| March 24, 2002 | Sunday | Muharram 9, 1423 |
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What Jinnah really wanted
The Hindko language
SMEs and Mehran Township Scheme
Liaquatabad flyover and law of jungle
Insurance industry
Relations with Israel
A law unto themselves
Who will audit the auditor?
Tuitions
An iron hand
World TB Day
THE editorial of March 17 on President Musharraf’s no “to the possibility of certain politicians taking part in the October elections” takes an academic and theoretical view of the ground realities.
How can those politicians expect to be granted full privileges of the Constitution? The leaders who fail to hold genuine party elections, send their goons to attack the country’s Supreme Court, arbitrarily sack a provincial government, abuse power, loot the country and unleash a region of terror against poor and helpless people, have no moral right to invoke the Constitution when it suits them to do so. Where was their love for the Constitution and democracy when they were in power?
Not only should these politicians be barred from running in the forthcoming elections, but all those who have accumulated ill-gotten wealth should be barred. They flouted the Constitution right in the face of the people of Pakistan. It is now their turn to be denied the bounties of the Constitution.
A democratic system is based upon strong institutions and traditions fostered by disciplined political leaders. The element of tradition is of so much value in a democratic establishment that Britain does not even have a fully written constitution. When a train hit a cow while passing through an English county, a few years ago, the British Minister of Transportation resigned. One fine morning, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s adviser on finance got into a serious disagreement with the minister responsible for the same portfolio. By the end of the day both these individuals resigned from their respective office. When was the last time a member of Pakistani cabinet resigned on principle? It certainly did not happen when the Supreme Court was attacked or when, a few years earlier, the government of Balochistan was dismissed without any moral or legal justification.
Why do the failed rulers want to be in power again? Why do not their parties remove them? Democracy will be served immensely, if a tradition is established, of electing new leadership after the previous one blows the chance to serve the country, especially when it was given more than one chance. Somebody has to teach our power-hungry politicians how to bow out gracefully especially when the people have rejected them (in some cases constantly) and have rejoiced over their being booted out of power.
In a truly democratic environment, the mechanics of party elections and party nominations would ensure the chopping of all the dead wood. In Pakistan, leaders treat their parties as their personal properties. Their comrades let them do so and have become proficient in functioning as personal assistants rather than national leaders. Because of this undemocratic and unethical behaviour, the country’s political apparatus has not matured enough to protect itself from the onslaught of power-hungry, corrupt and unprincipled politicians.
A young assistant of Gary Condit, a member of the American House of Representatives, disappeared with no trace. Police did not suspect Mr Condit and he was never arrested or charged. However, he failed to offer the people, a clear explanation of his association with the missing assistant. His party members refused to nominate him to be their candidate in the forthcoming American elections. Although he had no legal problems, the mature political system of the USA disowned him because he failed to shed the image — repeat just the image — of wrongdoing.
Until the status of democracy in Pakistan matures, we definitely need someone to protect Pakistan from the power hungry.
SIDDIQUE MALIK
Louisville, USA
AFTER having gone through various articles on ‘Jinnah’s vision of Pakistan’ being published in almost all the newspapers, including Dawn, one comes across maddening confusion.
Every writer tends to shed light on the vision of Pakistan in the mind of the Quaid in the perspective of his own ideas. I don’t know what precisely has motivated ‘our self-appointed intellectual leaders’ to show us our real destination at this point of time.
While writing on the subject, our enlightened columnists in fact imply that secularism was to be our goal but somehow the ulema dominated the scene with the sole aim of turning Pakistan into a theocratic state. Thus our real destination was forgotten.
M. Shamim Raza rightly opined in his letter (March 19) that “people have been frequently interpreting ‘Jinnah’s vision’ in their own wisdom and fashion, without taking facts into consideration that led to the creation of Pakistan”.
The problem with our liberal class is that they seem to lump religion and theocracy together. This reflects their narrow understanding of our dynamic religion, Islam. In order to substantiate their view, they refer to the historic address of the Quaid to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947. This part of the speech of the founder of Pakistan is grossly misinterpreted.
Instead of giving my ideas on the subject, I would like to refer to Hector Bolitho’s Jinnah, the Creator of Pakistan. Commenting upon the speech, Hector Bolitho says: “The words were Jinnah’s: the thought and belief were an inheritance from the Prophet (PBUH) who had said, thirteen centuries before, ‘All men are equal in the eyes of God. And your lives and your properties are all sacred: in no case should you attack each other’s life and property. Today I trample under my feet all distinctions of caste, colour and nationality’.”
I think all the proponents of secularism should understand the meaning of the Quaid’s speech.
AMANAT ALI
Okara
THIS is with reference to the article ‘Pakistani languages’ by Hafizur Rahman (March 20).
The writer has stated that “...the language of the whole of Hazara, a very populous division, is Hindko, which is a variation of Punjabi.’ But the fact is that Hindko is not a variation of Punjabi. The words ‘Hind’ and ‘Sindh’ were used synonymously in the eighth century. Dr Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi has written in his book, The struggle for Pakistan, that “Hind from which is derived the name India, is a phonetic variation of Sindh,” (page 01). At another place he says, “it was after the Arab conquest that the name Sindh came to be applied to territories much beyond modern Sindh and gradually it came to pass that the variants, Hind and Sindh were used as synonymous”.
Keeping in mind the above historical evidence, there is a strong possibility that Hindko is a variation of the Sindhi language. In fact, there exists much resemblance between the two. More than 90 per cent of the vocabulary of Hindko is quite similar to that of Sindhi, with slight phonological variations.
Mr Hafizur Rahman should have given some kind of linguistic, etymological and historical evidence before calling Hindko a variation of Punjabi.
The writer has also stated that those who speak Hindko are “racially Pakhtoons”. If the inhabitants of Hazara, are Pakhtoons then Pashto should have been their language and not Hindko.
AHMED BUX GHOTO
Islamabad
THE president is to meet small and medium businessmen to get firsthand information of their basic problems. The Board of Investment is to prepare 10 basic irritants confronting the small and medium size enterprises (SME) in the country. Meanwhile, the conveners of the Union of the SMEs have submitted their own proposals seeking consistency in the government’s investment policy to ensure rapid industrialization and growth of SMEs.
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) was formed to enhance the productivity of such enterprises but it has failed to deliver the goods despite the potential and viability of this sector. One of the steps that the SMEDA can take to help the SMEs, is to convert plots of the long awaited KDA Mehran Township Scheme for overseas Pakistanis from residential to plots for small and cottage industries. This ill-fated housing scheme has not been able to hand over the plots to the allottees even after the lapse of a quarter century.
This township falls within the Korangi industrial area and the industrialists have already started encroaching on it with the connivance of the KDA. Small industrial units such as tanneries, poultry and fish meal plants have been set up, making it unfit for residential purposes. A decision was also taken for converting this residential scheme into small/cottage industry area at a convention of overseas Pakistanis in 1998 in Islamabad but its implementation has been in doldrums due to the apathy of the government of Sindh and the KDA.
The president is requested to look into this aspect when he presides over the SMEs meeting in the near future.
KHURSHEED SYED
Granada Hills,
USA
THERE is no doubt that when the Liaquatabad flyover had not been built, we had to face many problems everyday. Traffic jam in the morning and evening was a daily routine.
When this project started we thought it would solve our problems. But know we realize that this flyover is a threat to our safety and not the solution of our problems. It is a people-killing project. A couple of day ago, a bus killed two girls and a motorcyclist. Everyone is saying that this incident occurred because of over-speeding but I would say this accident happened because of this flyover.
The layout of the Liaquatabad flyover appears to be so designed that more accidents are likely to occur on that spot if no remedial measures are taken immediately. When buses and rickshaws descend from the flyover, they have to cross a roundabout. But there is no traffic signal there. Obviously, this lack of any traffic control, is bound to result in accidents. It is rather strange that those who planned this flyover, did not provide for this, although this end of the flyover lies on the Super Highway which is not only very busy but also carries heavy vehicles like trucks and trailers.
I request the Nazim of Karachi not to wait for some more terrible accidents, but to immediately arrange a traffic signal at that spot.
SOHAIL M. ALI
Karachi
THIS refers to the accident that occurred on the Karimabad roundabout in which two college girls and a young man were killed by a bus running on route 5-C.
How long do we, the Karachiites, have to undergo this massacre? We talk big, about IT, virtual universities, foreign investment etc, but the truth is that we cannot even enforce law and order in our cities in spite of huge police deployment.
As usual, the action that would be taken with regard to this recent incidence, would simply be the transfer/suspension of a few traffic constables or ASIs. For a week or so, the traffic police would be alert in that particular locality and then everything would return to what is considered to be ‘normal’.
I appeal to the authorities to provide peace and security to tax-paying citizens. If this is not possible, then they should not collect taxes at all, and let the law of the jungle prevail in full.
DR HASAN THARANI
Karachi
OUR insurance industry is a much neglected sector of the national economy. The concept of general insurance has always been confined just to a simple transaction of money where an insurance company receives the premium and delivers the policy document to the insured through an insurance agent. The concept of general insurance goes much beyond this.
Insurance companies operate on the lines of collecting premium from various people and compensating for the losses of those who are likely to suffer due to any incident mentioned in the contract. Companies, small or big, cannot continue their operations without insurance. They acquire adequate cover for various risks, their setup is exposed to.
Professional insurance companies work on the basis of risk management. Here professional risk managers advise their clients the best possible ways to minimize their risks.
On the individual level, the concept of general insurance becomes vital, given the frequency of traffic accidents. No vehicle should ply on city roads, unless it has at least a genuine third party liability cover.
SYED NEHAL ALVI
Karachi
FOR the last half a century, Pakistan has followed a policy of not recognizing Israel as a state while Arab countries including Egypt and Jordan have done so. President Arafat calls the Israelis as his cousins albeit in dispute with them.
We have an obstinate policy of not recognizing Israel while India, our sworn enemy, has a defence nexus with Tel Aviv. Why are we more loyal than the king? This amounts to a strategic blunder of Himalayan proportion.
Perhaps we are cowed down by the extremist religious parties in our country who, although in a minority, keep hoping on the “Yahood-o-Hanood” combination although the Hindus are idolatrous and the Israelis worship one God like the Muslims. We ought to engage with Israel as the US is doing with China. A policy like an ostrich to ignore broad daylight facts and bury our head in the sand wishing that Israel would go away is inimical to our vital national interests and needs to be revised as we have done in the case of Afghanistan.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
THIS refers to Mr Karim Yusuf’s letter (March 21) who got his application form back because it was filled in English. It appears that various sections of Nadra are a law unto themselves because I filled my form in English and got it back in Urdu.
MASOOD HASAN
Lahore
IN the article ‘Who will audit the auditor?’, the writer suggested a third category of audit reports that would require auditors to grade financial statements according to ‘quality and risk’ rather than issuing ‘clean’ or ‘qualified’ reports.
The details of the concept were not further elaborated and for that reason it raises many questions. The issue involves radical changes and an intensive debate is called for to resolve such questions: is there such a move at the international level? If it is a local change, how shall local audit report mesh with and be acceptable at the international level?
What does quality of financial statements mean? What will be the criteria for grading a financial statement as excellent etc? Will such evaluation criteria be objective, quantitative and verifiable or subjective; if subjective, what will insure and ensure uniformity?
I also wish to add that someone has misrepresented to him the position that auditing guidelines on fraud do not exist. The International Federation of Accountants’ guidelines on fraud do in fact exist. I urge the writer to find time to expand and enlarge upon the idea. It looks quite innovative.
S. AFTAB HAIDER
Karachi
MANY years ago a school was an institution where children were taught to be good human beings. And in the process they acquired social skills and participated in extra curricular activities that helped them develop into well-rounded personalities. There used to be no alternative to a school, but now the situation has completely changed. Tuitions, which were once a social taboo not to mention an embarrassment for any student to admit he/she needed extra help outside the school, have today become a status symbol. Who is responsible for this?
Unqualified teachers tackling subjects they are ill-equipped to teach have spurred even the brightest of students to take up tuitions. The fact that once a child doing bad in class starts taking tuitions from his school teacher his grades miraculously improve, even though there might not be any noticeable difference in his performance.
I request the headmasters of schools to look into this matter before our next generation has been thoroughly exploited.
KASHIF ALLISON
Karachi
I FULLY endorse the views of Mr Jameel Yousuf which he expressed in his article ‘Time to crush terrorism, once and for all’.
It is high time for the government and law enforcement authorities to take stern action and deal with the terrorists with an iron hand, regardless of age, ethnicity, and religion.
These terrorists have, no doubt, given a bad name to our beloved country.
MRS H. ALI KHOJA
Irving, USA
ONE hundred and twenty years after the discovery of tubercle bacillus by Dr Robert Koch, the tuberculosis situation in the world remains paradoxical. There are no medical mysteries in TB control. Its natural history is known, effective, simplified standardized technology has been developed and organized into national tuberculosis programmes and yet there is a continuous gap between expectations and achievements.
Which is cause for concern is that TB still kills nearly 2-3 millions people annually, more youth and adults, than any other infectious disease. All that keeps us from the fight against tuberculosis is lack of funds and political will. The scandal of tuberculosis has lasted too long.
In Pakistan, after 54 years, we are still trying to muster political commitment, which is not forthcoming. There is no liaison between teaching institutions and national TB control programme, nor for that matter any liaison between private practitioners (who cater to 80 per cent of medical problems) and the NTP.
I would just like to draw the attention of all, especially our TB programme managers, to the WHO report released on Nov 25, 1997, which credited Bangladesh with having one of the world’s most effective and well managed TB control programme calling it a ‘Model for the entire world’. Let us just pause for a moment and search our hearts that just 30 years ago it was part of Pakistan and its TB control programme was in a shambles, the way ours continue to be. The only difference is that it got the political commitment and continuous funding despite frequent change of governments, civil as well as military.
The WHO’s theme for the World TB day 2002 (March 24) is ‘Stop TB, fight poverty’ and it’s going to be a year-long campaign. Bangladesh continues to have the same poverty which it had before, but its TB programme has succeeded. However, the present government is emphasizing on poverty alleviation. Let it amalgamate TB control in that effort.
DR ABDULLAH JAN PATHAN
Hyderabad
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