| May 1, 2002 | Wednesday | Safar 17, 1423 |
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Milk and poverty alleviation
Asrar Ahmad’s views
Chasing the Taliban
Sindh Building Control Ord 2001
Value of life
Freedom of expression?
Checks and balance for stability
Destroying a good road
Minorities and elections
PTCL — a complaint
Psychological disorders
Traffic police
Improving public transport system
IT has been noted that earthquake activity in our region has significantly increased since the US bombing campaign in Afghanistan, which began in October last year. Some of the bombs used included GBU-28, 5,000-pounds laser-guided weapons, JSOW, air-to-ground smart bombs, AGM-86, air-launched cruise missiles and Daisy Cutters.
When bombs such as Daisy Cutters and other sophisticated bombs are dropped on the ground, stresses are induced in the earth’s crust. These stresses are released at weaker locations of the fault sooner or later. The bombings also increase the seismic activity in the area or areas that are connected below the earth through dense rock. The severe earthquakes that struck Afghanistan in March can be attributed to these bombings.
In the last few decades, increase in the seismic activity throughout the world has been attributed to nuclear tests. The nuclear tests release a great amount of energy in a very short period of time. Although the relationship between bomb blasts and increased seismic activity has been denied by various governments, observations have shown that these man-made earthquakes are linked to bomb blasts — small (conventional bombs) or large (nuclear).
On Apr 14, 1989, at the Second Annual Conference on the United Nations and World Peace in Seattle, Washington, Gary T. Whiteford, Professor of Geography at the University of New Brunswick in Canada, presented the most exhaustive study of the correlation between nuclear testing and earthquakes. In a paper entitled ‘Earthquakes and nuclear testing: dangerous patterns and trends’, Whiteford presented alarming conclusions which to this day have remained almost completely ignored in the United States and elsewhere, although the paper has been widely translated and published abroad.
Whiteford studied all earthquakes in the 20th century of more than 5.8 on the Richter scale. He was able to make a simple comparison of the earthquake rate in the first half of the century, before nuclear testing, and the rate for 1950 to 1988. In the 50 years before testing, large earthquakes of more than 5.8 occurred at an average rate of 68 per year. With the advent of testing the rate rose “suddenly and dramatically” to an average of 127 a year. The earthquake rate has almost doubled. To this day the US military attributes the increase to ‘coincidence’. As Whiteford comments, “The geographical patterns in the data, with a clustering of earthquakes in specific regions matched to specific test dates and sites do not support the easy and comforting explanation of ‘pure coincidence’. It is a dangerous coincidence.”
In an even more revealing analysis, Whiteford studies so-called ‘killer earthquakes’ in which more than 1,000 people have died. He compiled a list of all such earthquakes since 1953 and matched them with nuclear test schedules. A pattern was evident that 62.5 per cent of the killer earthquakes occurred only a few days after a nuclear test. Many struck only one day after a detonation. Again, the governments of the nuclear nations claim the results are mere coincidence.
KAMRAN AHMED
Karachi
THESE days the area of focus at the national level is poverty alleviation. Various modes of action including public works to generate employment are being contemplated by the government.
However, there is one sector, i.e. livestock, that has been neglected for too long, but it is being seen to emerge as the leading factor on the rural scene to have surpassed even the major crops of agriculture to merit the attention of policy-makers.
The governor of Punjab has very rightly decided to upgrade the Punjab College of Veterinary Science to a university of animal sciences and technology to meet the rising demands of the livestock sector. In order to get a full bearing of the new rural reality, we have milk as the largest crop valued at 3 billion dollars at current factor cost.
This milk is produced by 6.6 million livestock farmers, mostly small holders owing less than five hectors of land and as many as one million landless peasants rearing livestock and cattle.
According to the livestock census of 1996, around 93 per cent of livestock farmers owning an average of 305 animals produce 73 per cent out of 25 million tons of milk annually valued at Rs130 billion.
Due to small units of production, only one-third of this milk can be marketed in fluid form, the rest being converted into butter oil.
If proper arrangements can be made to collect, chill and market the surplus milk to feed our urban centres, it could greatly help in poverty alleviation among the rural poor by providing them with an assured cash income.
Pakistan being the third country in buffalo population in the world can be ideal for poverty alleviation in our rural areas by simply providing marketing facilities for a perishable product like milk to create a white revolution in the country.
DR M YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
THIS is with reference to the advertisement by Dr Asrar Ahmad. If he believes in what he wrote in his ad of April 29, then Dr Ahmad is a secular-minded person, and for that I salute him. If parliament is to decide about laws and ijtihad, then what else is secularism? Both Iqbal and Jinnah believed in this. This means all decent human beings are secular, as Dr Ahmad is.
Basically, secularism means that the nation should run its affairs through elected parliament and not through un-elected mullahs.
If all ulema could be as liberal and secular as Dr Asrar Ahmad, I think Pakistan would become a great country.
I salute Dr Ahmad and appeal to him to win over other ulema to his views.
JAMAL RIZWAN
Karachi
THE news that US soldiers would enter Pakistani territory in pursuit of the Taliban is very disturbing indeed. As we all know, US soldiers have always been shy of fighting a war on the ground. They prefer air strikes.
This means that they are going to bomb Pakistani territory and we’ll have to suffer heavy losses in property and lives, which would be brushed aside by our coalition partner simply as ‘collateral damage’.
For all the services that we provide, Mr Bush thanks President Musharraf, not the people of Pakistan. And, at the same time, more weapons are supplied to India, which would be used against Pakistan or the Muslims in Kashmir.
MEKAEL KAKAKHEL
Toronto Canada
RECENTLY the above ordinance was passed and its implementation for regularizing of illegally constructed buildings has started. In this connection the following points require urgent consideration:
In most cases the service lines, like water, sewerage, and electricity were designed when urban development was based on ground-plus-one construction.
Regularizing a building does not automatically upgrade these important lines; as a result citizens who have followed rules will suffer and law-breakers will benefit.
There is nothing in the ordinance to show how these shortcomings will be met. Unless this aspect is also attended to simultaneously, only chaos will prevail.
The law-breakers should also be charged for upgrading these services, as the KWSB and KESC have no money for this.
In approvals from the KBCA, the architect is made responsible for correct implementation of the plan. How is it that he is not made responsible for illegal construction and only the owner is penalized.
S.M. AHMED
Karachi
WHAT is the value of a Pakistani life?
It was top news when two foreigners were killed in a terrorist attack on a church in Islamabad; at least 15 minutes were given to this story.
Some days ago when eight people, mostly women and children, were killed in a bomb blast in Bhakker the news was not important enough for PTV to be its top story. This news was telecast almost at the end of the Khabarnama, when the newscaster had informed the viewers of nearly everything that had happened on the planet that day.
If the government of Pakistan does not value our lives, how can we expect other countries to value us.
ABBAS ZAMAN
Lahore
ON April 24, Mr Imran Khan was scheduled to give a lecture at the Karachi University arts auditorium. But, unfortunately, as soon as his car arrived at the lobby, it was attacked by some Jamiat activists, who were shouting “referendum not accepted”.
The arts auditorium was jampacked not only with students but also with some very senior teachers, and journalists who were there to cover the event. However, Mr Khan couldn’t make it to the auditorium.
He was a guest at the Karachi University, having been invited by the authorities and he had every right to express his views on the referendum. The worst thing about the incident was that the rangers, who were supposed to provide him security, didn’t do what they should have done.
If the vice chancellor and the commander of the rangers had provided enough security to Mr Khan, the ugly incident could have been prevented. I hope that this incident would be taken as a lesson and the next time some respectable guest comes to the university, he/she would receive better treatment.
SOBIA SALEEM
Karachi
PRESIDENT Pervez Musharraf has opted for a system of checks and balance between the power brokers, which is imperative for political stability.
He is right in asserting the need to put in place a mechanism that ensures smooth functioning of the state political structure so that the bitter past experiences are not repeated. That the political leadership should have devised this system of checks and balances in the past can hardly be disputed.
Killing countrymen because they belong to other sects is despicable.
But most unfortunately we adopted this way of life without caring for the fact that it is eroding the very basis of the country’s existence.
Restraining militarism and integrating religious education with the mainstream national life is not tantamount to secularizing the country.
The people are sick of the sectarian divide threatening peace of the society in the name of religion.
President Musharraf is perceived as much more tolerant to dissent and difference of opinion than any political regime can lay claim to, even though he represents a military regime. He has laid greater emphasis on human rights than any civilian set-up. The enhancement of seats for women in the national and provincial legislatures would also go a long way in strengthening his credentials as a modern political leader.
DR JAMIL AHMED KHAN
Karachi
I AM shocked to see how a carpeted road is being transformed into an ordinary one. Sargodha Road was constructed with the help of the European Commission nearly four years ago. This excellent and lined road is now being coated with rough stones only to reduce the smoothness of the surface.
Moreover, the road has not been damaged at all and is in excellent shape. The construction mafia has joined hands to line its purses in the name of road rehabilitation.
Will the highway department look into this ugly practice?
ABBASS REZA NASIR
Jhang
EVER since the mullahs and their supporters have failed to prevent the government from introducing joint electorates, they have started to thwart this plan by underhand means. They are trying to prevail upon the staff of the election commission which is obliging them by raising frivolous objections while registering the votes of the minorities.
The number of people eligible to vote in Rabwah is at least 11,000. The staff of the election commission in Chiniot, under the baneful influence of the mullahs, has been very uncooperative and biased. So much so that the Ahmadia community had to approach the authorities at district level. After quite a struggle, the community succeeded to get registered the maximum number of voters in Rabwah.
What the government is required to do now is to tighten security and vigilance in such a way that no mullah or his supporter should be able to prevail upon the staff of the election commission anywhere in the country.
Mere announcement of joint electorates, therefore, will not produce the desired results unless the mullahs and their supporters in the election commission’s staff are controlled properly.
Almost six months remain in the holding of the general elections. As such, the government must ensure that its plan to allow the minorities to play their full role as Pakistanis is not thwarted.
M. ISHAQUE SOOFI
Rabwah
I AM an unfortunate subscriber of the PTCL. My telephone number 021-466753 has been out of order for the last 12 days.
I have been lodging complaints every day on all the relevant numbers including 18, 106, 4961010, 4989970, 4992706, 0800-44544 etc. But nothing has happened. When I asked the concerned officer as to how long it would take to address my complaint, he just hung up the phone on me.
What should I do now?
Should I try to approach the governor of Sindh or the President of Pakistan.
I think I should talk to the US president for the solution.
MUHAMMAD AQIL RAZA KHAN
Karachi
ACCORDING to recent research, there is a rapid and alarming increase in psychiatric illnesses and psychological disorders. The psychological disorders that are growing very fast include: depression, schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar affection disorder and panic disorder.
According to Prof Amin Gadit, there is only one psychiatrist for 0.5 million people. In Karachi, there are only 80 practising psychiatrists. The other fact is that not much importance is given to the subject of psychiatry/psychology in the MBBS course.
There is no separate paper on this subject in the MBBS examination.
Psychological illnesses are increasing in Pakistan because of various reasons. Some of them are: the craze for amassing wealth, the feeling of insecurity arising out of the disturbed law and order situation, and unfulfilled desires of various types.
Besides medical help and care, our religious scholars can also play a positive role by emphasizing in their sermons the importance of the Islamic teachings regarding contentment, tolerance and prayers.
This can give a lot of serenity to many minds.
ZAINAB ANAS KHAN
Karachi
I HAVE observed that policemen stand not at the traffic signals but 50 yards on the road beyond the traffic lights, to catch the offender of traffic laws.
The police are supposed to prevent crime and not to let crime be committed and then catch the offender. But that is exactly what our policemen are doing.
DR KHALID BUTT
Karachi
DESPITE the fact that very few mega cities in the world boast roads as wide as we have here, our intra-city system of transport is in complete disarray. The wider a road the more is the exhibition of uncontrolled impatience to forge ahead. Not only the commercial vans, buses, and trucks are in suicidal hurry, even private cars show lack of patience.
Our traffic controllers can find the remedy only if someone cares to conduct an in-depth study of the basics of intra-city transport. No where, as far as I know, buses, trains, trams, etc running for commuters within the city are owned and operated by private individuals.
Everywhere it is some para-state agency that takes the responsibility of providing this facility to citizens, mostly on no-profit-no-loss basis. Since there is only one party that provides this utility, there is no cut-throat competition to overtake whatever is on the road, to pick up as many passengers as possible.
The passengers also bear the blame for not showing patience. It is because of the scramble of passengers that no bus stops at the appointed place. There is mad rush to get into a bus even if it is fatally hazardous. Many die by slipping from footboards or falling from rooftops. Has anyone ever thought of educating the passengers or imposing fine on those who board or get down from a bus wherever they like, except the bus stop?
If someone studies the intra-city transport of a foreign country, he will find that it is our system that is responsible for recklessness and fatalities. Let there be only one transporter to operate large vehicles instead of the present mini-vans.
If the provincial or local government or some state run organization cannot do the job, the work can be entrusted to some world reputed organization through open tenders. If the public transport system improves, the number of cars presently clogging the extra-wide roads will also be reduced. Citizens here are left with no option but to have their own transport even if they cannot afford it and have no place to park it.
Does our city Nazim know that hundreds and hundreds of buses are parked right on the main thoroughfares in the congested areas, during the night and when they are not operating? The city corporation would earn hefty income if the vehicles parked on public thoroughfares are charged rent of the area occupied.
Ironically a citizen has to pay for parking his car in the slots meant for this purpose along some major roads, but bus and truck owners do not pay anything even if they encroach on ‘no parking’ areas.
DR SAYEDAIN JAFFERY
Karachi
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