| November 18, 2002 | Monday | Ramazan 12, 1423 |
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Lifting ban on wedding meals
MMA success: bane or boon?
Needed judicial reforms
Pakistanis at US airports
Waiting for ‘messiah’
Unfriendly footpaths in Karachi
Nadra’s performance
Benefits for NBP staff
PTCL’s dual procedure
Is this DHA?
Charged parking
For Ramazan only?
Umra pilgrims’ ordeal
This letter is in response to Shaukat Ali Bhambhro’s article “Hybrid Rice: Irri-6 under threat” published on October 21.
It is good that people of Pakistan are being educated about the problems and prospects of rice cultivation, and I would like to learn more on it.
We, in Peshawar plan to work on virtually shortening the growing period of different rice varieties. The plans are to achieve this through growing rice nursery in green house about a month before the season commences in the open, and to repeat the same practice during the “Kharif” season. We hope to get two crops of rice in a year.
MAJOR (R) TARIQ MAHMOOD
Peshawar
ON Nov 8 the Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling that repealed a piece of legislation regarding the ban on serving meals at weddings. The prompt and principled ruling by the honourable court is commendable by any standard.
In its verdict, the apex court disputed the power of the federal government to legislate in conflict with the law of the land. It ruled that the Wasteful Expenditure Ordinance 2002 was unconstitutional, and termed the ordinance ultra vires.
This ruling seems to be one small step for a full bench of the SC, but it is a great leap for the judiciary.
The Supreme Court also noted that the regime had no power to impose a whimsical law like outlawing serving of food at valima receptions. It argued that the government had exceeded its jurisdiction by enacting a bad law, calling for completion of the sacred duty of marriage from the rising of the sun till the sunset. Obviously, neither the Provisional Constitutional Order nor the Legal Framework Order has succeeded in smothering judges.
We, the Pakistanis, are proud of our superior courts for upholding the supremacy of the Constitution by setting aside an illegal regulation. This verdict will definitely be cherished by future generations as a milestone in Pakistan’s chequered legal history.
HASSAN NASIR
Gujranwala
THE lifting of ban on wedding meals will create problems for most people, specially the middle class. The ban that took off the shoulders of the people a huge and quite inescapable burden is more important than assuring the livelihood of a minority pressure.
It is not difficult to figure out just how much the people in general are economically deprived, how weddings are viewed in our society and how each one of us will have to grudgingly pay in order to marry off daughters and sisters.
FARIHA SALIMI
Karachi
THE Supreme Court has repealed the five-year-old ban on wedding meals and ruled that the federal government had no authority to impose such a ban.
All along everyone in the country (except wedding halls operators) had appreciated the ban and it was a great relief to the parents who could save wasteful expenses and give some money to the bride or bridegroom.
The public had adopted this social change for the better and that mad-race to show off on weddings had almost gone. It was specially beneficial to those who cannot afford extravagance.
Marriage should be made a simple affair. Therefore, I request the Supreme Court to reconsider the decision.
SANA IKRAM
Lahore
ONE writer has asked as to why “people are opposing the group of people who want to impose Islam in Pakistan”. Another writer is of the view that the opposition to the “group” is based on the fact that they are the followers of those who had opposed the creation of Pakistan and, after its establishment, had become a part of the anti-democratic governments in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
The overwhelming majority of Pakistanis are Muslims who practise their faith strictly in accordance with their respective ‘fiqahs’. It would, however, be not possible to compel them to abandon their respective ‘fiqahs’ and follow the one to be imposed by the ruling party.
The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, had to face tough opposition during the struggle for Pakistan on three fronts: the British, the Hindu Congress and his own co-religionists. The last group comprised Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Hind, Majlis-i-Ahrar, Khaksars and some nationalist Muslims. It was due to the political insight, honesty of purpose and sincerity of Mr Jinnah that Pakistan was achieved.
Some extracts from the speeches of the Quaid have been preserved in the book, ‘Speeches and writings of Mr Jinnah’, compiled by Prof Jamil-ud-Din Ahmad of the Aligarh University. A few quotations are worth quoting:
“It (the Muslim League) has certainly freed you from the undesirable elements of Maulvis and Maulanas. I am not speaking of Maulvis as a whole class. There are some of them who are as patriotic and sincere as any other; but a section of them is undesirable. Having freed ourselves from the clutches of the British Government, the Congress, the reactionaries and so-called Maulvis, may I appeal to the youth to emancipate our women. This is essential. I do not mean that we are to ape the evils of the West. I mean that they must share our life, not only social (but) also political.” (Aligarh, Feb 2, 1938)
“Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state, to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims — Hindus, Christians and Parsees — but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.” (Broadcast to the US people, Jan 1948).
SYED ISHTIAQ HUSAIN
Karachi
THE president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), while speaking to the members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Nov 7, criticized the government for extending the retirement age of the judges of the superior courts by three years.
He said that even the original retirement age of the judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts was higher than that of civil servants. I wish the SCBA president knew that the last thing about an independent and impartial judiciary is making it akin to civil service.
In parliamentary democracies, like in the United Kingdom, no one from the lower judiciary is elevated to the High Court because it is thought that, by doing so, the judiciary will develop the characteristic of civil service, which becomes a hurdle in the development of an independent frame of mind of a judge.
In Britain, only barristers with vast experience and high integrity are made High Court judges. The prime minister or the chief executive has no role in the appointment of judges.
At the time of their elevation, these barristers on average earn about double the amount of the salary of a judge of a High Court. They sacrifice their income only for the sake of honour of being a judge of a High Court, retirement at the age of 75 and for pension. If he becomes a law lord in the House of Lords, he is a judge till life.
Since we have not based our Constitution on any democratic pattern and as we follow the undemocratic colonial system of the Government of India Act, 1935, our judicial system is also averse to the system of parliamentary democracy.
It is time our intellectuals, specially from the legal fraternity, learnt more about the parliamentary system of democracy as being practised in the UK, Canada, Japan etc., and strived for the establishment of a genuine democratic system in Pakistan. Otherwise, it would amount to barking up the wrong tree.
FEROZ SHAH GILANI
Karachi
PASSPORTS with a valid visa, a return ticket and proper company invitations are of no value according to the new US immigration policy towards eight countries: Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Pakistan.
On arrival and departure, visitors from these countries are, in any case, fingerprinted and photographed at all the US airports. Being a regular visitor to the US for occupational reasons since 1999, I could never imagine what was in store for me on my recent arrival at JFK airport in New York.
First of all, visitors from these countries were separated from passengers hailing from other countries and seated in a closed room. Then, they were asked to fill in a form which requires detailed information about the visitor and his parents.
Having a passport was not enough. We were asked to produce additional identification documents such as a driving license or a credit card. Finally, we were fingerprinted and photographed.
The process of fingerprinting and photo-imaging was repeated on departure.
Never in my life have I been subjected to such humiliation for no fault of mine. Is holding a Pakistani passport such a liability? Or, is it the fault of the United States government which has decided to judge all the Muslims guilty till proved otherwise? No self-respecting society should tolerate such behaviour and must articulate its strong protest to such acts of discrimination.
We know that President Pervez Musharraf is very busy dealing with domestic issues, but the issue of harassment at US airports should not be ignored or belittled because it has extremely negative and far-reaching implications for all Pakistanis.
ARIF QADIR
Abu Dhabi, UAE
AS TENS of thousands of Pakistanis living and working abroad yearn for returning home, I, too miss my roots and home and hope for the day when young men would devote their talents to their country instead of going abroad to make a living.
Gen Musharraf’s coup d’etat after 11 years of so-called democratic rule brought some hope (not that the years before were any better) for all Pakistanis, both at home and abroad. I and many other Pakistanis thought that we were finally going for a change, but then days rolled into months and months into years. Nothing happened and probably nothing will. Perhaps, the ‘Mard-i-Momin’ that we have been waiting for has not been born yet.
We went a full circle. Election 2002 brought back the same old faces. It does not matter if the PML-Q enters into an alliance with the MMA or the PPP. It is only a matter of time when all those politicians, who have been either ousted from the country or who have been jailed, will be back at large again.
I have no doubt that we have honest people in our country, who can bring back to Pakistan the glory that it deserves and that Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had promised to us. Why cannot such people be brought under the spotlight? Wasn’t it a job of Gen Pervez Musharraf to do so? His government made many promises, but has fulfilled none.
As a Pakistani, I remain quite bewildered and wonder where we should go from here and what we should do now.
TALHA RASHEED
New York
RECENTLY the city government has undertaken the long neglected task of repairing and reconstructing footpaths in the city.
But the height of the newly-constructed footpaths is one foot or even more. This causes great inconvenience not only to the aged and disabled but to others as well.
Even an able-bodied person finds walking on these pavements an unpleasant experience because one has to get down and climb again very frequently. For senior citizens on foot or in the wheel chair, such footpaths are just insurmountable.
Another disadvantage is that motorists have to park their vehicles at a distance from the footpath, to be able to open the doors of their cars. This effectively reduces the width of the already narrow streets.
The department carrying out this work must take urgent notice of this.
DR SHAHAB ATHAR
Karachi
I SUBMITTED five applications to Nadra on Oct 9, 2002, with serial No. E 837441 for getting computerized national identity cards for myself, wife, two daughters and one son. Delivery date on the receipt was March 9, 2002, but so far we have received four cards. I am still waiting for my own card.
Moreover, in June, 2002, one of my colleagues and his relatives submitted their application forms to a Nadra agency. He has received his identity card, but his relatives are still waiting for their identity cards.
Will any responsible person at Nadra let them know as to how long they are supposed to wait for their cards?
S. A. KHOKHAR
Lahore
THE president of National Bank has said that he is working on a plan to give more benefits to those NBP employees who have worked hard to promote business.
He revealed that the plan was highly beneficial but he would not give any details except saying that he would reveal it in a month or two.
The NBP president should not forget old pensioners who played a vital role in the initial stages after the exodus of the Hindu bankers and till the inauguration of the SBP training scheme for bank officers to fill the vacuum.
I joined it after giving up a teaching job in the Islamia College, Lyallpur (now Faisalabad).
SULTAN AHMED CHOWDHRY
Lahore
A FEW months ago the PTCL merged the Gulshan-i-Hadeed Exchange with the Karachi region, but it did not remove the former’s code No. 0201.
This means that any number of Gulshan-i-Hadeed will start with 0201, but the PTCL will charge the rate of a local call for such a number. However, a person from the Korangi Exchange area can dial a number of Gulshan-i-Hadeed without dialling the code number.
Will the concerned authorities let us know as to why this dual procedure has been adopted for different exchanges in the same city?
SYED AHMED FRAZ
Karachi
THIS refers to the letter, “Is this DHA?” (Nov 8), by Qazi Kashif.
The condition of Street No. 33, Phase V Ext, approaching Khayaban-i-Sehar, is worse than the Badar commercial area. The street constantly remains submerged in sewage, with heaps of filth and rubbish on an open plot.
The slide shown on television, seeking public cooperation for keeping DHA clean, seems to me nothing more than a publicity stunt.
Overflowing sewage and garbage heaps all around DHA speak volumes about the seriousness of the DHA administration in their campaign to keep the area clean.
M. ILTEMAS KHAN
Karachi
IN KARACHI most areas, reserved for charged parking, are in bad conditions. Some have a poor surface and some others are virtually located near garbage dumps etc. This is deplorable.
The city government must ask contractors to keep such parking areas clean and in good shape, so that motorists could easily park their vehicles without any irritation or hardship.
NASEEM AHMAD
Karachi
I would like to quote from a report (Dawn, Nov 11) that says: “Police have been asked to keep extra vigil during Ramazan and ensure that no incident of dacoity, robbery and theft should take place in this holy month.”
But what about the other months? Can these offences be tolerated in the other months of the year?
DR SAAD SHAFQAT
Karachi
MY sister, with her family, consisting of her husband, son and daughter-in-law, returned on Oct 29 after performing Umra and the hassle they went through is described in the following lines.
As per existing rules and regulations, no one can go for Umra on his own as an independent person. He must contact in Karachi an authorized agent who is supposed to make all the arrangements. They contacted an agent and took a package for Rs33,400 per head. Except for food, the package provided for board, lodging and travel.
The Saudi counterpart of the agent, known as ‘muallim’, was to receive them at the arrival lounge of Jeddah airport but he was not there and the security staff said they could not go out of the lounge unless the Saudi agent/muallim came; otherwise they would have to return to Karachi without performing Umra.
My sister had the telephone number of a family friend who lived in Jeddah and they wanted to telephone him, but the public telephones in the lounge were operated through tele-cards.
Those tele-cards were prized 500 rials but were being sold for 800 rials. They could not afford this huge amount for a mere one call.
After about five harassing hours, my sister saw a Pakistani resident of Jeddah who had come to receive his relatives. He had a mobile telephone and was good enough to let my sister make a call to her family friend. This friend was fortunately contacted and he immediately came to the airport.
At this stage, the agent also came but indicated that the pilgrim party would have to stay at a hotel of his choice and will pay all the hotel and transport expenses all over again.
The friend, who had been living in Jeddah for over 20 years, knew Arabic and he argued with the agent/muallim (who was nothing less than a cheat and did not even explain why he was late for nearly six hours), and forced him to abide by the package agreement and to give reservation coupons of the hotels at Makkah and Madina and arrange the taxi car for going to Makkah. He kept passports/air tickets with him.
While providing the taxi car, the agent insisted that my sister and party should reach the Jeddah airport at 2200 hours (Oct 28) for their return journey to Karachi and he would meet them at Jeddah airport and then would return their passports/air tickets. It was too early a time since the flight time was 0400 hours on Oct 29.
As arranged, my sister and family, with their friend from Jeddah, reached the Jeddah airport a few minutes before the appointed time of 2200 hours but the agent/muallim was nowhere to be seen. The Jeddah friend knew the offices of agents and he went and brought the agent — in custody, so to say — and then he returned the passports/air tickets and the ordeal ended.
It may be noted that my sister and her family were not the only pilgrims who were given such inhuman and downright criminal treatment.
Almost every Pakistani pilgrim disembarking at Jeddah airport was similarly treated. The arrival lounge was full of Pakistanis who were thus being harassed and fleeced by agents.
JUSTICE (R) SALAHUDDIN MIRZA
Karachi
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