| June 25, 2002 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 13, 1423 |
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FPSC rules for CSS jobs
Foreign wealth
Shame on KESC
Plight of allottees
What is wrong with Nadra?
Save our fish
Making an impression
Second class
Cash recovery of defaulted loans
Daylight saving
What a shame
Registration of blood banks
IT was a surprise to learn from the Economic Survey Report 2001-02 that Pakistan’s literacy rate had gone up to 50.5 per cent, registering an increase of over one per cent from last year’s figure of 49 per cent. The report has brought a surprise not only for the current year but also for the statistics of last year.
How has the literacy rate suddenly climbed this high from a mere 36 per cent only a few years ago is a mater of bewilderment. Of special significance is the observation that the rural and urban literacy rates were 30 per cent and 70 per cent respectively.
The finance minister, who released the report, may kindly note that with a much greater proportion of the country’s population living in the rural areas, the 30 per cent literacy rate would prevail much more than the 70 per cent rate of the comparatively smaller population in the cities. Therefore, the average of the two figures for the entire country could never be 50 per cent. The reasoning, incidentally, does not step into the threshold of higher mathematics.
Pakistan is one of the very few countries in the world where the literacy rate is actually going down, mainly because of the population explosion. With only Rs2.6 billion, out of the country’s budget of Rs742 billion announced on June 15, allocated to the education sector we cannot even maintain the present level of literacy — whatever its rate be at this moment. This meagre allocation, spread over the population of the country, amounts to a mere Rs18 ($0.30) per person per annum.
These are not the ways of a country that has already achieved a 50 per cent literacy rate. These buzz words and jargons do not impress or deceive the public anymore. How have we come about a literacy rate of 50 per cent is a big question when children, young boys and girls are seen all around in the streets begging, selling matchboxes, playing aimlessly in dusty streets, working as domestic servants in all rich and middle class houses, employed as cheap labour in the carpet and sports goods manufacturing industries and as ‘chottas’ in small workshops and factories.
The discerning eye of any person going around the streets of any city in Pakistan will realize that the figure of 50 per cent literacy is a fantasy. There is some catch behind it. Has the definition of literacy been changed? Is it very much different from what is universally accepted? The survey report might clarify it. In any case there is no point in misleading ourselves. We must acknowledge the facts to effectively address our shortcomings.
ZEHRA WASIM KHAN
Dublin, CA, USA
I WANT to draw the attention of all concerned to an FPSC regulation denying permission to the disabled but highly qualified and brilliant youth to sit in its annual competitive examination (CSS) for recruitment to BPS-17 posts in the federal government.
Those who have excelled in their studies and are competent enough to win a seat in open competition on merit are punished for no fault of theirs and that too in the modern scientific age when brains, not bodies matter. I agree that disabled persons may not be able to work in the police service, but there is no harm in recruiting them for desk jobs ranging from district management to secretariat groups.
So it is high time this discriminatory clause was removed from the FPSC rules for competitive examination in order to provide a fair and equal chance of employment to all citizens of Pakistan.
It may be pointed out that this rule imposed by the FPSC, applies only to CSS jobs, while there is no such embargo on other BPS-17 and above jobs under the FPSC purview. Moreover, the Provincial Public Service Commissions functioning in all the federating units have not imposed any such restrictions and they entertain disabled candidates both on merit and reserved quota in their competitive examinations.
Hopefully, the official machinery would move fast to undo this injustice to the disabled youth of the country and scrap the discriminatory clause from the FPSC’s statute, well before the next competitive examination.
RIAZ AHMAD SYED
Islamabad
IT is said that billions of dollars in foreign currencies are held by Pakistani residents in the so-called havens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Banks in Abu-Dhabi and Dubai are fully loaded with such wealth. The politicians and bureaucrats who looted our national wealth have deposited this money in such banks.
The government of UAE should probe into such bank accounts wherein havala transfer of funds and dubious transactions have taken place. These looters keep on changing banks so as to erase all tracks. However, if any such an account is traced the UAE government should send the details of the account to the government of Pakistan so that the ill-gotten wealth could be recovered.
Our government should offer incentives to those leading to such money. However, the government should, as a preemptive move, first announce an amnesty for those who bring in foreign currency on a payment of a nominal 10 percent tax.
SAIFUDDIN E. CONTRACTOR
Karachi
THE pole-mounted transformer near my house (code ref 031313, 4th Gizri Street) caught fire with a loud bang at about 8:30 am on June 17. For some time now the houses fed by this PMT have been experiencing massive voltage fluctuations. I know that I have written a complaint to KESC about this and possibly others have complained too. Of course nothing was done. When I drove past the PMT later that morning, I saw it was still smouldering. And of course no one from KESC had yet been to repair it.
Our electricity costs are now quite high. For some time now the army has been running KESC and Wapda in order to improve their performance. Yet power breakdowns and non-maintenance of systems continue. It is bad maintenance that has led to these voltage fluctuations and now this breakdown.
Each time it rains a number of people get electrocuted by the live wires that crash into puddles of water. On the evening of May 12 as we drove down 26th Street in Defence we saw that a whole series of electric poles had fallen down. The steel poles had not been treated with any kind of anti-corrosion and so one pole had just rotted away.
The falling of one pole led to a domino effect causing about 11 to smash across the road. It was lucky that this had happened in the middle of the previous night so that no one was hurt. Has anyone investigated these malpractices at KESC?
We all know the sad fate of one gentleman who had the courage to try and improve KESC. Shame on the army for not doing even as much as a defenceless civilian tried to do.
F. MOWJEE
Karachi
I WISH to draw the attention of the President and the Minister for Interior towards the plight of thousands of allottees of D-12 E-12 sectors in Islamabad who remain without possession till date, despite the fact that allotment to them was made 12 years back and that they have paid all the instalments except the last one, which will be due at the time of possession.
It is a pity that as many as 5,000 allottees of the sectors who paid a sum of Rs136 crore to the Capital Development Authority at the time of allotment, on which the latter is earning a huge amount of interest, are still waiting for the development work to start.
Most of the allottees are retired government servants or those nearing retirement. The unprecedented delay in handing over possession of the allotted plots has added to their misery as during the long period extending over a decade, the cost of construction has risen manifold.
These allottees had to vacate the official residences at the time of their superannuation and most of them are living in rented houses, the rents of which are beyond their paying capacity.
Instead of giving them possessions, the CDA is now demanding hefty development charges at the rate of Rs650 per square yard, which is illegal and immoral.
It is relevant to point out that when the applications for allotment of plots in these sectors were invited through press advertisement, no such indication was given. The price mentioned was inclusive of development charges. The latest allotment made by CDA in I-8 sector has been at the rate of Rs300 per square yard, which is inclusive of development charges.
The Wafaqi Mohtasib upheld the allottees’ contention regarding illegal development charges. Instead of complying with the Mohtasib’s order, the CDA has gone in appeal to the President, and the matter is being prolonged.
We hope the President would do justice to the poor allottees by confirming the decision of the Wafaqi Mohtasib and directing the CDA to deliver possession to them within six months of the completion of development work.
R.R. ALVI
Lahore
I HAVE read so many letters published by Dawn during the last one year, complaining against Nadra for non-delivery of computerized national identity cards. All complaints have proved cries in the wilderness, as the Nadra authorities don’t appear to have taken any notice of them. Nor has the home ministry taken any steps to make Nadra redress the grievances of the complainants.
I deposited an application with the post office, Punjab University, New Campus, Lahore, on August 9, 2001, for the issuance of a computerized ID card. I was given a receipt (No 33362) and informed that the ID card would be delivered within two months. I am still waiting for Nadra to deliver the card.
DR NISHAT AFZA
Lahore
THIS is with reference to a news item ‘FCS seeks ban on boat registration’ (June 8), in which the vice chairman of Fishermen’s Co-society, Haji Shafi Jamote, was reported to have said that due to the increasing number of fishing boats and lack of fishing knowledge, the manner in which people were engaged in boat-building was greatly deteriorating the situation and depleting the stock of seafood.
Mr Jamote lamented that fish catches were continuously declining and that fishing boats were bringing back only 30 per cent of the earlier catch. He further said that the issue of limiting the number of fishing boats for a couple of years was under consideration, and that there was no appropriate government policy on fishing, including registration, which needs to be promulgated in order to save our precious natural resources.
Being a veteran in the field of commercial fishing, I have a few questions to ask Mr Jamote:
Who and what is stopping him and his department from making appropriate fishing policies?
Why is there lack of relevant knowledge amongst the fishing community?
Why is there no check on the illegal katra/ wire netting practice that has totally devastated the marine eco-system and food chain in the Sindh waters?
Why is excessive gujja netting being allowed to go on with impunity in our inshore waters, perilously close to our shoreline?
Why is the FCS Board of Directors not coming down hard on all illegal and unethical fishing practices?
We must be amongst the very few nations in the world who have, through sheer negligence, totally devastated our marine resources by overfishing with illegal size nets and methods. We have not even bothered to study the precious marine wealth and variety of fish species that Allah has blessed us with, the sustainability of regular fish stocks notwithstanding.
SYED AZIZ AGHA
Karachi
THE young suicide bomber leaves behind a note saying that he hates death: “I do not like killing or being killed.”
Cherie Blair, wife of the British prime minister, says that if the young have no hope they will go on blowing themselves up.
Ted Turner, the CNN boss, says that all the Palestinians have their suicide bombers. The Israelis have the most powerful army in the world with which they are terrorizing the Palestinians. So who is the real terrorist? The suicide bombers are at last making an impression on world opinion.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore
I AM a resident of Pano-Akil, where my family has lived for generations.
A few days ago, my family had to go to Karachi. When I went to the railway office to reserve seats for them, I was refused in spite of vacancy. When I asked the reason, the officer said that the vacant seats fell under the army quota and that there was no seat in any train for civilians.
His answer shocked me and I was left feeling like a second class citizen in my own country.
ABDUL SAMI
Sukkur
THIS is with reference to the chief spokesman, State Bank of Pakistan, Syed Wasimuddin’s letter in response to my article.
It seems that my article has been successful in getting the claims of cash recovery of the defaulted loans reduced from Rs90-100 billion to Rs67.784 billion — a reduction of 24.6-32.2 per cent.
The new figure will also remain a mirage unless the claim is substantiated by publishing bank-wise/ borrower-wise list of these recoveries for the information of the public in general and the poor depositors of the concerned banks in particular.
The rationale for the unacceptability of the figure is two fold: firstly, the figure has been brought down substantially against the earlier claims, and secondly, nearly half of the defaulted loans were due from 4,000 sick units from which cash recovery was an impossibility, and that other defaulters were also not expected to dish out such huge amounts.
It was mentioned in my article that the recovery scheme launched in 1997 by SBP did not succeed.
This was substantiated by the SBP’s rejoinder that placed the recoveries under the scheme to about Rs4 billion, which constitutes merely three per cent of the then defaulted loans aggregating Rs127 billion.
The SBP’s rejoinder brings into light another aspect of the issue i.e. new non-performing loans continue to be added to the list.
While regular loans becoming non-performing is not an altogether a new phenomenon in the banking, what is to be taken into cognizance is the speed at which this is happening.
If we take the new figure of cash recovery of the defaulted loans viz Rs67.784 billion as correct, the aggregate of the defaulted loans will reduce from Rs276.49 billion (as given my article) to Rs208.706 billion. As the non-performing loans are put at the rate of Rs308.5 billion, the addition to the heap would be around Rs100 billion i.e. 50 per cent.
Is this not alarming? This happened even after ‘professional bankers’ were inducted in the three big Pakistani banks in 1997 and thereafter. This is reflective of the fact that professional bankers have also not been able to tackle the basic ‘chronics’ of loan sanctions/ disbursement and recoveries. Therefore, towards whom should the depositors turn their faces to get their interests safeguarded?
A.M. TALHA
Karachi
SAVING daylight hours is a significant step taken by the government. It should, as a nation, put us on our toes. The moving forward of the clock in summer and going back in winter should be a great help in becoming active. Perhaps even old people who have problems with DST as they are set in their diurnal ways may become valuable citizens again.
M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
MR A. Kalam, the Indian nuclear scientist, has agreed to be nominated as the next president of India. What a shame. Not because he is the one who gave his country the nuclear weapon but because like a dummy he watched the Muslims of his own country being butchered in Gujarat.
Is he trying to legitimize to the world the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat and Indian-held Kashmir by becoming the next president of India?
A.R. KAZIMI
Karachi
IT was heartening to see the Blood Transfusion Authority’s advertisement (June 19) asking for registration of blood banks operating in the province of Sindh. Sindh was the first province in the country which passed the safe blood bill and notified it in July, 1997. However, it took five years to initiate action in regularizing these services. It is better to be late than never.
While most of the relevant information needed has been covered in the advertised proforma, two important points are however missing. Commercial blood is a menace. Most of the fatal blood transmitted infections in the country, more particularly hepatitis C and B, have been attributed to the transfusion of commercial blood. The safe blood bill demands complete elimination of this blood from transfusion services and warns of imprisonment for five years and fine up to Rs500,000 in case of violation.
It is unfortunate to see that no efforts have been made in the proforma to ascertain the source of collection of blood. It is a possibility that a blood bank collecting blood from commercial sources may get registration, because it is meeting the rest of the requirement for registration of blood bank and thus become the official source commercial blood supply. It would be appropriate for the blood transfusion authority to add one more column in the proforma with regard to the source of collection of blood, discouraging those blood banks that are using commercial blood. Record-keeping of blood donors at blood banks will also help in identifying and verifying the sources of collection.
One possible way to crosscheck the claims made by the participating blood banks with regard to the safe supply of blood is to see the financial standing of the organizations. It would be highly appreciated if the blood transfusion authority also include information in the prescribed proforma about last year’s total income generated through donations, services charges, expenses on consumables, maintenance of equipment, salary bills of employees and utility bills. Supporting documents of income and expenses of any blood bank can speak volumes for its ability to supply safe blood.
It is not clear as to what is meant by slide method in screening of blood, as asked in the proforma. As far as I know no slide method is used for screening of blood. It is either agglutination method, immunochromatography method, or immunoassays. Slide method is an established method of blood grouping. Appropriate use of medical terminology will give more credence and obedience to the authority.
SYED ABDUL MUJEEB
Blood Bank, JPMC,
Karachi
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