| June 30, 2002 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 18, 1423 |
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Graduate legislators
Extradition treaty
Telemedicine technology
Kashmir: an Indian’s view
Life-saving drugs
KESC’s way of extortion
Nepotism at its worst
Clifton beach
Saving houbara bustard
Sindhri needs attention
Basic questions about Hudood laws
THE unilateral step taken for the corporatization of agriculture without taking into account the opinion of the majority of stakeholders is a wrong move.
Only foreign investors, local feudals and agriculture-based businessmen will benefit from the decision. Farm land in an agricultural economy like ours is a key resource. It has bearing on our sovereignty because our self-reliance in food depends on it. The planned corporatization makes a complete mockery of the government’s goal of poverty reduction and sustainable development, and will only push an already impoverished rural population to the edge of starvation.
With no upper limit to landholdings, corporatization will lead to monopolies by throwing more peasants off the land than during the disastrous Green Revolution years. It will signal the death-knell of our soil’s fertility and productivity because of its focus on intensified use of this resource. Genetically-modified organisms, which have already devastated parts of India, will be given free rein.
Instead of effectively redistributing farmland, the right of the majority who till the land, vested interests are being pandered to.
All this while protesting peasants are being put down with force. Instead of undertaking genuine land reform and also giving possession titles to peasant women — who do over two-thirds of all farm work but are never paid or grossly underpaid — feudalism is being further strengthened in the garb of corporatization.
While the west, especially Europe, is promoting and returning to small-scale organic farming, for both health and financial reasons, short-term adventurers are being facilitated here.
Corporatization of agriculture is an ill-advised, unrepresentative and arbitrary act that goes against the public and the national interest and is contrary to this government’s promises to the people of Pakistan.
The president should listen to the other side of the story since all he gets to hear is the version from his advisers. The planned corporatization of agriculture should be put on hold until there is public debate on the matter.
SHIRKAT GAH (an NGO)
Karachi
THERE is a great uproar in the country in general, and in political circles in particular, regarding the condition set down by the government that candidates choosing to stand in the coming election must be graduates.
Interestingly, some stalwarts of the previous regimes have been seen appearing in the BA exams recently as they don’t see the government budging from this condition. However, some of the greatest leaders of the democratic world were not graduates and yet they were successful rulers. Those who criticize the scheme have a point here.
But is this the only condition that the government has laid down? I hope the government does not imply that after becoming a graduate, one must be honest and full of integrity. The government must lay down other conditions as well to be eligible to contest elections like: 1. A clean track record. 2. No criminal cases pending. 3. Should be a resident of the area from where election is being contested. 4. Should file nomination papers from one constituency. 5. Should be able to speak for the people of his/her constituency effectively.
MOHAMMAD AZHAR KHWAJA
Lahore
A FEW days ago, Lt-Gen Munir Hafeez, chairman, NAB, told a press conference that the efforts of the government of Pakistan for the extradition of Abdullah Shah, a former chief minister of Sindh, from the US to Pakistan had not met with success. He added that the US government had taken the stand that there was no extradition treaty between the two countries, which was the bottleneck in the matter.
A number of Pakistani citizens have been handed over to the US during the last few years by our rulers. Did any extradition treaty exist at the time between the two countries which allowed their extradition? If no, then under what law or authority were Pakistani citizens handed over to the US. Pakistan sought the extradition of Abdullah Shah and some others who were allegedly involved in several cases of corruption and other malpractices but their extradition was not allowed by the US.
I hope a knowledgeable Dawn reader will shed some light on this vital subject in order to remove misgivings in the minds of the people at large.
SH AMJAD HASSAN
Sahiwal
THE first-ever national symposium on telemedicine was held in Pakistan this month. I have already sent several letters to high-powered individuals in Islamabad and some newspapers explaining that this technology can be abused by some ‘so-called experts’ for their own selfish interests.
I have a number of concerns regarding the broader implementation of telemedicine in Pakistan. From my past experience in the healthcare industry in the USA, I know that there is very little published, peer-reviewed scientific data available on when telemedicine use is medically appropriate. It is difficult to project potential cost implications. And there is a potential programme integrity issue that has not been addressed proactively. There are several factors listed below that prove this technology’s failure and its limited usage in the USA. Can someone tell me how the Pakistani telemedicine ‘think-tank’ plans to address the following issues:
* Please explain to Pakistanis in which specific clinical circumstances telemedicine will be medically appropriate in a poor country, while most advanced countries in the world have failed in effective implementation of this technology.
* Why are limited government resources and donors’ money utilized to mobilize this technology when Pakistanis still lack access to clean water, primary healthcare?
* Please explain to all Pakistanis, (not to some selected individuals or non-medical officials) the potential uses and abuses of this technology, in which there is no real-time interaction between the patient and provider.
* Can anyone explain how this technology will be promoted in rural Pakistan where we lack electricity? I am not sure if all remote areas in Pakistan have electricity and Internet connections. In the USA, 30-35 per cent of the rural population has access to the Internet.
* Pakistanis want to hear the feasibility, acceptability, cost, and quality of tele-consultation services.
* What potential role will the Pakistani physicians play in utilization of telemedicine in diabetes management, infectious disease management and prevention of AIDS?
* What is the role of rural physicians in telemedicine? Do our rural physicians have command of English and what are the other barriers in utilizing this technology?
DR ASHRAF KHAN
Hackensack, NJ, USA
I WOULD like to put a few words in response to the letter ‘India avoiding the real issue’ by Rehan Ispahani (June 26).
The main thing the Indians seek is the end of violence in Kashmir. The killing of innocent people is something that is vehemently opposed in the Indian philosophy. If at this juncture, anyone raises the point of violence in Gujarat, then it is totally unjustified, because we have hardliners on both sides of the boundary.
It is truly the misfortune of we Indians that the real culprits of this incident have not yet been apprehended. But we have faith in our police and the judiciary. And for every Gujarat in India, there is a massacre in Karachi or sectarian violence in Pakistan.
If you raise the point that Indian forces have wantonly killed many Kashmiris, then I have to say that it is totally wrong. Whatever action our security forces have taken has always been in response to the aggression of militants.
Remember, India does not proclaim itself as a state belonging to any religion. The Indian constitution fundamentally embodies the principle of secularism. We Indians could have proclaimed ourselves as a Hindu state, if we wanted to, but we didn’t, and we would never. Even though almost 75 per cent population of India are Hindus, we have Muslims living with us in every walk of life, and believe me, we exist very peacefully. We have cities like Lucknow and Hyderabad famous for their Muslim culture and cuisine.
During the Agra summit, Pakistan’s President Musharraf visited his old home in Delhi, and you must have seen twinkle in the eyes of the governess who took care of him when he was a child, and the love people showered upon him. So, if we Indians are so hospitable, how can we even think of killing our own brothers and sisters? Now, are we Indians really that bad?
PANKAJ LAXMAN AHIRE
Mumbai, India
IT was announced by a federal government spokesman at the time of imposition of the General Sales Tax on medicines recently that 256 life-saving drugs would be exempted from this levy. Heart patients like me and my husband have been prescribed drugs by cardiologists that are over-charged by chemists.
I wonder if a spokesman of the government would enlighten us on the subject as to why life-saving drugs meant for heart patients have not been exempted from the GST. If these are not life-saving medicines then the definition of such drugs may please be spelled out for the ‘benefit’ of hapless patients and the people at large.
DR NISHAT AFZA
Lahore
I WAS served with a notice from the KESC marked ‘audit report’ and dated June 8. It reads: “The consumption being recorded is not in accordance with the use of the supply (provided) and therefore your meter was replaced on April 25, 2001. The removed meter was tested and found to have a broken seal, burnt and D/used (no explanation of what D means). In order to make good the loss suffered by the KESC, a supplementary bill is under preparation.” It further asked me to explain the reason for the drop in consumption and produce documentary evidence within seven days.
The number of meter and account on the letter is different from what has been in use and on the bills being served by KESC. In fact my meter has never been replaced, the same meter and account number have been in use since its installation 17 years ago and I have been paying all my bills regularly.
Lucky for me, I have copies of all the paid bills so far but how many us have them? What if I didn’t have copies of my past paid bills? And besides, isn’t a week much too little to give to consumers to explain their position?
SHAKIL KHURSHEED
Karachi
I WAS astounded to read the report ‘Serving sentence in air conditioned room’, revealing that Punjab health secretary’s brother, convicted by the Supreme Court, was serving his sentence in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, and not in jail, (May 22). The report smacks of possible high-level nepotism.
Those like me who were in service during the British rule cannot imagine how a secretary to the government can allow anyone to continue in service after conviction even by a lower court not to speak of the Supreme Court. It was unimaginable then that a convicted person could continue as secretary — much less of the same department.
Normally, self-respect, status and station would demand that anyone on conviction by a court of law, instead of holding such an important charge as a secretary to the government, would proceed on leave. Failing which he would be suspended from service pending decision on his appeal. Such was the normal protocol and needed to be maintained in the interest of honest, sound and transparent public administration.
Appropriate action is called for by the Punjab governor, as head of the provincial administration lest the incumbent’s continuing as health secretary may lead to a public perception of naked nepotism at its worst.
B.A. MALIK
Lahore
LAST weekend I visited the Clifton beach after about two years. Driving along the Sea View road seemed nice. It was good to see the newly-installed halogen lights and that rocks have been removed and replaced by ceramic tiles all along the beach.
But the condition of the beach itself is deplorable. The tiles, which were not used, are lying on the sand. It’s very dangerous as it has sharp edges. The number of plastic bags was uncountable. Slippers, sandals, wood pieces and everything that is not supposed to be there could be seen.
I don’t understand why the authorities are charging visitors parking fee if that fee is not being utilized in the cleaning of the beach, or is it just another way to make money.
USMAN ASHFAQ
Delaware, USA
BALOCHISTAN’s topography and climate have great attraction for migratory birds coming from the freezing sites of Central Asian Republics and Siberia. Houbara is one of these migratory birds.
Houbara Bustard is the most important among the 23 species of the bustard family. In Pakistan there are two categories, one migratory and the other resident. The resident bustard is in the Nag Valley of Balochistan.
Being a game bird, houbara is a target of hunters. Since the mid-1960s, foreigners have been coming to hunt the Houbara Bustard. Until the mid-1980s, the hunting parties had estimatedly killed between 3,000 and 7,000 birds each year. There are also cases of considerable poaching by the local hunters.
To explore the Nag Valley for wildlife ecology and to investigate the latest status of resident houbara population and its breeding potential in the area, several studies were conducted by different agencies. The fall in the number of houbara calls for devising a strategy for its conservation. A centre at the Nag Valley was established in 1999 to raise the breeding stock of Houbara Bustard by collecting eggs/ chicks or both from potential breeding areas of Balochistan. To conserve and protect the Asian Houbara, 42 houbaras were released after being bred and cared in the Nag Valley in April 2000.
Proper monitoring of the habitats of houbara can bring about amazing results. There is a dire need to educate the people of the area for the protection of this rare species. The relevant material should be in Urdu or in local languages and a mobile displaying unit may also be utilized for educating the people. Houbara bustard must be saved.
MUHAMMAD QASIM MENGAL
Quetta
The Sindhri variety of the mango was once the demand of a huge international market, and used to earn for Pakistan a lot of foreign exchange.
But for the past few years Sindhri has been suffering from some sort of disease that has badly affected its quality. This state demands the immediate attention of horticulturists and agriculture researchers.
ALI BIN ADAM JAFRI
Karachi
REFERENCE the article ‘A law to lament’ by Asma Jahangir (June 5). Despite her frequent outbursts against Hudood Ordinance, several basic questions remain unanswered. They must be clarified before initiating any meaningful discussion of the subject.
1. Whether sex out of wedlock i.e., extra-marital sex, be viewed as a punishable crime — a crime against society — or should it be recognized as a private affair between the consenting parties? Is a woman’s claim that ‘her womb is her exclusive property’ and she is at liberty to use it as she likes and that any restrictions placed thereon constitute an infringement of her basic human rights, tenable in the eyes of law, morality and rational thinking? If otherwise it is a punishable act what should be the nature, extent and quantum of punishment and how would it be rationalized?
2. Should the indulgence of a married man or a married woman in extramarital sex be distinguished from the same act when committed by a non-married man or woman with regard to the extent of viciousness of the act? What should be the legal position of a husband or a wife who gives his/her spouse free consent to indulge in extramarital sex activity?
3. What should be the legal status of ‘unexplained pregnancy?’ Should it be deemed as conclusive proof of an extramarital sex act? What could be the possible defence against this very obvious fact? Is the theory of ‘mutual consent’ or the notion of ‘woman’s exclusive property’ the only refuge for a woman in this case? The nations and the countries which have reconciled themselves with such ideas as the legality and morality of ‘single motherhood’ may not feel concerned about the problem but what steps could possibly be suggested for ‘not-so-advanced’ societies. Could the plea of ‘rape’ be raised in this situation? If yes, where the onus of proof would lie? Obviously a mere claim by the woman could not be held as sufficient defence.
4. What foolproof methods could be suggested to bring the male culprit to task in a case of adultery, fornication or rape in the absence of incriminating evidence especially when the DNA test facilities are not readily or at all available? How his alibi is to be demolished?
5. According to a report (June 7) leaders of human rights organizations.... seeking repeal of the Hudood laws said they were based on ‘misinterpretation of the injunctions of Islam’. Would any leader of as HR organization take the trouble to explain? It would make the task of bringing these laws into conformity with Islam tremendously easy.
DR FAZLUR RAHMAN
Director, Islamic Guidance Trust,
Karachi
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