| January 21, 2002 | Monday | Ziqa’ad 6, 1422 |
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Bonn accord
Cats in the ICU
Islamabad’s ‘green belts’
Meaningful talks for peace
Income tax refund
Outbreak of fire
Nasrullah Khan’s remarks
Lahore Resolution
Dignity of labour?
Regeneration of transformer oil
Signature tune
January 16 might be remembered as one of the brightest days in our national history when the illogical, unjust and anti-national system of separate electorate was finally replaced by a unified voting regime. The implications of this change are vast and can affect the lives of all citizens in significant positive ways.
Separate electorate was a euphemism for denying full rights of citizenship to the minorities. One only has to imagine how a Muslim would feel if he had to live in a land where discriminatory laws were enforced against the Muslims. The Munir inquiry Commission was told by a Muslim religious leader that it would be acceptable if Indian Muslims were not given full citizenship rights. He insisted that non-Muslims should be treated as Zimmis in Pakistan. Surely this was not what Mr Jinnah had in mind.
Those elements that had worked tirelessly against the creation of Pakistan became the claimants to Pakistan ideology. The purpose and meaning of the Two Nation theory were exploited and misused. Citizens were required to declare their religion for participation in politics and issuance of passports. For the minorities it was like living in a political ghetto.
Religious minorities constitute less than 5% of the population. The chances of the minority communities manipulating the political process were nonexistent, yet such fears were projected by some believers in conspiracy theories. On the other hand, the minorities wanted to be accepted as full citizens, showing little keenness for ensuring representation in assemblies through separate electorate.
However many leaders of Muslim religious parties and government spokesmen dared to claim that the system was of benefit to the minorities as they were assured of seats in the elected assemblies. In practice, the regime resulted in establishing a distinction between the Muslims and non-Muslims, who were not deemed equal citizens, as was clear from the expression such as “It was the duty of the Muslims to protect non-Muslims.”
It is worth noting that in 1954 the US Supreme Court held that separate schooling could never be equal. I believe this is more so for the separate electorate. The feelings of deprivation and pain of non-Muslim citizens caused by this system can hardly be assessed or understood by most fellow citizens.
Maintenance of the separate electorate was the foundation on which a climate of emotionalism and intolerance was built and maintained. Merit and contribution as fundamental qualifications for office and reward were formally rejected. The level of performance was bound to suffer from these subjective conditions. Thus the whole nation suffered.
The system of joint electorate is a necessary step towards establishing a just social and political system. This is the necessary basis for building a merit-based, issued-focussed political and social order.
DANISHMAND
Karachi
REGARDING my article on the Bonn Accord published in the Dawn (Jan 17), I would like to clarify, in response to several queries, that the theme of this article was finalized in the last week of Dec 2001, well before the transportation, in a most humiliating, inhumane and degrading manner, of the Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees from Kandahar to Guantanamo US-base in Cuba and the sub-human conditions of their detention there. The US Defence Secretary has since argued that these detainees are not prisoners of war but “unlawful combatants” outside the protection of the Geneva Conventions.
My article in the Dawn suggested that the Geneva Conventions are fully applicable to the Afghanistan military action; I continue to stand by this opinion and point out that this view is finding growing international support. This was evident particularly during a visit to Europe in the middle of this month.
I met Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, two days ago in Geneva on 16 January 2002, and I am gland that her important voice has been added to the need to treat the detenus in accordance with “their legal rights normally available to prisoners”.
The Geneva Conventions represent the bottom-line of an unequivocal global consensus developed over decades, nay over a century, on the rights and duties of combatants. And, the international community would do well to require the enforcement of these obligations, the unilateralism and self-serving — and indeed the shortsighted — interpretation of the US notwithstanding.
DR PARVEZ HASSAN
Karachi
BEING a student of Dow Medical College, I have to visit the Civil Hospital quite often. There was nothing unusual to see cats in the medical wards and OPDs. But a few days back I was astonished when these unwanted visitors were seen freely roaming about in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Everyone is aware of the importance of of this unit and the seriousness of the condition of patients therein. These cats add to the frustration of doctors and paramedics who have to run in emergency cases. They’re a terrible nuisance making the condition of the patients worse.
But it appears that streets are meant for stray dogs and hospitals for cats.
I request the concerned authorities to take a serious note of the matter and devise some means to stop the entrance of cats in to the hospital premises.
A CONCERNED DOWITE
Karachi
IT seems that the CDA and the so-called Environmental Protection Department, are out to make Islamabad black rather than green. Yes, that is true. If you don’t believe it, then take a stroll along any one of the ‘green’ belts.
Black, ugly patches of burnt out grass greet your eyes every day. Burning dried leaves and grass is routine by the CDA’s gardeners and sweepers. Nobody bothers to check them. This method of “clearing up” the garbage is not only polluting the environment, it is also depriving the soil of useful fauna and the poor birds, their feed.
Not a single newspaper has bothered to highlight this. Don’t they have any environmentally friendly method of re-cycling the dried leaves like making manure for the plants? Or, is it that some vested interest is conspiring to start a Sydney style bushfire in Islamabad?
Enough is enough. Strict punishment should be awarded to the culprits. Even suing the CDA would not be a bad idea.
MUHAMMAD ASAD
Rawalpindi
IN my view, the central issue between India and Pakistan is not Kashmir. It is the hatred we have cultivated against one another over the years. Both countries need religious and political leaders brave enough to work towards eliminating this cancer of hate.
As long as that remains in the heart of the people, the subcontinent would not see peace, even after resolution of the Kashmir issue.
People in both the countries need to ask themselves what is common among ourselves. How closely we are related to one another in terms of history, language, culture, food, costumes, behaviours and so forth.
A religious individual believes in living in peace with his neighbour. That belief will benefit both. All that energy and resources diverted towards hatred conflict and then war can be better invested in the economic growth and welfare of the people.
Both the countries are known in the world as poor whose governments can not provide basic life necessities and services to their citizens but produce nuclear bombs and armies of millions of soldiers equipped with modern weapons. Neither India nor Pakistan has earned respect or stature in the eyes of common people in developed countries for being progressive societies.
This is image of India and Pakistan would not change until we change.
It is in the benefit of India and Pakistan to leave the history behind and look forwards. They should begin some meaningful dialogue for the betterment of the people.
BHARAT SHAH
Michigan, USA
I AM an employee of the PTCL, retired under the voluntary retirement scheme in 1998. At the time of retirement, income tax was wrongly deducted from my gratuity. Since then, I have been running from pillar to post for the refund of the said amount, but to no avail.
I had appealed to the President of Pakistan for help in this regard. I got a reply through the Director of the PTCL to take up the case with the income tax department. I approached the said office several times, but to no avail.
I appeal to the concerned authorities to look into the matter so that I may be able to get my refund during my lifetime.
I. HASAN
Karachi
THIS refers to the report (Jan 16) regarding a fire destroying the Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat in Islamabad.
A few interesting facts in the report were that the district administration was called to deal with the emergency.
I don’t know who would have organized the operation in Lahore as there is no district administration here after the implementation of the devolution plan.
If the NRB intellectuals were convinced of their devolution plan, they should have implemented it first in the capital.
Another interesting point in the report was that soldiers of the 111 Brigade reached the spot hours after the fire. Had it been sacking a political government, would they have been so late?
But probably they know what they are meant for and they never fail as inscribed on the outer walls of their brigade.
OMAR MALIK
Lahore
WHILE speaking at a seminar organized by the Majlis-i-Ahrar-i-Islam, ARD president, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, made the observation: “The steps announced by President General Pervez Musharraf against terrorism, sectarian violence and intolerance in his address to the nation are aimed at appeasing the US and India;” which implies that the steps referred to above do not serve our own interest.
Will the veteran politician and learned speaker elucidate his remarks?
Further, he has lamented that: “Conditions like securing no objection certificates for every new mosque or religious seminary were unprecedented. Even the British had not imposed such restrictions during their rule.”
The question is, why should the British have stepped in when we, as Indian Muslims, were serving their purpose silently by dividing ourselves into sects hostile to each other?
MURTAZA HUSSAIN
Karachi
THIS refers to Abdul Khaliq Junejo’s letter captioned “Lahore and Delhi Resolutions” (Jan 10). The learned correspondent is quite right in describing the Lahore resolution of the All India Muslim League as the founding charter of the country. This resolution was not amended by the Muslim League legislators convention held in Delhi in 1946 as alleged by many people. The Lahore resolution remains intact even to day. The resolution was passed by the open general session of the All India Muslim League. So it could only be amended by the open session of the party.
Even the council of the All India Muslim League, its supreme policy making body was not competent to amend the Lahore resolution what to say of the convention of its legislators. Delhi resolution of 1946 at the most embodies the desire of the Muslim League parliamentarians and in no way alters the Lahore resolution.
It is relevant to mention that it was on the basis of the Lahore resolution that the whole of Muslim India lent its support to the Pakistan movement and overwhelmingly voted for the Muslim League in 1945-46 general elections. Any deviation from it is deemed to be an act of betrayal.
R.R. ALVI
Lahore
CALL it dignity of labour if you please, but the photograph under the above caption (Jan 5) shows the value of a human being in this Islamic State although our religion preaches equality of all mankind, black or white, rich or poor.
We are so prompt in criticizing the West, but fail to look at ourselves. Why don’t we take up the good points of the West eg., equality (to some extent at least) of human beings, punctuality, cleanliness, literacy, social security, civic sense, traffic sense, tax culture and much more.
In the West, I have seen animals being treated better than human beings in our country, like the old man in the photograph. No animal there would pull such a load! Once, during an exceptionally hot day in a North American city I saw an ambulance in a park, picking up squirrels who had fainted due to the heat!
In the West, workmen like postmen, waiters, drivers and others like them, get the same respect and treatment as people who are better paid.
It is a pity that we Muslims do not follow Islamic teachings, whereas the West have adopted these qualities without being Muslims.
S. BABAR
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr Faizan Usmani’s article “Regeneration of transformer oil” (Jan 12). I would like to caution the public and the policy-makers alike against the tendency of banning substances without careful consideration of the consequences of such a ban.
In Pakistan, over 2000 tons of obsolete (un-usable) pesticide is lying at various locations in all the four provinces. Recently, about 300 tons of these stocks from Punjab stores could be disposed of by dispatching them to The Netherlands for incinerating in high temperature facilities that are available in selected advanced countries only. This activity was implemented under a totally free grant assistance from the government of the Netherlands. Under a smaller and separate programme, the German government provided similar assistance for the NWFP stocks.
National resources to the tune of tens of millions of dollars may never become available to completely solve the problem of banned and obsolete pesticides in an environmentally responsible manner. Waiting for assistance of this magnitude, the obsolete pesticides would keep posing a threat to the environment and public health, in storage facilities which are deteriorating with the passage of time. Often local officialdom is not fully sensitive to the nature of the problem. In Malir (where several hundred tons of obsolete pesticide are lying in the open sky for more than two decades) the portion of pesticide stocks which was reasonably stored in a covered building had been thrown in and out several times by administrative and judicial authorities, despite advice from the agricultural officers of the Sindh province, under whose formal custody the stocks are.
Coming back to the PCBs, many pesticides contain PCBs and other chlorine-based compounds and even highly injurious mercury. How did these stores build up? One of the major reasons is that in an enthusiasm to follow and implement the then fashionable edicts of the international agricultural bureaucracy sitting at The FAO and elsewhere, our agricultural departments withdrew the so-called banned pesticides from circulation and did not issue the same for further consumption and hence the consequent build-up. The right strategy, in retrospect though, would have been to exhaust the existing supplies of the so-called banned items. Now these pesticides being obsolete, can neither be used nor disposed of, creating a major dilemma.
I shudder to think that the same story may not be repeated in case of the PCBs, especially in the transformer sector. Europeans can ban the items because they can afford to dispose of such items. We do not have the resources — neither technical nor financial — to implement costly disposal procedures. So please exhaust the existing supplies, possibly through recycling and re-use, until an affordable disposal option is available.
In fact, any decision to implement such bans should be accompanied by mandatory time-bound disposal programmes. Surely this practice may reduce the demand for new transformer oil.
AKHTAR ALI
Karachi
HOW many of us are aware of the fact that the music played by Radio Pakistan, before the hourly national news bulletins daily, is a piece taken from a Hollywood comedy movie, starring Jerry Lewis! Better late than never, it must be substituted by our own music.
ABRAR HUSSAINI
Karachi
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