| February 11, 2002 | Monday | Ziqa’ad 27, 1422 |
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Marine pollution
The Quaid’s vision
Amendments to the Constitution
PTCL and Internet telephony
Inability to meet power needs
Mediation to resolve disputes
Recognizing merit
Unsatisfactory work
Steps against bonded labour
Neglect of amenity plot
Chatting on the Internet
Study of law
India’s missile programme
CNG use in vehicles
Abolition of university syndicates
a) Keeping our past record in view, the results of elections held under any political government will never be accepted by the opposition parties. Hence, to avoid instability in the future there is a need that, following the example of Bangladesh, we must carry out an amendment to the Constitution under which a political government resigns 75 days before the elections which are then held under the judiciary, assisted by the army.
THIS refers to the letter by M. Zafar, in EBR (Jan., 7-13) which reflects an evident basis against the management of the Pakistan Steel. The writer has again come up with the preconceived notion that the accident was caused by the use of some below specification material. He has described the use of material with deviation from specification as something unusual, particularly in this case, whereas it is a routine practice governed by a very well laid down procedure, which has been in vogue even when Mr Zafar was working at the purchase department.
Therefore, there arises no point in hanging the purchasers, the C&F department, inspectors, technical evaluators, storekeepers and end-users as desired by Mr Zafar in his letter. It is only to eliminate any sort of apprehensions created y lobbies with vested interest that a 2nd enquiry has been initiated.
According to the first enquiry the contents of which have already been published the nature of accident was such that no specified reason for the accident could be determined. So far as the effects of the reduction in duties on steel imports on the sale of Pakistan Steel products are concerned that has been widely discussed in the Press.
Some of the proposals forwarded to the MOI&P to rectify the situation particularly with regard to import of secondaries have been given due consideration by the ministry. It may, however, be mentioned here that the steel industry is facing an over all recession. Large steel works are closing down in countries like US and Korea. It may also e mentioned here that in spite of the fact that India has given substantial protection to her steel industry of upto 63 percent import duty on the import of steel products as compared to 30 percent and 10 percent in Pakistan, the Steel Authority of India is facing persistent losses in billions for the last two years.
In this backdrop the Pakistan Steel which earned profit last year may e having a difficult situation to face in the current financial year. However, ways and means are being found to reduce the cost of production and to improve the productivity to cope with the new challenges.
As for repair and maintenance except for the plans which have been affected by the developments at International level, like postponement of the capital repairs of Blast Furnace No.2, the Oxygen Plant and Boiler No.2 of the Steel making plant, the other repair jobs are in full swing. The capital repairs of Slab Caster No.2 have been concluded recently. The capital repairs of the dry quenching chamber are in the last stage. The capital repairs of the mixer have been started and that of Billet Caster shall start by the end of this month.
ANWAR SHAHID KHAN, (PR) PS
Karachi
IN MY article “Marine pollution along coastline” dated 14-01-02, it was misreported inadvertently that Pakistan is not a signatory to the 1972 Convention of Prevention of Marine Pollution by dumping of waste and other material. The oversight is regretted.
AMIR KABIR
Karachi
IN the words of Stanley Wolpert: “Few individuals significantly change the course of history, still a few come to modify the map of the world, but hardly any one can be credited for creating a nation-state; Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all the three”. Of course, he did all the three and still he had plans to do much more for Pakistan, but unfortunately died within a year of its establishment. He had envisaged Pakistan to be a moderate Islamic State.
After his death the country has been the subject of many political, economic and social experiments. It passed through the parliamentary democracy, martial laws, basic democracies, autocratic socialism sanctioned through universal suffrage, so-called Islamization, controlled democracy and finally a new shape of martial law with democratic norms and values.
Despite the long chain of administrative experiments and observations the country couldn’t even reach the horizons of the Quaid’s proposed way of governance. His golden motto and statements like: “Unity, Faith and Discipline,” that “religion has nothing to do with the affairs of the state” and “the new state would be a modern democratic state with the sovereignty resting in the people with equal rights of citizenship irrespective of their religion, caste and creed” clearly manifested the future system of governance. But unfortunately, all this was forgotten.
Being a young, energetic and devoted Pakistani, I usually become sentimental when I recall successive governments’ attempts at introducing mediocre schemes in order to win popularity among the masses, ignoring the Quaid’s plan of “modern welfare state”.
A handful of religious groups who even opposed the creation of Pakistan and later failed to win a significant support of the people are among the vehement opponents of the Quaid’s vision.
The Quaid never imagined that there would be the sectarian violence in the country. What he imagined was fraternity, equality and social justice.
The move of the Musharraf government to translate the Quaid’s vision into reality has been greatly welcomed. His bold steps taken after Sept 11, are not under any external pressure as projected by his critics but purely in the interest of Pakistan to convert it into a moderate and progressive Muslim state, in accordance with the Founder’s wishes.
HAKIM BANGLANI
Islamabad
BY re-introducing the joint electorate system and increasing the number of national assembly seats, the government has demonstrated its intentions to carry out necessary amendments to the Constitution on the authority of a Supreme Court verdict. That being the case, the following amendments must be included in its package of constitutional reforms:
b) The 1973 Constitution lays down that high court judges shall be appointed from the high court bars as well as from district and sessions judges. However, at least in Punjab, great injustice is being done to the sessions judges as appointments are mainly made from among the lawyers. The reasons are simple, the lawyers, have effective pressure groups which the sessions judges lack because they are government servants.
Moreover, political governments find it better to appoint their own loyalists as high court judges from among the lawyers.
I think that the majority of the district and sessions judges are honest, competent and perform their duties with dedication and sincerity.
In order to utilize their experience, honesty and dedication as well as to remove the gross injustice being done to the middle rung judiciary, there is a strong case that constitutional guarantees be introduced so that at least 50 per cent (if not more) appointments of high court judges are from the district and sessions judges. The above constitutional amendments are necessary.
However, no political government is likely to do so. Hence the present government must step in.
LT-COL (R) MUHAMMAD ASLAM WARRIACH
Sargodha
THE PTCL has complained to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority regarding the l