Marked increase in home remittances

ACCORDING to the State Bank of Pakistan, home remittances of overseas Pakistanis during the first seven months of the current financial year have registered a record inflow of over one billion dollars. In January 2002 the figure rose to 180.56 million dollars, registering an increase of 79.25 per cent over the corresponding month last year when the inflow was recorded at 100.73 million dollars.

The increase in foreign remittances has raised hopes of sustained improvement in the country’s reserve position.

During the first six months of last fiscal year, Pakistan received 609.16 million dollars while for the whole year the remittances stood at 1,086.57 million dollars. Since Sept 11 attacks and follow-up actions of the United States and FBI to eradicate terror-related flows, one immediate beneficiary was Pakistan.

FBI investigated the business of money changers, creating worries for those involved in traditional Hundi or Hawala system of transactions, forcing more and more people reverting to formal banking channels to send the money home. People holding capital in the safe havens of Dubai and other foreign destinations also sent back their savings. The dollar availability, both in the kerb and official market, gained momentum, helping the rupee strengthen six per cent in the official inter-bank and 10 per cent in the kerb trade against the US dollar.

The central bank is also working on a plan to establish legally operating exchange companies in the country under strong Prudential Regulations to replace the money changers. A special committee on the subject submitted its reports to the central bank recently.

The SBP is holding consultations with the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP) and the Ministry of Finance to shape up its plans. The bank wants to institute a transparent and modern system of foreign exchange, without adversely affecting thousands of people associated with money exchange business. Some of the large money changers could apply for the new exchange companies, on the basis of set criteria of paid-up capital and other regulations. However, many small operators would have to seek mergers or would be forced to liquidate their business.

The abrupt global change in the situation has undoubtedly contributed a great deal to heavier inflow of expatriate remittances to Pakistan. Now is, perhaps, the time when effective measures be devised to put an end to the illegal transfer of expatriate Pakistanis’ savings to their families at home.

FATIMA KIRMANI

Karachi

Women’s police stations

THE Punjab governor has stated that, instead of a full-fledged women’s police station, small cells for women should be set up in police stations as women have failed to perform their task well. He has also stated that as men are also involved in one way or the other in the crime committed by women, therefore, police stations should be headed by men with small women’s cells working with them.

The governor’s statement seems to be gender-biased and is aimed at depriving women of their rights. It is to prove that women do not fit well in a male-dominated society.

The governor should stop for a moment and look into the performance of policemen over the years. How much have they added to the efficiency of their department? Yes, they have added to the incidence of police torture, increased the number of extra-judicial killings and fake encounters — killing the innocent and supporting the culprits. The crime rate has increased tremendously over the years as criminals know they can get away with anything by bribing the policemen. It is time the governor gave up old ways and learned to cope with the world where women’s empowerment has been recognized as a prerequisite for national development.

Setting up of small cells will not do, it is important to provide women with better facilities for efficient working.

SABRINA KHAN

Lahore

Colleges for overseas Pakistanis

There are only a few Pakistani schools in Kuwait which are affiliated with the Federal Board of Education, Islamabad, where the students can study up to the Higher Secondary (FA/FSc) level. After that, most students are deprived of further education due to the fact that they cannot move to Pakistan or to any other country to continue their studies, because their families don’t want them to be away from them.

If the Pakistan government could arrange the setting up of institutions for imparting of education at the higher levels, at least up to the graduation level, the problem being faced by the overseas Pakistani families in respect of education of their children, could be solved.

We try to compete with India in so many other fields, why not in the field of education ? It may be mentioned that India has made adequate arrangements for the higher education of its overseas youth. The federal minister and the secretary for education are requested to look into the matter.

BARKATULLAH MARWAT

Kuwait

Poor police performance

HERE is a classic case of police extortion wherein employees of a poultry breeding farm were robbed to the tune of Rs122,000 in broad daylight at gunpoint at 1.30 pm on February 7, with no action taken by the Raja Jang police station located about 200 metres from the scene of the crime.

At first, the police refused to register the FIR. Later, on orders from higher police officers, after registering the FIR, a sham investigation was caried out on Feb 8 and the whole incident was treated as doubtful.

It may be mentioned that this road linking Raiwind Road with Raja Jang along a canal is very dangerous and the farm staff have been frequently robbed en-route. The police have been regularly informed but no subsequent action has ever been taken.

Now when a dacoity involving a substantial sum of money is involved it is sheer ineptitude on the part of police to declare it to be a doubtful case so as to escape responsibility. The police in this station are even threatening to involve the farm staff in dacoity so as to intimidate them not to follow up the case further.

It appears that the area police have created a state within a state to do as they please without any control from higher officers. This sad state of affairs ought to be taken note of by the Punjab governor to safeguard the life and property of private sector employees.

DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI

Lahore

Milosevic’s trial

THIS refers to Mahir Ali’s article ‘Dictator in the dock” (Feb 20) in which he analyses the situation Milosevic finds himself in. After a half-hearted nod to the fact that people like Milosevic deserve to be tried in an international court of law, he launches a diatribe against the West in general and the US, in particular.

He forgets that it was only Milosevic and his policies which left the civilized world no other option but to attack him and his infrastructure. It is granted that the onslaught of bombing sped up the temporary displacement of Kosovars but even as they were fleeing to Albania they knew that they’ll soon return to a more peaceful and friendly Kosovo, which would have never occurred if the world had just stood by and allowed Milosevic and his cronies to systematically cleanse Kosovo of all non-Serbs.

Does anyone believe that fewer Kosovars would have died if Milosevic had not been brought to his senses by the overwhelming force? Does anyone believe that Yugoslavia would be a country on a constructive path today if the butcher of Kosovo, Croatia, and Serbia was still ruling that country?

Once it is known that a person is evil, his temporary lapse of evilness does not make him good. Milosevic, despite the world’s waffling, proved time and again that he was evil and had no intention of changing. He used temporary lulls in destruction and mayhem to build up for the next wave of destruction and mayhem.

Mr Ali wants to hold the US responsible for accidental killings but there is a difference that he chooses to ignore. the US, and other allies, acknowledged mistakes and paid reparations for accidental deaths but Milosevic continues to insist that his forces never killed a child, raped a woman, shot and beheaded old men, or buried over 7,000 Muslim men in mass graves.

MOHSIN AZIZ

Karachi

A young man kidnapped

My son Abid Wali Mohammad, aged 35 years, happily married having three children, was coming back from Timber Market, Haji Camp on Feb 20, in the evening in his green Suzuki High Roof, 1998 model, CK-4330, when he was kidnapped by unknown persons.

A case bearing number 71 has been lodged at the Eidgah Police Station. There is no news since then. In the name of Allah, will someone help me?

MRS WALI MOHAMMAD

Apartment 702, Block-H, Zainab Plaza, Block-17, Gulshan-e-Iqbal

Karachi

Iqbal on Haj

MR Khalid Hassan is a wellreputed columnist known for his incisive and well-thought-out articles on various issues. I have always enjoyed reading him and am particularly impressed by his knowledge of subcontinental music.

I, however, feel that at times he goes a little overboard, perhaps in the pursuit of liberalism. His letter on the subject is also an example where he has issued an overenthusiastic verdict by stating “that anyone who throws in an Umra with a foreign visit undertaken for an entirely different purpose violates the spirit of true devotion”.

The supporting argument has been drawn from the life of Allama Iqbal, who opted to stay away from the Holy Land, because he felt that he should visit it only at his own expense and not connect it with his visit to Palestine for a conference.

Well, this is fine indeed and one is at full liberty to make a personal choice. I am sure the poet-philosopher made a personal decision and did not intend this to be applied as a ‘fatwa’.

I feel that a true Muslim would like to visit the Ka’aba and the Prophet’s Mosque on every available opportunity that one gets. Therefore not to visit, when you could at small personal expense or at no extra expense to the state, would be truly violative of the spirit of our devotion to our great religion.

Yes, if the visit is gotten sponsored manifestly through use of one’s position, then it would indeed be wrong and most undesirable.

A WAJID SALIM

Air Cdre (Retd)

Lahore

Saluting Ghalib twice

REFERENCE Mr Atul Barry’s letter (Feb 28) regarding my column under the above heading.

What I had written was that Ghalib belonged to Urdu and “since Urdu is our national language” he is closer to us than to anyone else. It is unfortunate that the word ‘national’ was omitted from the printed text.

ASHFAQUE NAQVI

Lahore

A teleplay in bad taste

I wish to express my views regarding the teleplay, Bhati Gate Romances, shown on one of the PTV channels at about 10 pm on Feb 25, the third day of Eidul Azha. It was the product of pathetic imagination on the part of the writer, whose name I cannot recall. He has insulted the residents of Bhati Gate locality depicting their overgrown daughters desperately looking for husbands and ignoring all norms of eastern modesty.

The writer presented the unmarried daughters of an old widow trying to attract the attention of their ordinary tenant by offering him a variety of food and drink. The writer degraded young women to the extent of making physical contact with hands to arouse the man while delivering the eatables.

It was disgusting, how the writer depicted real sisters competing with each other to win over a likely husband. The writer has humiliated and hurt young unmarried women of the locality. The daughter of the Punjab is famous for making sacrifices, relinquishing property or love in favour of brothers or sisters when the situation so demands; instead of being selfish as portrayed by the writer.

He has also injured the feelings of those poor house-owners who lend out some rooms to supplement their meagre income to make ends meet.

How could PTV accept this script for production and presentation?

NAIMAT ALI GILL

Lahore

Sanghar schools

THE new academic year is to start from April 1. The private schools in Sanghar district have announced the admission fees to be charged from students but the government institutions have not done so.

The Sindh education department sanctioned through SNE/NEW 2000-2001, eleven high schools and five higher secondary schools for Sanghar district.

Whereas all the SNE/NEW schools of 2000-2001 have been included in the budget allotment of 2001-2002 by the finance department of Sindh, such schools in Sanghar district have been excluded. The matter has been taken up by the E.D.O Education Sanghar with the finance department of Sindh but no action has been taken as yet.

I request the District Nazim of Sanghar to take up the matter with the Governor of Sindh for the issuance of necessary notification in this regard before March 15 so that arrangements could be made for the posting of staff in these schools to start classes from April 1.

ABDUL HAQUE SOOMRO

Sanghar

Nadra cards

I was very enthusiastic about computerized identity cards. So not only my family but many of my friends and relatives applied for CNID cards as early as July 2001. Since then we have been just waiting and waiting.

Upon my enquiry recently, I was told to forget the old applications and apply afresh. I wonder what difference have the army people brought in the running of the affairs of organizations like the Nadra? Would someone in the GHQ or the Chief Executive Secretariat look into this gross mismanagement at the Nadra ?

I would also like to request the interior minister not to insist on the production of new ID cards for passports, driving licenses and new connections for utilities, till all the backlog at Nadra is cleared.

M.A. GHAZALI MARGHOOB

Islamabad

Indian rupee

THIS refers to an article by Ghani Chaudhri (Dawn, Feb 12). The total outlay of the Indian defence budget quoted at Rs 620,000 million does not convey the correct figure unless it is converted into either US dollars or Pakistani rupees.

The Pakistani rupee is not on a par with the Indian rupee. It is suggested that the amount of Indian rupees may be converted into US dollars or Pakistani rupee to give a true picture of the Indian figure.

S. M. IKRAM ALI

Lahore

Frequent accidents

WITH the construction of a flyover at the NIPA Chaurangi in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, the vehicular traffic on Rashid Minhas Road has not only increased in volume but it has also become too fast. There being no zebra crossing, the residents of Erum Homes, Al-Ahsan Apartments, Surti Centre, Noman Plaza etc, in Block No. 11, find it difficult to cross the road.

The residents of Suleman Plaza, Maymar Drive, Raza Square etc in Block 10, have to face similar difficulties. The road has to be crossed by the residents of both the localities, facing each other, so as to avail themselves of the bus service. During the last six months, three persons have lost their lives while crossing the road.

This state of affairs was brought to the notice of the Nazim, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town, about two months back but so far nothing has been done to ameliorate the sufferings of the residents. The City Nazim, and DIG Police (Traffic) are requested to please visit this locality and take timely remedial measures for the safety of the residents.

PROF. S.K. HASAN

Karachi

Public Accounts Committee’s role

IT was not the procedure that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) would announce its reports before they were laid on the table of the House. This procedure was in conformity with the powers conferred by the National Assembly’s Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, last framed in 1992, with the consent of the Lower House legislators.

Such procedures are also adopted by the major constitutional democracies, including the United Kingdom, India and South Africa.

PAC deals not only with accounts and expenditures, but also checks methods of management. Generally, an opposition member is elected PAC chairman. PACs are widely known as “post mortem” committees, and generally they check accounts as old as 4-5 years.

Every incumbent government tries to examine the financial performance of the previous government so if the present one is looking in to the last government’s working then there should not be any surprise.

However, till September 1999, we were scrutinizing reports as old as those of 1988-89 (pertaining to Oil and Gas Ministry). PAC is very much dependent on the reports of Auditor-General’s Office. The latter has not some financially important divisions of the ministries within its ambit. Rather they are independent. Also the maximum auditing capacity is 5% yearly.

In view of that, I as a PAC member in 1998, suggested ways to increase auditing by including non-government auditing firms as watchdogs.

Some PAC members pointed out that the misappropriations unearthed did not generally exceed more than a few lakhs of rupees. Even in the bigger cases the punishment never exceeded a little more than a few punches with the kid’s gloves. So in the future if we really want to see such committees powerful, then we would have to empower the PAC.

In my opinion, when the functions of the parliament have ceased because of its dissolution, any of its committee rooms should not be in use at all until the full restoration of the House. Committee rooms are as significant as the debating chambers of the Senate or the National Assembly. Ironically, it was not Chaudhry Shujaat who violated the sanctity of the Ad hoc Public Accounts Committee, first, but the latter did itself. He in fact trespassed on a territory that had already been encroached upon.

KUNWAR KHALID YUNUS

Karachi