| May 30, 2002 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 17,1423 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
Leaders with feet of clay
Purchasing power in the West
Laws and government attitude
A ‘progressive’ PTV
Premature retirement
The vanishing grey
Career counseling
The issue of Kalabagh Dam
Workers’ health
Private sector employees
Arabs and Gujarat
The ungratefulness to Nawab of Bhopal
THIS is with reference to a report headlined ‘India has put off action for two months’ (May 25). According to the report, The Hindustan Times said: “India was giving Pakistan two months to crack down on extremists... Sources said a decision to begin a war against Pakistan would depend on how it acted in the next two months.”
The war option would be closed if there were no violent disruptions to elections for held Kashmir’s assembly due late in the year, it added. Against this version let us see what the international media, particularly of the US origin, has got to say. In the periscope page of Newsweek, May 27, the top item runs as: “India — Pakistan — counting the minutes or the month?”
The closing paragraph concludes: When the Indian military was mobilized last December, officials said they would need nine months to prepare for a major offensive. By September, the thinking goes, the United States may have rolled up the remnants of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and be less averse to Indian operation. I think there will be a war in September or October, says an Indian defence analyst.
So the war for all practical purposes appears to be deferred not to give Musharraf a chance to prove if he delivers on his promise of controlling the militants and choking all sources of support for the jihadi fighters which could be a supplementary agenda but the primary agenda is firstly to give the US time to roll up the remnants of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, secondly to let the BJP try its election charade in occupied Kashmir and thirdly to let the Indian forces get in full gear for a major offensive.
So the delaying or deferring of war is not an account of paying any heed to some world power’s advice like Japan asking India to resume talks but to wait till the completion of the primary agenda of the US and India.
Our information minister’s clarification or assurance that “US not asked to vacate bases” or his keen concern that Pakistan’s removing its troops from the western borders will affect our coalition partners who are engaged in fighting against terrorism will not create any soft corner for us when it suits the decision makers to strike as is evident from the sidelines even now in the press as hereunder: ‘US, India condemn upsurge in attacks’. ‘The United States and India condemned the upsurge of terrorist attacks against India,’ in a joint statement issued after bilateral defence talks at Washington. “Patten puts onus on Pakistan.” European Union Commissioner for external affairs, Chris Patten, urged Islamabad to turn off the terrorist tap in Kashmir.
So the moot point is: war deferred on what account, what for and for how long?
M. SALEEM CHAUDHRY
Karachi
THERE is a growing perception among the common run of Pakistanis that Gen Pervez Musharraf quickly wilts under pressure. We all remember how a few months ago a midnight phone call from the US forced a prompt change in him that led him to take a 180-degree turn and align himself completely with the trigger-happy Americans in the massacre of thousands of Muslims labelled as terrorists in Afghanistan.
The US vendetta against the people of Afghanistan has not ceased. Now the latest media reports suggest that Gen Musharraf has again caved in to the combined Indo-US blackmail to ditch the Kashmiri Mujahideen fighting for their right of self-determination.
The uncritical pursuance of a policy of submission is forcing Pakistan into poor compromises on its vital national interests, and has also contributed, as recently observed by a foreign radio station, to the deep penetration of Pakistan’s civil and military establishments by the US and other foreign intelligence agencies.
Interestingly enough, Gen Musharraf feels no qualms about his persistence in saying that all his actions are taken in the ‘supreme national interests’.
What national interests he and his companions in khaki have advanced so far? Where are the signs of good governance that they have been propagating ceaselessly? What an average Pakistani citizen is witnessing around him or her is that the country is sinking into an abyss of high rates of unemployment, unbearable burden of taxes and high cost of living, rampant lawlessness, sectarian strife, etc.
There is a wide gap between what the present ruling elite says about its achievements and the actual socio-economic realities obtaining in the country. Needless to say that Gen Musharraf’s government has lost credibility with the general public. History shows that leaders with feet of clay have never led their nations to social, economic and political freedom.
TASNIM A. KHAN
Lahore
THIS is with reference to Mr J.N. Rahi’s article (May 19). I agree with all the points discussed by him except for this one:
“Ask any graduate in Pakistan to work at a petrol pump or as a security guard, and he will be outraged. But, in the western countries, they do whatever work they get because they earn in dollars and pounds. But if they earn in that currency, they also spend the money in that currency too.”
The purchasing power in the west is tremendous. One can afford all the luxuries of life, leave alone the necessities of life. There is a big difference between a person working at a gas station in Pakistan and a person working at a gas station in the USA. The former cannot even think of buying a car for himself in his wildest imaginations. The latter can save money and can get himself a car in a few months.
IMRAN AMIR ALI
Michigan, USA
IN free societies, when rules and regulations are formulated by the authorities, an effort is made to equally protect the rights of the government as well as of the individuals to whom those rules would apply. Unfortunately in our country, such rules are often almost wholly biased in favour of the government, which leaves unlimited discretionary powers in the hands of those who operate those rules.
Everything therefore depends on personal, temperamental and moral mental make-up of the administrators.
The government of Punjab has ordered the finalization of all pending cases of inquiries, applications, promotions, etc., in the province by June 30. This is a good step but the government is requested to order the administrators to adopt a compassionate, rather than a vindicative attitude in all such cases as far as possible.
FARRUKH SHAH
Muzaffargarh
MR Ayub Javed’s letter ‘A progressive PTV’ (May 25) really hits home. He is absolutely right when he says that all those nations which have made real progress are those which respect their own language, culture and traditions. And we need not go as far as Germany, France, Japan and China. Much more relevant to our situation are countries like Korea, Thailand and even Iran, where most people cannot speak a word of English and yet they have made astonishing gains.
I know that apologists will immediately jump in to cite India as an example. But please let us not be fooled by the facade put up by Bollywood and Zee TV. Anyone who visits India knows the wide gap that exists between the ground reality and the glittering and glamorous world presented by the Indian media.
Yes, India has made a little better progress than ourselves. But if you consider that they inherited from the British a pretty well-made infrastructure at the time of independence, and if you consider that direct foreign investment in India is not even 1 per cent of what it is in China, then India’s so-called progress fades into insignificance.
NAELA HASAN
Ontario, Canada
RESTRUCTURING of public sector departments is once again dominating the government agenda. This time according to the ordinance promulgated through the Provisional Constitutional Order the government has acquired the right to prematurely retire a government servant who has completed 20 years of service and
1. has been twice superseded in promotion;
2. has earned average ACRs;
3. has been twice penalized in service;
4. is absconding from duty; or
5. has persistent reputation of being corrupt and inefficient.
This law besides being discriminatory is prone to highhandedness and subjective use by some people in authority. Discriminatory in the sense that a person with a one-day lesser service than 20 years will be unaffected though falling within the mischief of the punitive clause. Draconian, as the word ‘persistent reputation’ has not been defined in the ordinance. In the absence of such definition the authority is likely to use this clause subjectively.
Besides, the clause of ‘persistent reputation’ appears to be superfluous. The ACR format, a permanent record of a civil servant with columns for reporting on integrity and efficiency compiled from year to year, should reasonably suffice as evidence for his being honest and efficient or otherwise.
The government has recently introduced a scheme of examination for BS-17, 18 and 19 officials through the FPSC. This strategy should prove a milestone in the cleansing process that will shut the door of high positions for the inefficient.
The serious nature of the issue demands a right approach in the national interest.
ARSALAN AHMED
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr Kuldip Nayar’s article ‘The vanishing grey’ (May 25). Two of the points he made in it are questionable.
He blames Pakistan for the creation of Taliban and Al-Qaeda which is incorrect. The world knows about the CIA’s link with Osama in the 1980s.
Secondly, he says: “Islamabad must realize that for any attempt to solve the Kashmir dispute, there has to be an atmosphere of peace in which India and Pakistan could sit across the table and also involve the Kashmiris at an appropriate time.”
I may point out that there prevailed an ‘atmosphere of peace’ before 1989. But India never bothered to talk then. Once peace returns to the valley, Indians would ask, what is there to talk about?
Mr Nayar has often been credited with a balanced thinking by many. But on this occasion, he was certainly ‘tilted’ towards India and against Pakistan.
NASIR RANA
Goteborg, Sweden
THIS letter is in reference to several letters published in this newspaper, wherein it was stated that candidates holding MBA degrees are not even being called for an interview for a suitable job.
The reason is quite simple. First of all, most students have never heard of nor are interested in career counselling and also very few colleges provide career counselling services.
Most students in Pakistan go for the current ‘trend’ in education. The decade 85-95 was the decade of business management degrees. Any young student you talked to then would proudly tell you that he or she intended to go for an MBA, the institution did not matter. ‘Bungalow universities’ sprang up all over to cater to the rising demand and suddenly there was an over supply of MBAs in the market and students holding MBA degrees were applying for jobs requiring only a BCom.
The trend these days seems towards Information Technology. Eight out of ten intermediate-passed boys in the street are pursuing IT courses. When I asked some of them, what they would do once they graduated, not even one of them had a satisfactory answer.
Just because our child can operate ‘Windows’, we should not think for a moment that the child is an IT genius. As parents, we should think twice before allowing our children to go for an IT or for that matter, any other career.
Parents should take a serious interest in helping their children choose the proper career, taking into consideration his/her aptitude and the likely future demand for qualified people in the various professional fields.
MUHAMMAD ALI
Karachi
MR CVJ Sharma, President, International Commission on Large Dams, writes under the caption ‘Do we need dams’ in Hydropower and Dams World Atlas — 2002 that large dams provide security of water, food and energy which are major concerns for any country which believes in maintaining its sovereignty. Further he gives a slogan for the developing countries: ‘Build your dam for your freedom.’
Mr Sharma states that water is a finite commodity and in view of increasing requirements as the world population grows, there is no alternative but to store it for drinking and for food and energy production. We in Pakistan ought to keep in view the above observation of a world authority on dams and decide expeditiously about Kalabagh Dam which has so far been a victim of political expediency due to the obduracy of certain discredited parties.
With India threatening to scrap the Indus Waters Treaty and obstruct the flows of the Chenab and Jhelum, we ought to think seriously of at least utilizing the Indus water which fortunately flows north-west before entering Pakistan and is outside the clutches of India. We must be alive to realities and we must not waste further time in building the vital Kalabagh Dam. Any delay now would be at grave peril to us as a nation.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
THE Wapda thermal power station at Muzaffargarh has a large staff which is catered to by a dispensary for its health needs. For specialist medical care, patients are referred to qualified specialists either in Muzaffargarh or Multan.
Unfortunately, the doctor in charge of the Wapda dispensary here has banned patients from seeking consultation from specialists retired from government service, although such specialists are, by virtue of their long experience, bound to be more knowledgeable in their speciality.
Moreover, the patients recover more quickly if they are treated by a doctor in whom they have faith.
The Muzaffargarh Wapda medical officer is requested to allow his patients to seek consultation from retired government specialists.
AKRAM IJAZ
Muzaffargarh
THE article ‘Private sector and its poor employees’ by Razi-uddin Syed is a true depiction of the state of affairs faced by employees in the private sector.
The issue of late sitting is particularly painful. Private sector employees spend more than half of their time during the prime period of their lives at their offices. They have to work, on an average, 11 to 14 hours a day. Coming late to the office is an offence for which a deduction is made from the salary but late sitting is a part of the job with no extra payment.
Also, there are no clear job descriptions for employees. In fact, for almost 50 to 60 per cent of the time, an employee works according to ‘any work assigned by the immediate supervisor’. Thus, he is always doing work more than and different from what he is being paid for.
It is also a common practice in the private sector to assign specialized jobs of one nature to employees belonging to some other field, in addition to their own responsibilities. For example, finance and accounts staff are often asked to look after administration and personnel as well. This introduces inefficiency in their work because they are not qualified to do that kind of work. However, the employer follows this practice to save money.
M. AMJAD
Karachi
MR Jaffar Wafa (May 16) has rightly pointed out that Arab countries never speak for the cause of non-Arab Muslims, despite the latter’s strong support for their cause.
Even the worst kind of Hindu barbarism going on at present against Muslims in Gujarat has not shaken the Arabs sufficiently to say a few words of sympathy. This is highly deplorable.
Will the Arab countries understand that Islam teaches Muslim brotherhood and not Arab brotherhood.
MUHAMMAD YASEEN
Karachi
NO act could be more reprehensible by our bureaucracy than to evict the bereaved family of Princess Abida Sultan of Bhopal from Bhopal House, Karachi, just a day before her soyem (May 15).
I offer my heart-felt condolences to Mr Shaharyar Khan and to the bereaved family. I do not know him or his family personally. However, as a Pakistani and in particular as an Alig, I have all the respect and reverence for the family. Mr Shaharyar’s illustrious grandfather, Nawab Hameedullah Khan, ruler of Bhopal, was not only himself an Alig but was also a benefactor of the Aligarh Muslim University — ‘arsenal of the Muslim nation’ as often called by the Quaid-i-Azam. The role of this great institution and its students was pivotal in the creation of Pakistan. And the Nawab of Bhopal was a friend of Pakistan and held the Quaid-i-Azam in high esteem.
According to Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee (May 19), it was in July, 1947, that the government of Pakistan (in the making) requested the Nawab for his property in Karachi to accommodate ministers and other dignitaries. He says: “Both properties were subsequently handed over by the Nawab to the government for its use. The house at 19, Kutchery Road, was occupied by Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman, one of the ‘honourable ministers’ of sorts, who later claimed it as evacuee property. Bhopal House, as of 1948, was occupied by the Foreign Office.”
How great a friend in need the Nawab proved for Pakistan at its birth! And how ungrateful the government of Pakistan was in the way it rewarded the Nawab for his timely help by evicting his descendants from his own house! Even a ‘qabza group’ might not have been so heartless.
I felt another kind of shock as well. Not only that Princess Sultan’s father was an illustrious alumnus of the Aligarh University, as noted earlier, but also her esteemed forebears gave full support and generous financial help to that great institution. I am surprised and disappointed to see no condolence by any of several Aligarh Old Boys Associations and similar other organizations in the country.
B.A. MALIK
Lahore
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address:
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.