Import of reconditioned cars

THIS refers to the news item of April 2 on this subject. The government has said that imports of “company reconditioned cars” will be allowed if the local industry fails to double production by May 10.

Large imports of reconditioned cars have taken place earlier, flooding the country with all kinds of reconditioned cars and causing large financial losses to the exchequer due to the reduced customs tariff. A big scam also came to light at that time involving staff from the ministry of commerce and customs. It was alleged that with their collusion, fake permits (licences) were issued for import of a large number of reconditioned cars.

As it is, the tariff structure is taking a beating in this country on account of the ‘World Trade Order’ and the local industry may also be finding it difficult to invest in manufacturing.

The story of local manufacture of automobiles in this country is long and sad. Suffice it to say that the experiment tried in the 1960s to manufacture cars did not succeed. Too many assembly plants were established. No progress could be achieved in achieving any level of indigenous production and all later local assembly plants were nationalized by Bhutto.

During the period of nationalization, proposals were invited from foreign manufacturers for collaboration in the local manufacture of a car. The Suzuki model was selected for this purpose. It appears that since then many more foreign firms have entered the field in collaboration with local parties. All of them have been pressing the government for extensions of progressive manufacturing programmes submitted by them earlier.

At the same time, they keep on introducing more and more car models. This does not appear to be a satisfactory situation as far since this does not encourage indigenous production.

In order to achieve economies of scale, particularly for the vendor industry, it is important that two manufacturing units and two models of cars be selected, per unit, for local manufacture. Then, carefully drawn-up programmes are prepared, with a built-in mechanism for monitoring their implementation.

Import of reconditioned cars cannot be justified on any grounds, as this will involve the import of all kinds of models meant to meet specific requirements of other countries. Changes will be needed to conform to our local conditions including the type of petrol being used here and unduly large imports of spare parts.

In the hands of local traders, there is no knowing that the reconditioned cars may also be passed off as new. Who is going to gain as a result of this decision? Not the country, which will also loses in the form of reduced customs tariff. It is the foreign manufacturer and their local collaborators who will gain. It is hoped that we will learn lessons from the past and that policies will now be formulated keeping in view past experience.

MOHAMMED ANWAR KHAN

Karachi

Veterans’ meeting

THE annual general meeting of the Defence Forces Veterans Association (DFVA) was held at the Services Officers Mess Lahore Cantt on March 24. However to our dismay, except for a couple of newspapers, the rest did not bother to write a word about it.

A lot of pensioners from the lower to the senior ranks came up to express their disappointment on the rising cost of living, especially the extraordinary rise in utility bills and their inability to cope with the expenditure from the meagre pensions that they receive.

Some of them complained that the amount of taxes that they were paying almost ate up their pensions. Hence, there is a dire need to exempt the pensioners from paying all types of taxes as is done in many other countries of the world.

The agony caused to a class of pensioners and widows whose pensions were reduced on the flimsy grounds of calculation on gross/net rates also came under discussion. Similarly, the new rule that envisaged the non-restoration of commuted pensions also came under criticism.

The long outstanding issue of eliminating disparity in the rates of old and new pensions (one rank, one pension) drew the most attention. It was in 1993 that both the Shariat Court and the Wafaqi Mohtasib decided the case in favour of the pensioners. One fails to understand why the Supreme Court has locked up the case in its cellars.

The Punjab governor listened to the pensioners’ complaints with patience. He announced a handsome donation for the DFVA, an organization which has been fighting for the welfare, rights and privileges of the pensioners and passing their grievances on to the authorities concerned for action.

The donation will help in ameliorating the distress of pensioners and widows who are homeless, sick and disabled or are otherwise unable to make ends meet. The overall plight of the pensioners, however, needs to be seen by the authorities in a wider perspective and necessary relief provided to them.

LT COL (RETD) RAFI NASIM

Information Secretary, DFVA

Lahore

Medical mistreatment

I underwent a heart bypass operation at Doctor’s Hospital, Jauhar Town, Lahore, on February 12, 2001. I sacrificed my right to free treatment in the army with the hope of getting better professional care and attention. I spent about Rs 350,000 on this operation and sold my property to meet the expenses. But unfortunately, the operation failed because of professional negligence, a fact later proved by follow-up tests. It is simply criminal.

My condition before the operation was much better than after it. It is now revealed that my disease could have been controlled by medicines and such a risky operation could have been avoided had it not been for the sheer greed of the surgeons. They just wanted my money.

Since the operation, my condition has worsened. My expenditure on my treatment has increased. I have now been advised stenting which costs as much as a bypass surgery. I have mercilessly been pushed to death by these doctors and they are responsible for my precarious health. I wish to request the authorities concerned to take note of such high handedness going on unchecked in the shape of 'treatment’.

The PMDC is not prepared to listen to anything against the doctors and other medical/administrative authorities seem helpless. This letter may also serve as a warning to the helpless patients seeking cardiac treatment at the Doctor’s Hospital.

LT COL (RETD) SIKANDAR KHAN BALOCH

Multan

Post office blues

DURING the British Raj, the post office department was among the most honest and efficient departments in our country. After independence, however, the honesty and efficiency in this department had been thrown to the wind.the postal authorities have increased their charges up to one hundred per cent, but the standard of honesty and efficiency remains as dismal as ever.

In one of my letters (Sept 14, 2000) I had complained about the dishonesty in the department; particularly in the foreign mail sorting office in Lahore. Within a week the deputy postmaster-general, Lahore, refuted my claim in Dawn. At the same time, he advised his clients that, to avoid mishaps, cheques and currency notes should not be sent by ordinary mail. It was a tacit admission of dishonesty. Anyhow, within two months of this letter I myself read in a newspaper that two employees of the Lahore foreign mail sorting office were caught red-handed opening some letters.

Now, instead of dismissing such dishonest employees they were simply demoted to the post of peons. I am almost certain that later on, they must have been pardoned and reinstated within a short period of time.

Now, I bring it to the notice of the postal authorities again that early in January this year, I posted a letter to my son in Britain. It has not reached him to date. Then in February again, I sent my son another letter which reached him after three weeks. On the other side, my son sent me a letter (all these letters were paid for by air) on February 19 which reached me on March 29 or exactly after 40 days.

Only God knows how long it will take to rectify the situation or shall we have to put up with such inefficiency indefinitely?

MOHAMMAD ISHAQUE SOOFI

Rabwah

IMF’s wrong policies

DESPITE occasional rhetoric to the contrary, Islamabad is increasingly beholden to the mai baap in Manila and Washington. Strangely enough the finance minister is applauded for enriching national and international capital. It may be instructive for many to reflect on the conclusions of a recent study.

“If IMF programmes hurt economic growth and redistribute income away from labour, labour is worse off when countries participate in IMF programmes.

“For capital, however, there is a tradeoff: growth decreases but the share of income increases. Previous research shows that IMF programmes lower economic growth and this study demonstrates that the adverse effects are concentrated on labour. Indeed, despite negative economic growth, the income of the privileged few increases.

“Thus, according to the characterization of (the-then IMF managing director) Michel Camdessus, the form of growth promoted by the IMF must be considered of the lowest quality.”

Lest this extract be dismissed as radical ravings, let me add that the study was published in a mainstream, respected journal World Development.

Some details of how the working class in Pakistan gets skewered are to be found in the studies by Asad Sayeed, Saha Khattak and S. Akbar Zaidi.

A. ERECLAWN

Karachi

Interest and usury

MR Cowasjee in his article on the above subject on March 31 stated that even under Judaism exorbitant rates of interest are forbidden. Mr Viqar Zaman in his letter published on April 3 has taken exceptions based upon Deuteronomy 23:20.

Without any comments let me quote Psalms 15 (Old Testament) which has only five verses. I quote the same psalm in extension with special emphasis on verse 5.

”Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks in truth from his heart? And has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbour no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man, who despises a vile man but honours those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”

M L SHAHANI

Karachi

Despondency all round

A government spokesman has claimed that the prices of utilities are cheaper than in the rest of the world market. This makes no sense because the salaries and other emoluments in the western countries are too high to compare with ours.

In Pakistan, the common man is facing a very difficult situation. He is so heavily taxed that he is being squeezed to the last ounce of his blood. The utility bills alone are becoming unbearable.

Labour in our country is not given the respect and dignity it deserves. Instead, it is exploited and the result is discontentment and despondency all round. According to a statement of the secretary for petroleum, those who cannot pay their bills should not use gas. The statement betrays a heart which is completely devoid of any sympathy for the poor.

Is this the way to alleviate poverty? How can these senior officials with their high salaries, free electricity, free gas, free telephones and free water supply, alleviate the sufferings of the poor?

The abolition of feudalism is needed so that the lives of poor peasants and workers can be improved. The elimination of discrimination in deciding who will get quality education and who will not is equally necessary.

S.A KHOKHAR

Lahore

ID card delivery

I submitted my form for new identity card alongwith my five family members on 25th of August last year. About two months ago I received five cards of my family members through a passerby who incidentally knew me. He told me that he found these cards in someone’s hands in Jhanda Bazar and collected the same to deliver me. Nadra had boasted that it would deliver new identity cards at people’s doorsteps for which Rs 35 per form were also charged, but now the cards are thrown in bazars.

It is furthermore interesting to note that I have yet to receive my own card even after lapse of seven months. I personally approached the district registration officer for Rawalpindi for this purpose but his attitude was insulting to each and every person who had the same complaint as I. No one was there to guide the people properly either.

I request help in this matter from the authorities concerned since I urgently need the card.

MANZOOR SADIQ

Rawalpindi

Hypocrisy

“WHEN beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar).

How right was Shakespeare. A few thousand Palestinian deaths will not make a difference to the world, but an odd American death such as that of Daniel Pearl leads to widespread condemnation all over the world.

SUMAIRA DADA

Karachi

Water issues

THE myth of our losing water equivalent to four Tarbela Dams due to seepage from our canal system has been floated often in the past which has diverted public attention from the need for building large water storages on the Indus river. Recently, one of our ex-ministers for agriculture again tried to revive the same myth in a TV programme on the water issue.

People should know that tubewells are able to retrieve as much as 50 million acre-feet of the sweet water that is apparently lost through seepage. This just about balances the sweet water belt and is in fact, equal to six and a half Tarbela dams. As such, the real wastage of water is that which is lost during the 100 days of summer because we lack the storage capacity on the Indus below Tarbela where the Kabul river joins it and where it gets 20 per cent of its water from the monsoon rains.

It is about time the boojh bujhakkars of today avoided spinning stories as they tend to confuse the water issue further which is already a victim of political expediency resulting in severe shortages of irrigation water. Let us be objective and not be attracted by catchy slogans of losing four Tarbelas of water by seepage without understanding the entire water cycle. Such half-truths would not get us anywhere but only muddy the water issue further. The need right now is that to build a dam at Kalabagh on the Indus river.

DR M YAQOOB BHATTI

Lahore

Illegal bus stands

I would like to draw attention of the City Nazim and other concerned authorities on the growing illegal inter-city bus stands in busy streets of the city. These illegal encroachments are at Old Sabzi Mandi, Saddar and Cantt. Station.

Some people in important positions must be getting benefits out of all this because why else would they be continuously ignoring the problems the people of Karachi face.

Karachiites are waiting for their Nazim to take a swift action to shift them out of the city, as the KMC, traffic police and anti-encroachment cells have failed to act, for understandable reasons.

MUHAMMAD RIAZ KHAN

Karachi

Weak politicians

IMRAN KHAN, Mr Farooq Leghari, Messrs Iftikhar Gilani and Tahirul Qadri are all trotting about faithfully on national television canvassing for the continuation of the president for protecting his reforms.

If they think that the reforms need to be protected, they should undertake to do that on their own strength and not line up behind a general.

This is an admission of their own failure as politicians. Perhaps, being mindful of their own limited role in the days to come, they are buttering up a military regime to eke out some political mileage, damaging the revival of the political process.

KHURSHID ANWER

Lahore

Who is sovereign?

MR Ayaz Amir’s Islamabad diary, (Dawn, March 29) has pointed out how the “insidious erosion” of democracy has led Pervez Musharraf to seek ways and means to perpetuate his hold on power. His government has shown its incapacity in the management of the pressing problems facing the vast majority. The primary challenge is to abolish poverty, restore people’s social and political rights, and to improve their quality of life.

For that what the country needs is a political transition to a democratic framework and instruments of democratic governance at all levels. A new social contract of this kind is the need of the hour. Hence democracy — with its freedom of association and assembly, free speech, a free press, free elections with universal suffrage, and equal access to education — is essential to the shift from absolutism to pluralism.

The basis of citizenship lies in a sense of identity, a feeling of belonging. It binds people together, along with the concerns they share about the future. When people belong, they care. When they care, they act — contributing to the well-being of society. The general should acknowledge that sovereignty lies with the people. They are inevitably the authors of their own quality of life. Empowering people will give them an overwhelming sensation of belonging.

Participation is being used by the regime as a slogan but it is not practised meaningfully. The level of participation is variable. It must move towards the involvement of communities in identification of their needs, priorities and resources. One of the essentials of participation is to build it into government at every level — federal, provincial and local.

It would bring a sense of being able to control what was previously thought beyond their influence. If it is encouraged in one sphere of life, the attitudes it creates carry over to other domains: from health and family size to housing and education. It would mean that the people conceive, design, execute and manage programmes of development.

Politically speaking citizens’ participation signifies that the people have the right to influence policy directly. I am convinced that things can change for the better. But for that it is necessary that each citizen must participate to build the new democratic culture.

PROF M. RASHID

Lahore