| November 28, 2001 | Wednesday | Ramazan 12, 1422 |
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The way to end terrorism
Defaulted bank loans
Korangi Fish Harbour
Liberals and HR activists
KESC’s tariff structure
Credit cards
Change in attitude
Taliban’s treatment of women
BBC interview
Destruction of weapons
They should break the silence
THE Sept 11 crime against humanity was catastrophic enough to have engulfed the entire world in its aftermath. The perpetrators must be tracked and brought to justice. As events continue to unfold in Afghanistan it is becoming more and more apparent that justice will be done. At the same time the world watches with great concern millions of innocent people who could be harmed for no fault of theirs. These people face anything from war reprisals to terror and genocide. Whether the world organizations like the UN and Red Cross will be able to prevent or even contain these, remains to be seen.
All conflicts, big or small are potential breeding grounds for extreme behaviour and militancy, often resulting in terrorism. Needless to say extreme behaviour, militancy and terrorist activities invariably have their roots in political motives. This kind of behaviour and terror has no religion.
No religion allows extreme behaviour, militancy, disrespect to humanity and lack of tolerance for other religions. So the moment one turns to terror and militancy in the name of religion it is tantamount to abandoning the very teachings of that religion and it is evident that that religion is being merely exploited for anything but service to that religion.
Islam as everyone knows is a religion of peace. It equates an attack on an innocent life to an attack on humanity. It commands that followers of Islam respect other religions as much as their own. It further declares that usurping an individual’s rights would not be pardoned by God. That privilege rests with that individual alone.
It is important to get to the roots of rage and terrorist behaviour in any conflict and treat causes rather than symptoms. The emphasis should be on punishing the culprits and those who harbour them. Use of brute force and inflicting havoc on an entire population will not solve anything. It is unlikely to produce sustainable containment of terrorist activities. On the other hand, it may give rise to more factional conflicts, extreme behaviour and militancy leading to further spread of terrorism.
Perhaps the world bodies like the UN striving to resolve conflicts, maintain peace and prevent injustice need more vision, more intellectuals, subject matter experts and spin doctors than peacekeeping forces. These individuals could analyze any given conflict in depth and provide the necessary vision, culminating in a roadmap of initiatives aimed at conflict resolution and crisis prevention.
As an example, the UN could have seen what is coming in Afghanistan after the Soviet departure from Afghanistan, at the end of the cold war or a change in government in Tel Aviv. In each case, a proactive stance by the UN and other world organizations combined with judicious use of force from member countries could have prevented an inordinate amount of suffering, atrocities and genocide committed in the name of religion, self-defence, ethnic superiority and national interests.
The so-called warriors of God must take a serious look at history and comprehend that it is futile to implicate religion, exploit illiteracy and poverty in quest of propagating their brand of cult, political gains or even conflict resolution. God is the creator of humanity and the entire universe and not just of a chosen few exploiting others in the name of religion.
ATHAR JAVAID
Herndon, VA, USA
THE Afghan people have been in a state of turmoil for a couple of decades. But there is certainly a difference in the ethics of the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. The Taliban, called barbarians by almost the whole world, have treated their enemies fulfilling all the norms of humanity. None of the media-person captured by the Taliban can claim that any humiliation was done to him/her.
On the other hand, the civilized, world claiming to follow the Geneva Convention, has disregarded all the norms of humanity in this Afghan war. The media itself is a witness to what the US and its allies the Northern Alliance have done to the Taliban.
A person is innocent until proved guilty, is an old saying, but this seems to be applicable to the West only. Why the same was not applied to the Taliban? The irony of the situation is that the whole civilized world is following the US without confirming any evidence against the involvement of Osama bin Laden in the Sept. 11 attacks.
How can somebody expect Osama bin Laden to ask his companions to kill him before his capture? He can always do so this himself without the help of others. Moreover, he has put aside his luxurious life for the cause of Islam, so why should he be afraid of dying.
It must be remembered that only empathy and love can prevent terrorism. Bombing or uncivilized attacks can only control it for a limited duration but later it emerges on an even larger scale. Now it is up to the civilized world to opt for a short-term solution or go for a permanent one.
USAMA R. AHMED
Karachi
IT is time someone in the government or in the State Bank of Pakistan asked the banks with huge defaulted or non-performing loans portfolio the following questions:
Why were the collaterals provided to the banks not sufficient to recover the loans?
If the collaterals lost their market value, why were “margin calls” not made by banks during the time the loans remained performing?
Is any bank maintaining a portfolio in which there are loans which are still performing but the collateral value is alarmingly low, and are they making any margin calls to the borrowers?
The answers to the above questions would lead one to conclude that it was primarily the lack of real-time monitoring of the value of collaterals that has disabled the banks from fully recovering their loans and markup from liquidation proceedings. The bottom line is that the depositors of the banks are the main losers.
Loan default is not always a crime, and many a times it is due to circumstances beyond the control of borrowers. However, most such loans plus accrued markup, should be recoverable from liquidation proceedings provided the collateral is adequately covering the exposure.
Even today, most banks are not maintaining separate “performing loans portfolio” for which the collaterals are not enough, and banks might lose even after successful liquidation proceedings in the court. Putting the borrowers behind bars is hardly going to help the banks’ depositors.
The case in point is a massive amount of Running Finance facilities utilized by trade and industry in which the collaterals are “pledge” and “hypothecation” of fake inventories, and banks are not doing anything in this regard.
The point I am trying to bring home is that banks should also share the blame of loan defaults in the country together with the borrowers.
But who is taking care of the interest of poor depositors?
FUZAIL ZUBAID AHMAD
Karachi
THE decision of taking over of the Korangi Fish Harbour by the Sindh government and to run it jointly by the provincially and federally run authorities seems to be a right step in making the much abandoned infrastructure operational.
The foreign funded project, built with a billion rupee cost for landing of catch from deep sea fishing resource and processing for export, has been inoperative since it was completed in 1995.
It is ironical that an authority promulgated to run the same has been spending Rs 15 million annually as recurrent charges. Fishing vessels of medium range, 100 to 250 GRT (Gross Registered Tonnage)) and bigger range of 300 to 500 GRT, would be allowed under joint venture and by foreign companies to operate from 20 to 35 and 35 to 200 nautical miles in the Exclusively Economic Zone (EEZ), respectively.
The chairman of the provincially run Karachi Fish Harbour Authority and Fishermen’s Cooperative Society (FCS) has not been in favour of deep sea fishing. The DG Fisheries Sindh, too, in a seminar on “pros and cons of deep sea fishing” thwarted deep sea fishing for not meeting the desired goals, creating unrest among the fishermen, poaching into their areas and the area reserved for their future exploitation as buffer zone (12 to 35 nautical miles).
The deep sea policy, revised in August 2001, encourages encroachment of vessels under the so-called joint venture programme in the zone (from 20 nautical miles) reserved for local fishermen who still lack the skills and the means to operate beyond 12 miles.
The poliy to allow deep sea fishing has not changed with an inefficient surveillance system and the implementation and enforcement agencies being the same. There is no guarantee that foreign vessels would be using Korangi Fish Harbour for off- loading their catch for processing and export. Allowing deep sea fishing without any assessment of marine fish stock would be a perilous venture.
KHURSHEED-UD-DIN SYED
Karachi
FOR the first time in the last two decades, the religious right has been firmly dealt with. The clergy has been exposed. The collapse of the Taliban has revealed the hollowness of the model offered by the religious right.
They would never be able to recover from this. Moreover, the Zia legacy of promoting the clergy has been fully reversed. We are back in the pre-1977 era.
For once, the armed forces have done something right. At this moment, what is very discomforting is the attitude of the country’s liberals and human rights activists, especially Ms Asma Jahangir. During the past many years, her favourite theme was the growing power of the clergy. She expressed her views on this theme in Pakistan, before the international media and even in India.
One expected that she would commend the efforts of the government in this direction or would, at least, acknowledge that the clergy has been stripped of their claws. But she has remained silent on this subject which is surprising because she has been expressing her opinion on every political issue.
In front of the Indian delegation, she has scorned Pakistan’s military and the religious groups. I am not their fan but is it right to condemn your own countrymen before the Indians?
The Indian HR activists are more influential than ours but do not as a rule condemn their country’s doings in Kashmir. Neither do they condemn their own nation on international TV channels.
OSAMA MUSTAFA
Lahore
THIS is with reference to a report on KESC’s tariff structure (Nov 23) which was quite revealing and shocking.
A bill of Rs 987 on consumption of base value of 300 units (KW-Hour) is actually composed of: energy charges Rs 222, fuel adjustment surcharge Rs 37, surcharge Rs 27, additional surcharge Rs 672, excise duty Rs 14, and meter rent Rs 15. It is quite intriguing to see how energy charges of Rs 222 rise to Rs 987. At the next stage of consumption of 1000 units, the energy charges of Rs 992 go up to Rs 4821.
It seems the KESC is still not satisfied. In order to fleece the consumer even more, it is now replacing old meters with new ones (local made, as against the cheaper imported ones). These meters are being installed outside the premises.
Reportedly, these meters are registering 30 to 35 per cent higher, making consumers pay even more. What a way to increase the tariff and hoodwink the consumers. The KESC is following the policy of fleecing those who are already paying more than what is really due, instead of apprehending those who steal electricity.
Will the concerned authority look into this ?
ZAFRUL HASAN
Karachi
PLASTIC money has been in vogue all over the world for at least three decades because it is not only hassle free but also very convenient. Introduced in Pakistan quite late by a local bank, this form of banking has been virtually monopolised by two foreign banks.
I have had the experience of dealing with both these banks in Pakistan. Though the Visa and the Master credit cards are offered to virtually everyone at no cost abroad, here they not only charge a joining fee, but also have an annual fee. Then they impose arbitrary fines or financial charges on whimsical grounds.
Trying to get any redress to complaints is almost impossible as these banks operate very unprofessionally. The culture of not replying to letters/faxes is prevalent. The State Bank of Pakistan should take note of the widespread grievances against these banks and penalize them.
DR JAMAL NASIR MEMON
Karachi
NOW that the US has got its foot in the door, the Northern Alliance is in the saddle and even Indian presence in Afghanistan a reality, praise for the Muslim world in general and for Gen. Musharraf in particular has suddenly become muted.
The Muslim world, including Pakistan, should now get ready to face the music of obeisance.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore
KHURSHID Anwer in his letter praises the ‘noble’ Taliban for their good treatment of the western prisoners and is saddened that the opportunity of having a similar virtuous group to rule Pakistan has been lost perhaps for ever. I earnestly hope that he represents a tiny minority of Pakistan’s educated class.
Let us take just one example of the Taliban’s brutally repressive and totalitarian rule: their treatment of women. All Muslim countries, indeed the entire world should bow their heads in shame that they allowed the outrageous and inhumane subjugation and dehumanization of Afghani women that forced thousands upon thousands of working women to an abject life of misery and humiliation. Let us hope that the time will never recur when nations become so insensitive to the plight of any group of people, due to political expediency or under the guise of solidarity with their co-religionists practicing a totally misguided interpretation of Islam.
M. HAIDER
New Jersey, USA.
ON Nov 20, BBC when Nisha Pillay interviewed Ikram Seigal on Afghanistan, Mr Seigal answered the questions very knowledgeably. He was told by the interviewer that Taliban is the creation of Pakistan. He differed and said it was the creation of Northern Alliance’s misdeeds in the mid-nineties. The interviewer cut the answer short due to “constraints of time” but thought it necessary to say that it is a Pakistani view. Actually it was Mr Seigal’s own view.
Nisha Pillay has never been seen saying that the views expressed by Dennis Ross, Henry Kissinger and other Jews are Israeli view. The BBC should, in future, identify a Jew as a Jew in interviews as indeed Arabs and Palestinians are generally recognized as Muslims.
AHMED SAEED
Karachi
THE campaign for de-weaponization is being effectively supervised by the Interior Minister, Mr. Moinuddin Haider. However, I want to ask why the weapons so collected in Islamabad, were crushed under a bulldozer.
These weapons could have been passed on to a government department, like the police. In this manner some of the taxpayers’ money, which would be spent on the purchase of weapons for such departments, could have been saved.
HASAN ALI SHAH
Karachi
IN his column “The fantasies of Pakistani liberalism” (Nov 23). Ayaz Amir has alleged that the liberal credo largely falls flat beyond a demand for an end to prohibition. He has been closer to the Pakistani establishment over the years and speaks from a historical perspective that may be hard to contest. But learning that Pakistani liberals are those who are simply English educated for social and other forms of preferment with no intellectual tradition is very disturbing, if in fact that is the case.
First, one would hope that liberals can enunciate their beliefs with or without the comfort or the decadence that a bar may provide. Secondly, that the liberal would go beyond eradication of prohibition. Thirdly, and more importantly, the liberal would get a clear vision of just what they are liberal about.
I am not joining issue with Mr. Amir on his statement that most of the major debacles yet that the country has confronted, have been at the hands of the self-professed liberals. But looking at the manifesto of the quasi-religious, quasi-political rightwing factions, I see a lesser hope with them being at the helm of affairs.
This brings me to the people in between the two extremes, as defined in our society. The President has referred to them as the “silent majority” to the Western media and to his counterparts. Silent they are. They will not be seen out rampaging in the streets, nor will they be seen trotting to the Afghan border in a misguided passion for Jihad. No, they are far too sophisticated for that. But much to my horror I have found through my interactions that they can often be found secretly wishing that the Taliban will hold out, that Osama will “win” (whatever that means), that Lashkar-i-Taiba will help us get Kashmir. And most of such feelings stem from an acute distaste of US hegemony at an international level and Indian at the regional level.
In essence, the silent majority is reactionary. An apparent lack of ability to separate the condemnation of US foreign policy from the need to contain religious fuelling of emotions, finds them silently condoning the latter. A deep-rooted justification is offered for most of the horrors that we as a country find ourselves in. There are very few who can openly condemn the attacks on the US and at the same time be against the war in Afghanistan. There is deep polarization on this issue. And that is what scares me the most because they are the majority, they are the voters of tomorrow, they are the students, professionals, businessmen, etc and they come from all cadres of society.
We are in dire need of people who would work for a more secular form of government, strive for keeping religion at a personal level and open to all people without discrimination of beliefs and sects, keep certain elements from using a misguided interpretation of the “Two-Nation Theory” to keep the minorities hostage, help women and minorities get an equal role to play in the nation’s affairs, improve the quality of education, focus on economic strength, human rights, freedom of speech and above all, tolerance. And to accomplish all that, the “silent majority” will have to get its house in order and break the silence.
JAHANZEB KHAN
Austin, TX, USA
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