| May 19, 2002 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1423 |
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Remembering Eqbal Ahmad
Economic recovery
Charged parking
MQM chief’s interview
Benazir’s return
Pensions and budget
Transfer of archives
As briefly as possible
Bhopal House eviction
Lack of local investors
Vacations
Reforming CSS exam
THIS is with reference to two pieces — one by Mr Roedad Khan, the other by Mr Ayaz Amir. When they lament that the ‘saviour’ has disappointed them, I do not think the fault lies with President Musharraf.
Musharraf was not a saviour of Oct 12 and he is no despot now. The fault really lies with those who — despite having the examples of Ayub and Zia — came to some ridiculous conclusions on the day the army seized power.
The army overthrew an elected government on Oct 12, 1999. This was not the first time. Ayub and Zia did the same. Those who called them saviours in 1958 and 1977 lived to see their optimism vanish. This again happened to those who went ecstatic when Musharraf took over three years ago.
The fault is not Musharraf’s; the fault lies with the analysts.
In his diary of May 17, Ayaz Amir refers to the turnaround by FDR and Hitler within two years. Is he joking? Can you really compare two highly industrialized and literate societies like the US and Germany with a country with 33 per cent literacy?
Has any leader of any oil-less third world country brought about a turn for the better in three years — Vajpayee? Mobarak? Karimov? Niyazov? Chandrika? Basher al Assad? Rafic Hrari? Ecevit? Putin? Mugabe? Haider Aliyev (despite having oil)? The list is endless.
To atone for their sins, Ayaz Amir and men like him should eat the thousands of words they wrote in condemnation of democratic governments in Pakistan. It is men like them who hastened the overthrow of democratic government, welcomed ‘saviours’ and are now in a state of mourning. What they should mourn is their reasoning faculty.
JAMIL RIZWAN
Karachi
MAY 11 was the third death anniversary of the late Eqbal Ahmed, arguably Pakistan’s most brilliant intellectual.
I am a young Pakistani and a firm believer in the ideals Eqbal fiercely upheld throughout his life.
Eqbal Ahmad stood out against nationalism, which through the bloody trail of Indian partition he had himself witnessed in 1947; for nationalism is an exclusive ideology, seeking glorification of one nation at the expense of the ‘other’, which is systematically banished from the collective task of nation-building. Eqbal’s lifelong commitment against all forms of nationalism remains very relevant in a world where the state of Israel justifies all its vicious atrocities against the Palestinians in the name of Zionism, a blatantly racist and exclusive ideology.
Also relevant is Eqbal’s embrace of secularism, something which has become the favourite whipping boy of obscurantists. For, what Eqbal sought to embody was the very fact that a pluralist, democratic, tolerant and creative strain has always existed in Islam, whether it be the puritanical Wahabism or the refreshing rational reasoning provided by the Mutaazalites, whether it be the Sunni canon or the Ashaarite school. The need is to foster this very eclectic spirit which is the true essence of our religion.
Thirdly, Eqbal Ahmad always stood out for concrete struggle against oppression, injustice and the status quo.
Unfortunately, like so many other intellectuals like Manto, Faiz, Feroz Ahmed and Dr Abdus Salam, we have also banished Eqbal Ahmed from our collective memory. It is discomforting to see that many of our educated young men identify more with the likes of Osama bin Laden, than they do with progressive people like Eqbal Ahmad.
It would be pertinent to ask ourselves whether Eqbal lived in vain all his very eventful life or is there more meaning to his life than we care to admit?
For many of us, I am sure, who want to see a Pakistan very different from what the jihadis want, Eqbal’s life accurately summed up the Marxian dictum: “The philosophers have merely interpreted the world, the point, however, is to change it.”
RAZA NAEEM
Leeds, UK
IT cannot be disputed that in large measure our economic survival depends on the cost of a KWH of electricity. Dawn’s editorial of May 13 raises fundamental issues. We need to know why with a 5 per cent drop in the Mangla water releases there was a 54 per cent drop in power generation. There must be a logical answer to this.
The ministry which oversees Wapda should tell us all about it. S. Shahid Hussain (Dawn, May 13) has made out a convincing case on how to reduce electricity tariffs, whereas Munawar B. Ahmad (May 6 and 15) brings out institutional defects. S. Akhlaq Ahmad (May 13) does little to explain the deficiencies but does tell us what Pepco has achieved apart from criticizing Nepra.
As a user of electricity with my bills getting higher and higher each month, the eight paisa increase will further escalate the charges.
It is interesting to note that Hubco reportedly paid out a 90 per cent dividend to overseas shareholders. I’m sure within Pakistan it would be called profiteering.
What will the government do about all this as it will encourage more and more thefts? A hungry bull will devour a green field if permitted to go to it.The only cure for the malady afflicting this sector is, first, to accept that despite claims to the contrary, corruption cannot be eliminated in the short term.
Second, to work out a bypassing strategy to prevent any increase in thefts in the first place and then to work on a 10 per cent decrease per annum implemented over a 10-year timeframe. It would appear that the government needs to direct the Wapda to act positively in this direction and thus catalyse economic recovery.
It is necessary to keep production costs competitive, otherwise expecting local investment, leave alone foreign, is asking for the moon because power input costs are a significant factor in many sectors.
A nagging thought keeps reminding us that Wapda controls Pepco, which is busily working towards its dispersal. Would it not be an interested party to delay matters?
MASOOD HASAN
Lahore
THE government is devising new ways and means of extracting money from the citizens by creating additional heads to scoop the money into. The scheme of charged parking is one of these, introduced at a time when the taxpayers are already over-burdened with hoards of charges, surcharges and taxes.
It is sad to note that the space once designated as a ‘No Parking’ area in view of the difficult traffic situation at that spot, has now been converted into a ‘Charged Parking’ area for minting money, without giving any consideration to the safety of the citizens and their vehicles.
The government is following the western countries in opening new avenues for generating revenue but very conveniently overlooks the fact that in those countries the taxpayer gets in return comforts like well maintained roads, adequate street lighting and an efficient system of garbage disposal.
Karachi — once a city of lights, most peaceful and cleanest in Asia — is now known as the city of dilapidated roads with heaps of garbage around and overflowing sewerage. It is a highly mismanaged and neglected city now and all this has made the lives of the ordinary people miserable and full of tension.
I do not know if this letter would come to the notice of our City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan. But if he cares to read public complaints in the media, I would request him to save the citizens from the constant harassment imposed upon them through charged parking, which has not brought any of the accompanying benefits normally enjoyed by the taxpayers elsewhere.
USMAN HUSEIN PUNJWANI
Karachi
THIS is regarding the live interview of MQM chief Altaf Hussain on ARY Digital channel on May 16. I was not able to catch his interview from the beginning but did manage to get most of it. He did not answer a single question to the point that he was asked. The only answer he had to all the questions asked was a question in return.
He said: “I am a human and I make mistakes too. Indeed I must have made mistakes. Tell them to me, and I am ready to ask for forgiveness to whomever it is concerned with.” When the interviewer asked him what his mistakes were, he very boldly got out of it without answering it. At the same time, when he was being asked about some activities of his party, he denied them all very confidently. Then what is the use to tell him his mistakes, when he will not admit them?
Mr Altaf Hussain had a very cheeky answer to the question about his asking the Karachiites to buy weapons. He says: “Why do you ask me that I asked them to sell their belongings and buy weapons? Why don’t you think where these ammunitions come from?” Again ‘a question in return.’ That too wasn’t the answer that the questioner wanted cleared.
And then again, speaking of strike calls when a mohajir was murdered. Being emotional and saying stuff like “Allah na karay ke app ka koee maray, to app janay. I call for a strike because it is a life of a human which should not be ignored” was again not a relevant answer. If he cares so much for the well-being of our country, doesn’t he know that calls for strikes push our country still further back economically? I ask him: why didn’t he call for strikes when people of other parties were killed? Weren’t they humans too?
SHOAIB HAIDER
Dubai, UAE
REPORTEDLY, Benazir Bhutto is planning to return to Pakistan on Aug 14 and her party workers are preparing for a reception at the Lahore airport that would surpass the one accorded to her in 1986. On the other hand, President Musharraf has categorically stated that Benazir and Nawaz Sharif have no roles to play in Pakistan’s politics.
The Pakistan Peoples Party officials are now all set to mobilize public opinion in favour of their life chairperson (a good example of democracy indeed!). As the public has a very short memory, having forgotten her misdeeds and misrule during her two tenures, the PPP campaign is bound to be well received.
One is, therefore, surprised as to why the government is not expediting the cases of corruption against her and bringing the proofs to public knowledge before it gets too late.
MOHAMMAD AZHAR KHWAJA
Lahore
THE budget is under preparation and it is hoped that the financial hardships of the pensioners would be taken care of. The last increase in pensions was a mere five per cent and that, too, for those who retired after 1994.
The greatest injustice to the pensioners, however, is the withdrawal of the benefit of restoration of the portion of the pension surrendered in lieu of commutation. What is all the more painful is that it has been given a retrospective effect. I request the concerned authorities to review and revise this unfair decision.
The government would earn the goodwill of a large number of families if this unjust decision is withdrawn on the occasion of announcing the new budget.
NIAZ AHMED KHAN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to a news item regarding the transfer of Sindh’s archaeological treasure to Punjab (Dawn, May 11).
I, a Sindhi and a Karachiite, demand to know what right has a Federal Ministry, incidentally dominated by bureaucrats from a certain province, to issue directives to rob another federating province and its city, of its archaeological treasures? The fact that the transfer is to be completed by May 15 is also noteworthy. It is apparent that somebody is in a hurry to finish the job.
I urge Mohammedmian Soomro, Sindh Governor, to safeguard the interest of Sindh and put a stop to this robbery. I also ask President Musharraf to intervene.
He claims to be a Karachiite. The citizens of Sindh are losing their cultural heritage and wealth, and they do not like it.
JAVAID OSMAN
Karachi
THIS has reference to Mr Roedad Khan’s column ‘Written in despair’ (May 13). The retired senior bureaucrat has used 2,200 words to arrive at the following conclusion:
All that glitters is not gold.
God Almighty has ordained that despair leads to doom ultimately if no lesson is learnt from past mistakes.
K.A. WAHID BUTT
Lahore
ONE is at a complete loss as to how to register protest against the Gestapo like action taken a few days ago against Mr Sheheryar Khan and his family. It was all the more regrettable as it came while we grieved at the loss of Princess Abida Sultana, Mr Khan’s mother and the daughter of Nawab of Bhopal, Hameedullah Khan, who played an important role during the Pakistan movement.
Mr Sheheryar Khan himself is no ordinary person. Besides serving as Pakistan’s ambassador and high commissioner in various countries, he has also held the office of foreign secretary. He has, quite literally, served the cause of Pakistan the world over.
Another important point to remember is the fact that there is a case pending in the Sindh High Court regarding the ownership of Bhopal House. As such the matter is subjudice and, therefore, the action of eviction by force is illegal.
AHMAD RAFAY ALAM
Lahore
SOME old tales came out of the woodwork on News Night on PTV. The question was why the local investor was not coming forward to invest. The response from the presidents of various chambers of commerce was straight and simple:
One, harassment by NAB has scared away the investors. The few billion dollars snatched back have proved counter-productive, to say the least. The monies retrieved were only a one-time shot in the arm, as should have been known to even a half-baked economist.
Two, the bankers are afraid to lend to new, small and medium investors for fear of NAB. Self-preservation demands foolproof collateral, which is not always forthcoming. In developed countries it is the ideas that win the day, not the financial package.
It is not that warnings to this effect were not given copiously from day one, but it would appear that the military mind is deaf to any sane advice. The game plan was to ‘sort out’ and ‘fix’ selectively those who had dared to stare the GHQ down. People will pay for it until a business-friendly government comes along.
K. ANWER
Lahore
THE changing weather pattern in the last few years has caused the month of May to become extremely hot. This has resulted in a lot of hardships to school-going children, as temperatures touch 40 degrees Celsius.
It is suggested that the education department should consider advancing the summer vacations by starting them in early May and ending in mid-July. By late July, the temperature improves and the heat becomes bearable.
IDRIS BUTT
Rawalpindi
WATCHING the present regime’s insistence on radical, yet peaceful, transformation of Pakistan’s institutions, one may wish it success and pray that good intentions yield good results. But this frenzy of reconfiguration has remained unmatched in the academic sphere. The Federal Public Service Commission’s examination, held annually, has been a backwater in this respect. Firstly, the exam is based on wrong premises. Conducted in order to pick out administrative/ bureaucratic talent, the exam has set forth a foolhardy standard. Candidates are expected to scrap through the drudgery of 12 drab papers, compulsories as well as optionals, which takes them an awfully long time to prepare for. Inherent in such a requirement is the belief of examiners that anyone who passes the paper of, say, Islamiat or Physics is likely to be a good administrator/ bureaucrat. One can hardly agree with such a presumptive belief. How on earth could one become an adept bearer of office by just mastering some abstruse subject?
Secondly, FPSC’s decisions are based on shortsightedness. Two years back, it announced its decision of reduce the upper age limit for taking the exam. Nevertheless, with present government’s policy of awarding the BA/BSc degree after four years, the decision seems to be shortsighted for there are no countervailing relaxations offered to the prospective candidates.
Thirdly, it lacks any adequate mechanism for the announcement of results. There have occurred several problems as to the declaration of results; some of the newspapers missed the names and numbers of some candidates who passed CSS 2001, causing a lot of anxiety and confusion. Had there been any official arrangement for the announcement of results the candidates would have been spared the trouble of hunting for newspapers.
The outcome of these policies has been disappointing. The number of candidates has scaled down considerably over the years. Moreover, the candidates from metropolitan areas have been dissuaded for the preparations are cumbersome. A large number of papers and the insipidity of their subject-matter have compelled urban students to channelize their energies into rather easy and lucrative fronts like business administration, computers and commerce.
It is time someone in the higher echelons took notice of this troublesome situation. For one, I have a few suggestions:
1. The number of papers must be drastically curtailed. Rather than assess candidates in 12 papers, FPSC should keep only two papers for exam: one paper should assess their abilities in the languages, Urdu and English; and the other should purport to assess general aptitude of candidates such as critical reading, reasoning, maths, etc.
2. Some official mechanism should be devised for the instant announcement of results. Because we are living in an electronic age, FPSC should maintain a website for the dissemination of information. At least this would spare candidates the trouble of going hither and thither with their queries. 3. The psychological test must precede the interviews for it will help FPSC screen out the ablest and the fittest for higher bureaucratic jobs. Decision-making and leadership qualities must be the yardstick for such tests.
FAYAZ AHMED JATOI
Larkana
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