| December 20, 2001 | Thursday | Shawwal 4, 1422 |
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Steps that Pakistan should take
Qanooni’s outburst
Another Indian drama
Closure of schools
Use of loudspeakers
Russians in Afghanistan
Prisoners’ appeal
Israel must be checked
Time for Afghan refugees to return
Foreign food franchise
Prophecies of Nostradamus
Entrance test
Tax-free income
Qualification of company secretary
HOSTILITY towards Islam is rising in the light of the speculation that Muslim groups comprise the main suspect list in the World Trade Centre bombings. Similarly, the war against terrorism has been perceived by many as a war against Islam. Understanding the Islamic stand against terrorism is important in dealing with this potential backlash.
The Quran, the authoritative source of Islamic law, established that justice is the highest ethical value ordained by God and that harming innocent people for any end, political or otherwise, is an unjust act. The authenticated traditions of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), the second source of Islamic law, stipulated the limits in the rules of engagement to combatants, disallowing the soldier from harming civilians or even plants and animals.
The devout Muslim adheres to these Islamic principles, cherishing life and respecting the lives of others, while those who deviate are anything but Islamic.
Tagging terrorism with a religious label because the culprits or suspects invoke Islam in their violent and mainly personal crusades against the US government is troubling for Muslims. In the case of the terrorist attacks in America, the view that this disaster represents a religious conflict is wrong. Many Muslims were victims of the Sept 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre. Yet Islam is identified with the violent act and not with the victims or heroes of the tragedy.
Whoever was behind the Sept 11 attacks had no regard for human life and did not act in accordance with any religion, even if they committed this atrocity in the name of religion. We make distinctions between Christianity and Christians who bomb abortion clinics or employ other methods of terrorism. We can measure Islam with the same yardstick.
The world’s one billion Muslims abhor violence and prefer to live in peace and security like any other community. The violent extremists, representing a fraction of this religious group, have caught the attention of the West with violence, gaining religious credibility because Islam’s silent majority has no medium to articulate its perspectives.
Our inability to draw demarcations between fringe and mainstream, between populist and terrorist, between extremism and religious conviction, makes our struggle for peace more difficult. In the case of the World Trade Centre bombing and other terrorist acts, the criminals, not the religion, should be placed on trial.
MOHAMED AHMED
Karachi
PAKISTAN is a country that stands once again at the crossroads of its destiny and needs to decide on the route that it must take as a nation. As the post Sept 11 events have unfolded, Pakistan has come into the limelight the world over. However, all the publicity is not necessarily positive.
As a Pakistani who travels extensively, I have seen the change in attitude towards Pakistan nationals at consulates and airports around the world. What was bad has now gotten much worse. Many people ask me about the fundamentalist problems in Pakistan and if the majority of Pakistanis support Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, showing that Pakistan is being lumped into the same mould as Afghanistan. Hence post September 11 people around the world have come to know that a country by the name of Pakistan exists, but at the same time we are labelled as “fundamentalists and terrorists.”
The western powers are talking of taking the war against terrorism beyond Afghanistan. Once the war in Afghanistan is over, the strategic importance of Pakistan will diminish. The western coalition will then take on countries like Iraq, Somalia and North Korea.
The perception of India in the West is better. It is perceived to be a large peaceful democratic nation, with talented and skilled workers and as a country that can provide industrial resources as well as a market to the Western corporations. On the other hand, the perception of Pakistan is of an unstable poor and illiterate country, “supporting fundamentalists”.
However, changes can be brought about. The first step in this regard would be to put in some sort of civilian government in place. The next would be to announce a voluntary halt to our nuclear programme. The authorities should also put a curb on all fundamentalist organizations and should actively work on disarming them.
Since there is a lot of curiosity in the West about Afghanistan and to some extent about Pakistan, we have an opportunity to launch a tourism campaign. Tourists may actually like to visit the border sites with Afghanistan to see where it all happened. The next step would be to look at the Dubai, Singapore and Taiwan models and learn from these.
Undue controls and restrictions make the few in control rich, while the nation gets poorer. On the other hand, liberalization helps everyone, as the world’s major corporations continue to search for cheaper countries to base their operations in and to discover new markets for their goods and services.
SHAHZAD KAZI
Miami, Florida, USA
Besides being the frontline state during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and now, the US-led coalition’s invasion of that country, we have been home to three million Afghan refugees for over two decades now. Regardless of their ethnic identity, they enjoy our hospitality and share our resources.
And all that we have got in return is a soaring crime rate, serious law and order situation, terrorism, a ransacked embassy, anti-Pakistan slogans on the streets of Kabul, the Northern alliance, and last but not the least, Mr Qanooni who lashes out at Pakistan to please his Indian hosts.
He felt no shame that while he was spitting venom against Pakistan, millions of his “ghayyoor” and “ghairatmand” countrymen were still being fed and sheltered in Pakistan as guests.
FAHD HASSAN
Kohat
THE latest drama stage-managed by the Raw is the incursion of the terrorist into the premises of the Parliament in Delhi and shooting into emptiness. To give the incident a colouring of Muslim or Kashmiri terrorism, the necessary adjunct of a detonator straddled across the suicide bomber has also been supplied.
But the lesson from the last hijacking of an Indian aircraft appears to have been quickly forgotten. How could these five get through the tight security net a round the Indian parliament? And how come that all the five have been killed so that the real tale cannot be told?
A.H. SUHARWARDY
Islamabad
THIS is with reference to a news item (Dec 14) regarding the closure of six primary schools in district Vehari.
We are told that this government is working hard to promote education, particularly at the grassroots level. We also hear that millions of dollars are pouring in for social development in the country.
On the other hand, we learn that schools are being closed as the education department has failed to provide teaching staff. Isn’t it a zero-sum game that while a campaign is going on for new schools, the existing ones are being closed ?
ARSHAD KAYANI
Karachi
Mohammad Shahzad (Dec 1) has spoken of the loudspeaker nuisance. If, according to the West Pakistan Loudspeaker and Amplifiers Act, 1965, the loudspeaker can be used in places of worship at such volume that their sound is not heard outside the premises of the building, how is it that loudspeakers are now being used at full volume?
Here in the D-Ground area in Faisalabad, loudspeakers are used full blast from three o’clock in the morning. The police seems to be in deep slumber. Who will take action?
B.OSMUND
Faisalabad
THE recent news of the arrival of Russian troops in Kabul for humanitarian purposes reminds one of their historic arrival a decade earlier.
In 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, the two major Soviet newspapers, Pravda (truth) and Izvestia (news), reported that the Soviet troops have arrived in Kabul for humanitarian work. As the events unfolded after 1979, the world saw of the nature humanitarian work that the Soviets did in Afghanistan!
It was generally said about these two newspapers that there was no Pravda in Izvestia, and no Izvestia in Pravda. A recent report by Pravda stated that “Russia uses its influence on the Northern Alliance and is trying to become a key figure in taking decisions about Afghanistan’s future and it probably manages to do so. Contradictions between the US and Great Britain will automatically push Great Britain to Russia or vice versa. This is favourable for Russia. Russia’s advances towards Iran and India are advantageous for Russia as well. And if the superfluous arrogance of the Northern alliance is a little restrained, Russia could obtain what it did not during its 10-year war in Afghanistan.” (Anti-Taliban Coalition Going To Pieces, www.pravda.ru, 1600 hrs, Nov 20).
Is it just another Izvestia? Or may be, finally, Pravda is telling the truth. Only time will tell.
S. B. SALAM Chicago, US
WE five prisoners respectively belonging to Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana have served out our sentence but have not been released.
We do not have any relative in Pakistan and have no contacts with our families.
We appeal to the President, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Sindh Governor, and the IG of Prisons for our release and financial assistance for return to our countries.
FIDE JOHN AND OTHERS
Central Jail, Hyderabad
It is a well-known fact that Israel, violating all accords and peace pacts, has been committing aggression against the Palestinians since its inception. A few days back, Israel targeted the Voice of Palestine (VOP) radio as a result of which the radio had to stop functioning.
It is high time that Washington and other leaders of the world community take notice of the excesses committed by Israel. They should work to stop the violence in the Middle East and to bring the parties concerned on the negotiation table.
If this is not done and Israel continues to commit atrocities on Palestinians, no power on earth would be able to eliminate acts of terrorism, which would continue to remain a threat to security all over the world.
ALI ASGHAR ARBAB
Khipro
As a result of the Bonn accord, Afghanistan is now poised to embark upon a new journey in its chequered history. No doubt the promise of $ 10 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the rehabilitation of Afghans was a big motivating factor in forcing the 22 delegates reach an agreement.
As the general elections are also scheduled to be held after six months or so, the future seems hopeful for the Afghlan people and their country. If all goes well according to a well-set plan the war-torn country is bound to return to normalcy soon.
And when the dust finally settles down it is pertinent to ask about the future of Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan. Being a host country, Pakistan would be well within its right to urge upon the new Afghan government to recall these refugees, own them and get them settled in their own country.
In this regard, Pakistan needs to start its home work now and utilize all its channels to send the Afghan refugees back with honour and dignity.
RAFAT MAHMOOD ANSARI
Islamabad
A number of foreign franchises have succeeded in winning the hearts and confidence of our people and have been absorbed in our culture. But the quality of products and the service here is often below international standards. They are lucky that no action is taken in Pakistan for even serious lapses and violations.
I write this out of my disappointment after getting an insect-infested pizza from a well known pizza outlet. It came as a great shock to me because it shows that, contrary to the general belief, food is not being prepared there under proper conditions of sanitation.
I hope they would be more particular about the hygienic requirements of a food providing establishment in the future, and would not take their customers and their health for granted.
Also, I would like to ask the authorities concerned to check the kitchens of all the restaurants and fast food outlets.
S. NASIM
Karachi
SOME of our writers, well-known and apparently knowledgeable, are referring to the prophecies of Nostradamus who was a French medical practitioner during the sixteenth century. Our writers appear to have been fascinated by associating the fateful incident, a shocking tragedy for the US, on Sept 11, quoting a prophecy of Nostradamus to two steel birds coming from the sky and hitting the US metropolis emitting colossal fire in one of the dailies. There has been no such prophecy by the astrologer and the USA did not exist on world map during 16th century. Nostradamus lived from 1503 to 1566.
His prophecies, running into hundreds, were first printed in 1555 and 1568. After this, there was a period of oblivion over many centuries, during which space of time many counterfeits were produced. However, people felt the desire to read Nostradamus whenever a big event occurred in the continent, and the material was suddenly made available in the market. Lately, during the early days of World War II that Dr Geobbels produced these “prophecies”, which included predictions about Hitler’s conquests. To counter these, the Allies produced their version of the predictions. Their originality, authenticity and credibility can be assessed by the readers themselves.
A respectable name from Karachi referred the event of Sept 11 as a prophecy by Michael de Nostradamus destined to happen after 350 years. Obviously the prediction was made during the time when he was alive i.e. before the year 1566. The event should have taken place before 1916. In any case, there is no such prophecy in his list at all. It is all a fabrication through interpretation of the vaguely-written few lines attributed to him. The reading public is requested to accept the genuineness of these prophecies with a pinch.
A.Q. ANJUM
Rawalpindi
IT is with shock and dismay that we see in the newspapers the news that for a second time the IBA test for entry into medical colleges, has been cancelled.
If this time, as they say, only 34 cases of irregularity have been identified, then only these 34 candidates should be re-examined or their admissions cancelled. Why make all the 2,500 students suffer?
FAUZIA
Karachi
LAST month before Ramazan, I had a late-night chat with one of the push-cart vendors who was selling ‘dahi-baras’ and mixed chat etc. I was not at all surprised to be informed by him that he was earning an average daily income of Rs 700 which was tax free. The only tax “deducted at source”, was a fixed sum paid as ‘bhatta’ to somebody who allows him to keep his business running without any hindrance.
Thus his annual income amounted to approximately Rs 250,000 — all taxes paid!
There may be many vendors like him who are earning more and enjoying a tax-free income, without having any grudge against the CBR.
SYED ABRAR HUSSAINI
Karachi
THIS refers to the contents of the press conference of the Chairman, Securities And Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), dealing with the qualification of the company secretary. In this connection, I would like to bring the following facts to the notice of the government particularly the Finance Minister.
The prescribed qualification for a company secretary has been proposed by the SECP that he should be a chartered accountant, or a cost and management accountant, corporate secretary or a master degree holder in business administration or commerce or law graduate. This proposal is indeed based on ignorance of the professional placement principles and professional education.
In the United Kingdom the post of a company secretary is filled by a “chartered secretary” who is a member of the “Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators”, UK established in 1902 by Royal Charter. Chartered and management accountants or degree holders are not appointed for the post of company secretary in the entire United Kingdom because “company secretaryship’ is a specialized field.
In the past so many years in Pakistan, the position of a company secretary used to be filled generally by chartered and management Accountants and others because of the dearth of chartered secretaries. But after the establishment of the “Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Managers” in the year 1990, in Pakistan, under the licence of Corporate Law Authority, chartered secretaries are being produced and are available.
The SECP is fully aware of this fact and it seems that the exclusion of the name of “chartered secretary” from the proposed prescribed qualification of company secretary appears to be a deliberate attempt on the part of vested interest to belittle the profession of company secretaryship.
This is an era of specialization. Chartered accountants specialize in financial accounting and audit. Cost and management accountants specialize in cost and works accounts and cost audit. Company secretaryship is not their field, it is the area of “chartered secretary” only. Accountants have to pass papers of “company law and secretarial practice” with marks aggregating to 150 whereas the “chartered secretary” has to pass papers of company law, corporate laws and secretarial practice with marks aggregating to 600. As for the degree holders they do not qualify at all as the secretarial practice and company law are not in their course, nor do they undergo an articleship of company secretaryship. Therefore, the proposed amendment in the Companies Ordinance 1984, must be reviewed before it is finalized by the SECP.
RAISUDDIN SHAIKH
Chartered Secretary
Karachi
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