafia in the consumer market.
Economic considerations apart, counterfeit traders mint money at the cost of the common man who gets a large number of items of daily use which, being adulterated or counterfeit, are not of the requires standard.
It may be medicine, milk, or cigarettes. The consumer is not sure about the genuineness of any thing he purchases. Market reports suggest that counterfeit cigarettes are sold without any checks, specially in small towns. This is causing financial loss to the government as well as to the manufacturers of cigarettes.
Can there be any remedy to this situation?
PROF IQBAL HUSSAIN
Rawalpindi
IT is with concern that I read the article (Oct 25) entitled, ‘BA to stop ticket sale in Pakistan’.
Please be assured British Airways remains committed to Pakistan to serve its many valued customers. The airline has a long and prosperous relationship with the country and looks forward to continuing this.
It is true we are reviewing our procedures with the travel trade around the world. However, this is just one of a series of measures to protect the business, conserve cash and manage expenditure.
We are affected by the travel advice to British passport holders from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.
However, when this situation changes, British Airways will take the necessary steps to ensure services to Islamabad are resumed as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, the airline is offering every assistance to its passengers to ensure they can travel to London and beyond via the United Arab Emirates.
ROLAND BLANEY
Manager for British Airways
Islamabad
WHEN you drive over the Guddu Barrage towards the Left Bank, you come acrosss two dangerous holes.
These are in the middle of the road and are so located that it is quite difficult to drive through without damaging your vehicle.
The policemen on duty have verified that this has happened.
Authorities concerned are, therefore, requested to please carry out the repair of road beside the Guddu Barrage on the left side, to avoid further accidents and damages to vehicles.
AGHA ALI GOHAR KHAN
Ghotki
THE government has agreed to establish a federal reserve force drawn from retired army personnel, to handle protest rallies and demonstrations.
It is surprising that in spite of having innumerable law and order enforcement agencies, the government intends to form one more such agency.
If any thing, this just shows the failure of the present establishment.
It is deplorable that in the present economic global recession, while other governments are curtailing their expenses, our government is thinking of increasing it by setting up a new agency.
Also, it appears that the establishment has no consideration for the sufferings of the people on account of the absence of basic health, education and infrastructure facilities.
HAMID ALWANI
Karachi
THIS refers to a news item (Oct 18) that states 1100 plots meant for parks in Karachi are still lying unused, or in a state of neglect.
Wonderful! But still more wonderful is the plan of the City Nazim, Mr Naimatullah Khan, for changing Karachi into a green city.
He has asked 27 government departments to plant 400,000 saplings.
I am sure this scheme would provide the bureaucrats a good opportunity to earn illegal gratification at every stage of the long process.
May I suggest that some plots may be given to developers along with the rights to charge an entrance fee, when the parks are fully developed.
This would not only provide an instant solution to the problem but would also furnish some funds for the government, which could be used to develop some other plots for the benefit of the poorer section of the population who cannot afford to pay any entrance fee.
NIZAM A. KHAN
Karachi
NADRA claimed that new computerised ID cards would be delivered within 35 days after submission of the application.
Now, more than 85 days have passed and I am still to receive a word from NADRA indicating whether my form was accepted or has been rejected by its headquarters in Islamabad.
I am also puzzled by the fact that old hand-written ID cards that have been declared obsolete by NADRA, are still being issued. Strangely enough, these cards are being delivered within three days only.
NADRA must adopt drastic measures to speed up its work.
AYAZ ZAIN NOORANI
Karachi
IN a few months’ time Muslims from all over the world including Pakistan would be congregating in Saudi Arabia to perform Haj.
The method for performing Haj from Pakistan is through two channels i.e. either through the government organized system where the expenditure is minimum but naturally one has to be prepared to undergo some hardships, or through the authorized travel agents who charge a heavy amount but guarantee several facilities i.e. suitable board and lodging in the holy cities of Makkah and Madina and also transportation.
These agencies usually carry a group of Hajis and look after them throughout the period. This is a good arrangement, especially for the aged and those not in good health however, not all these agencies deliver what they promise. I would like to advise the intending Hajis to be very careful before booking for Haj with any of these agencies; I give below instances from my personal experience:
The agent promised a get-together of the group, before leaving for Haj, but this was not done.
The agent could not organize the group travel while proceeding from Karachi to Jeddah with the result that neither the agent nor any of his representative was available to look after us at the Jeddah airport and elderly people not in good health had to face hardships.
There was no one to meet us at the Moallim’s office and we had to find our way to the hotel.
It was planned that the group will stay at Madina and will proceed from Madina to Mina. The agent did not reach Madina on time with the result that we had to use our own influence to get the accommodation in this particular hotel. The accommodation was however satisfactory, the agent reached the next day and made the payment to the hotel.
The agent failed to arrange proper transport for the group from Madina to Mina and neither he nor any of his representative was available and somehow the group managed to make its own arrangement.
On the completion of Haj, the group could not return to Makkah from Mina because the agent did not have a booking for the first night. Instead he took the group to Jeddah and on the second night after spending quite a few hours in the bus, nine people were taken to Makkah towers, in the wee hours of the morning. This is a prestigious place to stay, but naturally nine people with one bathroom had to face a difficult situation. Later they were provided suitable accommodation.
The agent had promised our return in 20 days including the period of Haj but did not fulfil his promise and everyone had to fend for himself.
It may also be mentioned that this particular agent is just a one-man-show. He claims to have an office in Makkah but there is no such office. In fact a semi-literate person is the coordinator for him there.
In view of my unpleasant experience, I will advise the intending Hajis to ensure that there is a proper organization and not just a one-man-show. They should sign a proper agreement to ensure that the agent will deliver what he has promised and for the services that he has been paid.
I will also urge the Ministry of Haj and Auqaf to look into the matter.
A HAJI
Karachi
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