| June 17, 2002 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1423 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
Is psychology a science?
Executive MBA programme
Emulating Singapore
Combating terrorism
Standing united
Hyatt Regency as secretariat
Women drivers
Practise what you preach
Encroachments by shopkeepers
Self-help works wonders
A cry against Nadra
Implementing traffic laws in DHA
SPEAKING at the passing-out ceremony at the Elite Police Training School near Bedian, Lahore, the governor of Punjab said that the police will have to play their role, in cooperation with the district governments, in removing social evils and maintaining law and order.
While it would be premature to comment on the justification of the trust the governor of Punjab is reposing in the police, the track record shows that the response of the police towards crime has all along been reactive rather than proactive. They wait for the complainant to lodge a complaint. Only then they come into action.
A proactive response can only be expected from officers who have played a leading role in curbing crimes. But unfortunately the government has deliberately sidelined this segment of the bureaucracy and placed all its stakes on the police who, even after the passage of nine months, have miserably failed to deliver in their own areas, not to speak of such crimes as adulteration in agricultural inputs, encroachments and canal-water theft.
The police, like the proverbial new broom, should have swept a cleaner under the new system. But there is no denying the fact that the crime graph has registered an upward trend. This increase cannot be attributed to the free registration of cases which the police officials claim, because registration of an FIR remains as difficult as it was before. Rule of law, which is the ultimate aim of any society, still remains an elusive dream.
If we view things in their entirety, we find that rule of law has been the first casualty of the devolution plan. It was the magistracy alone that had managed to control canal water theft and adulteration in pesticides.
It was only after the abolition of the magistracy that the people themselves had to come out on the roads and handle the owners of mills emitting smoke in Gujranwala, as per a news item that appeared in Dawn on June 12. Despite the presence of LCS officials, it was the magistracy that was assigned the task of removal of encroachments.
The police cannot be expected to perform the functions of magistracy. Despite the best efforts of senior police officers, those holding charge of police stations have not been able to play a proactive role in curbing crime. Rather a collusive relationship has developed between the perpetrators of these crimes and the police, in most cases.
There is no use adopting an ostrich-like attitude. We should not make faulty decisions a matter of prestige. If we want to restore the confidence of the public in the new system, the magistracy has to be restored.
AHMAD NAWAZ KHAN
Okara
BEING a behavioural scientist, I wanted to participate in the international conference on ‘Unity in diversity: enhancing a peaceful world’ being held in Indonesia.
For this I needed a travel grant for which I sent a request to the Pakistan Science Foundation, as they had advertized in the newspapers that they provide such grants to scientists to enable them to attend seminars and conferences abroad.
But my request was turned down on the ground that my subject, that is, Psychology, is not a natural science. This was despite the fact that the university authorities had already certified that the discipline of Psychology falls under the purview of natural sciences as well as under that of the social sciences. So, this rejection was altogether beyond my comprehension.
Perhaps the people at the PSF consider science to be something elated only to matter, energy and technology. To them, speaking of human behaviour, promoting interpersonal relations at various levels and trying to maintain peace and reducing tensions among individuals and nations, is no science at all.
If the PSF does not regard these issues as scientific studies and refuses to support and promote them, then a question arises as to which governmental organizations are going to provide financial support to such research work? I feel that a great deal of importance should be given to social/ behavioural sciences because of their significance in the lives of individuals and in the development of a society.
NAZAR HUSSAIN SOOMRO
Jamshoro
FOUR years ago, I applied to the Pakistan Institute of Management for admission to its Executive MBA Programme and passed the requisites, viz the IBA admission test and the interview by the PIM faculty.
Unfortunately, I was told that I could not be allowed admission in the programme, as the erstwhile director of IBA thought that a candidate having graduated in less than second division had no right to ameliorate his educational, social and financial conditions. The entire PIM faculty genuinely regretted this snag.
May I highlight the fact that PIM has been advertising the eligibility clause as follows: “Applicants must possess a Bachelor’s degree from any recognized university in any area of study and have a minimum of three years of working experience.”
This clause remains so, even in the latest advertisements for EMBA course offered by PIM. And this requirement I very much fulfil.
As a matter of fact, I possess sales and marketing exposure of 20 years and have been successfully heading the sales department of a multinational company for over six years now. The company honoured me by further accolades and a promotion. The reasons for not qualifying my graduation level in flying colours many years ago, was a combination of bad health and my financial condition.
Now that the IBA director is certainly a true professional as well as a broad-minded person who is well-known for his acumen, I am certain that this issue will be duly resolved.
I appeal to the IBA director and the management of PIM to work in tandem to remove this curse from the admission process and bring justice to scores of deserving professionals.
MUHAMMAD A.E.
Karachi
ON its independence from Malaysia in the late 1960s, Singapore was as impoverished and ethnically divided as Pakistan is today. However, unlike Pakistan, this island country, smaller in size than Karachi, had no natural resources; even the drinking water came from Malaysia. But within two decades of its independence, Singapore achieved the status of a developed nation. Today with a per capita income of over US$20,000 and foreign exchange reserves worth over US$100 billion, Singapore is a leading Asian economy.
Analyzing Singapore’s success, the most important single factor has been their will and vision in respect of education. With a literacy rate higher than 90 per cent, the philosophy of its progress has been to provide all the citizens an equal chance to educate or train themselves.
Students who cannot afford a university education can opt for a 3-year diploma at well-equipped polytechnic institutions after their A-levels. The aim is to produce a trained work force. Educating its masses and employing them in the industry compensated very well for the natural resources that Singapore never had.
It is high time for Pakistan to follow the same principle of investing in its own people instead of spending on missiles and tanks. How can we, as a nation, bear to see our children pick up garbage on the streets? When will we realize such blatant waste of our human resource? These children are our most precious asset. Please stop wasting them.
MOHAMMAD ALI BANGASH
Karachi
INDIA, courtesy its effective media projection, has strived hard all along to name Pakistan a terrorist state. But it failed when Pakistan became an important partner in the international war against terrorism, after the Sept 11 incident.
President Musharraf took a very sensitive, brave, but dangerous step, by banning the jihadis and other fanatic groups. But India goes on blaming Pakistan. This country is itself a target of extremist elements, then how can it promote terrorism across the border.
With around 700,000 Indian troops in Kashmir, how is infiltration taking place there?
Instead of giving in to Indian war threats and media hype, the world needs to sincerely cooperate with Pakistan in combating terrorism.
Kashmir is an example of gross injustice meted out by the British at the time of partition. It has bled since then. Those responsible should rectify their mistake. We have fanatics amongst our common people (who are easily misled), but across our border extremist elements are in power. They were the ones, who, years back, brought down the historic Babri Masjid, triggering riots and killing thousands.
The world satellites recorded cross-border terrorism when India shot down our naval surveillance plane, Atlantique, inside Pakistan territory, killing all on board. Now who is bent on terrorism?
MRS M. NASEER
Karachi
I AM a Pakistani living abroad, and I am deeply concerned over the current dilemma that Pakistan is facing. At the same time I cannot describe the disappointment at what I learn from the media about Pakistani politicians who are talking of bringing about changes at this crucial time when all Pakistanis must stand as one, regardless of their beliefs and backgrounds.
I do not think that any sensible Pakistani would consider bringing corrupt leaders like Benazir or Nawaz Sharif back in power. It was because of them that our country began to be counted among the top corrupt nations of the world.
MRS ANNILA LEAQUE
Canada
NOW that India has made known its designs against Pakistan, it is time that we rose to the occasion and showed solidarity with the government irrespective of our differences. Those political beings trying to make mileage out of the situation deserve no sympathy. Let such elements be singled out and answer the call of their conscience, if they have any.
SYED WAQAS HAIDER
Lahore
THE decision of the Sindh Governor, Muhammedmian Soomro, regarding the takeover of the incomplete Hyatt Regency for use as Sindh Secretariat, is commendable.
A lot of money was spent on this project and all that went down the drain. But this decision shows how much the present government is keen to retrieve our resources lost due to faulty policies and actions of previous governments.
I hope the government would take wise decisions in other fields as well, so that Pakistan would regain its attraction for the foreign investors.
IRFAN SHAIKH
Karachi
IT is strange that Ms Shahida Maqbool in her letter, ‘Harassing women drivers’ (June 7), has blamed the traffic policemen for issuing her a ticket. I am sure the duty policeman must have had a very hard time trying to convince the lady that double parking is an offence, space or no space available. And then leaving the children in the car unattended is a still greater offence.
Policemen ought to be polite with everyone, irrespective of their gender, but they must also perform their duty.
SAMEEN MAZHAR
Al Ain, UAE
ALL level-headed people in the world would agree with the US president’s view that there should be ‘religious freedom’ in all human societies. In other words, one should be allowed to choose whatever religion he likes and practise it.
But one may be prompted to ask the US president if there is such ‘religious freedom’ in his own country or elsewhere in the West. From time to time, such news items appear in the local press that a Muslim girl student or office worker in western countries has not been allowed to cover her head with a scarf. Why such a ban on Muslim women? The US president had better first of all ensure ‘religious freedom’ in his own and other western countries before preaching to others.
MAZHAR ALI ADEEB
Lahore
MOST of the shopkeepers on main roads in all middle class localities have encroached upon the footpaths and even some portion of the road itself, compelling the helpless pedestrians to walk on the roads. This has increased the likelihood of more accidents taking place.
The civil authorities should urgently remove these encroachments by shopkeepers, who are doing their business illegally at the cost of the safety of the pedestrian.
S. ATHAR
Karachi
I VISIT Pakistan every year, and as usual last year my nephew took me around in Lahore.
In the same place after a year I saw the same three to four pyramids of gravel (bajri) on the same side of the road. I asked him and he casually replied: “I think the thekedar instead of paving the road has paved his own road, and run away with the money with which he was supposed to build the road.”
What hit me deep was the sense of self-responsibility, self-discipline and I recalled:
Forty years ago I received my high school certificate. My school at McLeod Road was not ready to send my admission to matriculate, since they did not have the fifth required subject to offer me; they only offered four subjects. Scared of losing a year I arranged with the principal of another school on McLeod Road, and took my whole class to him during one lunch-hour session to somehow have that fifth subject taught to my motivated and keen classfellows so that they could appear for their high school exam.
The principal of my first school did not like my move and he expelled me from the school for taking his students to another school, but somehow I was reinstated after a week, after several apologies. Stubborn as I was, I bought some books on hygiene and physiology; the subject that my school did not teach me, and without the teacher, I read the subject day and night, and even went with a friend to yet another third school, unofficially, to prepare myself for the practical part of my subject.
Those were the good old days and I finally did matriculate without losing a year, and scoring a fairly high first division to pursue my goal to become a doctor.
God gave me the motivation and God indeed is our motivation and the teacher inside all of us. It all depends on how we nurture that teacher-inside-us.
Applying this rule in general, each time I visit Pakistan I wish the public in Pakistan could be motivated and made aware that nothing can happen without the individual self-effort.
DR ZUMAR A. RAUF
Washington D.C., USA
I SUBMITTED completed forms for new identity cards for myself along with my four family members on Sept 19, 2001, with the receipt numbers A-721444 to A-721448. I was supposed to get my identity card on Jan 19, 2002 as mentioned on the receipt.
I was told that the cards would be delivered to me at my house for which Rs35 per form were also charged. Almost nine months have passed but I have still not received them.
My most painful concern is how long I should wait for getting my new computerized identity card from Nadra. I have yet to find an answer.
ZAKI ALAM
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Farah Qadri’s letter ‘Buses running wild in DHA’ (June 4).
The Defence Associations’ Coordination Committee (DACC) has already raised this issue with the officials in DHA and the DIG Traffic, who told us that the Road Transport Authority of Sindh is the department concerned. DHA asked for a meeting to review these route permits but the RTA officials are constantly avoiding it.
The DACC also requested DHA that minibuses should be allowed only on those roads which are wide enough to handle them. DACC has also written to the governor that RTA should stop issuing permits without consulting DHA, CCB and Defence residents since Defence is primarily a residential area.
To make traffic police implement traffic laws, a committee of Defence associations’ volunteers has started a campaign to check public transport with the traffic police personnel. This was initiated on the busy intersection of Khayaban-i-Shamsheer and 26th Street coming from Clifton and Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s Mazar. The following were implemented through the traffic police:
People stopping buses in the middle of the roundabout were asked to move away from the crossing to avoid a traffic jam.
Drivers were intercepted and asked to drive carefully in residential areas and not to pick up passengers at roundabouts.
Drivers were politely warned to stay in line, not to double park to pick up passengers and not to use pressure horns. Most drivers stated that they had never been stopped by cops to check their tail-lights, brake lights, turn signals or hazard lights.
A majority of vehicles never go to police inspection yard for visual inspection; fitness is obtained on phone.
Safety hazard decorations adorn drivers’ cabins and many rear view mirrors are focussed on ladies’ seats instead of the rear of vehicles.
Drivers’ vision is poor as the rear view mirrors are obstructed by the hanging black sheets and prandas, thus affecting road safety.
Standing with the traffic cops on the road has also given us a better insight into their difficulties and the state of our nation. In the present environment in Pakistan, citizens need to unite and create pressure groups to solve their problems. Resident associations in all areas can play a very important role since there is no power greater than that of the people living in a locality.
AZIZ SUHARWARDY
Karachi
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.