| November 2, 2002 | Saturday | Sha’aban 26,1423 |
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Umra pilgrims’ ordeal
Dual nationality for Pakistanis
UK visa & courier service
Smoking in AC coaches
Appeal to MMA
Too late, Mr Tarar
Hockey disaster
Fate of the whale
Villagers’ appeal for gas supply
Harassment at workplace
KESC’s action
Benazir doing no good to Pakistan
YOUR editorial, “Hasty and Flawed” (Oct 29), is not based on facts.
Dawn’s objection to the promulgation of the Freedom of Information Ordinance, 2002, is directed more at the timing rather than at the content of the law.
The government has fulfilled its commitment regarding promulgation of the ordinance, establishment of the Press Council and formulation of the Press Registration Law — all have been finalized after prolonged discussions with the APNS, the CPNE and working journalists.
As regards the contention that new legislature should have been allowed to decide on the ordinance, nothing will prevent the new legislature from improving or amending the law.
It has, however, been the policy of this government that hard decisions delayed for decades due to one reason or another should be taken now. The room for improvement, modification, addition and deletion in the ordinance or any other law is always available and it is a prerogative of parliament to do so. The Freedom of Information Ordinance is a step in the right direction and it is up to new parliament to either amend or drop this law.
The government has brought Pakistan into the fold of fewer 40 countries out of nearly 200 which have introduced laws about the freedom of information. Even India has not yet enacted Access to Information Law. Pakistan is the only Saarc member that has promulgated such a law. Shouldn’t Pakistanis be proud of this achievement?
As to the exclusion from the law of certain areas, like foreign policy and alleged sweeping powers to the bureaucracy to withhold information, the singularity and objective intent of the law is evident from the fact that even the British law on the subject contains clauses of exemption from provision of information when it is considered reasonable that information should be withheld from disclosure until a specified date. Flaking Pakistan’s law on this count is not in conformity with the norms of fair comment.
As regards information on foreign policy mentioned by Dawn, this is nothing new. The British law also provides for exemption from providing information if the disclosure would or would likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and any other government, or if it would affect the financial interests of the UK.
The US Freedom of Information Act also provides for exemption from provision of information on trade secrets and commercial or financial information, inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters and personal and medical files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
The government has, however, emphasized time and again that no law is written in stone as every legislation has room for amendments and changes which will no doubt take place in relation to these laws as the country moves ahead on the road to progress and consolidation of institutions.
RASHID AHMAD
Director, Ministry of Information
Islamabad
I along with my old teacher left for Jeddah to perform Umra on Saudi Airline tickets issued by a travelling agency in Islamabad, with the understanding that transport on arrival and hotel accommodation in Makkah will be provided for which we were charged in advance.
After landing at Jeddah airport and customs clearance our passports and tickets were taken by some persons at the arrival hall. After a tiresome wait at the airport for almost four hours we were driven to the agent’s office at midnight.
The person escorting us to the agent’s office gave us the impression that hotel accommodation and transport would be provided to us. After a long wait we were driven in a small van along with some other Pakistanis and were dropped just outside Haram and told that hotel accommodation would be provided after we had performed Umra.
He delivered us our passports and retained the airline tickets which he promised to give at the hotel. We kept our baggage at a barber shop and performed Umra.
After a long wait there was no option left to us except to find a hotel near Haram with a room rent of 80 riyals per day. We tried to contact the agent’s Makkah office but due to no response we went to Madina on our own and rented a room of a hotel by paying 100 riyals per day.
As our flight to Pakistan was on October 9, we left Madina on October 8 for Jeddah
for collection of our tickets from the agent. When we reached the agent’s office in Jeddah and asked for our flight tickets, the sales and marketing manager became very rude.
We remained in the office without any food for almost 10 hours as the airline counter was to open just eight hours before the departure and the agent did not allow us to stay at the airport.
I request the Pakistan and Saudi governments to take action against such agents.
M. ARIF CHUGHTAI
Islamabad
THIS refers to M. Ahmad’s letter, “Dual nationality for Pakistanis” (Oct 27). I have had a similar experience.
A few months back, I rang the Pakistan consulate at Los Angeles where the staff told me they had no knowledge of any Pakistan Origin Card.
Thereafter, I rang the consulate at New York where the staff did acknowledge the existence of the card, but told me that a private agency had been authorized to issue it. I was also told that the agency was in New Jersey for which two telephone numbers were given to me. To my utter disappointment, one of the phones was found disconnected and the other was a fax number.
The Pakistan Origin Card was much talked about and Interior Minister Lt-Gen Moinuddin Haider had himself made announcements about this, and he also reduced its cost.
Recently, an unambiguous announcement about dual nationality was made in the Pakistani media, but the letter referred to above reveals that even the issuance of multiple visas has been stopped without providing any alternative arrangement.
It is regrettable that such important issues are kept outside the knowledge of embassy/ consulate authorities. There seems to be some communication gap between the interior ministry, Nadra and the two Pakistan consulates in the US.
This is a very important issue and calls for immediate attention. The concerned authorities are urged to clarify the matter through TV channels and newspapers so that Pakistan expatriates in the United States and other countries could have a clear idea about how and where to get the card.
SYED IFTIKHAR RAYEES
Texas, USA
RECENTLY I have read several letters about the British High Commission’s visa policies, delays and other problems we Pakistanis are facing and also their prompt replies.
This has encouraged me to bring the following to the BHC’s notice. I recently visited the office of Gerry’s CAVA (Courier Assisted Visa Application) office. On depositing the required papers and fee, I was asked by the courier company’s staff to sign an undertaking form which is printed for US visa applications but the person at the counter stroked the word US and wrote UK with his pen on it.
The clause 4 of the form said: “I hereby agree and undertake that the courier service shall not be held liable for direct or consequential damage or delay or loss of the passport(s) and documents.” I totally felt like a dummy when I was asked either to sign the undertaking or my documents and application will not be received.
The charges for receiving my application documents were exorbitantly high, more than five times the normal passport carrying fee of any other courier company from Karachi to Islamabad.
What I fail to understand is that after fleecing me with such charges, why can they not take the responsibility of delivering my passports and documents back to me safely? Does the BHC know this? Is this fair?
MUHAMMAD AAMIR SAEED
Karachi
I travel frequently between Karachi and Hyderabad in airconditioned coaches. The two-hour journey becomes intolerable due to smoking by passengers and sometimes even by the staff.
Non-smokers have to go through the agony of passive smoking and when they protest and request the smokers to stop smoking, it leads to arguments and, sometimes, even to scuffles. It is very unfortunate that despite the existence of laws against smoking at public places, no government agency cares to enforce them.
I request the concerned authorities to direct the motorway and the superhighway police patrols to make surprise checks of the airconditioned coaches and impose heavy fines on the bus owners if they are found to allow passengers to smoke inside their vehicles.
MASOOD AHMAD
Hyderabad
Although the MMA has polled 20 to 30 per cent of the total votes, which is in no way a total victory, Qazi Sahib and other leaders of the alliance are behaving as if they enjoy a clear majority.
In the more than 50 years of history of Pakistan, this is the first time that the religious parties have got an opportunity to show that religious leaders can be a forward-looking group of people with a vision for the 21st century.
Religious leaders are an integral part of our society and they cannot be ignored. However, it is their attitude in the assemblies now that would gain or lose public support for them in the future.
The MMA leaders would do good to themselves as well as to the country if they adopt a forward-looking attitude and they tone down their negative and anti-West rhetoric. They should have an attitude of tolerance and understanding towards the entire mankind. May we all see better days ahead.
SHADMAN ISHRAT
Kansas City, USA
IT was a big surprise to all of us when the MMA emerged as one of the leading parties in the general election. However, its leaders have not issued any policy statement to tell the nation how they will improve the country’s economy.
On the other hand, they have given the impression of being regressive by talking of a ban on co-education and cable television channels.
I urge them to focus on serious issues, such as economic development, education and political stability. They should also try to make this country a moderate and modern state.
SYED MOHSIN ALI
Karachi
AFTER hibernating for a few months, former president Rafiq Tarar has lambasted the government for what he calls its undemocratic shenanigans. He preferred to remain ensconced in the ‘nest on the hilltop’ much after the government that had installed him there had been packed off. Respectability demanded he, too, should have said goodbye to the ‘nest’ after his benefactors had negotiated a deal and happily departed for the sacred land. However, Mr Tarar did not give up the cosy environs of the ‘nest’.
He now asserts that Gen Pervez Musharraf sent him a one-line letter, outlining that his services as president were no more required.
Had Mr Tarar not waited long, he would not have received that one-liner by Gen Musharraf. Mr Tarar has now joined the bandwagon of those clamouring for restoration of democracy that suits them.
He remained oblivious to all such demands for true democracy as long as he stayed at the ‘nest’, but no sooner did he quit, he began to open a new Pandora’s box of inside stories. Every politician has an inside story to tell, interesting! When are our politicians going to grow up?
MAJ (R) ANWAR PASHA
Lahore
OVER the last 10 days or so, there have been a lot of letters in Dawn regretting Pakistan cricket team’s disastrous performance against Australia. Surprisingly, there is almost no mourning over the Pakistan hockey team’s dismal show in the Asiad.
It is for the first time that Pakistan failed to win a medal in the Asiad hockey competition. In the 11 previous hockey tournaments in the Asian Games, Pakistan had won seven gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
It would have been appropriate if the secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Brig Musarratullah, had also submitted his resignation like the PCB boss, Gen Tauqir.
IMTIAZ ALI
Okara
I WROTE a letter regarding the dead whale when it was lying like dirt on the shore. And just as I predicted then, its skeleton has been left in an underconstruction building of the Sindh Wildlife Department to rot and to be eaten away by bacteria and insects as shown by Dawn on Oct 30.
It is regrettable that our country has all the money in the world for holding frequent elections, enhancing the salaries and perks of top men in the government and Umra visits of dignitaries, but no funds can be made available for the preservation of precious material for scientific investigations.
ZAIRA RAHMAN
Karachi
HUGE gas reserves were discovered in Sindh recently, but the pace of providing this important utility to many areas of the province has been quite slow. Even those areas to which provision of gas would have cost very little money and time, remain deprived of this utility. This is frustrating.
My village, Geehal Pur, which consists of about 150 houses, is still without gas though the utility was provided to the Gambat tehsil, just one kilometre from our village, some five years back.
The villagers have been facing great hardships as they have to buy wood or they are forced to use other old means of fuel. Unwillingness on the part of SSGC authorities and the indifference of the elected representatives have shattered our hopes that some day we, too, shall be using this utility.
I appeal to the authorities to take note of our plight, and ensure supply of gas to the village.
NAZAR HUSSAIN PHULL
Gambat
THIS is with reference to Nadira Rahman’s letter, “Women and workplace harassment” (Oct 30).
The point to remember is that our lawmakers are men and they cannot think the way a woman thinks. The majority of our men even today are not in favour of women working in offices. They do not want them to compete with men.
The government is of the view that if the law for amendment to the harassment law was approved, it would likely to be misused. But this is not the correct approach. Nadira Rahman has rightly pointed out that no woman in her right mind would like to create a myth around herself.
Everybody knows what happens if a woman is mistreated by a man. How many families will support their daughters or sisters in such cases?
However, laws cannot bring about a change in society unless men change their attitude towards women.
RABIA NAZIR
Islamabad
THIS refers to the letter, “Will KESC help?” by Mrs Qaiser Moeen, Karachi.
KESC Managing Director Brig Tariq Saddozai has ordered the relevant officials to attend to the lady’s complaint and solve it as a priority.
Syed Sultan Hasan
PIO, KESC
Karachi
ACCORDING to a news report (Dawn Oct 29), PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has stated before a group of intellectuals and journalists in the US state of Maryland that the Taliban and Al Qaeda elements have started to regroup in Pakistan.
She has also said that this is a threat to American interests in the South Asian region. However, the most unfortunate part of her statement is where she says that there have been attacks on US and Western targets in South Asia, Yemen and Bali and it is only a matter of time before there is another attack.
Clearly, Ms Bhutto is implicating Pakistan, though indirectly, in the bombing incidents in Yemen and Bali. Moreover, she has described the victory of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal as the beginning of “Talibanization” of Pakistan.
May I ask Ms Bhutto how she, while in exile, can know so accurately that Al Qaeda members are regrouping in Pakistan although the FBI and the CIA have faced no hindrances, whatsoever, in Pakistan in their ongoing hunt for the Taliban and Al Qaeda men?
The recent arrest of Dr Amir Aziz, an orthopaedic surgeon of Lahore, on a charge that he had provided medical treatment to Osama bin Laden makes it abundantly clear that no one can even sympathize with the Taliban or the Al Qaeda in Pakistan, what to speak of regrouping by their men.
And how does Ms Bhutto know for sure that the attacks off the coast of Yemen and in Indonesia’s Bali island are linked to the alleged regrouping by the Al Qaeda activists in Pakistan? By claiming that Pakistan is becoming Talibanized, is she inviting the United States to deal with Pakistan the way America dealt with Afghanistan? Or is she suggesting that her return to Pakistan will stop this so-called process of Talibanization?
In my view, the victory of the MMA in a good number of National Assembly constituencies, as well as in the two provinces, is the most likely response of the people of Pakistan to certain steps taken by the military government, specially the government’s allout support to the US for the so-called war on terror.
Is Ms Bhutto pleading to the world to reject the will of the people of Pakistan? What exactly is she trying to achieve?
I believe that Ms Bhutto’s latest statements and actions show her contempt for Pakistanis who elected her their country’s prime minister twice, but she let them down. I want her to know that she is doing no good to her country by making such irresponsible public statements.
SALMAN MAHMOOD
Islamabad
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