Elections and party agenda

THOUGH the Election Commission has got the constitutional and financial authority to hold the polls and has taken a number of measures to make the process transparent, unfortunately major political parties have been coming up with all types of allegations.

Some of them claim that fake ID cards are being prepared in bulk, some others talk of pre-poll rigging and a few others threaten to launch protest movement.

There is a perception that all the unwanted polls traditions of the past are back with full force. Politicians have been attacking freely either their rivals or the government.

Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and various factions of Pakistan Muslim League are rummaging the past scandals and using them against each other.

It would be much better for the politicians to pause and look at themselves, their behaviour and take a bigger perspective of the country’s situation.

They should realize that the government is going to hold elections under such a difficult situation and will rightly claim credit for accomplishing the job. One can see that the ‘war against terrorism’ is under way with all its ugliness on Pakistan’s soil while India with her troops deployed along our borders has been using every available tactics to make things difficult for Pakistan.

India has been repeatedly relaying dubious message that Osama bin Laden is somewhere in Pakistan and her aim is very clear that is to harm Pakistan with such propaganda. Furthermore, she has been striving hard get Pakistan declared ‘a terrorist state’.

From the blast outside the Srinagar assembly to the killings in the Indian-held Kashmir, New Delhi has used all the horrible incidents to malign Islamabad.

India’s blitz would not end in near future and this would be the biggest challenge to the new government in Pakistan.

Apart from this, another serious problem could emerge from the recent assertion of the US General commandeering the ‘war against terrorism’ that the war should go beyond Afghanistan. The next war zone may be Pakistan.

The aspirants of seats in the power corridor are going to be at the helm of affairs in the coming days and they must realize the situation.

Have the politicians or their parties chalked out any plan to counter these threats apart from the threats from their own election rivals?

Have they designed any programme for the welfare of the people or a strategy to handle the country’s economy and streamlining the foreign policy?

All I have to say is that their aim should be Pakistan and not the PM House.

MOMINA RAZA ZAHID

Karachi

Farooq Leghari’s role

THIS is with reference to Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee’s column “We never learn from history-4” (Aug 18). He refers to my letter published in Dawn (Aug 16) in rebuttal of false allegations made by him earlier in his columns (Aug 4 and 10).

Instead of apologizing for levelling false accusations against Mr Leghari, Mr Cowasjee brazen-facedly alleges that ‘another recipient of the largess distributed by the ISI courtesy, Mr Younus Habib of Habib and Mehran Bank fame has surfaced. This time it is the Tumandar of the Legharis, Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, chief of the Millat Party....”

Cowasjee knows fully well that Mr Leghari never ever received any funds directly or indirectly from the ISI. Even Gen Babar who carries animus against Mr Leghari and who is quoted again and again by Mr Cowasjee had to admit in his interview aired by the ARY TV channel on Aug 23 that Mr Leghari was never a recipient of any ISI funds.

Mr Cowasjee in the above mentioned column also claims that his ‘testimony’ before the Karachi Press Club two-and-a-half years ago in which he had declared that Mr Leghari was ‘clean and not involved in any such wrong doing’ was highly puzzling to him.

The entire Press Club membership knows fully well that Cowasjee then so testified. He is perhaps ‘puzzled’ because his ‘lie’ against Mr Leghari cannot be sustained, just as similar attempts at character vilification of Mr Leghari by Nawaz Sharif and Benazir’s cohorts could not.

We welcome the call for an early hearing of Air Chief Marshal Asghar Khan’s petition so that facts come to light and truth prevails.

BRIG (R) MOHAMMAD YOUSUF

Central Secretary Information, Millat Party

Musharraf’s achievements

THIS is with reference to Ms Annie Hameedi’s letter, ‘Musharraf’s achievements’

(Aug 28).

Let me give her a few more of Musharraf’s ‘achievements’: increase in the poverty level from 32 per cent to 35 per cent since 1999 (this translates to about 4.5 million more poor and hungry people in the country), 11 increases in electric power rates since his coming into power, increase in lawlessness, increase in unemployment and, finally, increase in the suicide rate.

Somebody should tell me, what good are the $7 billion reserves if the poor are becoming poorer?

Another thing that she mentioned in her letter was that she could now walk in the streets of the West with pride and have a conversation with “high powered executive”, thanks to Musharraf. I have been living in the West for the last 13 years and I could walk on the street with pride even before Musharraf. I never came across a “high powered” executive on the streets. And yes, people did know about Pakistan before as well. It is not a new phenomenon to have happened after October 1999.

Believe me Ms Hameedi, Musharraf might be your hope, but not for the 50 million people of Pakistan who are living under the poverty line.

FARUKH NAVAID FAROOQUI

Detroit, USA

Handling protesters

THREE recent incidents in the country— the first in Sri Saral, Islamabad, next in the military farms in Okara and most recently in Gwadar— each involving a violent show down between the civilians and the ‘law enforcing agencies’, and resulting in mostly civilian casualties, have highlighted the highhanded attitude of the civil and military authorities and their utter disregard for human life.

The precedent of targeted shooting to disperse a protesting mob, no matter how violent, would be hard to find in the civilized world. The law enforcing agencies have a great many tools short of targeted shooting at their disposal to achieve their objectives. These include the use of tear gas, rubber bullets or firing into the air. Even in the worst circumstances they may aim at a person’s legs and not at his head, chest or back which is likely to cause a fatal injury.

Many of us remember the massive anti-globalization protests throughout Europe and the USA during the past couple of years. The protesters came prepared for all possible eventualities.

We saw them training, as if for combat, on international news channels. And yet the number of dead as a result of police action during the entire period that spanned over two years and two continents, came down to one.

The investigation into that one death in Italy is still going on. How many have we killed and maimed because they were protesting against something, in the past one month? And what are we doing to prevent any future adventures by our law enforcers?

The state continues to infringe upon the basic rights and liberties of its citizens. The men and women that we have ourselves armed to protect us from internal and external dangers, are the readiest tools in the hands of any despot. Can we find a way to put an end to this oppression?

NUSRAT BOKHARI

Islamabad

Check on intelligence agency

REFERRING to Ardeshir Cowasjee’s column, ‘We never learn from history’, it is interesting to note that military circles are still silent on such a critical issue.

As a concerned citizen of Pakistan I have every right to ask our judiciary as to why such an important case has been pending for such a long time. An institutions like the NAB is also silent on this issue and this silence leads one to think that they too are protecting those responsible for ruining our political system and for bringing instability to our country.

I must support the idea to form a judicial commission to review the affairs of this notorious organization.

FAHIM-UZ-ZAMAN KHAN

Karachi

It is beyond any doubt that the role of the ISI has been highly dubious. Pakistan has all along been under the threat of a military takeover and none of the political governments has been able to produce the desired results.

Now it is evident that the politicians have been largely playing in the hands of this mafia.

My question to all government functionaries, including the President of Pakistan, is that is the ISI not governed by any law or government rules? It is surprising to find that even after misusing public money to such an extent, they still claim to be more patriotic than any other citizen of Pakistan. Where we stand today is entirely due to the manipulations of such agencies.

DR SOHAIL SHAH KHAN

Karachi

Degree for politicians

THE recent awarding of a bachelor’s degree to some politicians by Pakistani universities appears to be anything but transparent.

The usual course of study for BA is spread over two years. Even if one is appearing privately, one has to prepare hard for months. Then there is a procedure for the registration of candidates and payment of the examination fee, which begins several months in advance of the holding of the examinations. Similarly, the universities take quite a long time after the holding of the examinations, to announce the results.

Obviously, the politicians are interested in acquiring the degree to become eligible for contesting the forthcoming elections. There is nothing wrong with that. However, what is worrying many people is the question that how could these politicians manage to submit their examination forms, make the payment of the fee well in time, and also obtain the results declaring them successful, in such a short period of time.

These politicians are public figures and will be contesting elections to represent the people of Pakistan.

It is, therefore, the right of the people to know how all this could be arranged and if any extra-legal means were employed in the process. I am sure the politicians would have no problem in answering such a query if nothing wrong has been committed by them.

It is also the obligation of the universities awarding degrees to politicians to clarify these points. They should also let the public know as to which examination centres these politicians had to go for their papers and even release their answer books to the press, if pressured to do so. This is necessary to maintain the prestige of the universities concerned and to maintain the value and credibility of the degrees awarded by them to their students in the future.

The Election Commission of Pakistan should also look into this matter. It should ascertain that no shady deals have been made by the candidates to secure their eligibility.

The voters are concerned about this issue because if a politician can not act honestly in personal matters, how can he or she be trusted to be honest in national matters?

HAMMAD M. MALIK

Bayonne, USA

Double votes for Minorities

I READ with interest the letter of Mr Ishaque Soofi from Rabwah saying that double votes for minorities are justified (Aug 26).

Had this principle been universally acceptable, other countries having well established democracies would have acted on it long before. Accordingly, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians would have been enjoying two votes in India. And the Palestinians in Israel would have also been getting that double right to vote.

The amendments made in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s time, duly approved by the houses of the parliament, did not make the minorities non-Pakistanis, nor do these deprive them of their basic human rights.

Those amendments simply say that non-Muslims are non-Muslims. Pakistan, being an ideological state, has the right to do so.

Israel does not permit Muslims to join its armed forces, although there is no such ban on Druze while Christians may or may not join the Israeli army according to their own will.

It may be pointed out that Druze are considered non-Muslims by the vast majority of Muslims because of their alien beliefs, but the Druze themselves claim to be Muslims.

RAO ANWAR UL HAQ

Islamabad

Lowari tunnel project

KEEPING in view the communication problems in Northern Areas and Chitral, the government has taken certain measures to mitigate the people’s sufferings. In order to make the tourist-attraction sites accessible, inter-link roads have been constructed in these areas.

Besides, a sum of three billion rupees has been sanctioned for the much-delayed Lowari tunnel project which will link Chitral with other parts of the country through an ‘all-weather’ route.

President Musharraf had inaugurated Gizar-Mastui road project on Aug 28 last year. However, the Lowari tunnel project, which had been shelved after millions of rupees having been spent on it in ‘70s, has still been kept in cold storage.

The military government is requested to make it mandatory for the future government to complete the project on priority basis.

M. AFZAL

Karachi

Railway booking

PASSENGERS travelling from Lahore to Rawalpindi have to pass through long queues and also to face the rude behaviour of the booking staff. And if one needs to get his booking cancelled even well before the departure of the train, a deduction of 75 per cent is made which is highly unjustified and unfair. It is because of these reasons that many people prefer to travel by road where no such deductions are applicable.

I feel that in case of a cancellation of a booking, a deduction of not more than five per cent is justified because it does not cause any loss to the Railway as there is always a demand for a last minute booking.

SHAHARYAR

Lahore

Democracy

THIS refers to the letter of Mr Liaquat Merchant (Aug 24) on the above-mentioned editorial. Any system has to be given time to at least make one full circle.

In democratic terms this means at least one successful change from one democratically elected government to another.

This has never happened in Pakistan. The change in government has always been external, that is, through the Supreme Court or the military.

ASIF PARACHA

Essex, UK

O-level and SSC systems

IT was surprising to read in Hira Fatima’s letter (Aug 26) in which she mentioned that O-level was considered inferior to the SSC (secondary school certificate). It is really disturbing to see merit being discouraged on purpose, especially when this injustice is being done by education authorities who are supposed to encourage merit.

I have taught under both the systems and am all praise for the O-level because it encourages independent critical thinking in a student whereas the SSC system lays emphasis on memorisation, rote-learning and selective study. Actually, the SSC system vitiates the qualities of head and heart as it discourages creativity, independent thinking and the spirit of inquiry although students get high marks under this system. We can safely say that the O-level system is knowledge-oriented whereas the SSC system is marks-oriented.

Common sense and fair play demands that we should try to incorporate the merits of the O-level in the SSC system to improve it further. Discouraging the O-level system is tantamount to discouraging creativity and independent thinking.

PROF A. H. SUBHANI

Faisalabad

Speed of light: a scientific approach

SPEED is specific distance covered in specific time. Momentum depends on energy or force applied to the object which is to be set in motion, less any resistance it may encounter while in motion.

An athlete will not be able to throw the javelin to the exact same distance in every attempt that he makes. The reason for this is that energy or force that he applies in throwing the javelin will vary each time.

In case he throws the hammer, the result will not be the same on his repeated attempt. If the hammer is rolled on the ground, it will not go even the one-fourth the distance it did cover as a missile.

Subsonic aircraft have been known to travel between two cities taking different time in different seasons. When it gets tail-wind, it takes less time to reach the other city as compared to when it encounters the head-wind which acts as a resistance. Long distance travel consumes more energy and the subject may also lose speed.

Hazrat Imam Zainul Abedin in one of his prayers compiled in the book Sahifa-e-Kamila says, “Oh Lord! Thou only knows the weight of light and the weight of darkness.” It is the weight of light containing the required component of energy which keep its momentum till it encounters darkness which exists between galaxies.

In short distance, the effect of the encounter will not be noticed but for light travelling between the galaxies through the darkness that separates them, the decrease in the speed will be noticed for two reasons.

One, the light which is a positive force will part with some of its energy while passing through darkness which is a negative force and very absorbent in nature.

Two, travelling millions of miles, it will lose part of its energy. The twinkling lights of the stars are very meagre as compared to their brightness at the source. In comparison, the sun which is so close to us burning for millions of years, lightens the planets in its solar system even before coming directly over it.

It will be interesting to know how the Australian scientists have calculated that in billions of years, the speed of light has reduced.

If so, what was the speed of light then? Could it not be that the speed of light may have increased if the resistance in its journey has been removed during that period?

Being extremely fast, the light may transgress time. Cannot it? Einstein’s theory of relativity is still in its proper proportion.

AKBAR RAZA KAZIMI

Karachi