| October 23, 2002 | Wednesday | Sha’aban 16,1423 |
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We shall all leave Pakistan
US visa crisis
Will Nadra redress my grievance?
Industrial slowdown
CSS vacancies
March of the clerics
American doctor
Musharraf has triumphed
Cricket affairs
Future PM
Unholy alliances
No electricity
The best political system
MR S. M. Zafar is an eminent lawyer and constitutional expert. It has been in the fitness of things that he has come forward with an article on our constitutional history in Dawn (Aug 14, 2002).
This elaboration will not only succeed in adding to the extent of awareness of our constitutional history amongst the new generation of Pakistanis, but it will also serve as a reminder to those who have lived through it.
I am, however, constrained to point out a few inaccuracies which have crept in, in the course of Mr Zafar’s narration. These, perhaps, have occurred because of oversight.
In the article, it has been stated that Mohammad Ali (Bogra) was a bureaucrat. The fact is Mohammad Ali Bogra was very much a political being who hailed from a noble Muslim family of Bogra, East Bengal, and was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1946. When Pakistan came into being he supported Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy in the election of the Leader of the House in the East Bengal Legislative Assembly. The contest was between Khwaja Nazimuddin and Mr Suhrawardy. Khwaja Nazimuddin was elected. Thus the Suhrawardy group was rendered out of a favour in the corridors of power.
Mohammad Ali (Bogra) then changed his allegiance from the Suhrawardy group to Khwaja Nazimuddin in power and managed, at first, to secure an ambassadorial slot in Burma. Later, he was appointed ambassador of Pakistan to the United States of America.
In the power struggle in Pakistan after the assassination of Quaid-i-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan on October 16, 1951, and the illegal and unconstitutional dismissal of the second prime minister, Khwaja Nazimuddin, in April 1953, Mohammad Ali Bogra changed over to the Ghulam Mohammad-Iskandar Mirza-Ayub Khan axis backed by a foreign power and succeeded in stealing the high office of the prime minister of Pakistan.
Earlier, when Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was holding the reins of government in undivided Bengal, Mohammad Ali Bogra served as his parliamentary secretary.
Another important fact which Mr Zafar has missed to mention is that after the successful conclusion of the Round Table Conference in March, 1969, when Ayub Khan was not in a position to run the government because of ill-health, Ayub Khan, instead of handing over power to the speaker of the National Assembly, Justice (R) Abdul Jabbar Khan, asked the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Gen Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan, to take over. Handing over to the speaker of the National Assembly was provided for in the Constitution of 1962 which was thrust on the people by Ayub Khan himself. Had he honoured his own constitution, the history of Pakistan would have been written in a different way. We would not have lived to witness the forcible separation of East Pakistan and surrender of our army to the invading armed forces of India.
MAHMUD ALI
Islamabad
This refers to the letter of Mr Zamir Ajmal ‘‘I will leave Pakistan’’ (Oct 18). The letter is the voice of thousands of Pakistanis.
I would only like to point out that at this stage when all the other parties are nominating their leaders in the parliament, the respected MMA and its learned think-tank has come up with a unique idea of their own— they have nominated Maulana Fazlur Rehman as the prime minister and not as their leader in the parliament.
The Maulanas are undoubtedly in a festive mood.
SAFIA SIDDIQUI
Karachi
MR Zamir Ajmal’s letter truly reflects the sentiments of all educated and progressive Pakistanis. In fact, I made a similar remark as soon as I read the depressing news of MMA’s Fazlur Rehman being nominated by his party for the PM’s slot.
We have still not forgotten the thousands of misguided youth sent by him and Maulana Samiul Haq for ‘Jihad’ against Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance Muslims last year. Most of them are still rotting in Afghan jails and these two stalwarts of the MMA have conveniently forgotten them in their lust for power and pelf.
May Allah have mercy on this country by giving us a good, decent and sincere leadership.
M. AHSAN HAFEEZ
Karachi
Though this letter reflects the feelings of many Pakistanis, I believe that the remedy lies in staying back and fighting it out. Migration is an easy option.
But if people are inclined that way then may I request the last person leaving this country to please switch off the lights.
ANIS HAROON
Karachi
IN SPITE of a lot of hue and cry, the US embassy in Pakistan has not indicated any change in its unsympathetic visa policy. As a consequence, most of the doctors who were waiting for their clearance from the US State Department, are now about to lose job offers which they had got after years of hardwork and spending a huge sum of money.
Many hospitals in the US have given us the first week of November as deadline for joining and thus we are now left with only a few working days. I have no complaints against the Pakistan government as they tried their best and raised this issue at all the levels. But I am surprised to see that a superpower like the US could not screen a bunch of 30-35 doctors for terror links, even in more than three months.
The embassy should, at least, give us an answer so that we might look for other options.
A PAKISTANI DOCTOR
Islamabad
I have applied for a US student visa which has been pending even after an elapse of four months. Like most other students, I could not attend the fall semester and the spring semester would commence in January next. The embassy personnel still say that they would not be able to process a visa case until they get the applicant’s clearance from the FBI for which no definite time period is being indicated.
In case of further delay, the students would not be able to attend the universities in the US because their admissions might be cancelled. Thus, the students would lose valuable time and money that they have spent in getting processed their applications with the US universities.
I, therefore, request the government of Pakistan to look into the matter and ask the US authorities to complete the pending cases of hundreds of students before the end of this year.
FAROOQ RAFIQ
Lahore
HAVING a dual nationality (British/Pakistani), I applied for a national identity card for overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) on June 25, 2002.
I was told by the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra), Karachi, that the card would be delivered directly to me by the Nadra head office (Islamabad) within two months.
Just before the expiry of this period, my husband sent a reminder to the Nadra overseas director, Islamabad, to dispatch the card as soon as possible, but we received no response from the head office.
Subsequently, many telephone calls were made to the office, but the phone remained off the hook.
We also contacted the Nadra office in Karachi on helpline and also through personal visits many times, but to no avail. The only other way left to us was to send mail reminders. To date, four reminders have been sent to Islamabad, but our efforts have gone down the drain.
On Sept 28, an application was submitted to the Karachi office, seeking an official reply from the head office, but we received no response.
Now through this letter, I draw the attention of the concerned authorities towards my problem, hoping that I will perhaps get my NICOP some day.
MRS ANGELA CYMA YOLANDE BAQIR
Karachi
I REFER to the article by Mr Sartaj Aziz, former finance minister, under the heading, ‘Industrial slowdown’ (Oct 14). It is surprising that while enumerating the causes of the industrial slowdown, he has very conveniently omitted a major cause, the sick and closed industrial units.
This phenomenon has been lingering on for the last 20 years and the number of such units has risen to about 5,000 with stuck-up loans of around Rs300 billion. In fact, no government in the past ever tried to resolve this issue seriously. At the most, these units were either allowed a rescheduling or restructuring of stuck-up liabilities or their assets were permitted to be sold through the Corporate Industrial Restructuring Corporation as investment proposals. However, these measures did not revive the sector at all because the proposals were oriented only towards the recovery of loans.
Now, anyone can guess that when the diagnosis of the problem failed to identify the major cause, how the remedies suggested by Mr Aziz would be helpful in curing it.
M. SIRAJUL HASAN
Karachi
THE government has decreased the number of posts to be filled up through the CSS examination. According to the FPSC, this year the number of posts available for the 724 CSS qualified candidates is 156 only. Last year, it was 208. So the government has reduced such posts by 25 per cent.
The military government has been constantly decreasing the number of such posts since they took over. It has already abolished two CSS groups.
The age limit for the candidates has also been reduced. All these measures have been taken to block the entry of civilians in the superior services.
On the other hand, retired and in-service army officers are being inducted into the CSS posts in increasing numbers. All this only strengthens the feeling that the military wants to increase its hold on power.
This is a dangerous trend and would only contribute to the depression suffered by the unemployed educated youth.
M. RIAZ-UL-HAQ RAMAY
Multan
THIS refers to the article “March of the clerics” by Ayaz Amir (Oct 18).
I am a great votary of the writer for his oral and written skills of effective communication. But this time he has failed to convince me.
Whenever he criticizes Gen Pervez Musharraf, he is simply out of proportion. I think the emergence of the clerics cannot be attributed to the cooperation extended by the president to the United States following the 9/11 terror attacks. l am sure Gen Musharraf had no other choice. Mr Amir has himself not mentioned any choices while castigating the president.
In my view, the absence of two mainstream politicians from our national politics has helped the clerics enter parliament. And these two politicians are living in exile with their own choice, as they are afraid of being jailed for their alleged crimes.
The decision to crack down on religious extremism is in our national interest and cannot be termed another fault of the government.
The writer has unduly admired the pragmatism of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. It is their first chance and let us wait and see. What does he have to say about the pragmatism of the Taliban?
Mr Amir has insisted that Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, and Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani are more charismatic than Farooq Ahmad Leghari. May I ask him where their charisma was in the previous election when they were not able to win even their own seats, but Mr Leghari did?
Now allow me to say something about the forthrightness of the clerics. I fear they have inherited this forthrightness from the Taliban and look what such forthrightness has promised to the Taliban.
The writer has also denounced Gen Zia’s Afghan policy. Was there any other viable choice available to Zia?
ATTA ULLAH
Faisalabad
WHILE surfing on the Internet, I found the following joke:
A British doctor says, “Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man put it in another and have him looking for work in six weeks.”
A German doctor says, “That’s nothing. We can take a lung out of one person put it in another and have him looking for work in four weeks.”
A Russian doctor says, “In my country medicine is so advanced we can take half a heart out of one person put it in another and have them both looking for work in two weeks.”
The American doctor, not to be outdone, says, “You guys are way behind. We just took a man with no brain out of Texas, put him in the White House, and now half the country is looking for work, and the other half preparing for war.”
Nazimuddin Sami
Karachi
THIS is with reference to a letter, ‘Musharraf has triumphed’, (Oct 19). Let us not draw hasty conclusions because the real triumph rests in the manner in which history remembers an individual.
Having conspired with Maj-Gen Iskander Mirza and Governor Gen Ghulam Muhammad in removing the first brick of democracy from the country’s foundation, Ayub Khan must have felt too pleased with himself.
History, however, remembers him only as the chief architect of the eventual break-up of Jinnah’s Pakistan.
In ordering a military crackdown on erstwhile East Pakistan before taking off from Dhaka in March 1971, Yahya must have thought that he has taken care of the uncompromising population and its leadership, but history branded him as a usurper.
In the aftermath of his infamous referendum, Gen Ziaul Haq had that characteristic grin prominently written all over his face. Neither posterity nor history has ever absolved him of his role in the destruction of our national fabric
and in disfiguring of our society.
If repeating monumental mistakes of past military dictators is a triumph, Gen Musharraf has undoubtedly succeeded. But let us wait a little longer before we can rejoice.
The verdict of history will take sometime to come. And it may be different from what one might believe now.
MUHAMMAD AZAM KHAN
Lahore
NOW that President Gen Pervez Musharraf has declined to accept the resignation of the PCB ad hoc committee’s chairman, an untimely and unwarranted crisis has been averted.
This, however, is not a permanent solution to the problem. What really is required for fixing things up in the Pakistan Cricket Board is to return to the constitutional setup based on participation by all cricket associations of the country. The ad hoc rule has already taken more than three years and must immediately be replaced with a permanent one.
The president, who is also the patron of the PCB, is requested to approve the cricket board’s constitution which is reportedly lying at his secretariat.
BRIG (R) SALAHUDDIN
Karachi
I pray that the speculations in newspapers about Zubeda Jalal’s nomination by the PML-Q as a candidate for prime ministership are true. Ms Jalal would be the ideal prime minister for this country at such a crucial time.
She is educated and has already proved her worth during her tenure as education minister. With that, the world community that has already labelled Pakistan as an extremist country will have to change its view. We can then give a new dimension to our image which would be that of a moderate, liberal, and modern society.
SAKINA QAMAR
Karachi
IT is sickening to see politicians from opposing schools of thought cosying up to each other like long-lost loved ones, just for the sake of having a share in the government.
They should all form one group and call themselves ‘GHA’ or grand hypocrites alliance.
Gen Musharraf should make the most of this frenzy of comradeship and send them all for a picnic on a boat with a convenient hole in it.
Sinking shouldn’t be a problem, given their average weights. However, their inflated egos might keep them afloat.
NOSHI ASIF
Wah Cantt
DHA Phase 8 has been without electricity for more than five years.
Since its construction was allowed in June 1997, the residents have sent many letters to the DHA, but in vain. I urge the press to highlight this issue so that this problem is solved without any further delay.
DR KHALID BUTT
Karachi
FEDERAL Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider has stated that a parliamentary type of democracy is not workable in Pakistan because of the absence of its basic ingredients required for its successful working.
His statement reminds me of an interesting and thought-provoking discussion by Prof (Dr) Manzoor-ud-Din Ahmed, a former vice-chancellor of the Karachi University and author of many internationally-acclaimed books, in a recent PTV programme on the topic of “our system of governance and modern age”.
The professor had the courage to express his views with intellectual honesty and warned the nation that as long as the people continued to attempt Western, party-based parliamentary form of democracy, imitating the 10 Downing Street pattern, they would never get near to their long-cherished goal of good governance and that they would never be able to solve their problems.
He rightly stressed the point that under the party-based parliamentary system the people would not realize the dream of sustained development in any field of the national life, enabling the common man to live a happy, contented life.
The conclusion of that hour-long intellectual exercise was that there was no other way for the people to get out of the political/constitutional quagmire unless they opted for the presidential form of democratic government.
I recall the interview of a former deputy chairman of the Pakistan Planning Commission, M. M. Ahmad, in which he stressed the need to adopt presidential system of democracy, with suitable checks and balances.
In the parliamentary system, we simply waste away our time and national resources. Let us learn a lesson from our experience and adopt the system which suits our requirements and correct our internal contradictions.
We must not remain a poor nuclear state. We must transform ourselves into a developed nuclear power by adopting an effective, efficient and result-yielding presidential form of government. Let us behave like a mature nation, with the blessings of Allah Almighty.
M. S. KHALID
Jhang
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