| November 8, 2002 | Friday | Ramazan 2,1423 |
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Choosing a CM for Sindh
Garbage disposal by burning
Shortage of essential drugs
Commission for human uplift
MMA and co-education
Former PIA employees
Seafarers’ plight
Overbilling by KESC
PTV and Urdu plays
Rowdyism on road
Is this DHA?
Bumpy road to democracy
IN recent weeks a great controversy has been stirred up by the Supreme Court Bar Association by declaring that, in its view, the Supreme Court was no longer independent. This occurred in the wake of the promulgation of an ordinance whereby the retiring age of High Court judges was increased from 62 to 65 years and that of the Supreme Court judges from 65 to 68 years.
Seemingly it was a good move inasmuch as it has been a longstanding demand of a large number of members of the bar to increase the retiring age of judges to ensure their independence as they would not have to look for employment after retirement.
For the same reason it had often been proposed to keep the retiring age for High Court and Supreme Court judges the same so that a High Court judge has no aspiration to go to the Supreme Court.
What a pity that when this demand of the bar has partially been met, it has raised a controversy! The reason for this lies in the timing of the ordinance. The ordinance was promulgated a day before the recent general election, thereby lending grist to the mill of the parties that had been churning out accusations of pre-poll rigging and expected rigging of the polls themselves. Among the legal circles this move was generally viewed as an attempt by the government to gain the judges’ goodwill in the post-election legal battles.
There is no doubt that it is the government which is to be blamed for all this, particularly because of the cavalier manner in which it is churning out ordinances one after the other.
Thus, while there is some justification for the association’s suspicions, there is little justification for its overreaction to Supreme Court’s reluctance to accept its review petition regarding appointment of junior judges. Judiciary can only be credible if its judgments are accepted, howsoever, controversial these may be. We have the example of a majority decision of the US Supreme Court whereby President Bush was elected. Not one whisper followed, not one protest surfaced, even though as a result of that decision the most powerful person in the world was enthroned.
Once a person is chosen to don the robes of a judge, his decision must not be doubted because then judiciary itself will become irrelevant. This is not to say that all is well with our superior judiciary but it is not the judges who should be criticized but the process of their selection.
Unfortunately, we never developed a proper system of selection of judges. We went from one extreme to another. Before the famous ‘judges case’, the executive played around with the appointment of judges and after the case the judges began appointing judges. What is really required is a system whereby the judiciary and the executive jointly select the judges and appoint them only after thorough investigations into their credentials by a committee of parliament in an open session.
M. SHAIQ USMANI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Sabihuddin Ghausi’s ‘comment’ (Oct 12) in which he has discussed the post-election scenario in Sindh. I agree with most of his analysis, but his comments about the choice of a chief minister for Sindh are debatable.
Quoting an unnamed ‘nationalist’ having said that “only a Sindhi speaking (person) can become the chief executive of the province”, Mr Ghausi puts a question: “Why can’t a Parsi, a Hindu or a Christian, who is a citizen of Sindh, be made the chief executive of this province if he or she enjoys popular support?”
Sindhi people have always been in the forefront of the struggle for freedom, democracy and secularism. They have also resisted attempts, sometimes provocative, at ethnic and linguistic segregation or discrimination. The Sindhis have great respect for Jamshed Mehta, who was a Parsi and did not speak Sindhi, and consider him one of the greatest sons of the 20th century’s Sindh.
We acknowledge the right of all permanent citizens of Sindh to become the chief executive of the province. But who is or should be the permanent resident of Sindh? Anyone coming from any part of the world cannot be allowed to claim equal political rights the very next day.
No country in the world, no matter how developed and democratic it is, allows this to happen either.
All the democratic countries require immigrants to have a certain period of stay in that country before they become eligible for residency rights and some further time before they are granted full political rights. Even in the United States, which is called the melting pot, only those citizens, who are born in America, are eligible to become president of the country.
It is regretful that Mr Ghausi contemptuously terms nationalist sentiments of Sindhi people “Jamshoro mentality”. The most powerful country of the world, the US, pursues all its economic, defence and foreign policies to safeguard the interests of the American people. What can one call it, if not nationalism?
The interests of the people of this country and also the universal principles of democracy would be served better if people with some sanity advise the rulers of Pakistan to be rational in their approach and to allow all Pakistanis to exercise their democratic right to become president, prime minister or chief justice of Pakistan.
ABDUL KHALIQUE JUNEJO
Karachi
KARACHI’S Central District seems to have become one of the dirtiest localities because of poor sanitation.
One can see gutters overflowing with sewage that has flooded the streets and roads in many parts of the district. Besides, huge heaps of garbage can be seen along and on every road, hindering the traffic flow. Blocs P, Q, R and S of North Nazimabad are the worst affected areas as garbage of an adjoining Kutcha Abadi is thrown on the streets of these areas and on Shara-i-Noorjehan.
The municipal staff burn the garbage instead of removing it from where it is thrown, depriving the area people of whatever fresh air is left for them.
It has also been observed that the KMC staff hardly work for an hour once in two or three days. Many ghost sweepers are said to be drawing salaries from the KMC.
I urge the concerned authorities to sanitize all areas of the district without any delay so that people could live in a healthy environment.
ARIF KHAN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to a recent survey conducted by the Network for Consumer Protection (Oct 18), revealing that 25 important drugs, including those for high blood pressure, epilepsy, asthma, malaria and angina, besides a number of antibiotics, are either not available in the market or happen to be in short supply in Pakistan. All these drugs are included in the national essential drugs’ list prepared by the health ministry.
A few days back, the central government had taken the decision to withdraw GST from life-saving drugs. At that time, too, essential drugs were short in the market. Unfortunately, while the shortage of drugs is taking place frequently, no government agency has taken any notice of it yet.
Under the Drug Act of 1976, the pharmaceutical companies are bound to make these drugs available in the market all the time.
I feel that there is an urgent need to take steps to ensure a regular and continuous supply of essential and life-saving drugs. Would the pharmaceutical industry and the relevant ministry look into the matter?
NOORUL ISLAM KHAN
Karachi
DR Naseem Ashraf, chairman of the National Commission for Human Development, with his team members, is visiting different cities of the United Kingdom.
The purpose of the visit is to explain the objectives and importance of the funds being set up for providing basic education and health care and for reducing poverty in Pakistan.
The commission is trying to generate $10 million through its own efforts and UN assistance. The government of Pakistan has already committed two billion rupees for this purpose.
It has been stated by Dr Ashraf that the commission has already admitted around 52,000 children between five and seven years of age in the schools of Mardan and Narowal.
The commission has chalked out a comprehensive programme for the next three years and is planning to admit 470,000 children in the same age group. Also 100,000 volunteers will be hired during the three-year period. It is, however, not clear if the volunteers will be paid. Has any criterion been fixed to select and train the volunteers?
I am of the view that simply admitting children of this age group will not solve the problem. This policy will enable children to complete class II education, but nothing has been said about their future education.
For proper human development, efforts are needed to improve the quality of education and the infrastructure. More teachers resource centres may be opened.
Besides, technical, vocational schools and basic health care centres may be established to improve the quality of life. Pakistan needs trained manpower.
I am confident that the combined efforts of the government, the commission and other NGOs will improve the quality of life.
PROF DR AKHLAQ AHMED
London
IT is indeed unfortunate to see that the issue of co-education, which we thought had been settled decades ago in Pakistan, opened up recently for discussion and debate again. Co-education is natural as men and women are supposed to cohabit the planet earth. Co-education builds tolerance for the other gender and healthier male-female relationships later on in life.
There would be no logical end to gender-based segregation. Is the MMA eventually contemplating another country for women starting from educational institutions and offices to roads and so on? If this is the case, it would end up with shooting women off to another planet and then out into another galaxy? Sounds ludicrous!
It is sad that our so-called “religious system” triggers the note of unworkable segregation when the Iranian Islamic revolution took off on the note of integration of women in the mainstream political life.
That women could head the government was the first significant announcement made by the Iranian revolutionary leader. Iranian women could then hold their heads high.
Religion is interpreted so differently by different schools of thought as we have also seen in the case of Zakat and the Law of Evidence when two religious leaders of a particular sect had walked out of Ziaul Haq’s hand-picked Shoora at the time of the passage of this controversial law. So, whose version will the MMA leaders, who cannot even agree on the type and colour of their own head gears, impose?
DR MAHNAZ FATIMA
Karachi
I WORKED as senior purser at PIA for 18 years. I was travelling to London on Oct 30 when at Karachi airport I was informed by PIA officials that I could not proceed as I had luggage with me.
It came as a surprise and I could not understand what the officials meant. On inquiry, they informed me that as per instructions all non-revenue passengers, specially those retired, would not be allowed to proceed abroad by availing themselves of their entitlement of one free ticket per year and even if they were allowed, they would not carry any luggage as it would result in a loss of revenue to PIA.
I would like to question the wisdom of the policy makers behind this order because a person travelling abroad is entitled to carry at least 20kg.
I would like to point out that this action of PIA is in violation of IATA rules, which entitle employees with certain years of service to some facilities, such as free passage for self and family.
SARWAR
London
THIS refers to many letters on Pakistani seamen’s agony at foreign ports, and Dawn’s editorial (Oct 27).
The restrictions imposed on ships carrying Pakistani seafarers will surely render the seafarers unemployed for no fault of their own. Seafarers travel only to perform their duty, which is their sole source of livelihood.
All seamen on board ships entering the US are required to possess a US visa and have already been screened. If visitors with US visas can travel freely without guard surveillance, why are guards required at US ports on ships with Pakistani seamen on board, one of the cost factors deterring shipowners from employing Pakistani seamen?
RAFI AHMED
Karachi
MY uncle recently took possession of an apartment which he had booked three years ago in Zainab Plaza. Since the apartment was not in use before my uncle took its possession, KESC officials had cut off electricity supply to it and stopped the meter at 118 units.
The officials handed him a bill for Rs36,000 when he asked them why the power supply had been disconnected to the apartment.
The original bill according to meter reading and meter rent for three years comes to nearly Rs4,500. The KESC authorities say that an inspection of the apartment will be conducted, but the procedure for carrying out such an inspection is long. We are visiting the KESC office daily to get this problem solved, but in vain.
SYED ALI JOHN
Karachi
PAKISTAN Television has been in the field for approximately four decades. During this period, it has passed through various phases in its stride towards perfection.
Generally speaking, the early period of any venture is usually a trying one and hence very demanding from all participants and all those involved in the production of programmes which used to be live then. The actors, particularly in the drama, had to be extra-cautious in their individual performance. Despite all these constraints, the quality of drama those days used to be very good.
In contrast to the initial period devoted to overcoming the nascent and early phase successfully, the major programmes, drama in particular, are nowadays produced by the professionals in the private sector and mostly in foreign countries. A new development in this field is the increasing tendency to produce the majority of Urdu plays in foreign lands. Yet, only some of these could be regarded as good ventures.
A new trend that is discernible in the matter of displaying the title of Urdu programmes, particularly drama, is to show the titles in English alphabet or Roman Urdu only. Recognizing that this is done in order to facilitate the foreigners to read the title, it does not necessarily require to eliminate the title in Urdu altogether. This tendency reflects a sort of inferiority complex which needs to be overcome. It would be advisable to inscribe the titles of Urdu drama in both Urdu and English alphabets.
SIRAJUDDIN AHMAD
Islamabad
ON the last day of their academic year, some students of Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology occupied the road around the university campus, climbed into the passing public buses and threw coloured water on besieged commuters and occupants of cars.
The university administration had not allowed the students to enter the campus and shut-down the university for the day (Nov 2).
At least five police mobiles were present on the spot, but they did not stop the students from harassing the passing motorists and occupying the road.
A CONCERNED MOTORIST
Karachi
MOST of us think that Defence Housing Authority is a well-managed locality in Karachi. Unfortunately, this is not true.
If you visit the Khayaban-i-Badar commercial area in Phase V, specially on the Saba Avenue side, you will see heaps of garbage on roads, which are full of potholes. And if you visit the area on a Sunday afternoon, a flock of horses can also be seen there.
The residents of the area are truly justified in asking: where is DHA?
QAZI KASHIF NAEEM
Karachi
I ALWAYS enjoy reading the Op-Ed pieces written by Shahid Javed Burki because he brings in a clear-eyed, no-holds barred view of what ails his country. As an Indian American, I have also been impressed with the solutions he offers, mainly economic, to overcome the problems of illiteracy and poverty in the South Asian region.
However, his article, “A rise of fundamentalism” (Nov 5), was a poor excuse for the continued military rule in Pakistan. Democracy should not be considered bad just because previous civilian administrations were corrupt, manipulative and draconian.
In my view, Pakistan should continue to walk on its bumpy road to democracy even if a person like Fazlur Rahman becomes prime minister.
The Pakistanis are no different from other people in the world. They want to improve their economic lot and wish for their children to have a better life than what they have led themselves. This is the most powerful force that would fight extremism. If economic conditions of people improve, stirrings of extremist leaders — leftist or rightist— will become meaningless and less persuasive.
Take the example of India. A ‘Hindu’ party is in power there and it was ready to use its mandate to implement some of the most galling aspects of their political strategy. But then tens of millions of Indians from the middle class with an increasing purchasing power, impressive gains in the worldwide IT industry and manufacturing excellence, put an end to the BJP dreams of imposing a fundamentalist Hindu stamp on India’s democracy.
It was no secret that bellicose statements by Indian leaders this past summer were quickly silenced when the economic well-being was threatened by the Western countries that recommended travel to India be postponed and non-essential personnel be brought back. That was score one for the economic argument winning over darker forces.
This scenario will surely repeat in Pakistan in the future as it gradually embraces modernity and the middle class people continue to increase their purchasing power and their clout in matters of economy. Even a fundamentalist ruler will then be less likely to harp on age-old discredited ideas to stir the masses. And so I would submit that an ‘imperfect’ democracy is better than no democracy.
RUDY SHANKAR
Matthews, USA
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