| November 11, 2002 | Monday | Ramazan 5, 1423 |
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Democracy is not hypocrisy
MMA: then and now
NICVD’s clarification
Higher education
Traffic congestion
If Jamali becomes PM
Postal service & union
Postponement of NA session
Income and prices
Liberalism?
Checking women motorists
Arrest of Dr Amir
Taxes on savings
‘ID cards: frustrating delays’
THIS is with reference to Mahir Ali’s article, ‘Judg-ing Josef and the jesters’ (Nov 6).
I think that Mr Ali was unfair to Stalin. While it is true that many people lost their lives during Stalin’s hurried collectivization plans in the Soviet Union, it should not be forgotten that it was during Stalin’s period that the Soviet Union achieved in only 25 years what it took the industrialized world at least 100 years to attain; the transformation of a backward country into the most industrialized and advanced socialist state in the world, almost at par with the United States.
It was also due to Stalin’s efforts that the Soviet Union became one of the most literate and healthy societies in the world.
To equate Nazism with Stalinism is to miss the fact that these two systems represented two entirely different philosophies.
Also, Mr Ali fails to mention that it was the combined efforts of the Allies and the Soviet Union under Stalin that helped the world get rid of Nazism in the World War II.
I agree with Mr Ali that the Soviet Union under Stalin was not a perfect socialist state and also that the Soviet leader did commit mistakes, but to attribute what happened in the Soviet Union later entirely to Stalin’s policies is nothing but a simplicism.
After all, it was under Stalin’s successor, Nikita Khrushchev, that the Soviet Union began gradually moving towards capitalism and the principle of class struggle, which according to Karl Marx is the motor which drives history, was completely abandoned in quest for peaceful coexistence with US imperialism.
Also inaccurate is Mr Ali’s assertion that “a hired killer pierced Trotsky’s skull with a pickaxe”.
It was Trotsky’s own disciple who assassinated Trotsky and confessed afterwards that his one-time mentor was wrong in his views about Stalin as the “grave digger of the Revolution” and that Stalin had been right all along.
It is because of Trotskyite propaganda that Stalin’s true role has been distorted by the likes of Robert Conquest, Christopher Hitchens, Martin Amis and monarchists like novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn. A good book which seeks to place Josef Stalin in a more accurate perspective is ‘Another View of Stalin’ by a Belgian author, Ludo Martens, who has used Western sources for his work.
RAZA NAEEM
Lahore
THE assumption of a Pakistan Movement’s worker in his letter, ‘Democracy or hypocrisy?’ (Oct 22) that democracy and hypocrisy are sisters may be a figment of his imagination.
The fact remains that evolution of democracy is only a post-renaissance occurrence in England, sustained by the Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta and enhanced later by common law and legislations.
In England, the mother of democracy, the process of democratic institutions has been fine-tuned over the years of its practice.
Variations between the ruling party’s promises and performance do occur, according to circumstances of which the opposition takes the best advantage.
That does not amount to hypocrisy, as alleged. The best government is the one administered best.
With regard to insalubrious remarks contained in the letter concerning Maulana Maudoodi, I would like to emphasize that whatever slogans the tiny minority of nationalist Muslims may have raised locally, they did not originate from the leaders.
Maulana Maudoodi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad were intellectually sober enough not to degrade themselves with the kind of slogans attributed to them. These leaders had a right to differ.
However, the overwhelming majority of the Indian Muslims voted for partition under the dynamic leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam.
We can never be thankful enough to all the leaders who worked tirelessly and sincerely to create an indepen-dent homeland for the Mus-lims, notwithstanding contentions of the nationalist Muslim leaders.
AKBAR KHAN
Karachi
I found Ghulam Kibria’s understanding of the Pakistan movement and the role of the All-India Muslim League and religious parties viz-a-viz that movement to be rather superficial (“MMA: then and now”, Nov 6).
This is a fact that religious parties did not support the creation of Pakistan, but their opposition to Pakistan was neither due to some ‘secular ideal’ as suggested by Mr Kibria, nor were their predecessors monoliths.
The Jamaat-i-Islami denounced the idea of Pakistan as ‘territorial nationalism’. The Majlis-i-Ahrar denounced the Muslim League leadership for being ‘Westernized’ while the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind happened to be an electoral ally of Congress.
They had one thing in common though: a dream that Muslims would ultimately dominate the entire Republic of India. Co-existence with the Hindus was not their top priority.
It is true that the two-nation theory was based on the premise of religion, but the demand for Pakistan as stated in the Lahore Resolution 1940 was purely a territorial concept.
To understand the role of the Muslim League and its leadership, Ayesha Jalal’s book, ‘The Sole Spokesman’, on the life of Mohammad Ali Jinnah should suffice.
And to understand the basis of Pakistani nationalism, please read Aitzaz Ahsan’s ‘Indus Saga’.
In any event, it is beyond dispute that on August 11, 1947, Jinnah gave the nation a vision of a secular and pluralistic Pakistan — which is the vision the successors to the Muslim League should follow.
YASSER LATIF HAMDANI
Lahore
THIS refers to the letter “Institute of cardiology” (Nov 6) about the problems that the writer faced at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi.
We would like to thank the writer for pointing out deficiencies at the institute. Orders have been given by the executive director to immediately rectify them.
We hope that all patients will realize that in a centre that is constantly working beyond its capacity plus other handicaps of our public sector hospitals, deficiencies will surely arise, but, so also will increase our effort to solve them.
May I clarify an inaccurate claim in the letter that the ECG fee has been increased to Rs100? The ECG fee in the OPD is Rs20. Also, Rs100 being charged in the emergency department since the last financial year (and not recently increased) includes charges for all ECGs done, whether one or 10 ECGs, and all other available treatment.
Also, if a patient is really poor, we will waive even these token charges. No standard treatment cheaper than this is available elsewhere in this country. We will, however, continue to strive to improve our performance.
We also request our patients to use our suggestion boxes placed in every department to drop their complaints/comments/ suggestions. They will find us responsive.
S. M. KAZIM RIZVI
Medical Social Officer, NICVD,
Karachi
THIS refers to the letter of Dr Abdul Qadeer, “Universities are not for sale” (Nov 7).
The role of higher education in imparting knowledge and developing skill, promoting research and, in particular, contributing to sustainable development and improvement of society as a whole should be preserved, reinforced and expanded.
However, there has been a mixed reaction to the recommendations of the task force for higher education set up by the government.
Teacher associations and student bodies have rejected the recommendations.
A debate is in progress at the international level whether education should be considered a commercial service and, if so, should the World Trade Organization (WTO) regulate it, or it should be considered a public service.
If the idea of public service is accepted, what are the principles that should guide an organization and policies for higher education in Pakistan?
Comments are invited from teachers, administrators, students, stakeholders, government functionaries and members of the task force for higher education.
AFTAB MOHAMMAD KHAN
Karachi
I am a blind, aged, ill and physically quite disabled person and so is my son, though not ill. We live in one of the seven lanes round Police Chowki, Kharadar, Karachi.
These lanes and the area around have become congested due to encroachments by shopkeepers and vendors while a large number of vehicles pass through the lanes, creating health hazards. My son and I also face great hard-ships.
However, the sorrier part of this state of affairs is that even the town Nazim, who took some action some time back in this regard, now appears to have forgotten the problems.
I have personally visited his office several times to apprise him of the health hazards, but in vain.
I urge the concerned authorities, including the Sindh ombudsman, to look into the matter and order the removal of encroachments so that there is no traffic congestion in the area and people like me could walk on the streets without any hindrance.
HASHIM AHMED BHOJA
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Syed Ahmed Shoaib’s letter, “If Jamali becomes PM” (Nov 6), informing readers about quick dismissals of Zafarullah Khan Jamali from public office in different times.
May I ask the writer as to who, during the past 15 years of “democracy”, has completed his or her tenure of five years in office, let alone prime ministers?
Dr RAZA ANSARI
United Kingdom
A news item, appeared recently in Dawn, said postal union members had sought the removal of their director-general, Rawalpindi region.
The fact, however, is that the high-ups in the union spread discontentment among the working force by inciting them to go-slow, thereby affecting production. The union leaders should know that labour unions help managements improve efficiency and results in foreign countries, but here they act quite the opposite.
This attitude must change if we have to make progress. Strict disciplinary laws should be enforced in the larger interest of result-orientation and efficiency.
The agitation by the postal union against their director- general is one such instance where the union wants to take the management hostage. I for one have observed a lot of change in the working of the post offices here in Attock and would congratulate the present DG for bringing in changes for the better.
Lt-Col (R) M. AFZAL SADIQ
Attock
The chaotic political situation would not have arisen in Pakistan if established principles had been adopted for the formation of a government.
The leader of the majority party in the National Assembly should have been asked to form a government by proving his majority. Had he failed to do so, the leader of the second largest party could have been invited to prove his majority and form the government. If no party or coalition were able to form a government within a specified period of time, fresh election could have been held.
Now the best course of action before Gen Musharraf is to extend the date of calling a session of the National Assembly at least by 10 days and then follow the above mentioned procedure.
S. ALI NASIR RIZVI
Lahore
OUR financial managers have always been assuring us that the price of this or that thing in Pakistan is the lowest in the world. But what do we find?
The annual per capita income in the USA is $33,000 while in Pakistan it is $430. This indicates that an average Pakistani is almost 80 times poorer than an average American.
Now look at some of the prices. A 1300-1600cc car costs about $12,000 in the USA and $13,000 in Pakistan. Therefore, cars are 86 times more expensive for a Pakistani than for an American. A cross-country telephone call costs 10 cents in the USA and 18 cents (Rs13) in Pakistan. It is 144 times more expensive in our country.
Likewise, petrol price is 40 cents a litre in the USA and 58 cents in Pakistan, almost 120 times dearer for us.
A. HAMID
Karachi
AFTER reading the letter by Aaliya Mushtaq (Nov 5) on this page I felt very sorry for the poor model who for the sake of a few thousand rupees could not respect a respectable person who is much taller than her imagination in every respect: age, education, social/political status and dignity.
I wonder if the scriptwriter, the producer/director of that show, the so-called fashion designer or the model herself would have been “so kind” to their own fathers, too? Perhaps, liberalism would not have had any objection to it.
I do not belong to the Jamaat-i-Islami, but I believe that a respectable person, whosoever he/she is, must be respected.
WAQAR KHAN
Karachi
FOR many months now, the Karachi police accompanied by army personnel have been checking vehicles on roads. I have no objection to this at all, but it seems that they target women drivers and cars with female passengers quite frequently.
Apparently these policemen and the army jawans hail from the rural areas where a working or unaccompanied woman is regarded as an agent of the devil.
I do not think that these security checks have ever resulted in a lone female driver carrying explosives being caught. Yet, last month, I was stopped for checking six times.
To stop this harassment, the government is requested to either employ policewomen for this purpose or give the job to private security agencies, preferably run by women.
SHEHNAZ LALJEE
Karachi
I WANT to ask the government as to why they do not have the courage to speak the truth. Will the interior minister tell the nation under which law Dr Amir Aziz has been arrested and by whom?
Will the government behave in this case in the same way it did on the presence of US forces in Jacobabad and other parts of the country or during the operation led by the FBI to arrest Abu-Zubaida? In those cases, the government had initially denied the press reports, but later they had accepted all that they had been denying.
I do not know how many days it would take our interior minister to accept that Dr Amir Aziz is under the custody of the FBI. But, in any case, this unfortunate incident has already become another black spot on our sovereignty.
DR MUBASHIR SALEEM
Tandlianwala
THE point Sultan A. Chaudhry has made in his letter (Nov 3) is valid. Taxes have affected the rates of return on savings accounts more than the reduction in interest rates by the government has.
We, the account holders, are suffering twofold; while the rates of return on deposits have tumbled, the rates of lending have not gone down proportionately. No wonder that banks are earning huge profits every year.
This is the first time in the banking history of Pakistan that the difference in the rates of profits on savings deposits and the rates at which money is being lent is so huge.
Imagine the benefits that could accrue to our economy from such a drop in the lending rates.
Right now the rates are benefiting only the banking sector, but a reduction in them could bring about a very healthy change in all the sectors of the economy.
K. KALEEM AHMAD
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘ID cards: frustrating delays’ (Oct 29). The contention that 0.19 million out of a total of 0.37 million applicants have received their new computerized identity cards, many of which have faulty particulars, is not true.
To date, Nadra has received approximately 29 million applications. Out of these applicants, 17.87 million have been sent computerized cards through Pakistan Post Office. This has been done in a record time of about 17 months.
The primary aim of Nadra is to create an authentic database. Speedy issuance of ID cards may be detrimental to this objective. In an environment where the previous registration was flawed, correcting the system is an extremely difficult task, which has to be done through our own experience as there is no role model available in the world.
The total number of faulty cards due to mistakes by either Nadra or applicants is 317,526 delivered by Pakistan Post Office to Nadra and another 100,000 or so cards reportedly are in various stages with the Pakistan Post Office. These 0.45 million faulty cards out of a total of more than 15 million indicate a rejection ratio of approximately three per cent which is an acceptable figure by any international standards.
To reduce errors and to speed up the delivery of cards, swift registration centres are being set up. At present there are 27 such centres in the country and more are in various stages of completion. We have bags full of satisfied customer remarks regarding the working of these centres. More than 390,540 cards have been delivered through our NSRCs.
The deposition of the editorial about electoral rolls is out of context as it has criticized the quality of the electoral rolls prepared for the local bodies election two years ago, and has chosen to ignore the colossal task of preparation of electoral rolls for election 2002.
We are confident that our registration process, which has no parallel in the world, is on the right track. We feel that we need encouragement rather than undue criticism, as the task given to us is by any standards an extremely difficult one within the obtaining environment.
SALEEM A. MOEEN
Chairman, NADRA
Islamabad
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