| July 25, 2002 | Thursday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14,1423 |
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Foreign debt servicing
Army officers in civilian organizations
Leaking sewers
A minimum agenda
Tinted glasses and fancy number plates
PTCL ads and reality
Umrah policy
Federalism and democracy
Mansur-ul-Haq
Wishing the impossible
Water shortage in Sindh
Mangrove park along Mai Kolachi
FIGHTING corruption must be a continuous process. We have to devise our own strategy to have our country’s money returned to us. It is imperative to understand that in Pakistan, corruption includes:
Massive evasion of taxes by firms in league with corrupt officials from top to bottom, write-offs of bank loans, shenanigans in the privatization process, smuggling that costs the exchequer billion of rupees, over-invoicing and under-invoicing by businessmen, the grant of agricultural land and real estate to a selected few and the bending of rules in prize appointments and promotions.
NAB should not give the impression that the accountability process is a means of persecuting and hounding out certain personalities. Accountability must have nothing to do with a regime. We must wage the war on corruption honestly and on a continuing basis.
Corruption has infected our society as a disease, which has to be cured.
Treating corruption as a symptom only depresses it temporarily. I would like to make a few suggestions to cure this disease. They are:
Seminars on regular basis be held at district level sponsored by the NAB.
The ISI being a very powerful and organized body, should contribute its knowledge and a cell should be established to track down those who have looted national wealth.
Identifying and tracing those in business or service now in Pakistan and sending illegal money abroad.
Checking the personal wealth of present ministers in the federal and provincial governments.
The misuse of the national exchequer by government employees for personal benefit must be stopped.
Forming a policy of protecting and rewarding informants who expose the corrupt.
Reducing the size of the government at federal and provincial level as there is too much duplication of functions.
Accelerating the process of privatization of government corporations and services which can be handled by private sector.
Monitoring foreign aid and loans, and their utilization for various development projects.
Establishing an inspection and technical consultancy cell in the NAB.
ENGR S.T. HUSSAIN
Lahore
THROUGH the promulgation of a presidential ordinance for restructuring of foreign loans, the government can defer the payment of instalments of foreign loans and the federal government will be under a statutory obligation to pay not more than 20 per cent of its annual budget in respect of foreign debt-servicing.
As a further short-term method, ‘voluntary default’ or ‘self-moratorium’ can be declared by the government of Pakistan itself. The idea of ‘self-declaration of moratorium’ was adopted by Russia. Voluntary default or self-moratorium may result in the rescheduling of the principal amount of foreign debts and waiver of a portion of interest by the IMF, World Bank and other donor agencies.
Some years ago when Dr Arshad Zaman, Dr Shahida Wizarat and myself proposed the rescheduling of foreign loans, government officials and a so-called IMF and World Bank-sponsored economist rejected the proposals, but today they are pressing the present government, which has availed of the restructuring or a delayed schedule of payment of foreign debts by some donor agencies to some extent. Under the ‘bargaining theory’, the borrower countries which are under heavy debt, can get better terms of repayments of their own choice from the donor agencies.
As a long-term measures, revival of 5,000 sick industrial units is essential. Furthermore, through the introduction of a national tax card in replace of the national identity card scheme, the tax base can be widened. Billions of dollars can be earned through a ‘scientific and transparent privatization’ of nationalized institutions and banks. Foreign debts can be adjusted through a modern privatization plan and nationalization of 4,500 metric tons of gold by introducing gold bond certificates scheme. By adopting interest-free banking, the rate of inflation can be reduced to a single digit.
SAALIM SALAM ANSARI
Karachi
HUNDREDS of senior army officers are heading important government departments both at the federal as well as the provincial level. The number of junior officers deployed in civil offices runs into thousands.
War clouds often loom large on our borders. Recently, the country was twice at the brink of a war. But almost none of these officers was recalled for his primary duty — country’s defence.
This may mean either of the following:
(a) The army has hundreds of senior and thousands of junior officers, so that sparing them out to civilian departments makes no adverse impact on its role as the defender of the country.
(b) The attraction of civilian offices is so great that no one can compel the men in khaki to go back to the cantonments.
In either case, the matter is too serious to be left as it is.
BEENISH BAQAI
Karachi
FOR the last seven months, the entire Block 13 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar is inundated with sewage water because of leakages in the sewerage line and blocked gutters. But neither the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board nor the Faisal Cantonment Board, under the jurisdiction of which this area falls, has taken any step to remedy the situation, despite numerous written and verbal complaints lodged with them.
Both these departments are charging us for services rendered, but neither of them accepts the responsibility of repairing the sewerage line.
It is requested that the concerned authority in the Sindh government should fix the responsibility of maintaining the sewage lines in this area and direct the board concerned to take immediate steps to relieve the residents from this unbearable situation. Also, only one board should have the right to collect charges from us for maintaining sanitation in the area.
ALI AHMED
Karachi
THE responsibility for choosing the right people lies squarely with the electorate. But how would the electorate know as to who are the right people?
The procedure adopted for this in all democratic countries is that every political party issues a manifesto in which it gives its agenda for the future. Taking into consideration the thinking of the ‘silent majority’, a minimum agenda is proposed which every candidate, irrespective of his or her political affiliation, should be made to abide by. The candidates must declare that:
1. Blasphemy law is a violation of human rights and repugnant to civil society and, therefore, I would have it abolished within three months of being elected.
2. Hudood ordinance is a blemish on the civil society of Pakistan and I promise to get it repealed within three months of being elected.
3. I am against all political, religious and ethnic groups engaged in any form of militancy from any location in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, and would work to have them completely disbanded.
4. I consider all panchayats, jirgas and other private, tribal, religious or feudal law-making bodies as unlawful and would take steps to have them abolished.
5. I consider all loans from any foreign government or financial institution as harmful to the interests of Pakistan. I shall actively work to dissuade the government from taking any further loans, and resign from my MNA/MPA seat if the government still goes ahead on this suicidal path.
6. I declare that it is not for the state to decide the religion of its citizens or to discriminate them on this basis. I will work to introduce legislation that requires no Pakistani citizen to declare his or her religion or sect at any stage for any purpose on any official document.
NAEEM SADIQ
Mississauga, Canada
CONTRARY to the tall claims made by the traffic police, a large number of vehicles still run in the city with tinted glasses and fancy number plates. The majority of vehicles with tinted glasses belong to embassies, consulates, federal and provincial governments, police and influentials. Similarly, a number of vehicles with fancy number plates and some even with AFR 2002 (Applied for Registration) number plates can still be seen in the city.
Plying vehicles with tinted glasses, besides being a traffic offence, is a risky preposition in a city where car-jacking, kidnapping for ransom at gunpoint and terrorism is rife. These vehicles are easy prey for the terrorist who can carry out his nefarious task without being noticed from outside or without fear of being stopped by the police as it carries a GP, GS or embassy number plate. The rocket attack on the American embassy in Islamabad a few years back and the killing of two children of a lady judge by the police in the city, involved government vehicles with tinted glasses.
It is therefore in the interest of all, especially the high and mighty, to assist the law-enforcement agencies in their fight against crime.
FAROOQ DAWOOD
Karachi
THE actual situation in respect of getting a new telephone connection remains as disgusting as ever before, despite the boastful commercials put over the TV by the PTCL.
Motivated by the PTCL advertisement, I applied for a phone connection some time back. At the very first step, I had a bitter experience. No one in the PTCL office was ready to tell me when and where to submit my application form. Finally, I had to seek help from an acquaintance for this purpose.
Although the PTCL claims in its advertisements that connection is provided within a week of the issuance of the demand note, I had to wait for it for 25 days. When the line had been provided, the lineman bluntly asked me to grease his palm with a threat to delay the actual commissioning of the telephone and allocation of a number.
Since I refused to oblige him, I had to make several visits to the concerned section in the PTCL divisional office, but to no avail. Ultimately, I had to seek assistance from my acquaintance once again.
The PTCL should remember that no amount of advertising is going to help them build up their image until and unless they really set their house in order.
TAIMOOR KHAN
Karachi
LAST year, Saudi embassies and consulates changed their policy regarding umrah visa. However, it was not simply an administrative matter because along with this change, certain new conditions were imposed. The most important was to have a confirmed hotel booking.
Now no one can simply go, find a local hotel, leave one’s bags and rush to visit Allah’s House. Previously the umrah pilgrims would find their own accommodation in whatever place they could afford. There were plenty of hotels, rooms and houses near the Harmain where one could find a reasonable accommodation for as little as 30 riyals.
In addition, numerous people had relatives with whom they could stay. On top of this, every country maintains its own guest houses that provide accommodation at very reasonable rates. (Pakistan houses in Makkah and Madinah, less than 10 minutes away from the Harmain Sharifain, charged 50 riyals per day).
All of this has now changed. The selected travel agents now charge anywhere between 75 and 150 dollars per day for accommodation. One has to pay in advance.
One does not really know what one is getting. This new policy has also made such visits out of reach for those who used to add the umrah trip to their travel plans because of the added expense.
ALLAMA RAHEEM DURVESHI
Karachi
HEREUNDER are some of the points of my article “Federalism and democracy” (July 22) which were left out but need mention.
After seizing power, the present regime had promised to give the country a sustainable democracy with supremacy of institutions rather than individuals and also to give the provinces their due rights.
Now what has come out of the NRB bag would make the president — in real terms the person of General Pervez Musharraf — more powerful than any individual, civil or military, in the history of Pakistan. To make this possible they have brought such drastic amendments in the constitution that have changed its basic character. This is not only against the commitments of General Musharraf but also in contravention of the ‘necessitated’ Supreme Court judgment. In fact, this is going to be a new constitution.
Contrary to the claims of this government, the powers of provinces have been weakened by taking some of their powers directly and transferring the rest to local governments, which themselves have been put under the centre’s direct rule.
From the examples of some distinguished federal democracies like the USA, Australia, Canada and Germany it transpires that the federating units there have got the status of autonomous states with their own separate constitutions, assemblies, judicial systems and flags. Can General Tanweer Naqvi, who claims the German system to be the ideal one, dare think of such powers for the federating units or even of calling them states?
ABDUL KHALIQUE JUNEJO
Karachi
IN Dawn of July 17, Mansur-ul-Haq was referred to as Admiral Mansur-ul-Haq (retired). The fact is that he has been stripped of his rank and decoration by a presidential order. So, he should not be referred to by any rank even with the word ‘retired’ in parenthesis.
Recently, I saw a plaque under a tree, in front of the emergency department of the naval hospital, saying that it was planted by Mansur-ul-Haq. But this is not enough. I would suggest that all such plaques and photographs of this disgraced officer be removed from everywhere.
DR KHALID BUTT
Karachi
EARLIER, the people of Pakistan suffered because of top-level corruption of rulers in the so-called democratic governments. Now they are suffering owing to the non-stop levy of heavy taxes on one pretext or the other.
They do not know what to do as there is no relief for them from their miseries, whether it is a democratic government or a military dictatorship.
May Allah give us the right leadership which can serve the people, not rule them.
MUHAMMAD YASEEN
Karachi
THE people of Sindh are facing an unprecedented man-made shortage of water. It is feared that the crop yield would be far less this year.
This irrigation water scarcity is causing a great deal of poverty in the region. According to various UN reports, a severe drought is expected in many areas of Sindh in the coming months.
In addition, a recent study showed that unabated sea intrusion has inundated over 1.2 million acres of farmland in the coastal areas of Sindh, dislocating almost a quarter million of population, and inflicting a financial loss of over US$1.7 billion so far.
Experts attribute this devastating situation to the unfair policies of the federal government and to the construction of dams and barrages on the Indus river during the last 60 years or so. The policies of Irsa, the federal agency responsible for water distribution, are not fair as far as Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP are concerned.
To make matters worse, recently hundreds of peaceful Sindhi demonstrators (including women and children), protesting against the government policy of unfair distribution of water, have been put in jails.
In June, police shot at the protesters resulting in two deaths and injuries to many.
The federal government should adopt a fair policy regarding distribution of the Indus river water.
KASHIF KHUWAJA
Thatta
THIS is with reference to S.H. Zaidi’s letter ‘Mangrove park along Mai Kolachi’ (July 17). Mr Zaidi writes that “their (mangrove) destruction in a very small, infinitesimal portion near the port is a small price to pay for meeting the developmental needs of the port, city and its residents.”
But why has he not informed the public that all this so-called ‘developmental needs’ are in fact a housing colony for the Karachi Port Trust Officers Housing Society (KPTOHS)? Is this housing colony for the developmental needs of the port, city and citizens? What the PPP failed to do, as claimed by Mr Zaidi, the KPT is doing now, that is commercializing a recreation area.
Mr Zaidi should know that the coastal areas of Sindh belong to Sindh and not to the KPT, who are only trustees of these areas.
According to him: “One does not see any trace of Mai Kolachi mangrove forest because the fact is that the mangroves in this area as well as along the Mauripur Road were already well on their way to destruction...” This is totally incorrect because the mangrove forests were in full growth till the KPTOHS destroyed them and reclaimed the area by dumping construction waste. Even now where reclamation has not taken place, one can see patches of mangroves with gulls resting near them. A few weeks ago I saw pink flamingos standing there.
I agree with Mr Azmat Ansari’s suggestion to turn this area into a mangrove national park in memory of late Omar Asghar Khan.
I appeal to the President of Pakistan to visit this area and see for himself how the coastal ecology has been destroyed, and take stringent action against KPT and KPTOHS.
Lastly, my great regret is that the NGOs who call themselves guardians of environment have not tried to save the environment and ecology of Mai Kolachi mangrove forest.
The people of Sindh and Karachi in particular demand that KPT should restore the mangrove forest of Mai Kolachi area. In fact this should be done under a presidential order.
A. REHMAN
Hyderabad
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