| November 7, 2002 | Thursday | Ramazan 1,1423 |
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Universities are not for sale
Do we need C’wealth?
Killings in Moscow
Stress on self-reliance
Abolishment of co-education
Defamation law
Police and the press
Credibility of new savings schemes
Buying a new car
Minorities in a democratic state
Arrest of Dr Amir
Restoring Indo-Pakistan travel links
THIS has reference to Dr Shaukat Mahmud’s letter, “House job doctors’ duty schedule” (Oct 30).
The designation of house job means that it is a training position and should be performed as if the hospital were a doctor’s house. It should not be treated as a career job with fixed duty hours.
Does one go off from one’s own house? Doing duty every fourth night is an absolutely inadequate training for a doctor. Moreover, the doctor on duty is provided with a comfortable room to sleep during duty hours and is called for emergencies only. It is not a sit in job like that of a telephone operator, etc.
Let me recollect what house job meant in 1954. There were two medical units in Civil Hospital, Karachi, with 70 beds each and just two house physicians, a junior and a senior. We admitted on average 15 patients on alternate days. In addition to a detailed history and physical examination, blood, urine, and faeces of all patients were tested by the house doctor himself and not sent to clinical laboratory, as is being done now.
Everything had to be ready by 8am next morning for the professor’s round. Both the house officers worked from 8am on the outpatient day till about 6pm on the rounds’ day. Only one of the two could go home every third night. Thus we had night off for a maximum of two nights a week. Even this we frequently did not take to save the bus fare of going home, there being no salary during the junior job and Rs100 for the senior position out of which Rs75 were deducted at source against the mess charges.
On my first day at the job, my professor told me all I had to do and warned me in these words: “The only valid reason for not completing all this by my round’s time is that you have been buried six feet below the ground.”
All the grievances of the public against the medical profession are rooted in inadequate training of our doctors. One can only learn medicine through a rigorous routine mentioned above and not by doing duty every fourth night.
The house job is neither human nor inhuman, it is superhuman and only those who can perform superhuman feats should adopt it and those who wish to treat it a 9 to 5 profession should take some baboo’s job in an office.
It is the result of a rigorous training as a house physician that I even at this mature age keep my telephone by my bedside at night. If I did duty every fourth day like Dr Mahmud, I would be attending to patients calls every fourth night only.
PROF S. H. SHAFQAT
Karachi
Zubaida Mustafa, in her article, “Wither model university?” (Oct 30), has expressed her doubts about the ability and willingness of Pakistani entrepreneurs to purchase universities, making a particular mention of the University of Karachi. In my opinion, she is not correct.
The KU offers highly favourable business prospects. Its assets are worth tens of billions of rupees while its financial liabilities are only around Rs70 million. The assets include 1,300 acres of prized land, over 90 functional academic and administrative buildings, a developed network of public amenities, well-equipped research and teaching laboratories, over 800,000 volumes of books and research journals, a competent and qualified faculty/work force and, above all, very good reputation at home and abroad.
The degrees, diplomas and certificates issued by the university are recognized the world over. This asset to liability ratio is, therefore, heavily tilted in favour of the potential buyer. One cannot lose on such a deal.
In my view, foreign organizations and international educational franchises would also rush in to cash in on such a deal. The only hindrance is the work force employed as public servant. The Model University Ordinance takes care of this by enforcing employment on contractual basis.
The Model University Ordinance envisages a corporate mode of governance for the universities. Corporations are primarily concerned with profit. This turns education into a commodity which can be sold and purchased like bananas and hamburgers. Universities, however, are about searching for truth and disseminating it. Academics are not driven by the market value of their products but by the pursuit of knowledge, which they regard as the noblest of all human pursuits. Corporatization and marketization of educational institutions would kill this spirit.
A policy of commercialization of health and education, besides other public services, is being vehemently pursued by our financial managers in accordance with the IMF and World Bank dictates. This is a part of the World Bank agenda of restructuring public institutions in developing countries so that their markets can be exploited by multinational companies for greater profits.
We request all conscientious people of the country to join hands with us and raise their voices against the globalization of services and commercialism of institutions designated for public good.
DR ABDUL QADEER
Karachi
I read with interest that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group has refused to lift Pakistan’s suspension from the membership of the body as it feels that it would be premature to conclude that democracy has been restored in Pakistan, despite the general election held last month.
I was also amused by the fact that some of the Commonwealth’s African countries, which did not even know the meaning of democracy until recently and whose history has been full of dictatorships and human rights violations, have tried to give us a lecture on democracy and human rights.
Why are we so desperate to remain in the Commonwealth? Till now, we have gained nothing from the organization except for a few scholarships every year.
I feel that it will be better if we strengthen our relationship with other regional and international bodies, which might be helpful to us in matters related to our economy and politics. We should also try to promote bilateral trade with Central Asian Republics, the US, Eastern and Western Europe and South Africa.
Perhaps that would be more beneficial to us than the membership of the Commonwealth.
ATIQ REHMAN MALIK
Sydney, Australia
THERE is still no evidence that Iraq possesses biological and chemical weapons. The use of such weapons by Iraq has not been proven yet. If the Bush administration is genuinely concerned about the possession of biological and chemical weapons by any country, let them take on Russia that not only possesses such weapons but also uses them whenever an occasion demands.
The recent use of the poisonous gas by Russian commandos in the Moscow theatre to get civilians freed from 50 Chechen hostage-takers proves the point. Over 190 people were killed in the operation that analysts say could have been averted. What a pity that none of the so-called civilized countries has condemned the operation!
The United Nations and Western powers should send chemical and biological inspectors to Russia instead of Iraq. It goes without saying that they will not do so. The US will also not take such a step because of its strategic interests. This exposes the shallowness of the US concern over weapons of mass destruction.
FARHAT ASRAR
Karachi
THE use of deadly gas in the Moscow theatre to end the hostage drama personifies the fight against terrorism.
The protector, the hero or the force on the “right” path may kill more people in the name
of protecting them than terrorists.
The United States, not Saddam Hussein, can bomb and kill thousands of people in Afghanistan and get away with it, terming the killings “collateral damage”.
The question arises: is killing innocent people in the name of fighting terrorism not an act of terrorism itself?
DAUD MALIK
Rawalpindi
FOR quite some time, we have been hearing about the theory of self-reliance, which is very vigorously propagated by Imran Khan. Now being an MNA there is an open challenge for him to turn the theory of self-reliance into reality.
We know that every MNA is granted development funds. Unfortunately, in the past, almost all the MNAs misused these funds and no significant development was ever made in their constituencies. Now for Imran Khan there is a great opportunity to utilize funds for the welfare of the people of his area.
It is true that, due to paucity of funds, he may not be able to do much for his constituency (NA-71, Mianwali), yet I am confident that his sincerity and commitment to the people will bring about a real change in the overall condition of that area.
In this way, he can set an example for other MNAs who will see for themselves that they can achieve results by depending on their own resources no matter how meagre they may be. Initially, the progress may not be so quick, but in the long run the theory of self-reliance would be much rewarding.
RAFAT MAHMOOD ANSARI
Islamabad
I vehemently oppose any plan to abolish co-education. What the proponents want is a step backward rather than a step forward.
In my view, co-education should be made mandatory. Respect for females in our society is still lacking and co-education can change men’s attitude towards them. Co-education enables men to learn how to respect women.
Schools and colleges are not just all about learning what is on the blackboard or the computer screen, they are also about learning how to interact with your fellow students sand hold them in the same esteem as you would hold yourself.
ASFANDYAR FARRUKH
Karachi
THE disagreement between the representatives of the press and the government on the Defamation Ordinance reminds me of the time, when Gen Ziaul Haq had sought to achieve similar objectives by making an amendment to Section 499 of the Pakistan Penal Code, leading to widespread protests. Eventually the Junejo government withdrew that amendment.
The deletion of the word “defamation” as a constraint from Article 19 of the Freedom of the Press Act by the Fourth Constitutional Amendment of 1975 was prompted by an apprehension that an extended defamation law could be used by a corrupt government to hide its misdeeds from the press.
This is not to say that the citizens’ right to privacy should not be protected from the unscrupulous among the pressmen. Parliament is expected to enact a reasonable law on defamation which should satisfy all sections of the society.
SYED AFZAL HUSAIN ZAIDI
Islamabad
IT IS understood that press photographers cannot always get things right, but the picture (Dawn, Nov 1), showing a policeman allegedly pocketing bribe from a lorry driver, really takes the bun.
Anyone with even half a non-prejudiced eye can see that he is not a traffic constable (whose uniform is white), but an armed foot constable, who is not even authorized to check the lorry or its driver.
Recently, photographs of building sites, allegedly encroached upon by police, were regularly carried in the press. It was hardly realized that in a city of 14 million people, packed with criminals of all shades and climes, police are compelled to spread and locate the force as widely as possible to ensure preventive presence and control. After all, police stations, posts and kiosks are not built for anyone’s private use. They are there only for crime control and for the benefit of the public.
Certainly, the police force is no repository of the good and the pure only, but no government and, indeed, no society can do without it. It is the duty of the press to protest against police excesses which are particularly on the rise in rural areas. Merely playing to the gallery is, however, a tendency which should be abandoned in favour of constructive and balanced projection of news concerning both the activities of police and difficulties so often faced by them.
S. ASIF MAJEED
Karachi
RECENTLY, the directorate of national savings, Islamabad, has put on sale innovative Defence Savings Certificates (DSCs) and Special Savings Certificates (SSCs) for overseas Pakistanis through Habib Bank and United Bank. The extraordinary feature of the new certificates is the guarantee for an annual profit of 11.6 per cent by the government of Pakistan.
Back home, the annual return on 10-year DSCs has been reduced from 14.1 per cent to 11.6 per cent. The rate of return on Special Savings Certificates has been reduced thrice and brought down to 11 per cent from 17.6 per cent since January.
This drastic reduction in profits has affected those who totally relied on such schemes. This step has also caused anxiety among widows and pensioners, except for a small number of well-to-do people.
Only time will tell how creditable the guarantee of the newly-introduced savings certificates is, since inconsistency has been the hallmark of such schemes in our country.
LT-COL (R) SYED AHMED TI(M)
Karachi
HAVE you tried to buy a new car recently? Don’t even think about it unless you have extra cash to spare.
I tried to get one and the standard reply I received from all showrooms was that I shall have to wait for 20 to 90 days, depending on the make and model. However, if I needed one immediately I would have to pay an extra amount of Rs100,000 for Toyota, Rs40,000 for Honda City, Rs15,000 for Suzuki and so on. This is in spite of the concerned minister’s assurance that cars would be available within 15 days of placing the order and that there would be no black-marketing.
It seems that the dealers and manufacturers’ mafia has persuaded the minister to take back his decision of allowing import of re-conditioned cars only to make buyers pay extra money.
IQBAL AHMED
Karachi
CONSTITUTIONALLY, we are a democratic state. Democracy entitles a national, not an alien, to participate in and regulate the affairs of the state. Moreover, democracy enables a citizen to elect and to be elected for the formation of a government.
Although our national flag shows the existence of minorities, no non-Muslim can be a senator here. Can a non-Muslim qualify for citizenship of a democratic state and not participate in the affairs of the upper house? This is not only a negation of the spirit of democracy, but is also against the teaching of the founder of Pakistan. To the father of the nation, any sense of deprivation among the minorities was not conducive to the national harmony.
Do our intellectuals and lawmakers believe honestly that only a joint ballot box can solve and satisfy the problems of the religious minorities in the prevailing political culture in which non-Muslims can be elected only MPAs?
YOUSAF MASIH
Lahore
THE arrest of Dr Amir Aziz in Lahore by the FBI is shocking and must be condemned.
I urge doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, teachers, journalists and all other professionals to observe a one-day strike in protest and ask the government either to institute legal proceedings against him on the alleged charges or release him immediately.
MOHAMMAD ASIF
Takht Bhai
THIS is with reference to the statement of the chairman of the World Punjabi Congress, Fakhar Zaman, calling for the revival of rail, road and air links between India and Pakistan.
He has rightly said that thousands of people, who wish to travel between the two countries to meet their relatives and friends, as well as those writers, intellectuals and other social workers who are endeavouring for the establishment of peace in the region, cannot travel between the two countries because of the suspension of these travel links since January 1 this year.
There can hardly be any doubt that ignorance is the mother of misconceptions and hatred. This principle applies to individuals as well as to nations. If one is ignorant about one’s next-door neighbours, one will imagine things about them which have no basis and may be the very opposite of what they actually are.
The same applies to international relations. And if ignorance is compounded with disinformation and hostile propaganda, the situation becomes even worse. This is exactly what is happening vis-a-vis Indo-Pakistan relations.
I would, in the interest of good relationship between the two countries, urge the governments of the two countries to open the borders for travel. All road and rail links may be restored and the maximum facilities may be provided to the travellers.
Obtaining a visa should be made a simple affair. For this purpose, consulates/deputy high commissions may be opened at Karachi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai (or at any rate one-man visa offices may be opened at these places or a visa officer may camp at these places for two days in a month). But until this is done, the high commissions at Islamabad and Delhi may accept visa applications by post and send back passports by post. Grant of visa should not be restricted to visits to only blood relations and there should be no restriction on the number of cities for the grant of a visa.
Travel restrictions should be done away with also on the ground of compassion. There are thousands of divided families living on both sides of the political divide.
I would urge that direct rail link between Lahore and Delhi and Hyderabad and Jodhpur via Khokrapar-Munabao and the road link between Lahore and Amritsar, and Qasur and Firozpore via Gandasingwala should be restored as early as possible and, in addition, the coastal sea route between Karachi and Mumbai should also be re-opened. The sea link between Karachi and Mumbai is surely the cheapest route between the two countries, besides being the most convenient for those going to or coming from southern India.
JUSTICE (R) SALAHUDDIN MIRZA
Karachi
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