| July 23, 2002 | Tuesday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12,1423 |
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Magic or schizophrenia
Who consumes 50 units?
Well done, President Musharraf
Lack of consistency
Prayers and good deeds
Plea for a larger NSC
Students in chains
IT professionals
A disappointed PTV viewer
KPT clarification
Filthy road
Murky water
Where is Osama?
Thalassemia and blood transfusion
IN his letter ‘Suicide attacks and martyrs’ (July 18), Muhammad Shahzad Sheikh tries to rationalize suicide bombings in Israel and Kashmir, saying that the victims do not have any other choice.
The key difference between the martyrs of the 1965 India-Pakistan war and the suicide bombers of today is that the soldiers in the war had an objective which could be achieved in that manner. The objective was to stop the Indian forces from advancing into Pakistani territory and that was achieved by using that strategy.
The objective of suicide killings in Palestine and Kashmir is to stop the Israeli and the Indian occupation armies from further brutalities. However, such bombings have not forced the Israelis to withdraw. With each attack, the situation only gets worse for the Palestinian people: talks of peace and independence are shelved and Ariel Sharon finds a new excuse to increase military pressure.
I am sure that the majority of Muslims the world over do not believe that the struggle for a Palestinian state or for the right of self-determination for the Kashmiris could be won by suicide bombings.
AYAZ ABDULLA
Rochester, USA
I READ with great interest the letter by Muhammad Shahzad (July 18), and must take exception to two of his points. First, the moral and ethical justification of suicide bombing, and second, the story about our jawans tying bombs to their bodies to stop the Indian tanks during the 1965 war.
The Holy Quran explicitly forbids throwing oneself into perdition and self-destruction. Hence a believer in the Holy Quran cannot resort to such tactics. There is nothing to stop the freedom fighters in Kashmir and Palestine to carry on a conventional guerrilla warfare and they must continue to do so till the oppression ends. They have before them the fine example of Vietnam, Algeria and Indonesia, to name only a few.
As for the myth about our jawans sacrificing themselves during the 1965 war, it is not true. I myself went to the Chowinda front, where my brother Col Muhammad Aslam Khan was commanding the First SP Artillery regiment, and asked the officer in charge, mine-laying operations, about this story and he disowned it.
CAPT ABDUSSALAM KHAN
Chantilly, USA
THIS is with reference to the heart-rending news item: ‘Family resigned to helpless death’ (Dawn, Punjab edition, July 17) regarding the family of a milkman whose five children have died in the last three months of what the family believes to be black magic.
It is reported in the news item: “This one thing I told you, she said, claiming that she and her daughters heard different voices coming from various parts of the house.”
According to abnormal psychology, this is a clear cut case of schizophrenia (a mental illness in which a person is unable to link his/her thoughts and feelings to real life, suffers from delusions/hallucination and withdraws from social relationships into a life of the imagination). I quote from standard books on psychology to illustrate the point:
“The patient may have hallucinations, that is, sense experiences in the absence of appropriate external stimuli, such as imaginary ‘voices’ talking to him/her in abusive language... The disorder may manifest itself as early as childhood or late in life, though the most common time of incidence is in late adolescence and early adult life... or delusions of persecution (the patient has suffered at the hands of his enemies).” — (Introduction to Psychology by Ernest R. Hilgard)
And again:
“People with psychoses may also experience hallucination — sensory or perceptual experiences that have no real external source, such as the demons’ voices that David Berkowitz said he heard commanding him to kill (p 625).
“Schizophrenics often have delusions. They may believe that the FBI is transmitting thoughts into their brains through the TV set or that unseen forces are controlling their behaviour. They may also have hallucinations, most commonly auditory hallucinations. They may hear a single voice continually commenting on their behaviour or multiple voices arguing and shouting profanities at each other.” (Introduction to Psychology by Cifford T.Morgan)
I appeal to the Punjab governor to come to the rescue of the poor family of the milkman and direct the health authorities to look into the matter under the guidance of some practising psychiatrist.
PROF ATATUL HAQ SUBHANI
Faisalabad
NEPRA has ultimately allowed Wapda to increase the power tariff by 9 to 21 per cent for various categories of consumers. Those consuming 50 units or less would be exempt from this hike.
In the eyes of the government and the power authorities, this is probably a great consideration and concession for the general public. But can anybody tell me, how many Pakistanis, living in the urban and the sub-urban (not rural) areas, today consume up to 50 units?
When would the day come when the government would stop fooling us like this?
SASA SAYEF HUSSAIN
Islamabad
I WOULD like to congratulate and thank President Musharraf for taking the bold and right step of not meeting British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on the latter’s recent visit to Pakistan.
It is very well noted in the media that Mr Straw is biased against Pakistan and has issued statements which can be seen as nothing more than a sign of appeasing the Indian authorities for the lucrative defence deals.
S. ASIF ALAM
New Jersey, USA
I HAVE been a regular reader of Ayaz Amir’s articles since he began writing in Dawn. The opinions and views that he is propagating these days have left me in a daze and totally bewildered.
During the rule of civilian despots, Benazir and Nawaz Sharif, he was at the forefront of criticizing them. His articles just had a one-point agenda: to expose their corruption and incompetence. It was these articles that turned a great many admirer of these figures away from them.
During Benazir’s rule, he wrote on Naheed Khan’s influence, his failure to get a PPP ticket and on a hundred other ills of PPP. After she fell, he joined Nawaz Sharif and even became an MPA and wrote in newspapers in his support during the showdown with the Supreme Court. But soon he started criticizing him for being dictatorial. Then when he was toppled, he wrote a most appreciating article praising the army takeover.
Now since the April referendum, the main theme of his articles is the illegitimacy of the present regime. He is making a hue and cry over the army’s interference in politics.
However, in his recent article (July 19) he outdoes himself. He passionately calls for PPP and PML to join hands, even advises them on an election strategy and then goes on to ask them to involve the maulvis. This is all very incomprehensible. Did not these two parties plunder and loot the nation?
In great democracies, which are the ideals of Ayaz Amir and other liberals of his type, politicians lose office for stealing even a few thousand dollars or one wrong decision. Here these parties looted billions of dollars, attacked the Supreme Court but still have people who call for their support.
But what is most strange is his calling for an alliance with the ‘beards’ considering the fact that Ayaz Amir has been firmly against religious extremism. These beards represent people who would have agreed to Pakistan going to war with the US over the Taliban. Pakistan would have been destroyed had these people been in control. Ayaz Amir knows this but still wants these elements to win the elections and capture power.
I do not condone the army’s involvement in politics. Theoretically the army should be in the barracks. But theoretically also the civilian parties should have internal elections and not lifetime chairmen. The politicians should not be corrupt and respect the Supreme Court.
OSAMA LONE
Lahore
IN his letter (July 19) Zafarul Haq Memon has very rightly highlighted the importance of good deeds and excellence of character for our salvation. Simply dua (prayers) will not do.
Repeatedly the Holy Quran lays stress on good deeds but most of the preachers keep on speaking only about prayers, fasting and Haj and do not ask the listener to develop good character, show tolerance towards others and help eliminate evil from society.
Only then can we prosper and earn the world’s respect.
ABOOBAKER ISMAIL
Karachi
KAZI A.H. Siddiqui (July 18) is all praise for the constitution of a National Security Council which will include the president, the PM, the CMs and the service chiefs.
The writer has advocated that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Senate Chairman may also be inducted into this august body to make it more effective.
It will be in the fitness of things to give it strength, if the governors of the four provinces were also included in this club. The more the merrier.
After all, we need to demonstrate to the world that we are unique and united in the matter of national security. Three cheers for the National Security Council.
WAHID BUTT
Lahore
THIS is with reference to your editorial ‘Students in chains’ (July 19).
It is suggested that the concerned supervisory authority of madressahs should not only ban the use of chains and fetters in these schools but punish all those who violate this ban, with imprisonment.
Nobody should be allowed in this country to use these barbaric tools on our children.
A. MERCHANT
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the news item ‘Australia restricts IT immigration’ (July 18).
A study carried out in Australia, a developed country, has revealed that about 8,000 Australian IT professionals are unemployed. Consequently, the Australian government has put restrictions on the immigration by IT professionals.
In Pakistan, from the minister of science and technology to all higher-ups in the educational field, everyone is persistently talking about the IT revolution. Have they ever looked into the post-education prospects of these young professionals? Hundreds of thousands of IT graduates are unemployed just because of this poor policy management.
This has been rightly pointed out by Mohammad Ali Farid Khawaja of Lahore in his letter to Dawn (July 18). The matter must be taken up at the appropriate level and a solution be brought forth for the compensation of young professionals.
NAYYAR HUSSAIN MIRJAT
Hyderabad
I LIVE outside Philadelphia in the US, and only recently got access to PTV. My favourite programme was News Night, and I tried to watch it regularly. One of the reasons for liking the programme was Talat Hussain’s excellent, down-to-earth approach.
I am not sure what were the reasons for replacing Mr Hussain, but I feel that his open minded discussion of the issues facing Pakistan could be the reason for his removal.
The programme does not have the same appeal to me anymore.
NASIR HAFEEZ
Valley Forge, USA
THIS is with reference to the letter by Dr Jamal Nasir Memon (Dawn, July 22).
The Karachi Port Trust would like to clarify that the responsibility to maintain and repair West Wharf Road is not that of KPT.
The onus of repairs and maintenance of West Wharf Road lies with the city government (Keamari Town). Being an important approach to Karachi port, the city government should have taken cognizance of the problem being faced by the common people. KPT has, on a number of occasions, pointed this out to the city government.
The present condition of the road is well-known to KPT and it realizes the urgency for its maintenance and repair. If the city government is unable to reconstruct this road then in the larger interest of the general public and the city, Karachi Port Trust plans to undertake the repair work on this road from its own resources. The project is under evaluation and is being accorded due priority.
SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, KPT
Karachi
SINCE the closure of the Abdullah Haroon Road up to Hoshang Road, daily traffic jams are seen in the Cantonment Station area, near the Lilly Bridge. And the only road connecting the Lilly Bridge with the station road, which is about half a kilometre long, is in a deplorable condition. Half of this road is covered with water coming out from the open drain running parallel to it. The filth and stink is unbearable.
It is now necessary to convert this one-way road into a two-way road by developing the drain-nullah into a road. This will bring great relief to the commuters, specially to the poor patients going to Jinnah Hospital. I hope the City Nazim would look into this for an urgent action.
ABDUR RAHIM CHUNDRIGAR
Karachi
NOWADAYS everyone in this city is complaining of murky and turbid water in taps. I am a student of engineering, so could somebody from the concerned department tell me the technical reasons for the murkiness in water.
MOHAMMAD ALI
Karachi
WHITE House spokesman Ari Fleischer refused on July 16 to confirm reports that Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan’s tribal belt and added that he did not even know if he was dead or alive (Dawn, July 18).
Earlier, the head of the US Senate intelligence committee, Senator Bob Graham, stated in an interview to Fox television that “Washington believes Osama bin Laden is hiding out in Pakistan and our best intelligence estimate continues to be that he is alive and probably in some place in those tribal areas of the western side of Pakistan.”
It seems that there is no coordination between the US presidential spokesman and Senator Bob Graham, which is creating confusion about Osama bin Laden and putting Pakistan under unnecessary embarrassment.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
I THANK you for highlighting the important issue of thalassemia in your editorial (Dawn, July 17) which, like other issues of public health, suffers from neglect by the authorities. However, I would like to clarify certain points raised in your editorial for the benefit of the readers.
First, eight million Pakistanis may be carrying thalassemia gene but do not suffer from the disease. This being an autosomal recessive gene will only manifest if two persons carrying the same gene marry and then one or more of their offspring may manifest the disease. That is the reason why approximately only 6,000 children are born every year with this disease while the total number of births are somewhere close to five million. The JPMC report also highlights another important point that 60 to 70 per cent of these children succumb to hepatitis B or C and die before reaching the age of 10. The reason for this sorry state of affairs is that blood transfusion services in the country do not routinely screen the blood for hepatitis B and particularly hepatitis C, thereby transmitting these diseases to not only thalassemic children but also put all those patients at risk who need transfusions.
As you rightly pointed out, the cure through bone marrow transplants is prohibitively expensive if at all available. The vast majority of such patients need regular blood transfusions for life with all inherent risks and complications. At the same time, they also need injections through pumps to remove excessive iron which is deposited in their bodies which otherwise might cause death due to failure of different body systems. This adds to the expense of treatment considerably.
The only valuable course for a country like ours is prevention by providing screening of young persons before marriage. Persons carrying the thalassemia gene should be advised not to marry someone carrying the same. By adopting this strategy, countries like Greece and Cyprus which had a very high incidence of thalassemia managed to reduce it to negligible proportions.
This would require a good primary health system where not only prospective couples are provided with counselling but are also tested. For those couples who already have such a child in the family need to be provided with prenatal testing in a hospital where such testing facilities should be available, and if the fetus is positive for thalassemia such parents should be offered abortion on medical grounds. And for the rest who are suffering from the disease safe blood transfusion and injections should be provided.
PROF TARIQ BHUTTA
Lahore
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