| April 14, 2002 | Sunday | Muharram 30, 1423 |
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Increasing purchasing power
Medical mistreatment
A book for Bush
Personal taxation
Insanity subcontinental style
Holocaust in Palestine
The irony continues
Laws of the jungle
Transport and referendum
The glamour of Paris
Was it the same person?
Our standard time and geographical reality
TO continue beyond the three-year term bestowed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf has called a referendum under Article 48(6) of the Constitution.
Article 48(6) says that if “the President... considers that it is desirable that any matter of national importance should be referred to a referendum, the President may cause the matter to be referred to a referendum in the form of a question that is capable of being answered either by ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.” Even the most elementary student of the Constitution knows that the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer in a referendum is not for electing a President.
Under the Constitution, the only method of electing the President is set forth in Article 41(3) which provides that “the President... shall be elected in accordance with the provisions of the Second Schedule by the members of an electoral college consisting of (a) the members of both Houses; and (b) the members of the Provincial Assemblies.” Moreover, under the Constitution, a sitting COAS is even otherwise disqualified from contesting the election for the office of the President.
However, barring a few lawyers, students and journalists, no one really is bothered by such legal necessities. As Ayaz Amir eloquently writes in the Dawn of April 5: “Only fools will waste breath upon legalities. General Musharraf’s referendum has as much basis in the Constitution as his coup d’etat. Lord of the jungle, it is up to him whether he lay an egg or deliver a child.”
I only wish General Musharraf had also realized the realities of Ayaz Amir’s last sentence instead of wasting valuable time and public money in crying hoarse that the forthcoming referendum is constitutional. We could have been spared the disturbing images of our man of hope, wearing a commando’s uniform but being introduced by convicts like Tariq Aziz and being applauded by plunderers of the Zia era who packed the front rows of his Lahore rally. We would have been spared the distressing news reports that the police had to resort to baton charge to ensure people did not leave the public rally before the President’s arrival.
General Musharraf would have done us all proud had he turned in his uniform, rolled up his sleeves and contested a real election. The vast majority of Pakistanis believed in the leadership of General Pervez Musharraf, if only he too had believed in us.
ZAHID F. EBRAHIM
Karachi
THE purchasing power of almost all currencies in the Third World countries, in terms of commodities, continues to fall much faster than it does in the western countries. Fluctuations in the comparative values of the currencies of different countries, due to balances of trade and other reasons, often harm the interests of the masses in Asia and Africa, as also Latin America.
Printing of currency notes without any base or beyond the reserves required to maintain stability, causes a fall in the purchasing power of the money. According to John Maynard Keynes, a British economist (1883-1946): “By a continuing process of inflation governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens.”
In Pakistan, the currency notes in circulation for years have been far in excess of the reserves required to support them. This deficit financing and misrule have weakened the national economy and the masses are suffering. We have been spending more than what we were earning by borrowing to the stifling extent of over 50 per cent GDP.
The system of managed money circulation and weighted basket of currencies, as devised and adopted since the 1970s by IMF and the old G7 group, is not working well for the Third World countries. The supply and demand can be manipulated by the rich of the G8 group and the poor countries are swindled in the course of speculation as was seen in 1997 when the Asian Tigers lost heavily.
Linking the currency to the commodity should be the first priority in modifying the banking practices. Yes, it is going to be a painful operation but it is better to live in austerity rather than in economic slavery.
SHAH NAWAZ KHAN
Karachi
PLEASE refer to the letter by Lt-Col (Retd) Sikandar Khan Baloch (April 7).
I want to state my grievance regarding medical treatment I received at CMH Malir Cantt. On April 2, I met with a road accident on the Superhighway while travelling in a bus from Khairpur to Karachi. Six persons died and many were seriously injured.
I was brought semi-unconscious to CMH Malir Cantt by an Edhi ambulance. Some Lt (Col) doctor kept on insisting that I sign some documents. Owing to the accidental impact I was unable to understand him. In return, I received an arrogant attitude from that Lt (Col) doctor and I was operated for left pnenthorax trauma. Necessary life-saving apparatus was not there. However, the Commanding Officer, CMH, managed to purchase the apparatus instantly.
Owing to the inexperienced staff, the operation was unsuccessful and I was left in the ICU in an acute painful condition. Due to the will power that was developed in me during SSG(N) and Pakistan Marines Training, I managed to reach Aga Khan Hospital emergency to save my life.
I can never forget the professional care and attendance I received there and I am recovering day by day.
I now ask: what about my right to free medical treatment?; will DMS Army take any administrative action regarding the incident?; can military doctors forget while dealing with patients that they are military officers because the status of doctors is equivalent to that of Jesus Christ?
LT (R) QASIM RAHMAN,
PN
Karachi
READERS might be interested in my experience of sending a book, The Writings of Dr Leitner, by the first principal of the Government College, Lahore, (1864-1886) to Mr George W. Bush, President of the US.
In my ‘wisdom’, I thought the views of Dr Leitner, a Jew-turned-Christian, who was sympathetic to Islam as expressed in the first 45 pages of the book, might help Mr Bush to have a better understanding of Islam.
I booked the parcel SpeedPost and sat back content that the book was on its way. A few days later, a letter from the GPO, Lahore, ordered me to present myself before the superintendent land customs, along with an affidavit on a Rs30 stamped paper, ‘duly’ certified by an ‘oath’ commissioner that it contained no narcotics. I was given a week to comply or the book, which was packed in the presence of the courier, would be returned to me and no refund preferred.
Getting to the superintendent’s office, once in the GPO, took time because of the incorrect direction given by ‘Inquiries’. On entering the superintendent’s office he expressed some surprise at the affidavit and said it should have been for anthrax but appeared satisfied that it was germ-free. I was assured the book would be on its way.
I may add that Dr Leitner studied at a madressah in Istanbul, knew a large part of the Quran by heart, was an expert in Islamic jurisprudence, was an explorer, a linguist... who also set up the Oriental College and got the Punjab University going, separating Lahore from the Calcutta University.
MASOOD HASAN
Lahore
I ENDORSE the contents of the article, ‘Personal taxation encouraging brain drain’ by Mr Jawaid Bokhari (April 7). It is a very critical issue and since the Budget-2002 is just around the corner, it is the right time to raise this issue.
As everyone knows, the salaried people constitute the only class of society which pays its income tax in full to the national exchequer. Justice demands that people who are honest and sincere with the nation should be given some exclusive relief. I would like to give the following suggestions to the decision-makers/ income tax authorities in this regard:
The maximum income tax rate for the salaried people should not be more than 20 per cent.
Tax exemption should be allowed on house rent up to 45 per cent, on utility allowance up to 10 per cent and on conveyance allowance up to 10 per cent of the basic salary. Tax rebate should be allowed on actual medical expenses on production of verifiable receipts.
Taxation of perquisites should be applicable to people having taxable salary of more than Rs500,000, after taking into account the exemptions as mentioned above. It is further suggested that non-cash perquisites may continue to be valued as per Rule 18B of the existing Income Tax Rules 1982.
I hope that the higher authorities will consider my suggestions sympathetically.
MUHAMMAD IJAZ KHAN
Karachi
AN example of insanity peculiar to the subcontinent was the plight of an Indian journalist, the Delhi-based Sukirat Singh Anand, who came along with 12 other mediapersons from his country, to attend a meeting of the South Asian Editors’ Forum.
He went to Lahore at the end of the conference to stay for four days with a friend. But Anand had to cut short his trip by two days because he had to go to Jalandhar, where the paper that he works for has its head office.
Now Jalandhar, hardly 75 miles from Lahore, is at the most a two-hour drive from Lahore. But thanks to Mr Vajpayee’s decision to stop the bus and train services between the two countries, poor Anand had to spend two days to reach his destination: he flew from Lahore to Karachi, from Karachi to Dubai and from Dubai to New Delhi before taking a train from Delhi to Jalandhar.
Anand became poorer by about Rs15,000 when he could have reached his destination by spending only one per cent of that amount had he been allowed to take the normal route.
ASIF NOORANI
Karachi
WHAT is happening in Palestine these days is nothing short of a holocaust.
The Nazis were castigated universally for committing acts of horror against the Jews during the second world war. But the Israeli barbarism is no less condemnable. The world conscience must take note of the wholesale massacre of innocent men, women and children by the Zionist war machine. The west, led by the United States of America, should go beyond paying mere lip service to a peace process in the region, which is considered sacred by three revealed religions.
As far as the government of General Pervez Musharraf is concerned, it should immediately call an Islamic Summit and come up with an appropriate response to the naked Israeli aggression. If the world leaders cannot stop Israel from committing horrendous crimes against humanity, they should hang their heads in shame. Why is the blood of Jews more valuable than the blood of Palestinians? This question needs an answer.
B.A. MALIK
Islamabad
THE President in his televised address to the nation, announcing the referendum, gave two reasons for increasing gas prices: one, that gas is cheaper in Pakistan as compared to ‘other countries’, and two, that the majority of the population does not enjoy the gas facility and has to depend on kerosene, wood, coal etc, which are costlier than gas.
He conveniently chose to ignore a comparison of the per capita income in Pakistan vis-a-vis ‘other countries’.
It is also strange that though he said that his heart weeps at the condition of the poor masses, instead of reducing the prices of kerosene etc used by them, he has chosen to increase the price of gas so that more people would now feel the pangs of the rising cost of essential items. Does he mean to say that the poor would feel relieved by finding the lives of some more people, who are not rich but slightly better off, becoming as miserable as their own?
NAJMUL HASAN
Karachi
The law prohibits overloaded vehicles. However, law-enforcing agencies find it very difficult to stop them because most people who travel by them are poor. There are thousands of vehicles only in Lahore adding to the pollution and degrading the environment, in violation of the relevant law. Likewise, encroachments make cities over-crowded reducing the spatial requirements of a city.
These bottlenecks, created by a few people, are a threat to the life of millions. It is time we took difficult decisions to enforce all laws on the statute book. If we cannot do this, we must revoke all laws except those of the jungle.
HAROON RASHID
Lahore
GATHERINGS on the occasion of the president’s speeches have been very impressive. In the past two-and-a-half years, the performance of the present government can be graded as praise-worthy. It could even be termed as exemplary if compared with all the previous governments since the creation of Pakistan. However, I would request government authorities not to follow the practice of previous governments by hauling up public transport on the occasion of public rallies in connection with the referendum.
This causes the general public a great difficulty in performing their daily tasks and thus carries a negative bearing on various fronts, including the referendum.
MAJOR (R) M. GHIASUDDIN BABAR
Lahore
TO keep the glamour of Paris intact, the city administration has enforced a law which demands that ‘dog owners should immediately, and by whatever appropriate means, pick up all animal ejections dropped on any public right of way, including gutters, squares, parks, gardens and green spaces’. The defaulters would be liable to a fine of up to 400 dollars.
I wish the Lahore Mayor, Mian Amir Mahmood, was bold enough to introduce such a law for the owners of tongas, rehras, donkey-carts and stray animals. The law, if strictly enforced, would reduce the city’s level of pollution by at least 50 per cent.
On assuming the coveted office, every chief minister of Punjab declared that he would ‘turn Lahore into a Paris of Pakistan’. So far it has remained a dream. Let us take the first step towards realizing it.
RAFI NASIM
Lahore
WAS it the same Tariq Aziz, the one who got elected as an MNA and who extolled so eloquently the virtues of his leader and party in the TV programme Neelam Ghar? From a TV compere, he became a legislator and then an activist, an accused in the Supreme Court storming case and perhaps a convict too. All that was a gesture of loyalty to his leader. And now to find him acting as a stage secretary! It was so amazing, to put it mildly.
I would not call him a paid piper. But I would certainly ask Mr Ayaz Amir, why he talks so much about the generals and so little about the civilian society. All rulers in all ages have aspired for more power and for the prolongation of their power. What has acted as a check on this urge of individual rulers is, in a word, public opinion. I am myself not for agitation of any kind in any case, but one must feel revulsion. If a sufficient number of people feel a sufficient amount of revulsion over a wrong, the wrong cannot happen. But we are neither amazed, nor even surprised, over anything, anymore.
M. AKBAR
Lahore
THIS is with reference to the recent government decision of introducing summer and winter time in Pakistan. We have taken another blind decision to follow the western countries without considering the geographical realities.
The international standard time (GMT) has been fixed at zero degree longitude or the prime meridian which passes through Greenwich. For this purpose, the globe has been divided into eastern and western hemispheres. Each hemisphere consists of 180 degrees on each side of the prime meridian. Time increases as we move towards east from the prime meridian and decreases in the western direction. Time changes by one hour for a change of 15 degrees in either direction. The national standard times are determined by taking into consideration the longitudes or the meridians passing through the country.
After independence, Pakistan selected 90 degrees east meridian for East Pakistan and 75 degrees east meridian for West Pakistan for the national standard time. India adjusted its standard time with 82-and-a-half degree east meridian which meant 05:30 hours ahead of GMT. This particular meridian passes through the centre of India giving India, a standard time from the heart of the country.
It is interesting to know that 75 degrees east meridian does not pass through most of the Pakistan territory. If we move along this particular meridian from south to north, it enters the Pakistan territory near the Sialkot-Narowal border, then into the Indian occupied Kashmir and then passes between Gilgit and Skardu to enter Russia.
Pakistan lies diagonally on the world map at an angle of 40 degrees with an eastern border along a longitude of 75 degrees east and a western border along longitude of 60 degrees east near Pak-Iran border of Zahedan. This gives Pakistan a local time separation of approximately one hour.
Keeping in mind the limiting geographical longitudes of Pakistan, the ideal meridian for Pakistan standard time is 67-and-a-half degrees east which passes through the centre of Pakistan. It would make the Pakistan Standard Time four-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT.
We know that the government is interested in gaining one hour during summer. So the summer time can be fixed for 75 degrees east and winter time at 60 degrees east. It is ridiculous to adjust our standard time from 90 degrees east meridian, as has been done now, which passes through India and Bangladesh and has no geographical correlation with our country.
I hope that the government of Pakistan would give serious consideration to this geographical reality and will not hesitate in revising its decision so as to correlate it with our geography.
KHALID TANWIR KHAN
Lahore
WITH the Zuhar prayers occurring after 2:00 pm during the six months of Pakistan’s Summer Standard Time, it would seem eminently sensible and perhaps helpful to the national cause, to extend the Friday closing hour of schools and government offices to 1:00 pm.
RASHID JOOMA
Karachi
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