| July 21, 2002 | Sunday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 10,1423 |
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Legal status of NA
Augean stables
Improving hockey positions
The Expressway megalomania
Smuggling of children
The weak link in weapon production
NWFP ombudsman
Showing the culprit
Afghans in Pakistan
Blasphemy law
KCR and commuter fatigue
Is civilization a good idea?
SAMAN ASIF
INSTEAD of complaining about Zionist conspiracies and the awesome power of the Jewish bankers, media figures and lobbyists, we should do something to improve our situation. There are roughly 13 million Jews in the entire world, who live in the tiny, 22,000 sq-km of land that is modern Israel and in the diaspora, having no real natural resources to speak of.
In contrast, there are almost a billion Muslims who sit on 70 per cent of the world’s oil, not to mention countless other natural resources. When the retrospective history of this period is written, it will scarcely seem believable that the huge Muslim nation felt victimized by the tiny Jewish nation. If we are impoverished and oppressed, it is first and foremost, our own fault.
While the Israeli government does indeed oppress the Palestinians, the Jordanians were the ones who occupied their territories from 1948 to 1967, not Israelis. While the US government supplied arms to the most extreme of the Afghan mujahideen, American soldiers were not the ones who massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif. While the US government provided critical support to Saddam Hussain right through the worst of his atrocities, Iraqi soldiers were the ones busily gassing Kurds in their north, massacring Shias in their south, invading Kuwait in their east and threatening Jordan to their west, not Americans.
Americans and Israelis do not rule our countries. If our leaders are corrupt sell-outs, it is up to us to rectify that. There were no Arabs in the vanguard of the French Revolution. There were no Indonesians fighting alongside the native American tribes against the European colonists. Similarly, Muslim countries will not attain salvation by waiting for noble westerners to solve their problems, or by constantly complaining and asking for more aid, investment and visas.
There is no reason why this must remain the fate of the ummah. It has certainly not been our history. The rise of the Muslim nation was breathtaking in terms of sheer pace and scale. It changed the face of the world forever, forging a civilization in the fire of tribal fratricide and inspiring the European Renaissance.
We are on the very doorstep of an equally impressive Muslim resurgence, but only if we stand on our own two feet and take responsibility for our own affairs. If we continue to sit hunched over, with the begging bowl in one hand and burnt effigies of American presidents in the other, we will at best, be mocked, ridiculed and laughed at. Glory or ridicule? The choice is ours.
ASAD ALI ZAIDI
Karachi
IT has been reported that the government is trying to amend the constitutional provision with respect to the Kashmir Affairs and Northern Area Division, to extend fiscal laws to the Northern Area.
The constitutional status of the Northern Area has been kept in limbo for the past 53 years despite the demand of its people to declare their area as the fifth province of Pakistan. The region is still outside the territories of Pakistan, as defined in Article 1 of the 1973 Constitution. Thus the people of Northern Area are deprived of the right of representation in the national assembly of Pakistan and the senate.
It is an appropriate time for amending Article 1 of the 1973 Constitution and including Gilgit and Baltistan in the territories of Pakistan, instead of fictitiously extending the fiscal laws to that region. No taxation without representation is a well-recognized principle all over the world. If the fiscal laws of Pakistan are being extended to the Northern Area, then the people of Gilgit and Baltistan should also be given full representation in the parliament and that is possible only if Article 1 is suitably amended.
DR SABIT RAHIM
Islamabad
THE recent hype and hysteria generated by the mysteriously leaked World Bank consultant review of a preliminary draft of the proposed drug policy was a failed attempt to sabotage one of the most dynamic, pro development reformist initiatives taken by Pakistan’s Ministry of Industries and Production on the recommendations of President Musharaff.
The all too real high drama staged by vested interests and their cronies and patrons became clear as the disinformation exercise gained momentum and many such press reports, articles and press releases started leaking ink and showing their true colours.
The timing of the WB analysis leak, out-of-context cut-and-paste reporting and the malicious articles from the many so-called experts including an ex DG health, the propaganda campaign, delegations sent and one-on-one approaches made to CE were all motivated by the desire to maintain status quo and sabotage the industrial development of Pakistan. It seems like the Federal Ministry of Health is going berserk with the very thought of losing control on the manufacturing sector if the reforms and deregulation package makes it stamp on the policy document in spirit and letter.
It is indeed shameful that Ministry of Health will not hesitate in hitting below the belt to maintain some very antiquated statutes and structures that are an open sore and an impediment to bringing fresh new ideas in its decadent echelons. The government needs to clean the Augean stables at the Federal Ministry of Health and its branch organizations.
DR KHAWAR MEHDI
Karachi
THE recent decline in our national game, hockey, is debated and written about almost in all the newspapers. A close look would reveal that in earlier days, our team mostly depended on the goal-scoring ability of our forwards, especially the centre-forward. But today, our forwards are no longer penetrating and sharp in attacks mainly due to the lack of support and feeding by the halfbacks.
Our coaches are found to be greatly impressed by the speed and stamina of the European teams, without realizing the fact that these very teams were beaten by us, even by tennis scores in the past. The coaches must impart rigorous training to the halfbacks and backs also, instead of only depending on the forwards for the scoring of goals.
I also feel that positional play is still the best for availing goal scoring opportunities and cohesion among the forwards. We have lost many important matches simply for the changing of positions by the key players.
The trios at the left and right must be developed and trained as a well-knit unit. This would also create better understanding and boost the team spirit. Halfbacks should be trained to attack and play according to the plans. By an aggressive and attacking start and attitude, the opponents are bound to be under pressure and this would render their attacks ineffective to a great extent.
The halvebacks and fullbacks today tend to be mostly on the defensive side, whereas in the past they were trained and groomed to help the forwards and also to defend their territory by playing in the upper part of their half. Nowadays, our backs and halfbacks are taught and trained only for defence.
Asian style hockey should be followed and team work, instead of individual play, must be endorsed and practised by the coaches and officials in charge. Moreover, the idea of having foreign coaches must be shelved once and for all, as we have a host of stars who can impart the required training.
Emphasis must be laid upon team work and good understanding among the members of the team. Unless these basic codes are adopted, we will never be able to revive our long lost glory. Also the number of artificial turfs must be increased to such an extent that inter-school, inter-college and inter-university tournaments are held on such turfs.
SYED ABRAR HUSSAINI
Karachi
DAWN’s editorial on the Lyari Expressway demolitions is timely. However, it is surprising that you do not question the project. For a decade now, in your own columns, planners and academics have given reasons why the project is harmful to the city. Nobody writing in your columns has challenged these reasons except in rhetorical terms.
Unfortunately, city planning is not only about easing traffic. It is also about segregating mismatched functions, making through traffic bye pass the city, creating lungs through relocation of environmentally degrading activities to appropriate locations, providing a transport system and its services sector with facilities, and above all, providing jobs and homes at the right location to those who live in the city.
The Lyari Expressway achieves the opposite of all that has been mentioned above. It increases the integration of mismatched functions; makes traffic pass through heavily congested areas in the city centre; removes for all times the possibility of creating lungs for an over-congested inner city; densifies environmentally degrading activities by displacing them from the Lyari bed and into the neighbouring settlements; and deprives people of homes and employment.
Projects of this type, which have been disasters in so many Third World cities, become possible when the megalomania of leaders that are not accountable to anyone, an uninformed or uncaring media, and the fantasy of self-serving professionals come together. Karachi has suffered enough at the hands of this troika. Let us, the citizens come together to struggle to introduce transparency, accountability, and above all, rationality and humanism in the planning process.
AIJAZ ALI
Karachi
RECENTLY some children were recovered at the Islamabad airport, who were being taken to Dubai for camel-racing.
This is not an isolated incident. Some time back, 11 children had been kidnapped to be sold in Malta. It was also reported that around 100 children had already been taken away.
However, no action has been taken by the government in any of these cases. Such activities cannot be undertaken without the connivance of the local police, passport authorities and the immigration staff.
It is felt that these cases should be properly investigated and the culprits be punished. Also, measures should be taken to prevent such inhuman acts in the future.
Is there no human rights organization to take up this issue?
ASGHAR ALI SHAH
Karachi
WITH the so-called ‘thumping’ success of IDEAS-2000, a seminar is being held in Karachi in September. The president has already given approval to the event and its main programme. It is good that such an event is being arranged in Pakistan. This will surely boost defence production and provide a forum for interaction between the armed forces and industry worldwide.
I am afraid, however, that we are somewhat late in this field and are reactive. With a large defence force and a heavy import bill of weapons we should have been proactive and imaginative in our approach. Perhaps the weakest link in this chain of defence production is the private sector. Only a few items are produced by it whereas in the developed countries, the whole defence industry is dominated by the private sector.
We seem to follow a very early example of the Israeli Haganah days when its defence industry laid optimum stress on the dictum of ‘user being the manufacturer.’ The Israelis have long discarded this shibboleth and some of the best war-tested equipment in Israel is manufactured by the private companies.
It is time we introduced this culture and provided enough encouragement to the private sector.
I would like to add that no major equipment is ever made entirely by one company. In fact, a large number of well organized and equipped vendors supply the components which are integrated into final shape by the mother company. This process needs encouragement and will surely be a step towards involving of the private sector in defence production.
EAS BOKHARI
Lalamusa
GHULAM Ishaq Khan, after becoming the President of Pakistan, had insisted upon the provincial governments to establish the institution of provincial ombudsman within two months. All the provinces complied with this instruction, except NWFP.
I see no reason why the government of NWFP does not find it necessary to have a provincial ombudsman. Neither its officers are so efficient nor so free from corruption as to obviate the need for such a check upon them. The people of this province deserve the same facilities as allowed to the residents of other provinces.
I hope the governor of NWFP would look into the matter.
PROF ROEDAR AHMAD KHAN
Peshawar
IN PTV news bulletins an assistant sub-inspector of police is repeatedly shown handcuffed and behind bars in connection with the shameful Meerwala case of gang-rape. The objective behind showing this visual is probably to impress upon the public that even a man in uniform would not be able to escape punishment if he ignores his duty or transgresses his powers.
If it is so, then it would have been better if the IG Police of Punjab or the SSP Multan is shown behind bars, instead of the ASI.
ZAHIRUDDIN
Chitral
THE presence of Afghans, especially in urban areas of Pakistan, is no more justified. As a natural corollary of U-turn in the affairs of Afghanistan the government of Pakistan is duty bound to get rid of Afghans as quickly as possible.
The Afghans living in Pakistan have indulged in all sort of illegalities like obtaining identity cards, passports, purchasing immovable properties, terrorism, prostitution, drugs, etc.
The UK government has started sending the Afghans back. The Australian government has given a big ‘no to Afghan’. When would our government wake up?
ENGR SHAMIM ALAM
Karachi
Besancon, France
THE ECIL Plan for the revival of the circular railway and the building of its extensions to serve the whole city, needs to be supported by all sections of Karachiites. It will bring enormous relief to commuters and to the city as a whole. It is good to see something that had been abandoned as worthless by our city planners and politicians, being taken up. It is definitely the most important project for the city of Karachi.
Through your columns I would like to request the planners working on the project to consider shifting of the building of the circular railway, North Nazimabad track, and the doubling of the track between City and Cantt. Stations from Phase-II to Phase-I of the Master Plan.
This may mean the postponing of the building of the Nazimabad-Drigh Colony track through Gulberg Town to Phase-II. This will considerably increase commuter use of the railway and prevent commuter fatigue in changing from one transport mode to another. This commuter fatigue will also considerably reduce the number of commuters on the circular railway. Of course, the financial implications of this will have to be analyzed against the benefits it will bring.
ARIF HASAN
Karachi
WHEN someone asked Mahatma Gandhi what he thought of Western civilization, he promptly replied: “It is a good idea.”
Having travelled on the ancient Silk and Spice roads and beyond, I am dubious of the distinctions between Eastern and Western civilizations. It is much more realistic to think of civilization in the singular rather than plural. There are many cultures but only one global civilization.
Globalization is not a new phenomenon. Cultural exchange has been going on for centuries. We can find few cultures in the world that have not borrowed from others. The first globalization took place along the ancient Spice and Silk roads. The second globalization occurred when Columbus ‘discovered’ the New World. The European colonization of Africa, Asia, and Americas forcibly brought east and west into intimate contact. The third globalization is now in progress through global communication and markets.
Like a torch in a relay marathon, civilization has been passed on from hand to hand. Paleontologists tell us that the African nomads led the way. Human civilization has thus developed from its nomadic phase (99 per cent of human history) to the agrarian, commercial, industrial, and informatic stages. Two facts of history stand out in this process: domination and resistance. Those peoples who have technologically and economically led the way have also militarily dominated the rest of the world. In empire after empire, those who have fallen behind have resisted the dominant. It is foolishly human for those who are temporarily ahead to claim some kind of moral superiority, because technological, economic, and military advance do not automatically confer moral superiority.
The litmus test in moral achievement is to reach the golden rule: “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” This is a paramount ethical imperative that has perennially resonated in the Christian, Judaic, Greek, Confucian, and Islamic philosophies. On that test, most of our civilization is failing today.
Civilization is a journey, not a destination. Like democracy, it is an unfinished project. We are deluding ourselves if we claim to have arrived at a civilized or democratic state. Civilization and democracy are ideals worth striving for. A democratic government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not yet been achieved anywhere in the world. As the current global terrorism and counter-terrorism demonstrate, a civilized society is devoutly to be wished. The price of a democratic civilization is eternal vigilance. We may perish in the big bang of a nuclear holocaust or the whimper of ecological disasters if we fail to build a truly global civilization.
MAJID TEHRANIAN
Tokyo, Japan
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