| July 16, 2002 | Tuesday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 5, 1423 |
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Public offices order
Abuse of power by police
Strange number plate rules
Jobs in the UAE
A stranded couple’s appeal
Ill-equipped Awami Express
Feudal mentality
QAU fee structure
Hill Park lake
Next US target
Nadra’s software
Charitable organizations
Gen Rani’s death
Construction
Economic deprivation
THIS is with reference to Dawn’s news item captioned ‘Draft Debt Limitation Law’ (July 12). While the government intends to legislate the above into law with a view to limit government borrowings in the domestic market, it is apparently silent with regard to its borrowings internationally, notwithstanding the fact that Pakistan’s foreign debt increased from around $6.5 billion (1997) to around $38 billion (at present).
There is, therefore, a case for a similar restriction on government’s foreign borrowings for it is a well known fact that ‘while national debt is run up at will and is under the control of the government, foreign debt and the rate of its increase (both as absolute and in its counterpart local equivalent at prevailing exchange rates) places an entire nation under the financial control of agencies outside its borders’. The IMF and World Bank dictates to the government of Pakistan verify this.
SHAHID HASSAN
Karachi
THE real test of economic planners is to achieve the goal of growth with minimal disturbance to the financial equilibrium of its citizens, especially the middle and lower income groups.
In Pakistan, however, it appears as if all segments of the population are being squeezed except the rich. The worst affected are the senior citizens, widows and others in fixed income groups, who because of unstable economic conditions and corruption in business and bureaucracy have to rely on income from savings.
Reduction in rates of profits is an exploitation of this class. This policy has failed to shift investments in trade and industry because of the law and order situation and rampant corruption in Wapda and other agencies.
The general increase in prices due to direct and indirect taxation is going to multiply their woes.
MUBEEN RASHEED
Lahore
IT was shocking to read in Dawn (July 12) a report by a World Bank consultant that the poor Pakistani masses suffer US $50 billion per annum losses due to the wrong management policies, corruption and inefficiency of the government.
If President Musharraf has read this report, then may we request him to direct the NAB authorities to investigate this report thoroughly. If the report is correct then something should be done in this regard.
The poor masses stand firmly behind the President if he goes on the crusade to nab the corrupt government functionaries who are responsible for the current state of our country.
N. YAWAR BABAR
Karachi
REFERENCE your editorial (July 9) on the promulgation of the Qualification to Hold Public Offices Order 2002. I do not agree that “this order will only add to the misgivings about the government’s intentions”. We should not forget how people suffered at the hands of the so-called democratic governments. There were innumerable cases of corruption, nepotism, favouritism and hijacking of merit, attack on court etc.
In my opinion, neither experience is everything nor all educated can be good but the need of the hour is to change the system.
At another place you wrote that it is up to the people of Pakistan to elect a prime minister or federal or provincial representatives once or ten times but I do not agree with this view. Approximately 70 per cent of the population lives in the rural areas under the feudal system and in every election the same set of people are returned. The leaders remain the same, so the limit of only two terms for prime minister or chief minister will bring in new faces.
You match our lacklustre leaders with the world leaders whose names you have mentioned but the question is: did our leaders play the role that was played by the world leaders?
It does not mean that I am pro-military but I want real democracy.
ISHFAQ BUGHIO
Hyderabad
THE case of Idrees Ahmed’s daughter against her husband Nadeem is pending in court, while the 70-year-old father is being harassed and abused by the police, as one of the police officers, a DIG, who claims to be a relative of Nadeem is threatening the family of dire consequences and forcing them to settle the matter out of court (Dawn, July 13).
Idrees Ahmed was called at the Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan Police Station where two police officers pressurized him into settling the dispute out of court and offered him Rs3,50,000 at the police station. Idrees was ordered by the police to hand over all the documents of the property and the car, on which Idrees told the police that the matter was pending in court and asked them to let the court decide. This provoked the two policemen who abused Idrees Ahmed and as a result he suffered a heart attack in the office of the SHO.
This shows that the police has more powers in this country than the court, as the pending case is no longer required to be heard by the court of law. It is sheer negligence and abuse of power on the part of the police officials of Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan Police Station who are posing themselves as rulers and not as servants.
The Governor of Sindh, Mohammedmian Soomro, should take a note of this matter, immediately suspend the police officials and institute an inquiry against the concerned DIG.
A CONCERNED CITIZEN
Karachi
RECENTLY, I lost the rear number plate of my car. So I went to the excise and taxation department with an application to provide me with another number plate with the same number, because I had lost only one of the two plates. What followed is a painful story.
Since no responsible officer of the said department was prepared to meet me, I had to seek the help of one of the many agents that roam about in and around the offices of the excise and taxation department. The agent told me that the loss of the original number plate means that I have lost the registration number allocated at the time of the registration of the car, for good.
He said that the only course open to me now was to lodge an FIR in the police station for the loss of my car’s number plate and then submit an application to the excise and taxation department, along with a copy of the FIR and the other number plate still with me. They would allocate a new number and would also issue new number plates bearing it.
However, the catastrophic information that he then gave me was that after being allocated a new number, the market value of my car would go down by Rs50,000. It is so because a new number would create doubts about the history of ownership of the car.
I am sure there must be others facing this problem or those who might have to face it in the future. I, therefore, request the excise and taxation department to please clarify as to why the department cannot issue a number plate bearing the old number when the necessary proofs are available?
S.M. SHAHID
Karachi
I WANT to draw the attention of our ministry of labour towards the discriminatory treatment being faced by Pakistanis looking for jobs in the United Arab Emirates.
Almost 90 per cent of the staff working in the employment offices of the UAE is from India. As such, most of the applications from Pakistani candidates against openings advertized in the press are either dust-binned or filed. Besides this, in many of the local and multinational companies operating in the UAE, senior positions, including those involved in recruitment proceedings, are also occupied by Indian expatriates. So, Pakistanis find it impossible to get jobs in those companies.
The only solution to this problem appears to be the fixation of a quota for Pakistanis in jobs filled by expats in the UAE companies. I request Pakistan’s Ministry of Labour to take up this issue with the government of the UAE. I hope that with the brotherly relations that we enjoy with this country, it should not be difficult to arrange an agreement to this effect.
Currently the proportion of Pakistanis in white collar jobs is perpetually decreasing, while that of India is rising. The only jobs that we have, are either those of taxi drivers or of labourers.
I hope that my request would be taken seriously in view of the significant contribution that is made by the overseas Pakistanis to the country’s economy.
AZMAT KAMAL
Dubai, UAE
I AM an IT professional from Lahore and my wife is a physician hailing from Aurangabad, India. About two years ago after chatting on Internet, Mohsina and I decided to meet each other, of course with the consent of our parents. But it could only be possible when we arrived in Nepal. Our nikah was performed at the Jamia Masjid in Kathmandu.
Being a Pakistani national I have every right to bring my wife to my country. She has a passport but visa was not issued by the Pakistan embassy.
After some time, the visa officer agreed to forward our case to the Interior Ministry of Pakistan for approval of visa and told us that the process would take six weeks.
We submitted our papers on May 3, 2002, but still there has been no progress, even though the papers have been cleared from our parents more thanone month ago when the police went to them for verification.
Also, we faxed to the Interior Ministry of Pakistan on June 6 and e-mailed five times to the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan but there has been no response from them.
We are much worried about our future. Is it possible for anyone to leave his wife alone in another country or send her back to her parents after marriage? We have run short of money and there is no proper way to take currency from Pakistan to Nepal.
Is there no one in Pakistan to help us?
MUHAMMAD USMAN AND DR MOHSINA USMAN
Kathmandu,
Nepal
I WOULD like to bring to the notice of higher railway authorities the unbearable torture that my children and I faced during our travel from Rawalpindi to Karachi in Lower AC class of Awami Express.
A few hours after leaving Rawalpindi the air conditioning of our compartment collapsed, as also the AC fan. The windows of the compartment were sealed, so the amount of heat and humidity can be imagined. The staff and the guard showed no concern and said that they were helpless as the repair facilities were inadequate.
With outside temperature at 50 degrees Celsius, we had to travel all the way in the sealed compartment. As a result, my youngest child aged three fainted due to heat. We were told that the owing to an old AC plant and its poor maintenance the lower class air conditioning often failed.
Will the concerned authorities please take some action.
AFZAL MOBIN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Sultan Ahmed’s recent article, ‘Realizing potential’. I would like to know what land reforms were carried out in the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia where individuals still own thousands of acres of land?
The Duke of Devonshire is one of the largest land owners in England today. I wonder what is the average size of ranches in the southern states of the US these days.
What we need in Pakistan today is the rule of law and education. A strong, honest and vibrant judiciary would make a lot of difference. The feudal mentality, which unfortunately exists in rural as well as urban areas, can only be eliminated by providing justice to every one and by increasing literacy.
ALI LEGHARI
Cheltenham, UK
THIS is with reference to the recent announcement for admissions to the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. I was surprised and a bit confused: the university’s fee structure reflected that it caters to the ‘elite’ only.
It was announced that Rs40,000 (per semester) would be charged from IT students and Rs30,000 (per semester) from the rest of the students. Moreover, this was just the tuition fee; not including the charges for other funds and hostel.
The government universities are the only recourse left for the poor students, as private universities are way out of their reach. On the one hand we cry for our low ‘literacy rate’, and on the other hand the government is taking education beyond the reach of the common man.
Will the education ministry look into this and rationalize the fees structure of public universities.
FARAZ AKHTAR
Karachi
I AGREE with Mr Waquar Ali Khan (July 9) that the Hill Park lake is drying up, and that the birds in the area are dying because of water shortage and the dirty condition of the lake.
I request the city government to make arrangement for cleaning up the lake in order to save the birds and to make the park friendly for daily visitors.
S.M. IDREES
Karachi
AS a punishment for their alleged involvement in the September 11 attacks, the US gave a green signal to Israel, virtually its 51st state, to carry out a carnage of the Arabs in Palestine.
Israel, heavily armed with latest American weapons of destruction, killed hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children and destroyed their cities despite ‘US warnings’ which were actually a part of their diplomacy.
It remains to be seen as to which country would be next subjected to this kind of American diplomacy. I hope not Pakistan — to appease India, with India in Israel’s role.
LT-COL SYED JAMSHAID RAZA
Karachi
I RECENTLY got married and wanted to get some changes, like husband’s name instead of the father’s, made in my wife’s NIC. So, I went to the nearest Nadra office, situated in Nisar Shaheed Park.
There I was told that at the moment it was not possible as their computer programme (software) did not support it. I was asked to visit them after two weeks. But even after two weeks I was given the same reply and was told to come again.
I am sure that many people must have been facing similar problems.
The concerned authorities should take immediate steps to remove this shortcoming in Nadra’s software.
MUHAMMAD ADNAN ALAVI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the news item titled ‘Commission to monitor non-profit organizations’ (July 9).
At present charitable institutions are registered under various laws such as the Societies Registration Act 1860, the Trust Act 1882, and the Companies Ordinance 1984. In addition to these, they are also required to register with the Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control) Ordinance 1961, and the Social Welfare Department.
To avoid dual registration of charitable organizations, it is requested that the Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control) Ordinance 1961 should now be repealed.
S. KIZILBASH
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the letter by Lt-Col Najamuddin Mirza (July 8) on the news item about Gen Rani’s death. I am happy that someone from the armed forces wrote about it. It was rather odd that the said lady was always referred to as Gen Rani, and no one objected to it.
However, I disagree with the colonel on the ‘fitness’ of the news. One may grudge Ms Aqleem Akhtar’s role in history, but she did play a role in politics, being at the side of Gen Yahya at a crucial time. Not only was this news, it also relates to a critical period of Pakistan’s history, and is a reminder of national and personal shame.
NOMAN OMAR
Islamabad
THIS is with reference to the construction of Rashid Minhas Road, Karachi. While the long-delayed construction of this road should be hailed, I have the following questions to all the concerned:
Why has no consideration been given by the construction firm to the maintaining of traffic flow in the wake of construction? At least the ditches on the other side of the road should have been filled to make the only available link motorable.
I understand that Faisal Cantonment owns this road. Then why has the city government placed its board claiming construction?
RASHID QURESHI
Karachi
THE ink of our national budget had not yet dried up when new measures were announced to reduce profit on various savings schemes by 2.5 per cent and the limit for levy of 10 per cent withholding tax was cut down to Rs150,000 from the existing Rs300,000.
The majority of investors of the national savings schemes are old people, widows and pensioners. It seems that our economic managers are blindly towing the lines set by world financial institutions without realizing the adverse effects of their decisions on the common man, who is already groaning under the high cost of living.
The price spiral in every field of life has badly hit the common man but our financial wizards continue to blow their own trumpets. Unfortunately, they seem to remain completely oblivious to the ground realities. The middle class, considered to be the backbone of a stable society, is facing extreme hardship. Such a state of affairs can only result in a precarious divide of the nation into rich and poor.
It would do well if our economic experts realized this and came up with policies making the lives of the poor easy. They should levy taxes on luxury items to make up deficits in the budget.
LT-COL MUKHTAR AHMED
Karachi
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