| April 7, 2002 | Sunday | Muharram 23, 1423 |
PIW empowering women
Remembering a freedom fighter in Mir Jafar Khan Jamali
Whether ‘tis nobler to suppress the rose’s flame?
Modern scientific solutions
KARACHI is a strange city, struggling to remain stable with its citizens striving to sustain their sanity. At times it appear that despite all developments and progress, that are talked about, there is a mental illness and a hostile division that seem to characterize much of what happens and unfolds in a terrifying manner.
POLITICAL acumen, intelligence, prudence, foresight, astuteness, sensibility and judgment are essential qualities of a true leadership and these are not directly dependent on literacy, formal schooling or university degrees. They have more to do with social upbringing and values, introspection, and learning from people through interaction and interface based on interest, respect and humility. One living evidence of this in our recent past was Mir Jafar Khan Jamali, one of the most trusted allies of Quaid-i-Azam and an illustrious freedom fighter of the Pakistan Movement.
I was going to Peshawar last month on a short visit and could not reach the Jinnah terminal via Sharea Faisal which was closed due to sectarian troubles. The closure of a main artery of Sindh’s capital is beyond comprehension.
And now take the incident in which it is reported that cops in uniform gang-raped two sisters in Ramsawami, that led to violence in the area. Not just a deep shame, but fear, anger and protest is what one feels. Then, as one thinks, there is also a feeling of helplessness and vulnerability. Anything to do with the police, and a citizen may get the shivers. And what to think of reforms and image of the police; who is creating the obstacles, one wonders.
I read about the incident Wednesday morning after returning from Islamabad late Tuesday night. So this is how the city underwent a day before. And a report in Dawn said: “Tension gripped the Ramswami area on Tuesday and all kinds of commercial activity remained suspended in protest against the gang-rape of two sisters by a group of serving policemen.” Read each word and it could terrify each family. We thought such incidents could only occur in the less-developed parts of the country, or in the rural areas, where the vices of feudalism and landlordism prevail. But that this kind of an incident has taken place in the main urban centre of Pakistan is something that calls for a deep soul-searching. It also exposes all the values that truly operate, even in the guise of individuals who are supposed to stand up for law, and symbolise the virtues of a decent society.
One presumes that Sindh police chief Syed Kamal Shah’s orders to arrest the five accused (including two servings cops) have materialized by now; one also presumes that most citizens have read the disgusting details of what happened to a family. Can that happen to other families. Will this society of the Islamic Republic learn to respect its women? It is time to mourn again.
There have been widespread condemnations of the Ramswami incident. The Karachi City Council has unanimously condemned the gang-rape. City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has offered his regrets, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has sought exemplary punishment for the accused, a public protest demonstration has demanded action against “the rapists in uniforms”, the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid has said “the gory crime has become more heinous as it had been committed by the law enforcers themselves”.
The IGP has suspend the SHO of the Nabi Baksh police station and the MQM has ‘dubbed’ the Garden police headquarters as a ‘den of crimes’ and underlined something that is very worrying to say the least.
The more one goes through the coverage of the incident in the press, the more uneasy one feels about the state of our law and order situation, with particular reference to the police. What has happened to all the reforms that had been trumpeted about during all these years? It has been a lifetime of promises and proposals, and it has been that long a period of futility, it seems now.
One does not know how it is going to change, despite all the pious intentions and solemn promises that are made by officialdom. How can a citizen feel secure if an incident like Ramswami takes place? How safe is one’s home, if this kind of an experience has come to light.
There is a need to take another aspect of the reported story. That the police were deliberately trying to cover up the incident and create delaying tactics in the registration of an FIR. Now what is new? Someone kept promising that the police would register the FIR at the doorstep of the citizen. Why do we say things that we do not mean is a very simple question. Why do officials make promises and stretch to new degrees of emptiness their rhetoric, and give to absurdity new mileage.
What has so far not come to light is the causes of the crime. There is much that needs to be exposed and explained not only to the Ramswami citizens but to the people in other parts of the city. It is the perception of the public that one can get away with crime, especially in such circumstances.
So what the City Nazim has promised after visiting the family is what one looks forward to and this is what he has said “Justice will certainly be dispensed and it will be the kind of justice that the whole city will witness” (Dawn).
The city has witnessed gangsterism and it is only fair that it now witnesses justice being dispensed. If the police bosses can use this occasion to do a cleanup act it would not only be appropriate on a short term basis, but on a long term basis too, insists a senior citizen, visibly enraged.
WOMEN in Pakistan rarely get a fair deal in the job market, and majority of them are in low-paid employment thus limiting their earning opportunities as well as minimizing their participation in mainstream economic activity.
One of the reasons for this dismal state of affairs is that a large segment of our women lack skills required to get a well-paid job in the market particularly of technical nature.
It is an accepted fact that vocational and technical education is a passport to better development and employment opportunities, but technical education facilities are not equitably available to the women.
Polytechnic Institute for Women (PIW), H-8/1 is one of the institutions striving to empower women with the skill, which would help them play an effective role in the mainstream economy of the country and their family.
Institute’s principal Engr Farida Javed says we at PIW help enhance the economic growth of the women by imparting various technical and management courses.
A modest beginning was made in a rented building in Sitara Market with 30 students in 1984, the PIW, now, has a campus spread over four acres with over 500 students studying in six different job oriented disciplines. Almost 1,500 students have graduated from the institute.
The institute offers diploma of associate engineer in electronics, architecture, computers, commerce, dress-making and designing and in office management.
The duration of these courses range from 1 to 3 years and the basic requirement for admission is matriculation.
This year PIW will achieve another landmark when it launches the bachelors of science (info-tech). The ministry of science and technology has approved the programme. The programme would offer an opportunity to study IT at affordable rates.
The institute has a well-trained faculty, some of whom have received training at foreign universities. It has one of the finest infrastructure available in any educational institution, with well furnished, spacious classrooms, well-equipped laboratories, well stocked library, hostel, in-door and out-door sports facilities and transport.
At the same time the institute is besieged with a number of problems, shortage of funds; absence of adequate linkages between the institution, government and private sector; lack of awareness among women about technical disciplines resulting in low enrolments; aging equipment and lack of autonomy despite being an autonomous institution.
The principal says her institution requires around 150 computers. Although the minister for science and technology, Dr Attaur Rehman has promised 100 computers, but the promise may take a long while to materialize due to bureaucratic complexities.
The graduates of this institute have bright prospects in the job market, says Ms Javed. “Some of our students were offered a post they were on internships with various private sector institutions.”
Today the PIW graduates work at banks, multinationals, embassies, industrial concerns, hospitals, garment and textile industry and in the public sector offices.
A majority of the students at PIW belong to middle and lower middle economic strata with conservative background, who are not permitted to study in co-ed institutions.
At PIW, they acquire modern technical skills and prepare themselves to enter the job market in atmosphere suitable to their lifestyles.
“It is essential to have something worthwhile in your hands,” a student said. “If ever I need to work, at least I have a skill which will help me, my training at the institute is an asset for me”.
“Pakistan is suffering from economic problems, so women have to work to help the country grow and prosper,” another student said. Women are vital contributors to the economic survival of modern day families and reliance on women’s earnings has been on the increase in the country.—ZAHRA SYED
He was a great visionary, a staunch Muslim Leaguer, though a traditional, but a far-sighted progressive Baloch tribal leader. No wonder, the Quaid called him the ‘gateway to Balochistan’.
Mir Sahib, as he is remembered by many, had a 45-year dynamic political career that witnessed fight with the British, participation in the Khilafat Movement, bridging gap between Afghan and Baloch Sardar, leadership role in the Independence Movement and later in the Pakistan Solidarity Movement.
His exact date of birth is not known but according to the late Sindhi nationalist leader, G.M. Syed, Mir Sahib was born on Feb 14, 1908, in Rojhan. His early informal but traditional education was in Arabic and Persian. Later, in his young and active days he appointed famous writer Naseem Hijazi as his tutor for spoken English. This relationship later led to publication of a newspaper Tanzeem from Quetta with Nasim Hijazi as its editor and Mir Sahib solely funding it. Free copies of the paper were distributed to some 500 activists in Balochistan and Sindh. This newspaper also played a memorable part in the struggle for Pakistan.
His first meeting with the Quaid was in Bombay in the early thirties that culminated into an historical association. He pursued a land case “Jamalis vs the Crown,” a land dispute that began in 1928, when the British declared purchase deed of hundred and fifty thousand acres of land void. This land was bought by Mir Sahib’s grandfather, who was affectionately called Sakhi (the Generous), from the Khan of Kalat for Rs40,000. The British monarchy was unwilling to hand over this land to the Jamalis. Having lost the case to Jamalis in the Delhi and Bombay High Courts, they went to the Privy Council, London. The case was also recommended to the Khan of Kalat, who also decided in favour of the Jamalis. However, it was at Bombay that Mir Sahib met the Quaid for the first time, and appointed him his lawyer, along with Bhola Bhai Desai and Chaudhry Mohammed Ali. That was the beginning of Mir Sahib’s association with the Quaid and Muslim League. The case was finally decided in 1936 and the Privy Council upheld the earlier decisions. Since the Quaid was in London for the Round-Table Conference, he did not charge fee and in return requested for the Baloch Sardars’ affiliation with the Muslim League, which he eventually won with the vigorous efforts of Mir Sahib.
Mir Jafar Khan Jamali formally joined the Muslim League during the Quaid’s visit to Jacobabad in the capacity of the President of All-India Muslim League on October 16, 1938. On the insistence of Sir Abdullah Haroon, Jacobabad was included in his itinerary to the Sindh visit. On arrival at the Jacobabad station they were aghast to find out that there was no local leader for their welcome due to the Congress Chief Minister, Khan Bahadur Allah Bakhsh Soomro’s regime. Sir Abdullah Haroon rushed to the local Muslim League leader Hakim Qaiduddin in desperation who informed Mir Sahib. As he found out that there was no one to greet the Quaid and even the waiting room of the railway station was locked, he gathered all his tribesmen and ordered them to reach the scene and extend a befitting reception to the Quaid. Thus, the whole scenario changed and a congregation was held at the Jacobabad Eidgah. It became the turning point in Mir Sahib’s life, as on this occasion he announced his decision to join Muslim League. In his speech on the occasion, he said: “When a Baloch calls someone a friend, he keeps his words and fulfilling that, we wholeheartedly welcome the Quaid amidst the bullets.”
Although he had family terms with the then chief minister, he made it clear to him that by restraining his administration, his government had committed a big blunder. “Now all my wishes and loyalties rest with the Quaid and Muslim League,” he avowed. Time proved he stuck to his words.
After continued efforts of Mir Sahib and Nawab Mohammed Khan Jogezai, another veteran Muslim Leaguer, Quaid-i-Azam and Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah visited Quetta in June 1943, where they were accorded an overwhelming welcome.
Mir Sahib didn’t care about portfolios or positions; his main concern and preference was to be able to play a role in the well-being of Muslims and the people of Balochistan. In his efforts for accession of Balochistan to Pakistan, he mustered all his efforts, energies and resources for the cause and worked selflessly. This spirit is evident from the fact that he proposed to the Quaid that Qazi Mohammad Isa be made the president of Muslim League, Balochistan, as he thought that he was more acquainted with the latest trends, being well and foreign educated. Likewise, in 1946, he nominated Nawab Jogezai to represent Balochistan in the Constituent Assembly.
Various elements in the Balochistan politics tried to create distrust among the Baloch Sardars, the Pakhtun leaders affiliated with the Congress, Shahi Jirga members and the provincial Muslim League leadership. However, these discrepancies did not hamper the cause and subsequently, all the Baloch Sardars and Pakhtun leaders gathered at one platform and voted for joining Pakistan. Relentless efforts of Mir Sahib and Nawab Mohammed Khan Jogezai along with certain allies made the annexation of Balochistan to Pakistan possible through the Shahi Jirga. Since both these leaders had a positive approach as astute Sardars they managed to gather the Sardars of Sibi, Marri and Bugti tribes, as well as, the Pakhtoon elders and Jirga members from Pishin, etc.
Despite conspiracies, the referendum was held on June 29, 1947, at the Town Hall, Quetta. On this occasion, Mir Sahib in his speech warned the people of Balochistan of the possibility of the Hindu slavery and its consequences. He said: “Nations sacrifice their young blood and generations for the freedom and solidarity, and today we need a few persons to do that.” Arguing that either we should be part of Pakistan or Hindustan, he asked did we need to discuss this issue? “Would you be a part of the Sikh and Gorkha forces rather than a fortress of Islam?” was his inciting question. Hence, the resolution of joining Pakistan was ratified by the Shahi Jirga.
During the freedom struggle, the post-independence days and particularly during the Ayub Khan era, he travelled extensively. Being a man of principles he never bowed to injustice and preferred loyalty to prosperity. He was a staunch opponent of Ayub Khan and One-Unit and a trustworthy companion of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah. He was arrested many times by the Martial Law authorities, for his provocative speeches against the then government and un-deterring affiliation with Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah. Due to his differences with the Ayub regime, he abstained from attending the state receptions in honour of Queen Elizabeth, President Eisenhower of America and Jamal Abdul Nasir of Egypt.
Ironically, the contributions of the Baloch and other regional leaders in Pakistan have not been duly recognized by the authorities and officially-sponsored historians. It is regrettable that their contributions have not been given due share of appreciation and considered unimportant, historically speaking.
Mir Sahib, in his personal and social life acted like a visionary and an enlightened person. He was an epitome of values, traditions and character. He sent his children to England, Dehra Doon, Aitchison College and other prestigious schools in Lahore and Quetta. He encouraged and financially supported numerous youth in Sindh and Balochistan for studies. Thanks to his patronage, the deprived Sindhi and Balochi youth progressed in education, business and jobs.
Although Mir Sahib suffered many heart attacks during the freedom struggle, it was the weakening of civil governments and the rifts within, which deteriorated his health. He died on April 7, 1967 in Karachi and was buried at his ancestral graveyard “Sakhi” in Rojhan. Many leaders and his contemporaries attended his funeral and condoled his death including Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, who said that she had lost another brother today.
IT’S official. Like it or not, the referendum is on, the constitution is to go under the surgeon’s scalpel and the only prime ministers elected by the people since Gen Ziaul Haq was taken away from us are unfit for a public role. Nearing the end of a three-year term he had sought and was granted by the Supreme Court, Gen Pervez Musharraf, who rejects comparisons with his predecessors, has made himself available as the sole candidate for presidency for five more years. It’s him or nobody.
The opposition claims that holding such a referendum is unconstitutional. That, of course, depends on how you interpret the constitution. The general said on Friday he had been assured by experts he trusted that this was not the case. Since the matter had already been taken to court, it is probably fair to presume that the assurance included a confident prediction of a favourable ruling.
There is obviously room for disagreement on that point. But given the circumstances, anything the government can do, would involve a violation of some constitutional provisions or the other, at least in some technical sense. This includes holding general elections. Why can they live with some violations but not others?
Under the SC verdict in the Zafar Ali Shah case, the general has until October to hold general elections. Why should the opposition not jump at the opportunity of voting him out in May?
The reason, let’s face it, is simple. Nobody really believes that the opportunity is really there. Irrespective of the number of voters who turn up, irrespective even of how they vote, the general is staying. The real reason the opposition would not hear of the exercise is the irrelevance of voters to the outcome. It probably recognizes the lost cause its campaign against the referendum is, but it cannot bring itself to espouse the illusion that it can prevail in the plebiscite. If, and when, there is a referendum, there are no two ways about the result.
Nor is the opposition alone in holding the view. Was it not the Punjab governor who said on Friday the results were already in, that the people had spoken and in their wisdom elected the general? No, he was not jumping his cue. Look at the president’s speech. He gave us reasonable details about the shape of things once he was ‘elected’ but not a word about an exit strategy. Who would take over if the vote went against him? When? If only you vote for him, he would see to it that the future prime minister and the government did not undo what his regime had accomplished. What if you voted against him? Will he wring his hands and watch as his successor rolls everything back? He did not say that. It is probably not too unfair a presumption that he would not.
But can there be another explanation? Can it be that the reason the president and his detractors expect the same result is a benign one? Can it be, that is to say, that the public support for ‘continuity’ is, if not universal, overwhelming? Much as one is tempted to wish that it were so, it cannot be. For if it were really so, there would be no need for him to be the Big Brother watching over the future government. He could happily hang his boots secure in the knowledge that the policy would continue, anyway.
What, then, is the point of the whole campaign? The point, as the president put it, is the moral ascendancy an affirmative vote would give him. The moral ascendancy he is seeking can, however, come only from a real, visible choice freely exercised.
In acknowledging the services of Gen Musharraf, the Punjab governor said on Friday, the people of Pakistan had shown that they could be trusted to evaluate a government’s performance dispassionately and unerringly. Why then could they not be trusted to judge the performance of two former prime ministers? Gen Musharraf’s eloquent answer was that he feared not the enemy without but the ‘rose flame within the garden’ — the unhealthy trends and forces native to society’s genius that tended to get out of hand and become harmful. He was determined, he implied, to protect the people from themselves. If at times the job required him to make unpopular decisions, he would not shy away from them. There is, of course, nothing new about the colonist’s missionary zeal or about seeking allegiance from subjects. The novelty lies only in seeking it through secret ballot. A heavy burden lies on the chief election commissioner.
AN HOUR was stolen from the citizens last night. The interest-free ‘loan,’ it is said, will be repaid in October.
The daylight saving time is a fiction meant to send people to bed earlier than they do. But a large number of people here have always had an early-to-bed motto. This is apparent in the practice of having different timetables for schools, colleges, offices and factories for summer and winter. Those who are not convinced, can still continue working, studying or entertaining at night. In a society where few people religiously turn off the unneeded lights, the energy saving is thus likely to be marginal. Scepticism about the utility of the change, therefore, seems justifiable. Its only real usefulness most people could appreciate was the short-lived extra excuse for being late for an appointment.
But it has also come as a welcome diversion and, depending on their tastes, people have been debating the real or perceived benefits and difficulties as well as joking about them. A colleague pointed out yesterday that by adopting a new time standard, the government had actually put Pakistan ahead of arch rivals India, dictates of geography notwithstanding. Another rejoiced that Pakistan and Bangladesh now had the same standard time. Sports enthusiasts conceded that this was better even than ‘stopping the clock’ for it allowed resetting it. And why really stop at that? If a fiction can be established by an administrative fiat, why not reset the date and obtain a suitable de facto extension for the president and chief executive without the inconvenience and expense involved in the referendum. If only it was our exclusive privilege, the practice could even solve our foreign debt problem. Alas, it’s a game two can play.
AT DAWN’S Lahore offices, recent days have been a time for partings. Veterans Mahmood Zaman and Ilyas Beg retired and were seen off not without a hint of sadness.
Then came the shocking death of Abdus Sami Alim, the 16 year old son of special correspondent Ashraf Mumtaz. Precious minutes were reportedly lost before Alim, who had sustained a head injury in a road accident, was taken to the recently opened Trauma Centre at Services Hospital. Treatment was allegedly delayed for hours before he was finally referred to the Lahore General Hospital. He died on the way. The police were unable for days to locate the driver involved in the accident. Whether the irreparable loss to the family and friends, not to speak of society, would result in some improvement in hospital procedures and attitudes towards safety and helping accident victims remains to be seen. — ONLOOKER
NOW they have gone and done it. I mean the President and the cabinet and the National Security Council have gone and announced that a referendum will be held. Does anybody in Islamabad realize how hot it gets in this country in May? It is a well-known fact that all rational thinking in Lahore stops early April and does not resume till late in October. And it only gets worse the further south one goes. There are just three questions to which a Lahori can give an intelligent response in the summer: (1) Would you like some more mangoes? answer: Yes (2) Would you like some more ice in that? (answer: Yes) and (3) Do you accept this woman to be your wife (answer: Yes, but can’t we do this in December?).
Somehow, I don’t think any of them are going to be in the referendum. Actually, I am not sure about the last one. The point is that the holding of referendums in the summer is an overtly unfriendly act, and the government should be prepared for irrational results and poor turnouts. Already a local newspaper has reported that the mayors of a number of cities expect at least 30 to 40 (per cent) people to vote countrywide. This would be an improvement on the last referendum but it might also turn out to be a printing error.
On the plus side, political excitement is beginning to return to the city. The newspapers are full of reports about people one has never heard of are forming ‘alliances.’ This has left me somewhat confused. You see, ‘alliances’ are formed between countries, institutions or large groups of people. If a dozen or so people get together, it would be more correct to say that they have formed ‘friendships.’ Anyway, I think all of this alliance nonsense is a completely out of date and unscientific method of getting leadership for this country. What we need are efficient people who can get things done.
Happily, I have a brilliant idea. As you all know, at midnight tonight, the country is supposed to move its clocks forward by one hour. This gives us an excellent opportunity to measure efficiency. For example, if by 8 O’ clock tomorrow, the clock on the town hall is showing the correct time, the administrator of Lahore should be promoted to the provincial assembly. If in addition, the GPO clock has also been changed, the city boss should get a provincial ministry. If all the clocks on The Mall are showing the correct time, he should get a National Assembly seat. On the other hand, if all the clocks and the administrator’s personal wristwatch are an hour behind, he should be fired. Finally, if every single public clock in the city is on time, that means the CIA is behind it and the administrator will probably be the next prime minister whether we like it or not. Speaking of the Americans, rumour has it that they have set up snazzy new identification machines at Pakistani airports. All passengers stand in front of a camera, which uploads their image to a central computer, which decides if they are terrorists, or not. Taking such principled objections as breach of sovereignty, privacy, etc as given, I would love to get my hand on one of these things. As I have explained before, summer in Model Town is the mango looting season and all summer round I have to spend the afternoons fending off neighbourhood urchins. This involves a lot of work, because the speed and stamina of five year olds is one of the wonders of nature. And even if I do catch one of them, all I can do is deliver a few kicks to their backsides, which really is not much of a deterrent. If I get these ID machines, what I propose is to photograph the culprits after booting their behinds and upload the files to the FBI or CIA or whatever. That way, I will have the satisfaction of knowing that years from now when the little brats are all set to go to Yale or Harvard, a dyspeptic immigration clerk will put ‘rejected’ stamps on their passports and tell them: ‘We don’t like mango thieves in our country.’ — YASSER HASHMI