PAKISTAN’S victory in Sharjah was the result of team spirit seen after a long time — the credit for which must be given to the captain whose confident leadership combined with adroit handling yielded the triumph. Wasim Akram once again proved that he has not passed his prime and fulfilled the expectations.

I have been saying all along that this invaluable asset ought to be really appreciated. By his performance Wasim has silenced his critics who keep criticizing him in and out of season. In this context cricket fans should not forget that Sharjah is a batting paradise where a bowler can only can contain runs, which he did admirably and adequately.

The way be bowled there not only impressed the onlookers but the experts. He has in a way ensured to hold the fort at one end till the 2003 World Cup. A plus point was his excellent fielding.

But unfortunately we are prone to degrade our heroes. Take the case of Shoaib Akhtar. Such players are real assets. He is the butt of frequent attacks from several quarters now and then. Sometimes his action is questioned, sometimes the expenses incurred to keep him fit is played up. If the PCB does not spend enough on the proper upkeep of players who in turn earn a lot for the board, the TV and advertisers, it will be guilty of an unpardonable lapse.

Coaching is another sector which is the topic of caring hounds. Geoff Boycott’s engagement created a furore mainly on account of the fabulous investment that a man of his calibre definitely deserved. Now Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, is coming for a similar assignment on a brief stint almost gratis to the best of my information. It will be a boon for our youngsters for which the board should be commended instead of being condemned.

Unlike the trend in sports circle all over the world to eulogise and lionise their heroes, we have sadly been besmirching their reputation and even humiliating them at times. Take the case of Jehangir Khan who may be bracketed with Pele and Mohammad Ali. Apart from being a legend, the great Khan is a man of exemplary integrity and honesty. When he appeared in the British Open at the height of his career the betting ante used to be 1 to 100. If his faith had faltered he could have made millions at the expense of country which he never did. The unhealthy tendency to belittle such stars and stalwarts is increasingly in evidence. Ironically Mr Arif Abbasi, the former chief of national carrier has come out to defend the destruction of such institutions. While doing so, he has forgotten the shabby treatment he meted out to Wasim Bari, Zaheer Abbas apart from Sohail Jaffer and Mahmood Hamid during his tenure as PIA boss. My apologies for this longish digression, but it was called for. There is, however, another sight to the scene where conceit assumes ridiculous proportions.

The new coach of the national cricket team, Mudassar Nazar has started nursing illusions about his capacity and capability. He has been constantly making claims that he wants to break Intikhab Alam’s record. How funny and amazing this statement is. He has only toured Sharjah as coach where Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka were the opponents in favourable conditions. He is also taking credit for Wasim’s bowling which Sikander Bakht could lay some claim as he had Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib as the trio under his tutelage.

Intikhab Alam met formidable challenges and commanded respect from outstanding players including Imran Khan. No doubt Mudassar is also respected for his standing in the same but he has a long way to go. I am not picking faults but how can he let go lapses like Shahid Afridi gliding the new ball towards third man with two slip fielders waiting for a chance. This was a freak instance in Shahid’s style of play which should have been immediately checked. Shahid Afridi is a national asset and no one would like to see him spoil his game. This technical howler is inexcusable. The forthcoming Bangladesh tour will be another opportunity for Mudassar to make tall claims. When Lt-Gen Tauqir Zia contradicted the impression that Mudassar will continue as coach till 2003, I give credit to general’s understanding of the situation.

In conclusion I would like to say that players like Moin Khan a world record holder of 257 dismissals behind the stumps as well as Imran Nazir, the Jonty Rhodes of Pakistan, should not have received stepmotherly treatment at the hands of the Selection Committee. In my opinion the above mentioned players cannot be written off straightaway. If they do not have an assured place in the playing XI, specially Moin, but they certainly deserves consideration among 25 to 30 probables.

Pakistan has plenty of promise and abundant talent. With Waqar at the helm the country can surely make a brave bid for the top slot in the forthcoming World Cup.

THE Quran, revealed in the month of Ramazan, is the greatest gift of God for Muslims in particular and mankind in general as its mode of address shows. It states in clear terms, “Verily we have honoured the children of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have exalted them above a great part of our creation. (17.70).

In Surah “Al-Nahl” (16) it announced that the rule of the Lord (Creator and Sustainer) on earth was going to be established very soon, and that this rule was no other than the self-same kingdom of Allah, with man as his vicegerent on the earth. It stated that the water that comes from the clouds and causes the trees and plants and herbage to grow comes for the service of man, that night and day, the sun and the moon, and all other luminaries in the firmament, had been created by our Omnipotent to serve the needs of man.

The Divine Book declared that all these things were subservient to man. In short, everything which had been reverenced as his Lord and master till yesterday was his servant. The message came to a man who belonged to a nation poor in all respects, yet he was chosen by Allah to take in hand this wonderful task. Let the people of wisdom, science and culture think over this matter in the light of history and ask themselves whether this idea of man’s greatness had ever dawned on the human mind before Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

We are looking forward to the days when the new experimental researches in science and technology, as prophesied by the glorious Quran, will enable us to bring even the mighty sun under our yoke, as stated in the Divine Book. “Allah is He who created the heavens and the earth and sent down water from the clouds, then brought forth with it fruits as a sustenance for you, and He has made the ships subservient to you, that they might sail in the sea by His command, and He made the rivers also subservient to you. And He had made subservient to you the sun and the moon pursuing their courses, and He made subservient to you the night and the day” (14:32:33).

These Quranic verses emphasize the importance of thinking, contemplation and reflection - Tadabbur, Tafakkur and Taaqqul. Another term used in this context, Tafaqqah means our knowledge of the features in a thing which enables us to distinguish it from others; under Tadabbur, we find out the object for which things have been created, and through Tafakkur, the properties of things and the proportions in which their various ingredients have been combined. Taaqqul is such a knowledge of things as will enable us to find out how to make and use them. It is under these Quranic injunctions and commands that the early Muslim scientists established experimental laboratories and made most valuable researches in diverse fields of knowledge.

Dr. Hartwig Hirschfeld comments in his book New Researches into the Composition and Exegesis of the Quran: “We must not be surprised to find the Quran the fountainhead of the sciences. Every subject connected with heaven or earth, human life, commerce and various trades are occasionally touched upon, and this gave rise to the production of numerous monographs forming commentaries on parts of the Divine Book. In this way the Quran was responsible for great discussions, and to it was indirectly due the marvellous development of all branches of science in the Muslim World. This again not only affected the Arabs, but also induced Jewish philosophers to treat metaphysical and religious questions after Arab methods”.

To facilitate the study of forces of nature and stimulate interest in scientific and highly technological fields, the Quran laid greatest emphasis as follows:

1. The whole world is full of potentialities. (2:22)

2. Everything in the universe is for a purpose. (3:190) (14:33)

3. They all are for our service, use and benefit. (15:19-20).

4. Not a single thing in the whole universe, however insignificant it may be, had been created without its proper use; that every thing we need is already provided.

5. The whole world is chained by the Law. The laws of nature are none other than the will of the Almighty.

6. Allah’s bounty is not held back from any. The striving of the people will be duly appreciated. (17:20-21)

7. Consider those who pursue their efforts vigorously, and strengthen their relationship with Allah, and proceed for a field with ease, and outstrip their rivals, and manage well the affairs entrusted to them (79:1-5).

It was in the light of such comprehensive guidance from the Quran that the early Muslims devoted their best efforts to scientific research. They were imbued with the spirit of exploring the forces of nature. They were assured that this naturally gave a strong impetus to learning and quest of knowledge, therefore they reached the apex of scientific progress. They became founders of a new civilization. In intellectual supremacy they had no rival. For centuries they were on the ascendant, but the riches they thus accumulated, subsequently made them slothful and wrought their ruin. Abuses, excess and self-indulgence shook the structure of their power to its foundations, rendering them an easy prey to others.

But the Muslim Ummah have not taken a lesson from our history. They have completely neglected the dissemination of knowledge, learning, science and technology. They must rethink and reconstruct their educational edifice to march ahead and cover the field of progress and development with the fastest speed to catch up with the highly developed countries of the world and meet the emerging challenges.

The Quran has clearly stated that the whole universe is a measured order. Everything in it followed course which came from the Creator, and it is unchangeable. We are repeatedly told we must learn the various measures and courses that we may not be inordinate in respect of the measure. The first nine verses of Surah “al Rahman” bring home to us this truth. This doctrine set Muslims to work on various branches of mathematics, algebra, statistics and other branches of applied mathematics as also on astrology and astronomy.

The Quran has informed that the whole solar system worked under a given reckoning; and all heavenly bodies floated in their respective spheres, that they have a course prescribed for their movements, which they have to follow in a given time. They could neither overlap nor come in each other’s way. They had been created to guide us and help us to find our way on the earth.

Everything in nature went on in a prescribed course and followed a prescribed law. “And He it is who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They float, each in an orbit”. (21:33). “It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night overstrip the day. They float each in an orbit”. (36:39).

The day the real significance of these profound observations in the Quran is amply grasped by the Muslims once again, a major change in their destiny may occur and they may once again occupy an elevated position in the comity of nations.

ON WEDNESDAY three little children, Ambreen, Farooq and Abid, died after tasting industrial waste dumped at a playground near Pak Colony, hardly an unusual incidence for Karachi. The SSP assured journalists of exemplary punishment for the culprits.

The Karachiites are used to such announcements by the local police. However, in reality the Karachi police may not be able to produce a single case enabling them to prosecute a violator.

Police may have neither the ability or the resources, nor the will to apprehend culprits involved in dumping hazardous waste. Even resources to conduct a detailed biopsy for comprehensive identification of chemicals responsible for deaths like those of the three children are lacking.

Then comes the arduous task of identifying the agent at the chemical dump responsible for the tragic deaths. For example the complete area where the children were present has to be carefully combed and tested for poisons. Someone then has to identify the type of industry generating that particular waste. Then someone needs to backtrack collecting specimen and samples from the factories and other establishments, starting from the ones in the neighbourhood.

The detailed chemical analyses, including crystalline structure of the samples, should be matched with the toxins from the dumpsite.

Checking the disposal habits of every polluter shall also help while trying to narrow down the final list of probable culprits. From there it is honest, hard police work of making a fail-safe case that can withstand a thorough scrutiny by some expensive and ritzy defence lawyer.

On the other hand, if by hook or crook a petty Karkhanwala is booked through halfhearted and presumptive investigation, he shall surely and ultimately go free for want of hard evidence and wanting legislation. If the police higher-ups are genuinely moved and would sincerely like to contribute to the betterment of this unfortunate society, they must move fast.

To begin with, the samples of the victims viscera need to be sent for crosschecking and detailed forensic and chemical examination to the labs at the Institute of Chemistry at the Karachi University, the Agha khan University Hospital and Zia-ud- din Medical University.

The vigilance of possible dumpsitees in Pak Colony must be ensured and samples collected and sealed by chemists in the presence of someone with magisterial powers for future matching. We have the assets required to do the job, but probably lack the will to do the needful.

The federal minister for science and technology, Dr Atta-ur- Rehman, could extend a lot of help. He hails from the same prestigious institute of chemistry that still retains the seal of late scholar professor emirates Salim-uz-Zaman.

Ironically the federal minister failed to show up as chief guest for a seminar organized by the provincial ombudsman on 6th October on the very subject of the management of chemical and hazardous waste in the city.

The city Nazim who filled in as the chief guest also quickly left after delivering a short message at the beginning. One only hopes that attempts to catch those responsible for the deaths will get all the support that is needed .

The need to apprehend the culprits in this case must not be confused with condemnation of the chemical industry in general. For any nation its chemical industry is the most basic and most important for overall industrialization. The only economic rescue for a people that continue to grow at a rate of around 3% per annum lies in massive industrialization. But that should not give the state, industrialists or entrepreneurs a carte blanche.

Pakistan is signatory to several International agreements to protect its environment. Unfortunately in the absence of meaningful enforcement of the existing yet feeble laws, the present horrible state of affairs continues. Karachi has three major industrial areas doting municipal boundaries, additionally the massive cottage industry within the city adds to unchecked environmental degradation.

Textile dying and printing, dry and alkaline battery, marble and stone-cutting, paint and rubber manufacturing and many other chemical and pharmaceutical industries happen to be located near Pak colony, Golimar, Khudadad colony, Liaquatabad, North Karachi, Korangi and Shershah. Due to lack of vigilance and awareness on the part of the law enforcing agencies including health and sanitation authorities, some of our industries dump highly toxic chemicals with total impunity in open space, air, subsoil water and the sea.

The country’s largest leather tanning industry in the Korangi industrial area continues to dump into our environment effluents containing toxic metal salt residues of chromium, cadmium, Zinc, copper, nickel and lead.

Waste without any recycling or end-of-pipe treatment is simply released into the nearest drain and, in turn, into the nearest farm or the ocean. Moreover, burning the tannery residuals into open atmosphere also causes direct air pollution. The industrial waste being drained into the Arabian Sea is found up to several kilometres off the coast. Substantial quantities of chemical contaminants may be traced in the catch, up to twenty-five kilometres away from the shore.

The three children in Pak colony may have been exposed to organic or inorganic compound of something like arsenic. Thousands of people died due to exposure to Methyl Isocynate during 1980’s in Bhopal. Exposure to antimony may cause pneumoconiosis and lung tumours. Chromium is known to be corrosive to skin and mucous membranes. It induces allergy, asthma and even cancer.

Exposure to pentyl acetate may critically affect people even briefly exposed to air concentrations of 100 ppm or higher. Lead poisoning is not only disastrous for human health but also adversely affects the brain cells.

The actual criminals may or may not be found. But as a people we are also equally responsible for Wednesday’s tragic incidence. We must resolve to prevent such occurrences in future. The task is not easy, but it is doable.