| August 1, 2002 | Thursday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 21,1423 |
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Just to save four lives
Suicide bombings
Ethnic cleansing in Chechnya
Kalam’s selection: a political move
Death traps
Suo motu courts
Extortion by Wapda?
Education in private hands
English titles
PTCL clarification
The Hindu ruling coalition and the opposition were terribly looking to alleviate India’s plunging image in the world after the ruling. BJP’s reputation was badly scarred due to the ongoing brutal attacks on Muslims and Christians in various parts of India, including the horrific anti-Muslim violence this year in the western state of Gujarat.
KARACHI University teachers and authorities were told by a judge to avoid confrontation. Justice M.K. Leghari of the Sindh High Court passed the order (Dawn, July 17).
It seems there is a lack of trust as well as communication between the vice chancellor, the teaching community the non-teaching staff and the students. Universities cannot perform well in such a situation.
I have recently retired as a professor after serving this university for almost 39 years.
During my stay at the university, I observed the working of the university very closely and noticed its development through different stages, the credit of which was always given to the heads of the institution i.e. the vice chancellors, who commanded respect and always believed in academic freedom.
The vice chancellors were mostly senior professors and always believed in consultations and open discussions with the academic and non-academic staff on all the important matters.
The university was always run by permanent registrars, controllers of examinations, librarians, directors of various institutes, student’s advisers and other administrators.
Regular meetings of the faculties, boards of studies, academic council, syndicate and senate were convened and decisions taken after detailed discussions.
Now these bodies do not meet regularly on due dates and as such the gap has widened between the vice-chancellor, the teachers, students and the non-teaching staff.
The elected bodies of teachers and the non-teaching staff should be allowed to discuss their problems with the vice chancellor in a congenial atmosphere so that meaningful result could be ensured.
The role of rangers at the campus must be minimal. Only a limited number of security staff may be present at the gates to prevent any untoward incident.
I have a feeling that due to the too much restrictions and checking at the gates, respectable visitors, including scholars, scientists as well as ex-students did not visit the campus. They used to say, ‘you live in a prison’.
A number of institutes were created, but the record will show that most of them had no infrastructure and were not approved by the appropriate authorities.
The senate, the syndicate and the academic council are the bodies where opening of new departments/institutes should have been discussed and approved.
The teaching community is justified if their views were not heard. In some cases, the approval of UGC is also required. Who is to be blamed for this?
Two billion rupees are claimed to have been spent on the institutes, but who will run these institutes? Do we have qualified and experienced teachers/researchers and how many? As a matter of fact, most of the foreign qualified teachers and researchers have either retired or are in the process of retirement.
Necessary steps should be taken to improve the working of the university.
DR AKHLAQ AHMED
Karachi
IT is very disturbing to see a number of letters directed against my father, Malik Asad Khan of Kalabagh, regarding the Mianwali peace settlement.
First of all, I would like to put some things straight.
My father, Malik Asad Khan, merely arranged a peace between two enemy groups. There was no scene about the marriages.
He had no desire, whatsoever, to be the mediator. However, when the question of saving four lives arises, no sane man would turn a deaf ear.
It may be mentioned that if these people got hanged, it would trigger a new series of killings in the two groups.
The deal regarding the marriages was not even intended to take place. This is a custom among the Niazis to ensure that in future they stay as one family. Two men from one party were to be married to two women just as a tradition. They were to divorce them voluntarily before Rukhsati.
However, the administration, not knowing the ground reality, took action and almost spoilt all efforts towards peace.
Once they realized their mistake, they again started requesting my father to arrange peace.
Had it been anyone else, he would have ignored the authorities, considering the mountain that the authorities made out of a molehill.
But it was only my father’s decency that he went ahead with arranging the peace.
Moreover, it may be mentioned that both the Niazi groups are neither our tenants nor belonged to our tribe or area.
They are from respectable Pathan families and not dependent on anyone. Therefore, no one can enforce any decision upon them.
The general impression is that some kind of verdict was given. Such a thing is not done in a democratic society like Mianwali.
We do not have any political motives or other vested interest. This was a noble act to save four lives and nothing more.
It is very petty on part of some people to give my father a bad name for such a noble act. Have these people themselves ever saved anyone’s life? I wonder!
I request the likes of Mr Mukarramuddin to find out the facts before suggesting as to who should and should not live in Pakistan. If Mr Mukarramuddin is such a patriot, why doesn’t he give up the luxuries of the West and come back home?
I could have had a cushy job in the West. But instead, I sacrificed all comforts of civil life and Western education to join the Pakistan Army so that I could defend my country.
CAPT(R) AMAD KHAN MALIK
I HAVE read with interest the ongoing debate concerning the religious position of the suicide bombings carried out by the Palestinians against Israel.
Many writers who have written against the suicide bombings have failed to consider the fact that the Palestinians were ejected from their homeland and Jews, living all over the world, were brought in and given the houses previously occupied by the Palestinians.
The Palestinians have been forced to live like refugees in their own homeland. They do not have arms to defend themselves against the Zionist aggression and have been left alone by the Muslim Ummah as well.
On the other hand, Israel has the fourth largest and powerful army in the world with technologically advanced and sophisticated weaponry available today with allout aid and assistance from the US government.
Since the start of the current intifada, despite all these so-called ‘terrorist attacks by the Palestinians’, out of 2,007 people killed in Palestine, more than 75 per cent are Palestinians, including women as well as the children as young as two-month-old.
All the international organizations, like the UN, the OIC and the Arab League, have practically done nothing to save the innocent Palestinians from the Zionist barbarism.
Against this backdrop, the Palestinians have no way out except to defend themselves with all the means and resources available at their disposal.
MARIUM
Karachi
BEING an official representative of the Russian Federation in Karachi, I just can’t keep silent on the attempts to distort the truth about my country.
In particular, I would like to draw your attention to the editorial ‘Ethnic cleansing in Chechnya’ (July 28).
The editorial gives not a single fact to prove allegations that Russian troops are “engaged in a systematic campaign of executions” and “ethnic cleansing” in Chechnya, just because it can’t.
The links of Chechen separatists with Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda are not ‘supposed’, but well known even in Pakistan. To know that you may either ask Pakistani law enforcement bodies’ representatives or read the material of not Russian but Western origin.
It is especially surprising that such an editorial comment was published now, when bilateral relations between our two countries are successfully developing and when both Pakistan and Russia are engaged in the struggle against international terrorism.
VLADIMIR MIKHAYLOV
Consul General of the Russian Federation,
Karachi
One can recall that during the visit to the affected areas of Gujarat, Prime Minister Vajpayee had said: “Today it is shame for us ... I have to go on foreign trips ... in this situation what kind of image of India I am going to take with me on foreign country’s visits”.
By selecting Dr Kalam, it is the weapon of killing two birds with one stone. The decision to back Dr Kalam by both the ruling and the opposition is a political move.
To understand the inner hunches of Hindu leadership, it was displayed during the Presidential speech by Dr Kalam when there were thunderous applauses on his statements on various issues but noticeably when he talked about his “unflinching commitment to secularism which is the cornerstone of India’s nationhood and which is the key to Indian civilizational strength,” the decibel sound from the applause was silent.
There was no applause, as well, when he mentioned ‘internal conflicts’ as one of the challenges facing India, the events in Gujarat seem to have been on his mind.
Dr Abdul Kalam may keep the roadmap for realizing the vision of a developed India and may have sincere dreams for developed and fair India but as history shows like the past two Muslim Presidents, he will be another figurehead in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
SYED ATIQ UL HASSAN
Sydney, Australia
‘OPEN manhole claims child’s life in New Karachi’, was a headline in all July 27 newspapers, including Dawn. So what? He was not the child of a governor, a minister, the Nazim or any other important person. He was a poor man’s child.
There would be no statement from any political party, even the one whose voters the parents of the child might be. No religious leader or party would express concern on this incident. None of them has time for these triflings. Common people are just like insects.
The city government in Karachi has been holding a ‘Fahm-i-Quran Programme’ in Nishtar Park for full 10 days. The organizers would be given an exalted position in the heavens.
So, this precedent might be followed by all the city/district governments throughout the country to grab exalted position in the heavens.
Perhaps those in authority in these local governments think that they would not be asked by Allah how filthy they rendered His earth by not keeping it clean and how many little angels they allowed to die by keeping the manholes within their jurisdiction open.
ZAFARUL HAQ MEMON
Karachi
LIKE any other Pakistani, living here in Sharjah, I have been keenly following the proposed constitutional amendments, all of which relate to the political reforms.
I feel that social reforms are more essential for our society than political reforms.
Recently, two cases of collective heinous crime in the name of justice have taken place in Pakistan which have shaken the entire nation. The shock was felt so strongly that the Chief Justice of Pakistan had to take suo motu action in both the cases.
These two cases are only the tip of the iceberg. A lot of undesirable custom and practices are prevalent in our society, particularly in violation of women’s rights.
The existing judicial structure, with its present workload, cannot deliver ‘undemanded’ justice which nevertheless is the responsibility of the rulers in an Islamic state.
It is, therefore, suggested that a provision should be made in the Constitution of Pakistan to establish a permanent ‘suo motu court’ to restore justice to people who are unable to approach a court.
The government is also requested to issue immediately an ordinance to stop the use of women and children as a commodity in any settlement or agreement between parties.
ABDUL LATIF KURESHI
Sharjah UAE
A WELL-calculated effort is under way at the billing section of Wapda to extort money from the consumers.
Our bill for the month of May was not delivered till the middle of June and by that time the due date for the bill, June 5, had long passed. Due to this reason we had to pay a late fee of Rs 600.
Then I read in a newspaper suggesting that this had been done deliberately to generate extra money.
After discussing my problem with a number of my relatives and friends, I found it to be quite true as all of them had received their bills after the due date.
I further noticed that the last reading on the May bill read 1257 units whereas the June bill started again from 957 units so we were also being charged for 300 extra units in the subsequent bill which was, however, delivered on time.
When I went to the Wapda office with the bills there was a lot of hassle, details of which would make another news story. I got no favour and had to pay both, the late fee and the charges for the extra units.
Again, I have not received the current bill which, under normal circumstances, should have been delivered by now despite the fact that the meter reader had taken the reading on time.
On inquiry, the Wapda authorities said that the bills had already been issued and suggested: “Your bill may have been dropped into your neighbour’s house by mistake.” But none of the neighbours have received even their own bills so far.
Shall we have to pay the “late fee” again? Will someone look into this matter?
DR AYESHA RAFAY
Islamabad
THE Punjab government has announced its intention to hand back the nationalized educational institutions to their original owners. The reason appears to be financial constraints.
The decision has taken teacher community to the streets but their protest against the privatization, unfortunately, is not getting adequate coverage in media, particularly the electronic media.
After the denationalization of these educational institutions, it would become impossible for a person of average means to educate his children. It is the government’s duty to provide the facility of education to its citizens and, therefore, it should make the required funds available and continue to run the institutions.
After going into private hands, the fees would be raised to such a level that education would become out of the reach of the common man.
For example, at the Government Islamia College, Kasur, there are about 1,500 students on the roll. There are 65 faculty members, including the principal. Two of them are in BPS-19, 12 in BPS-18 and the rest in BPS-17.
There are about 40 members of the non-teaching staff. If this college is required to meet by itself all its expenses, including the salaries of its staff, then each student will have to pay a fee of not less than Rs3,000 per month.
Under these circumstances, how can a person, whose salary is about Rs5,000 per month, manage to educate even one child?
Who has the answer to this question — the governor of Punjab or the President?
PROF M. ZAFARULLAH BHATTI
Kasur
THE PTV World has started a news bulletin which is followed by an interesting current affairs programme hosted by Mr Talat Hussain.
However, the names chosen for the two programmes — ‘News at Ten’ and ‘Encounter’ — sound strange because both of them are Urdu programmes.
ALPHA ROMEO
Rawalpindi
THIS refers to Mr Taimoor Khan’s letter ‘PTCL ads and reality’ (July 25). He has complained about delay in getting a new telephone connection.
In this regard, the PTCL would like to clarify as under:
Sometimes it is not possible to give telephone connections immediately due to some technical reasons, but where the network is available connections are provided quickly.
The writer says that he had to wait for the new telephone connection for 25 days. He has not mentioned either his telephone number or address so that we could have ascertained the actual situation.
It seems the valued customer does not reside in the area where telephones are provided within 24 hours.
He has also talked about some graft but again, has not mentioned his telephone number and therefore it is difficult to find out what actually happened in his case. The PTCL requests its valued customers to always mention their telephone number and address in such cases.
For the PTCL the convenience of its customers is uppermost. It has been working hard to improve its customer care services. It welcomes feedback from its customers and assures them that their suggestions and interests will be duly taken care of.
This is with reference to Mr Asim Shafiq’s letter ‘Non-existent phone’ (July 20). In this regard, the PTCL would like to clarify as under:
Telephone number 4963305 was installed in the name of M/s Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation at N-1, Hasan Apartment, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, as a government connection.
On request of the customer, the telephone in question was closed under safe custody on April 23, 1999 and the bills continued to be issued to the customer at the same address and not closed finally being government connection.
Now on the complaint from Mr Asim Shafiq, the new occupant of the premises, telephone has been closed finally. The bills amounting to Rs12,790, pertaining to telephone number 4963305, are being referred to M/s Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation for arranging payment accordingly.
ATHER JAVED SUFI
Media Coordinator, PTCL
Karachi
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