Why this US bashing?

There is a section of politicians taking delight in America bashing. I would like to ask them what harm America has done to Pakistan.

There is no conflict of interests between Pakistan and the US, and that is why they have always come closer during moments of crisis.

In the fifties and sixties, Pakistan and America were military allies, and this helped both the countries. Pakistan got American economic and military aid, and the US got bases in Pakistan. These bases served as America’s eyes and ears for whatever was happening in the USSR, which was hostile to both America and Pakistan.

People may ask why Pakistan should have provided bases to the US. The answer is: why not? This was in Pakistan’s interests. The USSR was a common enemy, and thus Pakistan adopted the right course by joining with the other members of the “northern tier” (Iran and Turkey) in forming a defensive alliance helped by the US.

Precisely today, Pakistan’s support to the US in its war on terror has helped Islamabad immensely. As an article published recently in Dawn pointed out, India has been trying to develop a strategic partnership with the US but has failed. By joining the American camp, Islamabad has pre-empted New Delhi.

Pakistan’s decision to join the US-led world coalition has given Islamabad an economic windfall, has ended Pakistan’s diplomatic isolation, and deterred Indian aggression. An Indian attack on Pakistan — as was feared earlier this summer — would have annoyed the US and the entire western world.

Of course, no two countries see eye to eye on all matters. Even the US and its NATO allies differ on some issues. So Pakistan and the US also do not see eye to eye on many issues — Palestine, for instance. But on the whole, in the current geopolitical situation, friendship with the US is in Pakistan’s interest.

We must be guided by Pakistan’s national interests and no other considerations. The religious parties which have won more seats than anyone had expected do not command a majority.

The other parties — PML(Q) and PPP, which command a majority — should not allow the MMA to pursue anti-American policy for parochial reasons and thus hurt Pakistan’s interests.

The only country that will feel delighted over a deterioration in Pakistan’s relations with America will be India. Let us not make India happy.

JAMIL SOHAIL

Karachi

An Indian soldier’s wish

THIS is to wish the citizens of Pakistan happy elections for choosing a new set of leaders. May God bring happier days and happier relations between India and Pakistan for the common people of the two neighbours.

The present generation of leaders in both our countries has inherited the Kashmir problem. Time has come to cut this Gordian knot. It is no use following same attitudes and policies which the past leaders left us in legacy. Fresh ideas with some compromises may help.

I was born in Hyderabad, Sindh, first taught at Malir near Army Ack Ack School by a Maulvi and later in Karachi by many Hindu, Muslim and Christian teachers. In the Indian army I have had as my superior who were Muslim officers, each of whom I have held in great esteem. I have had many Muslim colleagues and Jawans, each of whom I have respected for his competence, discipline and loyalty.

I have always held Islam as a compassionate religion (I was brought up by a Muslim wet nurse because my mother could not breastfeed me).

How I have wished to visit Karachi and Hyderabad once again and walk through those places which are so deeply embedded in my memory. But I cannot until relations improve and suspicions are put behind us.

Let us first keep our hard stances on the Kashmir issue on the backburner. Let Kashmiris on both sides carry on with their daily chores as they have for the past 50 years, but without interference from outside.

Open all means of communication. Permit more people from both sides to visit each other and enjoy each other’s hospitality. This will generate strong bonds. Open up trade and commerce. Economic ties will hold our common destiny more effectively.

Strengthen South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and include Afghanistan in it. If sworn enemies of each other only 60 years ago are now aligning themselves into a strong European Union, why can’t we make our part of the world a force to be reckoned with? Let us begin a new chapter in our history with a trust in each other.

COL (R) RAM JASHANMAL GULRAJANI

Chennai, India

Increasing exports

TO increase our exports, particularly of textiles, I would suggest that the following steps be taken:

The Export Promotion Bureau should immediately be made an autonomous body headed by a minister having a board of advisors which would lay down its policy, objectives and administrative set-up.

For the coming two years, the quota fees, auction money and exhibition income, etc. should be deposited in a separate fund which should form the capital of this autonomous body. The finance department should not pocket the income received from the auctions or other sources.

The role of registered association should be increased in the advisory board to suggest the ways and means for increasing exports, instead of servicing the quota passbooks.

The Export Promotion Bureau should have its own statistics department to see how each industry is progressing and what are the problems of the industries which are not doing well.

The role of exhibitions and fairs will increase more in future and the EPB should participate in them with ambitious programmes, instead of obtaining small spaces just to register the presence of Pakistan.

Senior officers from customs, sales tax, income tax, PIA, industries departments, shipping department, utility departments and other concerned institutions, both central and provincial, should be posted all the time at the EPB to address the problems faced by the exporters.

A special cell should be set up to permanently advise the industrialists and exporters for the implementation of all ISOs and other international environmental and social regulations which the world demands. It is now time that our country adopted international standards required for industries.

The EPB should concentrate only on manufactured items and all other items like foodstuff, fish, vegetable, fruits, minerals, etc. should be supervised and monitored by separate departments.

The technical institute founded by the EDS should be further upgraded so that qualified technicians are available for the industry.

In short, the job of Export Promotion Bureau should not be at all a revenue-earning department, but exclusively to carry out export facilitation work. Its primary duty should be to help the exporters.

S. M. A. RIZVI

Towel Manufacturers Association,

Karachi

Admission problem

THE intermediate exams are held between March and May throughout the country every year. From March onward, different universities/institutes start advertizing their admission schedule, and this continues till December. A student seeking admission to any of the universities/institutes applies to more than one institution, just to be on the safe side. But it costs a lot of money.

Then comes the phase of selection. If a student is selected in one or two universities in July, he/she is asked to deposit the admission/semester fee within the specific period; otherwise his/her admission will stand cancelled.

The selected student finds himself in a very difficult situation as his/her first choice is any other university for which he is yet to appear in the coming months. Now if he deposits the fee and later gets admission in the institution of his/her first choice, then the deposited fee approximately (40,000 to 70,000) is lost and is not refundable. On the other hand, if he/she doesn’t deposit the fee in the first case and he doesn’t get admission in the institution of his/her first choice then one complete year is lost.

I suggest the following steps to resolve this problem:

In each and every university, whether in the public or private sector, semester should start on one date.

Fee deposit date should be one for all universities.

A testing system should be introduced like SAT or GMAT which should continue round the year periodically. This year this system was introduced for two universities, namely COMSATS and Virtual University, and these tests were conducted under NTS (National Testing Service).

M. RIAZ HAMID

Sukkur

Railways’ package

ON hearing the Minister for Communication on electronic media from time to time, asserting that the train service in Pakistan has substantially improved and believing what I heard, I persuaded three other friends to travel from Lahore to Karachi by Karachi Express on Sept 17 (coach 9, compartment B). The experience was far from satisfactory and contrary to what we are told.

There were several deficiencies but I would like to bring to the attention of the authorities one point that disturbed us the most. The advertized package for AC sleeper passengers is bedding, morning tea, morning newspaper, one towel and one soap (small size). The cost of these facilities is included in the charges for the ticket.

Unfortunately, we were told in the train that these facilities had been withdrawn except for the bedding. As soon as the train departed Lahore, each of us were presented with one used, dirty and stinking bed sheet and pillow. The blankets were in atrocious condition. On repeated complaining to the staff, they replaced the bed sheets and the pillow covers which were just as bad if not worse and reflected badly on the train service.

I asked for the complaint book after receiving the bedding, but the staff was most reluctant to part with it. Finally, at Hyderabad, when I met the conductor, Mohammad Anwar, he readily agreed to give the complaint book for us to record observations.

I was amazed to notice that, on the average, one complaint was recorded in the book per year since 1996. There is something seriously wrong in the process of conveying comments.

I request the authorities not to mislead the innocent public as the ground realities are different. Please say what the real situation is, otherwise keep away from the TV camera, because we take you more seriously than you may think.

MOBINA ZUBEIRI

Karachi

Poll results: what actually went wrong

ARE the Taliban back? Only this time on and well within our side of the Afghan frontier. Will it remain out-of-bounds for the US General, Tommy Franks, in Kabul? Was the clean sweep obtained by the religious parties in the elections the result of an intelligence failure? Did their victory come about by default or was it by design?

These are questions that are agitating the minds of many. There certainly is a ground swell of anti-American sentiments in the predominantly Pashtoon tribal belt, but in the settled areas a strong military government could have swung the vote the other way.

With the US already in static fatigue in Afghanistan and now faced with a transfer of focus towards Iraq and the Arab peninsula, what better way to resuscitate Pakistan’ dwindling importance to the US than by raising the spectre of a Taliban revival — both real and imagined?

Will it justify another intervention by the army? It will queer the pitch for the succeeding civilian government. It is a dangerous game.

S. ASIF MAJEED

Karachi

Cowasjee’s remarks on TV

I AM a regular reader of Ardeshir Cowasjee’s column but I was shocked to listen to his comments on ARY Digital. Mr Cowasjee appeared off colour and passed highly objectionable remarks about Pakistan and its people. This was insulting and degrading. It has hurt me and most viewers.

The liberty of expression does not give anyone a licence to pass unparliamentary and derogatory remarks about our motherland — Pakistan — and its institutions. This is highly unfair and uncalled-for.

Let me inform Mr Cowasjee that there is a saying that your liberty ends where my nose starts. He is at liberty to have his opinion but he has no right to hurt the feelings of others.

Pakistan is a great nation and we are surmounting the problems one by one, and Pakistan continues to be an island of peace, prosperity and plenty in the region. Dignity and honour are dear to us and we will not allow anyone to play with it.

LT-COL (R) S. IFTIKHAR AHMED

Karachi

Umra fare increase

THIS is to point out an anomaly in respect of the increase in Umra fares. PIA is allowing travel on tickets purchased before Sept 30, 2002, upto Oct 31, 2002, without any additional payment of fare.

However, the Saudi Airlines has given this concession only for those who commence their journey upto Oct 15, 2002, only.

Saudia should not penalize travellers patronizing it and should allow the same concession as permitted by the PIA.

A. G. HABIB

Karachi

EU observers

THE report released by the European Union observers (Oct 13) about the general elections is clearly an interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan. The duty of the team was to observe and not to make judgments.

However, such interference is quite common in the affairs of the weak countries of the Third World because they cannot take a stand against it. But we should not allow it to pass without a rebuttal and protest on public and official levels.

I condemn the European Union team’s report and protest against this interference in our internal affairs.

IZHAR H. SIDDIQUI

Karachi

Defence production projects

THIS refers to Engr. K. Karim’s letter, ‘Defence production projects’ (Oct 2). The best way of moving forward on the road to self-reliance is to study where we have succeeded in the past and why. An example is the successful development of 3,982 parts for the old T-59 tank by the private sector.

Development funding from defence production was made available based on commercial discipline. The important point was not emphasis on research and development but on development and acquisition.

This was necessary because some manufacturers who had developed products earlier at their own cost, suffered a loss when orders were given to others. Defence production was concerned with the assurance of sufficient offtake to offset the setting up costs for homologization of parts.

This system started in the mid-70s and built up a critical mass in two to three years to take it up to the 3,982 parts in the 8th or 9th year. However, it appears that Mr Karim’s suggestion of central control, now that authority has been delegated to defence production projects to make their own decision, will be difficult unless a nominal export cess is levied to promote exports. These funds could be used by defence production.

Our present export of US$80 million a year is chickenfeed against the total investment in defence production projects around Pindi-Islamabad amounting to billions.

MASOOD HASAN

Lahore

Avoiding another tragedy

THIS refers to the devastating fire at Lakshmi building on Oct 2. The blaze broke out in the six-storey building on M. A. Jinnah Road, Karachi, and destroyed 25 shops. Lakshmi building houses 30 shops and 40 offices besides several godowns.

The authorities failed to foresee the danger. The tragedy took place simply because there does not exist a law to ensure effective town planning and enforce building by-laws. Such a law would have helped the owners in the continued usage of the old buildings having defective utility services, especially electricity.

Besides, it is criminal negligence to keep a blind eye on residential (as well as commercial) buildings housing godowns meant for the storage of inflammable and other dangerous chemicals.

It is strange that an IT institute had been allowed to be run in this dilapidated building which has an improper electrical network. Such an institute essentially needs a perfect electrical wiring and supply system so as to avoid any heavy loss to the set up itself in particular and the neighbouring establishments in general.

The authorities should take the matter seriously and keep a check on the hazardous storages which pose a threat to the life and property. A town planning law must be invoked and should be implemented effectively.

ENGR. AFTAB MUHAMMAD KHAN

Karachi

Foreign currency accounts

President Musharraf and the economic wizards of the country — Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and State Bank Governor Ishrat Hussain — claim that they have put the economy of the country back on the rails.

According to them, the country has achieved a great deal of economic stability and its foreign reserves have swelled to a record US$8 billion mark.

If they are correct, then why do not they fulfil their commitment defreeze the foreign currency accounts (FCAs).

The FCAs were frozen when hostility with India was at its climax, thef security of the country was at stake and Pakistan’s economy was in the shambles. In order to pressure Pakistan further, India carried out nuclear tests prompting Pakistan to follow suit. The FCAs deposits greatly helped the government in this regard.

The overseas Pakistanis, who were allured to repatriate their heard-earned money, have always been assured of protection of their FCA accounts by the government and the State Bank.

Now when the government has swelled its forex reserves to a satisfactory level, why doesn’t it defreeze the FCAs?

Many of the influential figures had unpatriotically and unscrupulously transferred their deposits to their foreign accounts foreseeing the implications of the N-tests on the economy. However, the innocent and patriotic citizens had cooperated with the government and have now been left in the lurch.

The government had once offered the FCA-holders to either draw their deposits in local currency or purchase bonds of different maturity period — three, five and seven years — and encash them in foreign currency when matured. Those who agreed to the second option tried to encash the bonds on maturity but they are refused foreign currency.

This is, indeed, a great injustice. We protest against it and request the concerned authorities to fulfil their commitments in order to regain faith of those who matter.

MOHAMMAD NAVED

Karachi