| January 31, 2002 | Thursday | Ziqa’ad 16, 1422 |
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FATA seats
Jinnah’s vision of Pakistan
Stating the facts
Unfair charges
Quaid-i-Azam University affairs
Electricity from cow-dung
Indian channels
Criterion for assembly seats
Pakistani products in Saudi Arabia
Talks with India
Khana-i-Anveri
Employment of local people
Action, not crocodile tears
THE year 2002 is proving to be a prosperous year as far as the car thieves are concerned. The average number of stolen cars / motorcycles has shot up to nearly 20 per day.
In spite of the increase in inter-city patrolling by the law-enforcing agencies, this crime seems to be on the increase. It is time that the authorities give this a serious thought and take effective measures to curb it.
All the entry and exit points of Karachi must have check-points manned by literate and polite staff, and it must be ensured that each and every private vehicle is checked thoroughly. The persons entering or leaving the city, enduring a drive of a few hours, must not mind the few minutes’ delay.
The daily check report must be verified by the higher officials. Highway patrol must also be intensified, especially at nights.
Most of the vehicles stolen from Karachi are sold in Balochistan and also in the interior of Sindh. Entry check posts should also be set up at every city to ensure proper checking of the vehicles.
The culprits when nabbed, must be given exemplary punishment with due publicity.
SYED ABRAR HUSSAINI
Karachi
THE balance between the Hindko and Pakhtoon populations in the NWFP is already a source of differences between the two parties. Now with the FATA (all Pakhtoon) members sitting in the NWFP provincial assembly, the increase in votes of the Pakhtoons will further aggravate the situation.
It would disturb the existing ethnic balance in the assembly. Besides, it would augment the control of the centre on the province because the tribal territories are controlled by the federal government and the FATA members sitting in the assembly would be largely influenced by the the Federal government.
S. AHMED HASAN
Karachi
IN his letter “Demand for a secular state?” (Jan 27), S.I. Malik questions the assertion of Iqbal Akhund that Mr Jinnah wanted Pakistan to be a secular state. Malik has “read and re-read the 11th August, 1947 speech of Mr Jinnah and I can’t find it in his declaration (as alleged by the secularists) that he said Pakistan would be a secular state.”
Mr Malik may consult any English dictionary, and he will find the meaning of secular as ‘temporal’, ‘worldly’, and ‘not religious’.
After comprehending the meaning of secularism thus, he may only read the 11th August speech once again, and will understand what Mr Jinnah intended Pakistan to be. The extracts of that speech are quoted below:
“Therefore, we must learn a lesson from this. You are free; you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”
“Thank God, we are not starting in those days. We are starting in the days when there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another.
We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State.”
“Now, I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.”
SYED OSMAN SHER
Toronto, Canada
COMMENT by Brig A.R. Siddiqui (Jan 27) about the so-called removal of Gen Akhtar Malik and Gen Ghulam Umar from command through the thick of action is an utter negation of facts.
Gen Akhtar Malik was in command of 12 division, during the 1965 war, which covered entire Azad Kashmir from the North down to the river Chenab. He was a very brave and professionally competent officer.
During the war, when it was decided to launch an offensive towards Akhnur, a new Division (7 Infantry Division). Commanded by Gen Yahya was brought into the area and given this task, while Gen Akhtar Malik continued to command his HJ division till the end of the war. Gen Akhtar Malik was awarded and later rose to be a Lt Gen and died in a road accident while serving as Pakistan’s representative on CENTO in Turkey.
As far as I am concerned I took over the command of 23 Division during the battle in the Chamb Sector in 1971, when Gen Iftikhar Janjua, another brave and competent officer, died in a helicopter crash. I continued to command through the war of 1971 and even after the war was over and ceasefire had been declared.
Historical record of the army and events record of 1965 and 1971 of 12 and 23 Divisions clearly indicate what I have stated above. In both cases Gen Akhtar Malik and myself were in possession of territory captured from the Indians at the end of wars of 1965 and 1971.
MAJ GEN (R) GHULAM UMAR
Karachi
THE education department of Sindh has started charging the students of the intermediate colleges Rs1000 as IT teaching fee even though the teaching has not yet begun.
The students held protests and declined to pay the fee on the ground that the said subject is not being taught to them and their respective colleges are running without computers meant for this purpose. The students plea carries weight. But the authorities are not responding to it in a positive manner.
The people of the lower middle class send their children to the state-owned schools and colleges because they cannot bear the expenses of private sector educational institutions. But now it seems that even in the public sector, education is going to become so costly that it would become a forbidden fruit for them. The concerned authorities should take cognizance of the matter and do the needful.
SANAULLAH RUSTAMANI
Wahi Pandhi, Dadu
THE Quaid-i-Azam University, highly recognized throughout the world owing to its research-oriented academic programme and high profile teaching staff, was established for imparting higher education to students belonging to every nook and corner of the country, irrespective of their financial position.
From 1967 up to the late 1990s the process continued smoothly. The semester-fees were merely in hundreds and not in thousands as today. A significant shift was observed in the late 1990s when the university management started self-finance scheme and also doubled the tuition-fees from Rs 1800 to Rs 3200. Because of this, quality education was to some extent turned into quantity education.
The year 2002 palpably proved to be a black year for those who aspired for admission here. An abrupt increase of 15% in the semester-dues from Rs 3200 to Rs 10,000 has blocked the way of newcomers. Most of the candidates withdrew due to the unprecedented hike in the fees.
The reason given by the university administration for this move is the non-availability of funds to meet the university expenditure. Unfortunately, because of this step the demarcation line between the haves and have-nots, has become more noticeable. No poor student will be able to study here after the latest fees-reforms.
In fact, this university is the platform to represent all the four provinces. In the heart of Margalla hills, there seems to exist a little Pakistan because of the only education institution of the country where students from Sindh, NWFP, Punjab, Balochistan an