| January 25, 2002 | Friday | Ziqa’ad 10, 1422 |
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Talks on Kashmir
Welfare organization’s appeal
Apathy of the Railways
Remembering Patras Bokhari
Prices of food items
Kashmir Day
BOI consultant’s clarification
Illegal gratification
Graduation criterion
Sacrificial animals
‘Question Time India’
New property tax scheme
“GO to war”. This was the short reply given to the question I put two years ago to a Cambridge professor. The question was, “What would it take for the international community to do something about Kashmir?”
Of course, it wasn’t quite the answer I’d hoped for; in fact it shocked me considerably. On reflection, though he probably meant it half in jest, I had a feeling he was quite serious about the other half. Cynical as it is, nothing else would move the world so much as the prospect of two nuclear powers going to war.
At the time, I had put the question from the point of view of a Pakistani who wanted to see scarce funds being used for the benefit of Pakistanis instead of being absorbed by military expenditure. How very naive! Now I was supposed to wish for a war to achieve that objective. Since I could not bring myself to do that, the subject got shelved for a time.
Pakistan President Musharraf has put a most impressive display of statesmanship at the SAARC summit in Nepal. Managing to be both disarmingly conciliatory and firm at the same time, he has shown, not just India, but the rest of the world that Pakistan will not accept under pressure. He is prepared to be pragmatic and put relations with India on a new footing.
India must also respond in its own interest by developing a more well thought-out policy on Pakistan, dumping what is essentially a non-policy based on effecting maximum damage on Islamabad whenever the opportunity arises. Musharraf is also right in calling on India to work towards regional cooperation through SAARC on the European model instead of calling off the meetings when it suits its purposes. This combination of plain talk, vision and flexibility sends out the right signals from Pakistan, which is doing quite well in coping with its multiple crises.
The question is, will conflict or the threat of it prevail, or will India respond, proving that the subcontinent can still draw on its great traditions of peaceful coexistence for mutual benefit as an alternative? If not,I fear the professor will have been wholly right, even for the future.
PALVASHA VON HASSELL
Hamburg, Germany
AFTER the ‘War against terrorism’ in Afghanistan, the focus of the world is now on the heightened tension on the Indo-Pakistan borders. India thought it to be the most opportune moment to get Pakistan declared a terrorist state by involving it in the attack on their Parliament House on Dec 13, last year.
To their dismay the USA, instead, advised the leaders of both the countries to resolve the Kashmir dispute (which is the root cause of all the tension) by having a political dialogue. The visit of the British PM was followed by that of the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell. Both emphasized the need to find a solution through dialogue.
But what is surprising is that neither of the two mentioned the UNSC Resolutions on the Kashmir issue.
This, even though the two countries are signatories to the resolutions on the Kashmir dispute dated 5th Jan, 1949, where there is no room for a dialogue except for the discussion of the modalities of holding a plebiscite. And if that is to be discussed then the representatives of the three affected parties, that is, the Kashmiris, Pakistan and India should hold talks. At present, we are ignoring the representation of the Kashmiri people whose fate is to be decided.
I hope that the special envoys being sent to various countries and the recently formed Kashmir Committee, impress this point on the world leaders.
M. AZHAR KHWAJA
Lahore
SOME people are trying to damage the reputation of a welfare organization (Thal Welfare Organization) and want it to stop the development projects undertaken by it in tehsil Karor, district Layyah.
Thal Welfare Organization (TWO) is a local NGO working for development in the rural areas of Karor. The aim of this organization is to uplift the status of women in society. It is imparting education and skill training to rural women in the villages.
TWO started its development and welfare activities in 1998 by opening 40 home-based schools in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s literacy commission (now Pakistan Literacy Commission). In the home-based schools girls are admitted to pass the primary class.
Boys up to the age of 12-13 years have also been admitted to these schools. By the grace of Allah, about 1500 students of 8-15 age group are studying in these schools. One skill centre had also been established by TWO in Chak No. 99/TDA in collaboration with TVO (Trust for Voluntary Organizations), where about 100 women were trained in income generating skills like tailoring, knitting and embroidery.
I want to bring this matter to the notice of Federal and Punjab Social Welfare Ministers, Federal and Punjab Education Ministers and Law Ministers. They are requested to extend their support to the Thal Welfare Organization so that it may continue its development work. They should ask the concerned government departments to inquire into the matter.
KHALID MAHMOOD
President of TWO Tehsil Karor, District
Layyah
THE photograph captioned “Spare tracks” (Jan 19) depicts the apathy of the Railways towards its valuable assets.
Such tracks have been lying unused at different sites all over Pakistan for ages but the authorities are not at all concerned.
Nobody knows what has happened to other assets such as locomotives of 1920 vintage, rolling and coaching stocks of commercially not viable sections rendered surplus and thousands of kilometres of track abandoned by Pakistan Railways.
Similarly, it is not known where are the massive steel sections of railway bridges over the rivers Indus, Chenab and others, which were replaced. Somebody must tell us.
Of late, a portion of the railway track at the Model Colony railway station in Karachi, has been removed. It is not known, what for and by whom?
LT COL SYED AHMED (RETD)
Karachi
THE article, “Pardon, your slip is showing” by F.A. Anvery, (Dec 30), takes my memory back to March, 1947. The late Prof Patras Bokhari was principal, Government College, Lahore. It was a time of tension. Prof Bokhari’s residence was surrounded by Hindus and Sikhs. Although Mr Bokhari was popular among all sects, he thought it prudent to flee.
He came to my uncle Maulana Abdul Majid Salik’s house in Muslim Town. The professor was wearing khaki shorts and a white jersey. After relaxing for an hour or two he started telling us different jokes.
My uncle told him that my marriage had to be solemnized on March 10, 1947, but had to be postponed. The professor addressed me by saying, “Don’t worry my boy, your marriage will take place very soon”. During his jokes and anecdotes, he copied Sardar Patel’s annoyance, saying, “I wonder who leaked the secret of my spending a paltry sum of Rs. 25,000 on the renovation of my house”. He was uttering these words again and again walking from one corner of the room to the other.
He stayed with us for a couple of days and his company washed all the tension prevailing in the house. As Controller of Broadcasting at Delhi, he coined the word AIR (All India Radio). During his service in the UN, he was very jolly and cheerful, but inwardly he was very sad. Since my uncle was his bosom pal, he used to mention his afflictions, miseries and ill health in his letters.
ZAFAR AFTAB
Lahore
ONE of the fundamental duties of the government is to ensure an uninterrupted supply of edibles of quality and at reasonable prices. Every citizen has to incur some expenditure on his food. If it can be restricted to a lower limit it bespeaks government efficiency.
Eggs, for example, are being sold at Rs 38 per dozen. The government should determine their cost of production with a fair margin of profit plus transport, cost of retailing and sundry charges and then fix their prices.
Apart from this, consumer resistance committees should be encouraged to regulate the consumption of such articles, the prices of which have been increased by their producers. Lower demand and consumption would automatically bring down the prices.
The government is requested to use the above mechanism and publish the results. It will go a long way in ameliorating the sufferings of the common man.
HADI IQBAL HUSSAIN
Lahore
HOW long are we going to fool ourselves by self-imposing a strike through declaring a public holiday on 5th of February every year?
Since we now have a government, which is taking bold and pragmatic decisions, I would appeal to General Musharraf to cancel the forthcoming public holiday (Kashmir Day) and instead institute the President’s Kashmir Fund with an appeal to all the businessmen to voluntarily deposit their contributions equivalent to one day’s overhead of their respective businesses.
Apart from a positive impact this action would have on our economy, the fund that would be collected should be used to provide relief for the victims of Indian state terrorism.
NAZIM HAJI
Karachi
THIS letter is with reference to the story entitled “Govt paying $1m annually to BOI consultants” by Khaliq Kiani (Jan 21). In the aforesaid story it has been stated that I am being paid a sum of US$ 2,128 per month by the Board of Investment.
The factual position is that I was not hired by the Board of Investment or the government of Pakistan. My services were contracted for a monthly fee of US$ 2,500 and not US$ 2,128 per month, as mentioned in the news story, by an American company called The Services Group (TSG) based in Arlington Virginia, USA.
TSG hired me as the Domestic Image Building and Investment Promotion Consultant for a specific period of ten months from June 14, 2000, that is uptil April 14, 2001, for the Asian Development Bank Project “Institutional Strengthening of Board of Investment, Pakistan”.
My above stated monthly fee was paid by TSG and not by BOI or any other government department. Furthermore, the factual position is that since the end of my segment of the project in April 2001 (approximately 9 months ago), I have had no contact with the BOI in this regard nor received any additional payment from TSG. Therefore, the assertion that I am “drawing $2128” is not correct.
SYED JAWAID IQBAL
Karachi
ON Jan 19, a group of picnickers from Faisalabad, 17 in number, went to Murree. During their journey from Islamabad to Murree, the police stopped them three times to examine their car documents. Everything was in perfect order. Yet, at each stop, they were not allowed to proceed ahead without paying some. The higher authorities should immediately look into this matter.
B. OSMUND
Faisalabad
THIS refers to the editorial “Electoral changes: bold and innovative” (Jan 18). I think that a certain level of educational qualification is must for a member of parliament, otherwise he/she would not be able to discuss the problems of his/her people nor would be able to serve the constituency.
Many of the MNAs / MPAs also become ministers or parliamentary secretaries and they are sent abroad as head/member of delegations. They represent Pakistan abroad and if they are uneducated, they will make no impact on the gathering.
Modern education is essential for a member of parliament to enable him to read the Constitution, laws, rules and regulations and the bills which the government proposes for discussion and approval in the Assemblies.
I think the government has taken a step in the right direction by making graduation mandatory for a member of the National Assembly.
AMIN VALLIANI
Karachi
EID-UL-AZHA is nearing and the whole city of Lahore will be littered with sacrificial animals. The simple customer will be fleeced by the clever “arrhtis” who will even rob the owners of the herds.
It is time the government came to the rescue of the Lahoris. The MCL should allocate specific sites where the sacrificial animals may be allowed to be offered for sale. The government should fix the price on per-kilogram basis separately for goats, sheep, rams, cows, etc. Every animal should be sold by weight.
Normally, recovery of meat is half the live weight of an animal. Goats are normally sold at about Rs 60-65, sheep sell for about the same price as goats. No other yardstick should be permitted to determine the prices.
I think it would fair both for the owners and the buyers. The only person to suffer who should be eliminated anyhow would be the arrhtis (middle-men).
HADI IQBAL HUSSASIN
Lahore
THE BBC World Service has been showing a programme entitled “Question Time India.” This programme is recorded in India and the panel usually includes a representative of the Indian government, a representative of the opposition party (mostly the Congress) and two or three other persons who are Indian intellectuals. The host too, is an Indian.
On January 18, the topic of discussion was “How should India respond to the steps being taken by the Pakistan government?” As the talk show progressed, the host decided to take a vote from the public on two options. First, Pervez Musharraf had taken enough steps and now the Indian government should respond. Second, Pervez Musharraf had not taken enough steps and the Indian government should not respond.
As expected, the whole audience voted for the second option, except for one man who voted for the first option. But he was severely criticized. Some called him a traitor, others an enemy of India while still others called him a Pakistani. And when the host told the audience that the man was from Indian held Kashmir, the audience became harsher and did not allow him to say a single word when he wanted to justify his stand.
If a Kashmiri is not allowed to express himself and is hooted down even before television cameras, one can imagine the treatment meted out to the Kashmiris inside the Indian held -Kashmir and in the presence of the Indian army.
SYED REHAN MUKHTAR
Karachi
THE new property tax formula notified in October, 2001 by the Punjab government is unrealistic as it increases the present property tax, ranging from 40 to 80 percent. Under the new scheme, rentability of buildings is based on plot area and the built up area. The cost per square foot for the main house and ancillary parts like servants, quarters, garage, servants, toilet, porch, etc. is the same. This is not logical.
Further for valuation of the cost of a house to evaluate rentability, no distinction is made between a house build with rich specifications, employing imported fittings, marble floors, etc., and the one with modest specifications. Under the new scheme, the rate per square foot is the same for both houses.
A 10 per cent depreciation allowance is specified in the new policy for houses more than 20 years old, provided no additions/alterations have been made during this period. The extent of such additions/alterations has not been indicated in the scheme. The addition of a servants’ toilet or a porch can be used as a reason for not allowing the depreciation allowance, thus increasing the discretionary powers of the taxation staff.
Under the new scheme, rates for plot area and built up area for houses located on a main road are considerably higher than those located elsewhere. All roads exceeding 30 feet in width (between building lines) have been declared main roads. In the new housing schemes, generally in Punjab and particularly in Lahore, most of the roads are 30 feet or more in width.
This gives illogical results. According to it, the estimated rent (to form the basis for the property tax) would be the same for a building located on The Mall or the Main Boulevard, Gulberg, as a building (with the same plot and built up area) located on a 30-foot wide back road in Gulberg-5 abutting a village. The intended relief in the new scheme for multistorey buildings and basements does not clarify, if it is also applicable to rented residential buildings.
For evaluating property tax, buildings have been divided in five classes (A to E) without explaining the basis for such classification. The rates for class-A are three times the rates for class E. The allocation of classification can increase the discretionary powers of the tax staff to the disadvantage of a house owner.
Further the notified rates for rented properties and commercial buildings are considerably more, leading to very large increase in property tax. This increase would eventually be transferred to the general public, who are already reeling under increasing prices.
The department concerned needs to review the newly notified scheme so that the intended increase in the property tax remains affordable.
ABDUS SALAM
Lahore
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