| September 27, 2002 | Friday | Rajab 19, 1423 |
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Property tax and corruption
National interest, not partisanship
Jihadis’ frozen funds
School transport
Wasting others’ time
For senior citizens
Musharraf’s perplexity
Insurance companies
US visa policy
Wrong comparison
Accountability — not witch-hunt
A candidate says...
ICC Trophy
Improving quality of education
IT is satisfying to note that talks between Pakistan and the United States have begun on military issues. This is a healthy development and as a Pakistani I welcome it.
In this connection I deplore the anti-American hysteria in some sections of our society. Strong relations with the US are in Pakistan’s interest. Even bigger and powerful countries like Russia and China take pains to be on America’s right side. For Pakistan to earn America’s enmity is to commit suicide.
India is trying its level best to improve its relations with the US and has succeeded to a certain extent but not to the extent that they want. What they want is that anti-American lobbies in Pakistan should become stronger, so that US-Pakistan relations deteriorate. That will be a great day for India.
The truth is that India feels unhappy over Pakistan’s growing ties with the US. Islamabad’s decision to support Washington in the war against Taliban has disappointed New Delhi. What the Indians would prefer is Pakistan’s total break with the US. I hope the policy-makers in Islamabad are not going to make India happy.
Of course, as a Muslim I have serious reservations about America’s policy toward Palestine, Iran and Iraq. But Pakistan comes first. Solidarity with the Arabs is in our bones. But just think cool-headedly. Did Iraq or any Arab country ever support Pakistan on Kashmir? Did any Arab country, during the present military stand-off, utter one word in India’s criticism?
Did any Arab country raise its voice against the massacres of Muslims in Gujarat? Even some European states’ comments about Gujarat made India uncomfortable. But no Arab country bothered to say a word over the anti-Muslim pogroms.
We must be friendly with all countries of the world — China, US, Russia, Germany, Britain, France, Canada — even Chile and Madagascar. Why annoy the world’s only superpower? If there are any problems of perception between us and the Americans, we should try to sort them out instead of launching anti-American rhetorics as some of our religious leaders do. To them, Afghanistan is more important than Pakistan.
YASIN RIZWAN
Karachi
I WANT to bring to the notice of the general public as well as top ranking officers in the government the fact that the decision to revise the rates of property tax has opened a new avenue of corruption for the officers of the concerned department.
They initially issue assessment notices of exorbitant amounts to owners of properties to compel them to visit their offices with a request to reduce the amount. When they contact them, an ‘amicable settlement’ takes place, and the tax officials themselves point out to them the grounds on which appeals for re-assessment could be filed.
This process leads to bringing down the bill’s amount to even less than 25 per cent in most of the cases. If re-assessed cases are investigated, astonishing results would come to light. The same strategy is being followed by the KWSB.
A CITIZEN
Karachi
GENERAL Musharraf in his address to the UN General Assembly emphatically laid out Pakistan’s position in the right perspective. He was able to prove to the comity of nations that he means business, and can take right decisions.
His meeting with President Bush was equally impressive. The media coverage was positive. He was able to communicate to the world that Pakistan is a moderate Islamic nation.
We, as Pakistani, should learn to appreciate what is good. Our leaders should rise above partisanship to promote the national interest. We should exercise our right of vote to elect an honest and able leadership.
I would urge President Musharraf to introduce the culture of accountability, not the cosmetic one but a comprehensive institutional accountability. He should rather reinforce the institutions and make arrangements that constitutional institutions are rendered strong and viable in any eventuality, even at his own powers’ expense.
May I request the General that after a transparent election, he makes sure that elected representatives are not blackmailed or coerced?
May we also hope that the assembly members would not succumb to coercion or greed? Let us hope that this is the last time that elections would be held under military government.
MUSTAFA
Toronto, Canada
IT has been reported that the 9/11 victims have sued certain Muslim trusts and individuals for damages to the tune of 1,001 trillion dollars alleging that they funded Al Qaeda. The American Jews have been contemplating to legalize their claim over frozen Jihadi funds all over the world. They have already collected huge sums from insurance companies. The Afghans, too, are the victims of 9/11. Whom should the innocent victims of reckless American bombing sue?
The UN is a handmaiden of the US. Is American blood more precious than that of the Afghans? Afghanistan needs reconstruction. The US/UN should prepare a marshal plan for Afghanistan. The frozen funds should be transferred to that country.
ABDUR RASHID
Lahore
THOUSANDS of children go to schools every day in rickety old vans, converted small pickups and in what is popularly known as dubba Suzukis. For seats, these vehicles have uncomfortable wooden or steel benches. But the type of seat becomes irrelevant because the children, along with their school bags, are packed like sardines.
Such school transport is mostly owned privately and not by the school. They charge exorbitant fares and take more than an hour each way because of the large number of children they carry. Who is responsible for the inhuman conditions under which the children travel to schools everyday — schools, traffic police, transporters or the civil authorities?
Schools don’t own the responsibility; traffic police never take notice of the dangerously overloaded vehicles; and the civil authorities — there is none at least in Islamabad.
Concerned over the safety of their children, parents are helpless — held hostage by the transport mafia.
H. U. HASNAIN
Islamabad
THE first thing that we are taught as students of business administration is the value of time and observance of punctuality. However, as soon as we enter the practical field, our experience is entirely the opposite.
The first organization where I was called for an internship interview was a well-known advertising agency. The person looking after the human resource section had given me an appointment for the second half of the day. I was glad, as I have never been a morning person. So, all dressed up and accompanied by my friend, we went there at the appointed time. At the reception, we were told that the concerned person was not yet back from lunch. We waited there for at least an hour and then we decided to submit our CVs and go back home.
It was terrible as if there was no value of our time. After all we were MBAs though unemployed.
However, this experience was not as bad as the next one when I was called for an interview at I. I. Chundrigar Road. It was scheduled for 11am but when I reached there, the HR manager told me without any qualms to come back during the second half. Forced by the situation, I had to spend more than two hours in a nearby franchise.
One request that I would like to put forward to the HR managers of our national and multi-national companies is that the people who wait in your waiting rooms for hours will in turn be taking your places. Please have some respect and regard for them so that they can treat people in the same manner when they get to your position.
As the saying goes, we learn from our elders.
FATIMA ZAFAR
Karachi
SENIOR Citizens Day is observed every year all over the world on Oct 1. On that day, many governments offer special concessions to their senior citizens so that they could pass their old days comfortably and peacefully. In our country, mere platitudes are offered on such occasions.
To ameliorate the sufferings of the senior citizens, it would be good if a special package is offered by our government on the forthcoming Senior Citizens Day.
The government is also requested to accede to the genuine demand of the civil pensioners by authorizing the respective account offices to calculate the increase in their pensions allowed in the current year’s budget on the amount of the individual’s gross pension instead of the net pension.
SHAIKH KHURSHID HASAN
Karachi
I WAS amazed to read in a report on a recent seminar organized by the Pakistan Chapter of the Transparency International (Sept 20) President Musharraf’s statement that he did not understand why people were so demoralized and pessimistic. This shows how out of touch he is with the conditions in which the common man has to live in this country.
Most probably he has not recently faced the problem of making both ends meet while the cost of utilities like electricity, telephone and gas and also that of petrol have risen sky high within a short period of time. This is besides the old problems of an absence of affordable medical and educational facilities.
The truth is that we feel frustrated because he has not acted according to our expectations. We had taken him to be a ‘saviour’. But after the passage of three years, it seems that though he might be sincere in his wishes, he has been misguided and, therefore, unable to deliver. On the pretext of chasing the Al Qaeda people, American agents are crawling every where in the country and we have lost even the facade of independence.
Can there be any greater reason for feeling demoralized?
EAISHA TAREEN
Lahore
I WAS pleased to read a news item on Sept 23 that, in order to protect the interests of insurance policy-holders against non-payment of insurance claims, the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has forbidden four insurance companies to underwrite fresh insurance business as they had failed to get rated their claim-paying ability and financial strength by some recognized rating agencies in Pakistan.
This is certainly a good move on the part of the SECP but the purpose would not be served unless the names of these insurance companies are disclosed.
I would, therefore, request the SECP to disclose the names of these insurance companies for the benefit of the public.
MOHAMMAD ANEES KATH
Karachi
IT was heartening that President Musharraf took up the US visa issue with President Bush when they met in New York recently. It is hoped that Mr Bush moves quickly before too much time is lost to our blocked students.
Among the victims of this sudden change in the State Department’s visa processing policy are the ambitious, young and career-oriented doctors. They toiled to have the required financial resources for getting residencies in the US. Well, some may not mind the monetary loss which amounts to $10,000 for the whole process of applying and interviewing for a residency spot in the US (though for a middle class doctor like me it is hard to overlook it) it is also the loss of time (one-and-a-half years for the whole process).
Why punish the whole Ummah for the misdeeds of a group of fanatics? We want to gain academically so that we can help our country. Wouldn’t it be more helpful for the US government to allow such a process to evolve as it would eradicate fanaticism and replace it with creative and constructive thinking? May be this is how they would win their war against terrorism.
I request President Bush to address the root-cause of terrorism which is lack of education and subsequent proliferation of fanaticism.
DR BABAR HASAN
Karachi
THIS refers to the letter, “15 ‘terrorists’ in Italy” (Sept 18). I have nothing against the contents of the letter, but I fail to understand when the writer says in this regard: Remember Prophet Jacob’s advice to his sons when they were going to Egypt ‘do not enter the city by the same gate’.
Prophet Jacob had 12 sons. One of them, Prophet Yusuf, had become in-charge of the granaries and was responsible for distributing rations. Prophet Jacob had sent the other 11 to Egypt to get their rations but advised them to enter through different gates so that people would not cast an evil eye on the good fortune of a man who had eleven sons.
This Quranic parable has no relevance to terrorists travelling together or separately. Prophet Jacob’s sons were certainly not terrorists, nor were they going to Egypt to conduct any questionable deeds.
ZAIN MANKANI
Karachi
WHAT does accountability mean? To punish those found guilty? If that is so, there must be something wrong somewhere because we are told it is so difficult to satisfy the due process on account of lack of evidence, so guilt cannot be established. As a means to enforcing accountability, does it mean our laws are inadequate?
You have hit the nail on the head in your editorial, ‘Accountability — not witch-hunt’ (Sept 23) when you say “without a change of attitudes, mere administrative re-organization will leave the basic problem untouched.”
Does this mean we don’t know the basic problem, or is our thinking so much in the rut that we are hide-bound to keep on multiplying the relevant laws: merging/sub-merging, centralizing or decentralizing organizations? Or is it changing one person for another? If that be so, by now by the laws of statistics, the possibility of success should have become a probability. Of course, this will never happen.
Adapting to change is Ijtehad, adopting what has consistently failed is bad strategy.
MASOOD HASAN
Lahore
THIS refers to the analysis headlined, ‘Election momentum gears up in Dadu’ (Sept 26). While commenting on the situation in my constituency, PS-73, Dadu, the writer says that I am sick, that I am at present in Karachi for treatment, and that I am not campaigning.
I would like to clarify that I am keeping perfect health. My campaign is moving in full swing and the people of my constituency will, Inshallah, elect me with an overwhelming majority on Oct 10.
MURAD ALI SHAH
Dadu
I JUST sat down to write that, with the inclusion of Holland and Bangladesh in the ICC Trophy, the tournament had become a farce. But on second thoughts, it came to me that tomorrow someone might say the same about Pakistan.
ASHFAQUE NAQVI
Lahore
THIS is with reference to a news item (Sept 18) regarding the standard of education and the observations of Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, Minister of Education, Science and Technology. He has termed the standard as pathetic.
It is interesting to note that soon after taking charge of the ministry of education he has initiated action for improving the quality of education at all levels. It is encouraging that he has appointed a think-tank and a committee of experts to prepare an action plan for the improvement of education at SSC and HSC levels. The action plan is to be finalized by Sept 30.
In my opinion the reasons for the deteriorating educational standard are: poor quality of teachers and head teachers, poor salary structure, big increase in teacher-student ratio, bad governance, unaccountability of teachers and managers, poor syllabi, lack of playgrounds/indoor games facilities, lack of interest on the part of parents, too many coaching centres, poor attendance of teachers and students during school hours and poor library facilities.
I suggest that as a long-term programme, courses of British/American system be incorporated at primary level and arrangements be made to train teachers with adequate facilities and resources. Teachers may be offered attractive salaries so that they can take up the challenge honestly.
In the meantime, as a short-term programme, courses of English mathematics and science may be inducted at the HSC and higher levels. Refresher courses, diploma, certificate and subject specialist courses may be made compulsory for the teachers in these subjects and on the basis of tests and performance, they may be considered for appointment in a better cadre.
For need-oriented system, it is proposed that after the completion of HSC, schools and technical colleges may be opened in different disciplines (electrician, plumbing, carpentry, motor mechanic, horticulture and gardening, food, instrument-repairing, basic computing, civil work, etc.). Even some of the existing schools and colleges may be converted into technical schools/colleges.
These are self-employment areas and this strategy will also reduce the curse of unemployment and poverty in the less-privileged class of society. Opening of such centres will involve only one-time financing by the government.
Some private sector schools have been imparting quality education in view of transparent admission policy, based on test and their quality of teachers and good management. They are no doubt charging exorbitant fee.
However, there is no accountability of the private sector schools. Stringent rules may be framed and implemented. An audit of the private schools must be conducted to ensure transparency in fee structure, admission, syllabi, quality of teachers, building, playground/indoor facilities, etc.
I hope Dr Atta and his team of experts will consider the above points.
DR AKHLAQ AHMED
Oregon, USA
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