| July 31, 2002 | Wednesday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 20,1423 |
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Voting right for expatriates
Healthcare in rural areas
Overcoming handicap
Heavy vehicles in residential sectors
Rule of Islamic laws
Water-borne diseases
Concessions to swindlers
Ordering a heinous crime
Above the law along motorway
A trader’s plea
Holding a bank account
Stranded Pakistanis
Action against decision makers
The way to peace
A question
Free-graft technique successful
A REPORT in Dawn some time ago informed us that the Central Prison, Karachi, had been de-listed from the cultural heritage list and that the Sindh Privatization Commission was going to dispose of the premises so as to finance the new prison which is being built on the National Highway near the Gaggar Phatak.
The Karachi Central Prison was built in 1899. It is an important heritage building. Heroes of the freedom movement, Pakistan movement and various other political movements in the country have been housed here.
Many of them may be considered as villains by the Pakistan establishment but they are still a part of history.
As such, the historically relevant parts of the prison should be preserved and converted into a museum of Pakistan’s political history.
Through your columns I would like to suggest that a competition for the development of the prison site should be arranged through the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP).
The Terms of Reference for the competition should include the preservation of the prison and the development of the site in a manner that benefits the neighbouring settlements and the city as a whole and at the same time generates funds for the development of the new prison.
We should not destroy our heritage and nor should we permit any more the ad hoc commercial development on government land which has devastated our city both in environmental and social terms.
I also request the PCATP to take up this issue with the governor of Sindh, the city Nazim, the Sindh Privatization Commission and the secretary culture.
ARIF HASAN
Karachi
IT has been announced that Pakistani expatriates will not have the right to vote in the coming October general elections.
The reason behind the decision is tough opposition by the Pakistan embassies in the Gulf who say that due to the absence of political activities in the gulf countries polling cannot be arranged there.
But the Presidential referendum of April 30 proved this theory totally wrong. The Bahrain authorities gave maximum possible help to the Pakistani expatriates for casting votes. Before my retirement, I was working in Bahrain when the referendum was held and I know the authorities built a polling booth at Safra to enable our families to use our voting right. Polling was held in a very peaceful manner.
The expatriates are politically conscious and want to cast their votes in the October elections.
AN EX-EXPATRIATE
Faisalabad
About 5,000 doctors are produced every year in the 14 public sector medical colleges of the country in addition to many others completing their education in the private medical colleges.
This number is sufficient for the country in accordance with the internationally accepted ratio of doctors to population. However, as these doctors are concentrated in the cities, there is a shortage in the rural areas.
The doctors are unwilling to serve in villages not because of monetary considerations but due to the lack of basic necessities of life such as schooling for their children and the utilities.
Moreover, it is not possible for them to take a dictation from the feudal landlord, especially in medico-legal cases.
Under these circumstances, it is all the more necessary to allocate more funds for and pay more attention to the preventive aspect of healthcare.
If the people are informed of the basic principles of hygiene — to boil water before drinking, pest control in and around the house, keep hands and the body clean especially before eating and cooking etc. — and if arrangements are made for primary vaccination against preventable diseases, the outbreak of epidemics and spread of general diseases in the rural areas could be contained effectively.
QAZI NAZIM NAEEM
Hyderabad
I READ the story of an Afro-American girl, published in a San Jose newspaper a few days back. I would like to share it with my countrymen through Dawn.
The girl, Remy Carlis of San Leandro, California, had lost her foot while trying to cross rail-track. She did not belong to a well-off family and had to undergo a long ordeal. However, she refused to give in to her financial constraints and struggled hard to complete her Masters in Electrical Engineering. During the course of her education, she had to work to earn. She has now designed an ‘e-foot’ using her newly acquired skills.
As a Pakistani, I believe that such an accident in our country would sure have added another beggar.
We must learn to struggle and acquire education and skills to neutralize the affects of any eventuality or mishap.
ENGR. S. ANWAR HASNAT
Dublin, USA
NO civilized society allows fully loaded heavily vehicles to pass through residential areas.
Unfortunately, the residents of Sectors I-10 and I-9 in Islamabad are faced with such a situation.
These sectors are densely populated and despite the residents’ protests, the administration has failed to prevent entry of heavy vehicles into the streets or divert the flow of heavy traffic from these sectors towards the less populated areas. Their failure has already resulted in many accidents.
Will the competent authority dare to take action for the sake of the life of innocent people who are facing the risk of accidents.
SIKANDER ANSARI
Islamabad
THIS refers to Naeem Sadiq’s letter (July 25) in which he has proposed that every political party should include in its election manifesto a minimum agenda which its successful candidates would have to follow.
He asks the candidates to declare that the blasphemy law is a violation of human rights. But how? Why should a person, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, be allowed to use blasphemous language against the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)? Rather he must be severely punished.
He has also asked for a declaration in the manifesto that the Hudood Ordinance be repealed. On the contrary, this ordinance should be enforced where necessary as it ensures proper upbringing of individuals.
He has said that the manifesto should include that any political, religious and ethnic groups engaged in any form of militancy from any location in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir should be banned.
One must add to this point that a right cause anywhere in the world can be supported and should be supported from any location in the world.
KHURRAM HUSSAIN
Karachi
CONTAMINATED and filthy water is being supplied to the residents of Hijrat Colony, Sector-D. A leaking sewerage line mixes up its filthy water with the potable water.
Obviously harmful, the contaminated water is consumed by people of all ages resulting in the growing cases of water-borne diseases, some of them fatal.
Complaints had been lodged with the Nazimeen of the area and Saddar Town when they visited the colony but no action has been taken so far.
I appeal to the governor of Sindh to look into matter.
SHAHZAD GUL
Karachi
WOULD anybody in NAB explain whether it is ethically justified to give the certificate of innocence after the corrupt has paid back a small portion of the looted money or promised to pay back when he will be able to do so?
Although it is hard to accept that NAB has recovered more than Rs80 billion from ill-gotten money-holders, the public wants to know where that recovered money has gone.
We are seeing no improvement in the economy. Prices did not come down. The necessities of life are still beyond the reach of the common man.
Frustration among the educated young people is rising because there is no improvement in the employment situation.
The finance minister has given us a friendly budget but how will it remain friendly when prices are rising?
Our foreign reserves are touching the figure of $6 billion but the people are not getting any benefit.
Educated and skilled people are leaving the country and the jobless have no option but to commit suicide.
GHULAM MUHAMMAD
Karachi
CAN anyone think of an inhumane and more heinous crime, against the weaker sex, than gang-raping an innocent woman and that, too, only for her young brother’s affair with an older woman?
It is quite obvious that the teenager could not have done it without being enticed by the older woman.
A tribal jury, in Meerwala, appeared to have ordered the commitment of the heinous crime which invited worldwide condemnation of Pakistan.
The country has been rocked by the crimes like those in Meerwala and subsequently in Mianwali which have tarnished the nation’s image.
Now an anti-terrorism court is trying the perpetrators. To dispense justice, I hope that the rapists, as well as the tribal jury — a curse on justice — will be punished severely.
S.M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
I WOULD like to draw the attention of the Motorway authorities towards the unreasonable attitude of the bus operators running their vehicles between Lahore and Chakwal.
Recently I left Lahore for Chakwal and paid a fare of Rs130. On my return journey the next day, I boarded the bus of the same company as it has no competitor on the route) I was forced to pay Rs140. The bus operators did not deny that the actual fare is Rs130 but accepted that the overcharging was a routine advising me only to calm down.
By chance, the bus was stopped by a policeman midway and I availed the opportunity to inform him of the unfair dealing. He asked the driver for his license after inquiring about the overcharging and getting no satisfactory justification.
The driver was fined on the spot.
The concerned authorities must carry out regular checking to ensure proper services to the commuters and contain violations of general laws as well as the traffic laws which are designed only for the safety and comfort of all the travellers.
PROF. GHULAM RABBANI
Lahore
OUR family was one of the pioneers in setting industries in (East Pakistan) Bangladesh just after 1947. However, in 1971 we were forcibly pushed out of Bangladesh and most of us were made POWs. In East Pakistan, we had the following industries and property, just to name a few:
Karim Rubber Industries Ltd, Fatullah, Dhaka.
Pakistan Paint Colour & Varnishes, Fatullah, Dhaka.
Bux Rubber Industries Ltd;, Bux Nagar, Dhaka and other property and agricultural land.
Since 1971, many governments have come and gone but nobody has paid any heed to our misery and most of us are surviving on very meagre resources, even though owning industries and property worth millions of rupees in Bangladesh.
Will the President come to our rescue and save my family?
ABDUL JABBAR AND FAMILY
Lahore
I HAVE been maintaining an account with the SITE branch of a nationalized commercial bank for the last three years.
As per to the procedure, the bank has to provide me a statement of the account twice a year but I have received none ever since the opening of the account.
I approached an officer of the branch who claimed that the statements were being sent to me regularly by post. He advised me to pay Rs200 for a duplicate and claimed that it was by the order of the State Bank. He, however, failed to produce the ‘SBP order’.
Owing to an urgent need, I had to pay the ‘fee’ to obtain the duplicate statement.
If I am right, the banks should keep the record of dispatches which may be produced on demand by the concerned customer.
Furthermore, I am of the view that as much as Rs200 is not a reasonable charge for a duplicate account statement.
The SBP should think over the issues.
AAMIR KABIR
Karachi
It is very unfortunate and tragic that Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh for the last 30 years could not be repatriated as yet.
Accommodated in various make-shift camps, they are living under sub-human conditions.
Pakistan seems to be the only state in the world to have delayed for three decades the repatriation process.
The present regime, I hope, will made some headway in this regard.
ZAFAR IQBAL
Karachi
THE prompt suo motu notice taken by the honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan in the Mianwali and Meerwala cases is commendable.
It has helped save the lives and destinies of the young innocent girls and should be described as ‘a service to humanity’.
It is yet to be seen whether the culprits in the two cases are brought to justice or not.
WAQAS MAHMOOD ARSHAD
Stockholm, Sweden
THE Israeli attack on the civilians in Palestine must be condemned. Everybody must remember that the use of brute force leads nowhere.
This has been proved so many times in so many parts of the world where a war had been preferred over a negotiated settlement.
When a war was waged against Iraq, the intruders failed to achieve their objectives.
The same is the case of Afghanistan. The US and its allies are still frightened by the Al-Qaeda even after eliminating hundreds of people, many, if not all, of them innocent, in that country.
This is a lesson for the rulers of Israel as well as India. They cannot succeed in crushing the struggle for the just rights of Palestinians and Kashmiris.
The Hamas has put forward its terms for a compromise with the Israelis but Tel Aviv is bent upon revengeful attacks on innocent Palestinians and continuing brutal raids on civilians.
A negotiated settlement in both the cases is the only way to solve the problems and establish peace.
ZIA AHMED
Multan
I AM sick and tired of reading letters in Dawn in which the writers give examples from the US, Australia, Canada, Germany and many other countries. Could someone be kind enough to provide an answer to my only question: “Could we ever become other than what we are?”
K. A. WAHID BUTT
Lahore
PLEASE refer to the letter “Successful stitching challenged” (June 26), by Dr Mujib Ansari.
I being the surgeon of that case would like to reply on factual and scientific grounds.
Factually speaking, a 31-year-old gentleman was brought to the Emergency Department of Ittefaq Hospital (Trust), Lahore. His organ was chopped off by his girl friend. Repair was done in the theatre (not behind closed doors) by a team of doctors, I being the head of the team.
The free-graft technique was carried out.
By the grace of God, excellent results were obtained, as part was cleanly incised. The micro-vascular technique was not done in this case. Free-grafting gives reasonably good results if done sensibly and carefully.
Scientifically and structurally, the male organ consists of three tubular structures: one, corpus spongiosum, in which lies urethra (urinary tube); two corpora caverrosa, which serves as erectile tissues.
These tubes are enclosed in fascial sheaths — then a single sheath-enclosing called Buck’s fascia. Outside this lie superficial veins and nerves. These tubes are physically blood containing chambers.
No muscles as such are there. Bulbar muscles just anchor the organ at its base to the pubic bone.
This is the simple anatomy of the structure cut. No muscle is cut. According to David O’Brien, Prof. of Urology, Emroy University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, an attempt to replant the male organ should be made, no matter what the time delay between operation and repair.
Replantation of the male organ is not only possible but also preferable to penile reconstruction procedures.
Certainly this is the second case of its kind where a girl has chopped off the organ of her boyfriend.
In medical literature, the total number is less than 15 with amputated organs both by assault or accident.
I got the patient photographed with me which is proof of what we have done. Surely, the writer of the letter would not have liked his picture to be released if he were the patient.
I conclude by saying that such a case comes once in a lifetime. Many surgeons do not get a chance in their entire career to see such a case. Its success certainly shows accuracy, basic skills and good surgical hands of the surgeon.
DR SHOUKAT ZUBAIR
Consultant Urologist Ittefaq Hospital (Trust),
Lahore
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