| January 5, 2002 | Saturday | Shawwal 20, 1422 |
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Banning the Indian channels
New City scam
Foundation for peace
Eliminating child abuse
Grant of remissions
Use of mobile by passengers
Banking court rules
Picket problem
Grievances of pensioners
Internet in Sukkur
Suhrawardy’s one Bengal idea
IN Russia’s gains in Afghan war (Jan 1), how right Eric Margolis seems to be when he says that “the US attacked Afghanistan’s Taliban government to exact revenge for the Sept 11 attacks on America.
“But it quickly occurred to former oilmen George Bush and Dick Cheney that retribution against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden offered a golden opportunity to expand American geopolitical influence into South and Central Asia, scene of the Caspian Basin oil boom.”
The United States with only 4% of the world’s population consumes 25% of the world’s generated energy. It relies on oil for more than 40% of its energy needs, which is being met increasingly by potentially unstable sources of the world supply, mainly the volatile Gulf region.
Any disruption in world oil supply is bound to have serious economic implications: the price of crude skyrocketing and plummeting the US economy in deep recession, even threatening the national security of the United States.
In view of the oil’s vital importance, it has now become almost a declared policy of the Administration that they would not hesitate to use force, even though being placed on the wrong side of diplomacy and ethics, to keep oil flowing towards them from anywhere in the world.
Once, shortly before the announcement of President Clinton’s Energy Policy of 1995 the White House spokesperson was asked whether the Americans needed to correct their lifestyle to solve the energy crisis. His reply was: “That’s a big No. The President believes that it’s an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy-makers to protect the American way of life.”
It is thus not unnatural for the USA to look left and right for this life-giving liquid.
SYED OSMAN SHER
Toronto, Canada
THIS is with reference to an advertisement of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) appearing in Dawn (Dec 31) that has directed all cable TV operators in Pakistan to stop relaying Indian and Star satellite channels on their networks forthwith.
Of late, there had been protests over the screening of advertisements from Pakistan based companies on Star channels but the PTA had remained unconcerned. Now all of a sudden, not only the advertisements have been shut down but people have been deprived of valuable information and light entertainment.
The text of the advertisement is vague. All satellite channels were not propagating material injurious to the security of Pakistan. It is, therefore, not correct to shut down informative programmes such as those on the National Geographic or exclusive entertainment channels like B4U or sports channel such as the ESPN.
If the Star satellite channels and the like were showing programmes that were in conflict with our customs and culture why, in the first place permission was given to the Cable TV Operators to relay those? Secondly, why the Pakistan-based companies were allowed to use that media for their advertisements?
Have a heart; if leaders on the other side of the divide are being stupid, must we reciprocate?
LT COL (R) SYED AHMED
Karachi
I WISH to draw the attention of the President of Pakistan to the plight of several thousand sufferers of the New City scam, who were lured into investing millions of rupees for plots in this scheme launched by the CDA and the Housing Authority.
Since two well-respected and state-owned departments were involved, the poor applicants deposited millions of rupees without suspecting any foul play. To their dismay, it turned out to be another fraud committed by the high and mighty of the regime of that time.
Now almost five years have passed and the money deposited in the Muslim Commercial Bank is not being refunded despite a cabinet decision. I do not know what is the hitch now. The President and others concerned are requested to issue instructions for the immediate refund of the money along with the interest for the period it remained with the authorities.
SARFRAZ AHMAD
Lahore
THIS is with reference to the letter titled: “Foundation for peace” (Jan 3).
The objectives of the Foundation, and the commitment to philanthropy of its founder, the former Indian diplomat Mr Madanjeet Singh, are laudable. This is why several distinguished Pakistanis have accepted the invitation to become members of the advisory council for Pakistan. The undersigned has been invited to serve as chairman of this advisory council.
However, while one is in agreement with the first two paragraphs of the cited letter, I am obliged to record my dissent with the comments contained in para-3.
This section makes no distinction between the repeated offers for dialogue and an independent inquiry into the incident on 13th December made by Pakistan and the belligerent, hysterical approach of the Indian leadership and media. The letter fails to acknowledge that it is a so-called “military dictator” such as General Pervez Musharraf who has demonstrated a far more balanced, moderate and rational approach than the extremist and irresponsible rhetoric of Indian rulers and politicians.
Secondly, the statement suggests that the only way towards peace and harmony in South Asia is to follow the path defined by Mahatma Gandhi.
Whereas it is true that a substantial part of Gandhi’s work was devoted to promoting non-violence and reflected humanistic values, it is also true that there were other aspects of his work which were directly opposed to the struggle for an independent Pakistan.
If there is an alternative to the present direction being set for South Asia by aggressive and hegemonistic actions, that direction is to be found as much in the words and actions of the Quaid-i-Azam, as from his Indian contemporary.
Mr Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a statesman of world stature with an unflinching commitment to peace and friendship. Regrettably, Mr Jinnah’s vision of amity between peoples has been deliberately ignored and disregarded by certain elements in India, and elsewhere.
JAVED JABBAR
Karachi
CHILD abuse is a serious crime rapidly increasing throughout the world. The abuser normally walks freely and the unrecognized victims spend their entire lives with pain, mental stress, lack of self-respect, despondency and fear. The saddest part of it all is that this hideous act is rarely accepted to exist in our society.
However, it is spreading like wildfire. Recently a 14-year-old girl at a house in Jhang was raped by three adult men and she died painfully as a result of an abortion failure.
Thousands of minor girls are kidnapped and sold to brothels for meagre amounts of money. In Pakistan, between Jan and Nov 2001, 824 children were reportedly missing, 428 killed and 144 minor girls raped.
The Unicef Report 2001 states millions of children are abused in sex trade. They are bought and sold, forced into marriages, prostitution and child pornography. Child sex trade is a violation of human rights. People are making profits by abusing innocent children. Child pornography is another problem.
Children who regularly go online are approached by strangers for sex, cybersex, porno sites and related stuff and many fall victim with unanswered questions.
The Unicef report also revealed that in Pakistan according to registered cases alone, a woman or child is raped on average every three hours.
Political instability, poverty, war, discrimination against women and lack of education are the main causes of child abuse and sex trade.
Whatever the cause may be, it should be clear that as long as the government does not make strict and stern laws to deal with criminals who are committing this horrendous crime and the law-enforcing agencies work efficiently to deal with this problem, such criminals will be left freely forever.
And no child, girl or woman will be safe in the true sense of the word. Thus everyone should raise voice for their protection.
ZAIRA RAHMAN
Karachi
SINCE long remissions in sentences have been granted to prisoners all over Pakistan by the President, and in the provinces, by the respective governors, without any conditions attached. However, since August 14, 2001, these remissions have been made conditional, apparently by the ‘baboos’ of the home ministry.
On the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, we heard on TV that the President has converted death sentences of juvenile prisoners into life sentence. But the next morning we found that it was applicable only to juveniles who were involved in offences of attempted murder. With this condition, only a few would benefit.
Similarly, on the same occasion a reduction of six months in the prison sentences, was granted by the President to all prisoners. But so many conditions were attached later by those in the ministry that only those involved in narcotics peddling have benefited.
It is high time that some one looks into the mischief of the bureaucracy and directs that the remissions granted by the President and the governors remain unconditional.
SOME PRISONERS
Central Jail
Karachi
I FREQUENTLY take PIA for my travels within the country. On a number of occasions, I have observed that passengers do not switch off their mobile phones even after being told to do so via a routine message from the cabin staff prior to take off.
It is the job of the cabin crew to insist that all passengers switch off their cell phones but this is hardly ever done.
It seems that the cabin crew themselves are not aware of the dangers of using mobile phones on board. On most airlines the use of mobile phones is banned. Evidence is available in the following website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/ uk/newsid 399000/399154.stm
UMAR RIAZ
Karachi
THE rules and regulations for the banking courts ever since their establishment in 1984 have been in the process of constant change. Only four months ago, the Banking Ordinance 2001 was promulgated and further amendments may be needed.
Perhaps the banking courts lack the jurisdiction to assess the veracity of a case, whether cognizable or otherwise, for loan recoveries in the precise context of prudential regulations of the State Bank of Pakistan which are mandatory for the scheduled banks to implement in letter and in spirit for the purpose of disbursement and recovery of loans. Thereafter should any shortfall occur involves no breach of law or trust by the borrower to warrant his prosecution. Nevertheless the plaintiff banks are accusing such borrowers of criminal offence in the banking courts to recover the shortfall.
That is why the Banking Laws Review Commission recently constituted by the Government of Pakistan has asked the interested citizens to identify major weaknesses in the current banking laws and procedures for the framing of new laws vide their advertisement in the press dated 30.11.2001.
Regarding my case of inadvertent default, it was acknowledged by the Finance Minister, in response to my comprehensive representation, that the issue needs to be sorted out considering my flawless business dossier of the proceeding 20 years. But the plaintiff bank said the case was sub judice. This attitude is in direct conflict with the aims and objectives of the committee for the revival of industrial sick units.
The Chief Justice of Lahore High Court is requested to take suo motu action in this regard.
SATTAR MUHAMMAD KHAN
Vehari
I LIVE in Lahore and have a car with a Faisalabad number plate. For checking of stolen cars, the traffic police has placed pickets at various intersections, who stop and check all cars with number plates issued from other cities.
I become the target of these pickets every day. This not only wastes time but I have to face unnecessary hassle on this account. This can be eliminated if few suggestions are considered by the traffic police. A car with a number plate from elsewere should be checked thoroughly along with its documents. And if the traffic police is satisfied with the ownership claim of the person concerned, a clearance certificate or a pass or a sticker, might be issued to him exempting him from further scrutiny.
Another important matter which I want to bring to the notice of the concerned authorities is that the policemen who check the documents do not behave properly. I feel that every policeman must be trained on how to behave with respectable citizens while on this kind of duty.
MUSTAFA ALI
Lahore
IN December last, the pay of all the government employees was increased, in some cases by 50 per cent and in others by 70 per cent of the existing pay. But unfortunately pension has been increased by only 5 per cent in some cases and by 10 to 15 per cent in others. This shows as if, in the eyes of the authorities, the pensioners are less affected by the increase in the cost of living.
This is a sad situation. In addition to routine day-to-day expenses, the pensioners have to incur expenses on the purchase of costly medicines to keep them alive.
I request the authorities to consider the case of the pensioners realistically and issue revised orders for increase in pension.
Q.RAZA
Karachi
THIS government has planned to improve the IT sector in Pakistan. That’s all very well, but for the net users of the Sukkur region, a lot of problems arise because there are only two ISPs working in this region.
With one of them, you can get connected in a few minutes but to download a page you need at least an hour as the speed is too slow and the maximum bandwidth to get connected with it is 33,600bps. This is the case with a private run ISP. Regarding Paknet, a subsidiary of the PTCL, it is better but it takes almost 30 to 40 minutes to get connected.
I run a cyber cafe at Khairpur Mirs and it takes almost one hour to check a single mail in yahoo or hotmail service. If these pages take so much time then imagine that if a person needs to use the net as a reference guide and visits the encyclopaedia.com, or wants to read the Washington Post, how much time it is going to take. Even the Dawn internet edition opens in 10 to 15 minutes.
On behalf of all the internet users of the Sukkur region, I request the higher authorities to improve Paknet service and increase its ports as there is an increasing market for net users here. The same packages should be offered to users here as they are offering in Karachi and Hyderabad. The bandwidth, too, should be increased to 56Kbs.
The disconnection problem should also be looked into. At present it gets disconnected, on the average, after every 30 minutes and one has to spend another 30 minutes to get connected again.
So far the concept of efficiency of the internet is just a dream here.
The main servers of this region should be installed here where they are serving. At present we have only the connecting servers which connect the users with the main servers located at Hyderabad.
I hope that the authorities will act soon and give the users of this region the same quality of service as available at Karachi and Hyderabad. After all, we are paying the same rates they do.
MUHAMMAD ALI KHAN PANHWAR
Khairpur Mirs
MR MAHMUD Ali’s letter (Jan 2) and others who have written about Mr Suhrawardy seem to take a one-sided view of his role in the Pakistan movement and his parallel role in Bengal politics. No one would deny his contributions to the Pakistan movement. It was because of his efforts, with those of Abul Hashim, that the Bengal Muslim Leage achieved a landslide victory in the 1945-46 elections.
However, we need to recognize also the issue of a United Sovereign Bengal that came up in April 1947. When the prospects of the Partition of Bengal came up, some Bengali political leaders, including Mr Suhrawardy, felt that this might spell economic disaster for Bengal because of the intertwined economies of East and West Bengal. With the knowledge and blessings of the Quaid-i-Azam, therefore, the idea of a United Independent Bengal, came up, which would be independent of both India as well as of Pakistan.
A committee to deal with that option was set up in the Bengal Muslim League. With the exception of Maulana Akram Khan who wanted to have nothing to do with the idea, all the other Bengal Muslim League leaders, along with Mr Suhrawardy, favoured the idea. Consequently a group of Muslim League leaders, led by Mr Suhrawardy, was authorized to negotiate with certain leading Bengal Congress leaders such as Sarat Chandra Bose, Kiron Shankar Roy and others. The Quaid-i-Azam was kept closely in touch with those proceedings.
When the Bengal leaders, both Muslim League and Congress, agreed to a scheme for a United Independent Bengal, they contacted Mountbatten and his team. At first Mountbatten favoured the idea. but he was to back off later when Nehru and Patel opposed it. When Mr Jinnah met Mountbatten on 26 April 1947, Mountbatten asked Mr Jinnah what he thought about it. Mountbatten did not seem to know that Mr Jinnah was already fully informed about it. He was surprised when Mr Jinnah said to him, ‘without any hesitation’, that he ‘[w]ould be delighted.
What use is Bengal without Calcutta. They had better remain united and independent. I am sure that they would be on friendly terms with us’. (cf. Jinnah Papers, OUP, Vol I Part II, p.668)
Shyama Prasad Mookherji, of the Hindu Maha Sabha, was appalled by that idea. He wrote to Gandhi asking him to stop the idea immediately. ‘Do you realise’, he pointed out to Gandhi, ‘that a United Bengal’ will have a Muslim majority! The decisive opposition, of course, came from Nehru and Patel and the Indian National Congress.
Mr Suhrawardy had worked hard for that project, which is the reason why he could not come to Pakistan immediately at the time of Partition. Sadly, although the Quaid-i-Azam respected him, he was treated badly by the petty people who came after the Quaid.
When we organised a protest meeting in London, when he was arrested by Ayub Khan, a record 7000 people came for the meeting, including the good wife of the Pakistan High Commissioner.
Suhrawardy was a patriotic Pakistani and he was also a Bengali nationalist, in the same way as, say, Sindhi nationalists, whose loyalty to Pakistan you cannot question. There is no conflict between the two.
HAMZA ALAVI
Karachi
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