| October 1, 2002 | Tuesday | Rajab 23, 1423 |
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Defence spending and security
Identifying mentally retarded
Improving Pakistan’s image
Future of our institutions
Internet problems
Urdu and PTV programmes
Appendix surgery
Potholes in Karachi road
Plight of south Punjab
FM radio for Multan
Pakistan and the High Commission
Railway tickets
US designs in Middle East
On Sept 27, 2002, East Timor took its seat at the UN General Assembly as its 191st member, its national flag was hoisted in front of the UN Central Secretariat building in New York and its great leader and the first President, Jose Xanana Gusmao, addressed the Assembly thanking the world body for helping his country achieve independence.
We Kashmiris congratulate Timor Leste, President Gusmao and his compatriots for their feat and wish them a peaceful, prosperous and dignified future.
I had sent a similar felicitation message on May 20, on the eve of East Timor’s independence, but the telegraph office in Karachi sent it to Delhi, instead of Dili, and informed me a week later that the addressee could not be found in Delhi. On my explanation that the addressee, President Gusmao, was in Dili and not Delhi, they told me later that there was no place called ‘Dili’ in their list of telegraph offices and that was the end of the episode.
Anyway, what I want to point out here is that East Timor got freedom from Portugal in 1975 mainly, though belatedly, as a result of the wave of decolonization that followed World War-II but like the proverbial fish that fell into the fire after struggling its way out of the frying pan, East Timor was pounced upon by Indonesia immediately after it was freed by Portugal. East Timor people finally fought their way out through a concerted freedom struggle.
The issues concerning Kashmir and East Timor have many similarities and differences. The main similarity is that both have undergone centuries of thralldom. Muslims ruled Kashmir for 480 years (from 1339 to 1819 AD) out of which Kashmir was an independent state for 246 years.
Before Muslims appeared on the political stage of Kashmir in 1339, it had been ruled by 21 dynasties, 18 of which were local and independent.
The main difference between Kashmir and East Timor is that whereas the international community, especially the UN and Christian nations, extended full practical support to East Timorese’ freedom movement, the world body now refuses even to try to implement its own resolutions on Kashmir.
Kashmiris’ freedom is being sacrificed by Islamic states at the altar of friendly relations with India and Pakistan. Another very effective difference between Kashmir and East Timor is that whereas the latter has a dynamic, united and independent leadership followed by a unified nation, Kashmiri leaders remain divided.
The claimants to proprietorship of Kashmir have been fighting each other like naughty boys (or dacoits) over the ownership of the thing that actually belongs to the people of Kashmir.
Like that of East Timor issue, the best solution to the Kashmir issue also is its independence.
AMANULLAH KHAN
Chairman, JKLF,
Rawalpindi
THIS is with reference to an excellent and timely article, ‘Defence spending and the national security’ by Dr Amjad Waheed (Sept 16).
The article is an open and rational analysis of high defence spending in the context of national security and its adverse effect on the economic and human development in Pakistan.
In the modern world, governments make annual budgets to allocate their scarce (monetary) resources for competing demands. In Pakistan the demand for defence needs has remained so high that the successive governments have averagely spent six per cent of our budget. This six per cent is a huge amount when one compares it with the funds allocated for education and other social sectors.
In the budget 2002-03, the amount allocated to defence is Rs146 billion and to education, a paltry Rs2.6 billion. It means that 75 per cent more money goes to the armed forces than to millions of Pakistanis for their education.
The question then arises: are we more secured and stronger today by spending that much amount on defence? Why don’t we Pakistanis understand that we can be stronger and more secured by investing more on our human resource development rather than fighting a ‘cold war’ with India? We are too poor to fight a cold war. Look what happened to the Soviet Union; look what is happening in Iraq. Let me remind the people that Pakistan comes first and Kashmir only next.
In this country there has been a ‘criminal neglect’ of education for long. One can ask: who is then responsible? Well, whosoever has ruled Pakistan most of the time. Because providing education to its masses is mainly the responsibility of a state.
MUHAMMAD FAISAL
Sukkur
IT is a matter of deep concern that our primary, high and higher secondary schools do not have any guidance and counselling programme through which the mentally retarded school students could be identified. It is due to this fact that while the retarded children fail to get adequate education through proper methods, the institutions meant for special education for the disabled do not have enough students.
It is suggested that the education department should direct all government and private schools to take necessary measures to identify the mentally retarded students and advise their parents to get them transferred to proper schools. Besides this, it must be the duty of the special education institutions also to send their teams for regular visits to different schools and to identify mentally handicapped children who could be shifted to their institutions.
ABDUL AZIZ
Hyderabad
WE Pakistanis in foreign lands often come across people asking what is happening in our country. They are simply unable to understand why there is military rule every now and then.
To them Pakistan appears a nation of unruly people who only understand the language of force. They can never be ruled under a democratic system which promotes equality and tolerance.
If we want to improve the image of Pakistan, we will have to follow the rules of modern state and society. Otherwise, we will remain backward.
IMRAN BHATT
London, UK
THIS refers to Mr Hafeez Akhtar’s letter ‘Our future: bright or bleak’ (Sept 20) which was in response to my letter ‘Future of national institutions’ (Aug 30). Mr Akhtar has misconceived the content and purpose of my letter.
Some people think that there is no frustration and change among the youth as far as youth mobilization is concerned. No, there is a problem. Our youth are frustrated and do balk at opting for government institutions.
This is not confined to Karachi, multinational companies are present in all parts of our country.
I have heard young people from Islamabad and Lahore say they have no intention of joining government service; instead they prefer multinationals.
I am not against going for the MNC jobs. I just wanted to highlight this new trend and draw attention of our youth and the government to keep the needs and aspirations of each other in mind.
I didn’t put forward any ‘theory’ that our future in Pakistan is bleak. My method of analysis was very much inductive.
It is not right to say that “people of Karachi are always on the lookout to migrate anywhere in the world in search of better prospects.” I don’t need to point out how Karachiites have been contributing to Pakistan’s development and that Pakistanis from which parts of the country aspire to migrate. I am a young graduate and have decided to serve my country as a researcher.
I cannot even imagine of becoming an economic migrant nor do I admire a fellow youth who migrates, because this means turning away from the national challenges ahead.
SANAM NOOR PECHUHO
Karachi
SIMULTANEOUSLY with the recent curtailment of Voice over Internet facility, one is now faced with the problems of slower download speeds perhaps due to reduced bandwidths, and of disconnections every quarter hour or so.
All the above three happening together does make one wonder whether the slow down and frequent disconnections are accidental. A word with the line repairman on duty elicited the reply — ‘under ground cable fault’. If that were the reason a number of under ground cable faults have appeared at different places, rather suddenly.
For the information of the PTCL, Times of India, Internet edition, advertises a Voice on Internet Service from Mumbai at Rs. 4.99 per minute to UK, USA and Singapore, and at slightly higher rates to other places. Could that be food for thought for our forward-looking PTCL?
IQBAL F. QUADIR
Karachi
IT has been observed that in almost all the PTV stage shows, interview programmes and discussions, although the language is Urdu, the participants and the comperes make an excessive, and often unnecessary, use of English words and phrases.
By adopting this practice the PTV and its producers are not doing any service to our national language. Other nations, like Germans, French, Russians, Chinese and Japanese, always take pride in their own national language.
Even when on an official visit to another country, people from these countries do not speak English, even though most of them can do that very well.
So, why can’t we stick to our own language in these programmes?
S. ATHAR
Karachi
ACUTE appendicitis is still the most common indication for emergency abdominal surgery and morbidity/mortality is increased if appendix perforates. Initial diagnosis by a surgeon is based on typical history, lab and clinical findings. In adults, it helps in determining the diagnosis but it is very difficult and challenging in pregnant patients or in children where history may be confused or non-obtainable.
The role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, first reported in 1981, has since been found to give a very high diagnostic accuracy. In our experience with 75 patients examined during 1996 to 1998 at the Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre and the Seventh Day Hospital, the diagnostic accuracy was 98.6 per cent. Sixty-six patients were confirmed to have inflamed appendicitis on histopathology and nine patients were saved from unnecessary appendicectomy. This study was published in 1998 in the Journal of Surgery, Pakistan.
Today, amongst all the available diagnostic modalities, Colour Doppler Ultrasound with high-resolution probe is considered gold standard in the diagnosis of appendicitis because it has non-invasive and non-ionizing radiation and at the same time it is low-cost, widely available, less time consuming and patient-friendly modality compared to helical CT scan.
Limitations of ultrasound are a relatively lesser availability of good quality ultrasound machines with high-resolution probes and lack of expertise amongst the sonologists in intestinal/appendicular sonography.
Patients should insist on ultrasound examination before surgery, especially if not in life threatening situation and preferably from some reputable place where the above-mentioned machine is available.
DR TARIQ MAHMOOD
JPMC, Karachi
A FEW months ago, a letter had appeared in these columns whereby the Karachi City government had been requested to urgently undertake repairs of the pedestrians’ bridge at Numaish, as the floor had got rusted and lots of potholes had developed in it. It is regretted that no action has been taken so far.
Since walking on this bridge is becoming more and more dangerous with every passing day, the concerned authorities are once again requested to please give this matter their instant attention and arrange necessary repairs without any further delay.
NAJMUL HASAN
Karachi
AS an ordinary citizen, I have not been able to understand whether living in southern Punjab is a blessing or a curse. It is often thought that since this area is the den of feudals and the seat of powerful political clans, there is no need to pay any attention to it.
I strongly believe that this myth has been created by power-players in connivance with the local politicians.
When there is a debate about the downtrodden and politically deprived people at any forum, we hear about the Mohajirs of Karachi, Sindhis of Sindh interior, Balochis of Makran coast, Pathans of the NWFP and Fata and other remote areas, even the poor farmers of upper Punjab and the hard-pressed small and medium entrepreneurs of north Punjab. But the poor masses of south Punjab are hardly ever mentioned.
Who is to blame for this situation? I believe that it is we, the people of the area. We have always been sending those very individuals to the assemblies to represent us who have been at the root of all our deprivations.
And none of them has ever fought for the rights of the people of this area while he is in the office of an MNA, federal cabinet member.
The result is that there is no relationship between the funds provided to this area and the revenues generated through the hard work of its people.
The people of this area are indeed very much hospitable, generous and patriotic, but should they always be taken for a ride?
JAVED AKHTAR LEGHARI
Multan
DESPITE being the fifth largest city in Pakistan, Multan has been ignored by successive governments in respect of development work.
The people of Multan have very little access to healthy entertainment. I, therefore, suggest that FM radio service must be initiated at Multan as it has been done at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and even Peshawar and Faisalabad.
AMMAR MALIK
Multan
I REFER to the Dateline London (Sept 20) concerning Pakistan High Commission in London. Being the first time visitor of your country, I submitted an application in person for a visa.
I have to agree with every word your correspondent has reported.
All the staff in the visa department were indeed very helpful but the surroundings did give a very bad impression to the would-be visitors to your country.
Any misgivings I may have had quickly disappeared upon my arrival in Karachi and that my short stay was indeed very pleasant indeed.
MARTIN LANGLEY
Ipswich, England
THE initiative taken by the Pakistan Railways for the sale of railway tickets from post offices is timely and commendable. But it is requested that this system should not be kept confined to big cities only. It should be extended to smaller towns as well, for the convenience their residents.
LALA FAZAL AHMED BELACE
Hyderabad
MANY have made references to the appeasement by Neville Chamberlain in 1938 as justification for a hard-nosed stance against the ‘new Hitler’. The US argued vociferously that the credibility of the UN was at peril due to the non-compliance by Iraq.
However, unexpectedly Saddam Hussain accepted the unconditional return of the UN inspectors. Therefore, one would have anticipated the Bush administration to view this as a victory and should have silenced the war drums.
To the contrary, the Bush administration is still preparing for a military strike. Surely isn’t this sufficient proof that the real motive behind the hawkish Bush administration is to seek vengeance and occupy the oil fields? Similarly, under the cover of fighting terrorism, plans are now being drafted for Syria, Iran and Yemen.
Saddam is no doubt a dictator, but in the realm of foreign policy, the facts on the ground make the Bush administration a far better comparison to the Nazis.
Even the Germans, who are perhaps the most authoritative on the subject, are making this claim as shown by the recent comments by the senior German minister, Herta Daeubler-Gmelin.
Like the Nazis, the US is constantly engaged in the expansion of its ‘influence’ by the use of force and installing puppet regimes.
The testimonies of many people show that the CIA is playing the role of the Gestapo. Arbitrary imprisonment, torture and summary execution have become the norm. Guantamo Bay, Mazar-i-Sharif and Jenin have replaced Auschwitz. Arabs and Muslims have replaced Hitler’s despised slaves.
Perhaps the hawks in the Bush administration and the powerful Zionist lobby, coupled with the likes of McCarthy inspired Donald Rumsfield, are even preparing for a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Iraq.
The former camp would probably justify such actions as fulfilment of the biblical prophesies, as is being argued currently for the confiscation of the lands from Palestinians, whereas the latter would provide political grounds like ‘security’ and US ‘interests’.
YAMIN ZAKARIA
London, UK
THE United States has been persistently accusing Iraq of not implementing the United Nations resolutions. President Bush’s address to the general assembly of the UN was full of such accusations.
On the other hand, the United States continues to ignore the fact that Israel, too, has been violating UN resolutions regarding its occupation of Palestinian territories and, most recently, its siege of Yasser Arafat’s headquarters. Though the US did not veto this UN resolution, it did withhold its vote on it.
These discriminatory actions and policies of the US will continue to alienate the Arab world, especially if it maintains its aggressive attitude against Iraq.
KASHIF A. KHAN
Karachi
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