| November 25, 2002 | Monday | Ramazan 19, 1423 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
Islam in Arab countries
Lifting ban on wedding meals
Federal services’ quota
Stalin: statesman or tyrant?
Is this justice?
Waiting for a UK visa
Meteor shower
Railways reservation policy
Waiting for stipends
‘Colonial control’ and Pakistan
A case of child labour
Criticism vs alternative models
IT IS a good development that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has so far played politics in an progressive way.
The MMA leaders have demanded restoration of the 1973 Constitution and rejection of the Legal Framework Order, and are not making any deals under pressure of the military government. Theirs is an admirable and principled stand.
The MMA leaders have taken a most appropriate stand on the sovereignty of both the country and parliament. The have rightly asked Gen Musharraf to get himself elected president after resigning from the post of Chief of the Army Staff.
Furthermore, the MMA does not comprise loan defaulters, such as the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, who, unfortunately, are now in control of parliament.
Contrary to widespread expectations, we do not hear the MMA focus so much on limiting religious freedoms and the like. At least not yet.
M. MAJID ALI
New York, USA
THIS refers to the article, “MMA has lost the power game” (Nov 20). It should not come as a surprise to anyone that this alliance of divergent religious parties is bound to fail.
Much attention has been given to the fact that the MMA did better than expected in the October election. I believe that they have failed miserably again.
In fact, people at home and abroad hoped that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal would win more seats by running on an anti-American platform and by exploiting rampant anti-American sentiments in the country.
That they have benefited from the widespread sympathy for the Taliban in the wake of the US invasion of Afghanistan in no way implies that the MMA is anything more than a ragtag assembly of misguided people that are unable to agree on anything but their hatred for America and the West.
No good could be expected from this alliance as far as its role in lawmaking is concerned.
QUDUS MALIK
New York, USA
AFTER the recent election, the MMA has achieved a significant position in the politics of Pakistan. At the same time, a pro-Islamic Justice Party has won a victory over the secular opponents in Turkey.
In my opinion, the success of religious groups in both countries should be seen in the context of international political scenario. Muslims are being victimized at many places, including Palestine, Kashmir and Chechnya and their resentment is increasing. This situation has become very dangerous and its consequences would be disastrous for world peace.
Islam is the religion of peace and strongly abhors all kinds of terrorism. The big powers must reconsider their policy towards the Muslim countries. If proper attention is not given to this matter, there will be a sharp reaction among the Muslims.
Recently, the Malaysian premier has warned the Americans to be patients with Iraq. Similarly, results of elections in Pakistan and Turkey are reflecting displeasure against American policies. It is time the US changed its policy.
M. KHALID SARFRAZ
Sargodha
SINCE the emergence of religious political parties in the assemblies as a result of the recent election, apprehensions are being expressed that our society might become dominated by an extremely religious way of life. Some people find this idea so dreadful that they intend to leave Pakistan, should such a development really take place.
I have spent a considerable period of time in the Middle Eastern Arab states, from where Islam originated and where it has flourished since then. But I have found that there is no coercion on people’s personal lives in pursuance of the tenets of Islam.
The only prohibition is on the consumption of alcohol. In Saudi Arabia, it is totally banned while in the Gulf states the restriction applies to Muslims only, with laxity in its enforcement in licensed hotels. Another restriction pertains to the preservation of the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan during which consumption in public is not allowed.
In the UAE, I recall announcements on TV and the radio, during Ramazan only, advising foreigners that, whilst their womenfolk were free to wear bikinis at beaches and swimming pools, they should not expose themselves at other public places.
There are no laws compelling people to attend prayers. This is very much unlike the recommendation of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Pakistan, which makes it compulsory for all employees in government offices to offer prayers. The CII also recommends women, including PIA hostesses, to wear burqas.
In line with the CII recommendations, religious leaders are also advocating banning co-education, music, dancing and cable television. But most of these things are allowed in many Muslim Arab countries. In the UAE, international cabaret performers regularly perform at five-star hotels.
RAFI AHMED
Karachi
ARGUABLY, the ordinance for the prevention of wasteful expenses introduced by the Nawaz Sharif government in 1997, banning meals on wedding ceremonies, was one of the very few laws ever promulgated in Pakistan primarily for the good of the common man.
No one can deny that, prior to this ban, the level of excessive expenditure on such occasions had assumed vulgar proportions.
Undoubtedly, this piece of legislation was an attempt to ease out taxing social practices, curtail ostentation and, thereby, somewhat relieve the burden of the people.
To flout rules and regulations has always been a norm for the rich and mighty in our country. Thus, the significance of this law was not its universal acceptance/implementation but the provision of a convenient face-saving instrument to those who could not cope with the ever-increasing social “demands”.
The upper echelons of our society, in their secluded world, cannot even conceive the magnitude of relief this ban was providing to most of the normal families.
Although, I am not in a position to comment on legal intricacies, visualizing the terrible socio-economic consequences for the common man of the annulment of this prohibition does not take a lot of brainpower.
SHAZIA SALEEMI
Tensta, SWEDEN
BACK in 1993, it was observed that a number of candidates from other provinces were taking federal services examinations under the Sindh and Balochistan quotas, and acquiring a domicile certificate was (and is) not a difficult thing. So certain checks, which included information about the birthplace of a candidate’s father, were imposed.
But the Federal Public Service Commission has changed the rules for CSS-2002 regarding the checks imposed earlier. Now any candidate, having just the domicile certificate of the area, will be considered eligible. This decision affects candidates from the smaller provinces, specially Sindh, and is also against the spirit of federalism.
I, on behalf of all the concerned candidates, request Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali to look into the matter to safeguard the legitimate rights of the smaller provinces.
BILAL AHMED
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the letter, “In defence of Josef Stalin” (Nov 11), by Raza Naeem and the article, “Judging Josef and the jesters” (Nov 6), by Mahar Ali.
While not all that Mr Ali has written about Stalin may be universally recognized to be accurate, much of it undoubtedly is.
I would like to remind Mr Naeem of the atrocities and crimes committed by Stalin against his own people. The Soviet leader and Germany’s Hitler were two of a kind, though the latter had, at least, some love for his countrymen, despite his very obvious fascist disposition.
Stalin was an evil-minded, manipulative and self-seeking man who systematically trampled over the very basis of the Soviet socialism, as envisaged by his own leader, Vladimir Lenin.
His lust for and pursuance of absolute autocracy led him to shun the ideological foundations of his state. He was not an idealist like Trotsky. So cold-blooded he was that he ordered mass murders in the name of reforms. Yet some people find him deserving a place in history befitting a great statesman.
But I feel that anything that Stalin might have done for his people on the positive side cannot help erase the memories of those atrocities.
He can rightly be described as one of the most barbaric “statesmen” that the world has ever seen, and would continue to be remembered as such.
TARIQ SHARIF
USA
I WAS shocked to read the news item, “Two girls sent to jail” (Nov 14).
The girls, eight and 10 years of age, were sisters. They were brought before a judge for allegedly committing theft in a house where they worked with their mother.
A case was lodged against them for stealing some clothes and quilts. The girls were then brought to a court and sent to jail. They were not able to furnish a surety bond for Rs10,000.
I think the punishment the judge handed down to these minor girls was quite severe. This kind of punishment should have been given to them if they had committed some serious crime. The house lady herself should have given some clothes to the poor girls.
These children must not be brought up in a jail where the environment makes prisoners criminal instead of reforming them. I wish the judge had freed them on bail on her personal surety.
HAFEEZ AKHTAR
Lahore
MY younger brother, Aamir Latif Gill, got admission to the University of London over three months ago to do a masters programme in mass communications.
He submitted the semester fee and got through an English language examination. He was then asked to get in touch with a British Council representative in Lahore to get his student visa processed.
He did so and sent his passport and the required information to the British High Commission for a visa.
The High Commission authorities sent a questioner about his job and the source of income. Mr brother provided the commission with the required information.
Supporting property and bank statements were also dispatched with the visa application to the commission.
However, the response from the British High Commission was: “He will be interviewed for visa and High Commission will be in touch.” This process, it now seems, will never come to an end.
My brother has been waiting for a positive reply from the commission. He has been missing his classes and wasting a precious year of his life.
Will the concerned autho-rities at the British High Commission look into this matter and solve my brother’s problem?
MUBASHER GILL
Islamabad
THIS is with reference to the news items about the Leonids meteor shower (Nov 19, 20). I want to point out that the shower was visible not only in North America and Europe, but also in Asia and right here in Pakistan.
Obviously the shower in our region was not as intense as it had been in the West, but during the peak hours in Asia, 5:30am in Pakistan, the number of Leonids seen per hour were around 50 to 60.
I myself was an observer to the shower under our clear skies. But sadly, I was among the very few people in Pakistan to have watched that beautiful night show.
Regrettably, I could not capture the magnificent meteors on a camera, but I saw about 45 meteors and one of them was nearly seven times larger than the meteor snap shown in the Nov 20 issue of Dawn.
The interest in astronomy in Pakistan is so poor that when I contacted SUPARCO, our only means to get connected to astro events, I was given a highly disappointing response. I had then to surf NASA internet sites to gather information that I needed.
I wish that a Pakistani photo of the Leonids could have been published in our paper, instead of a foreign snap.
SANA KHALIQUE
Karachi
THE launching of the Karakorum Express is a welcome step as the time has come for modernizing the Railways fleet. However, the Pakistan Railways has continued to stick to the outdated reservation policy even in respect of this modern train.
I bought a ticket for Dec 3 for a journey from Karachi to Lahore by the train, but due to change of circumstances, I wanted to go to Lahore earlier. When I visited the Karachi Cantt Station, the only place where one can get a reservation on Karakorum Express, I was told that it was not possible without a heavy financial loss.
According to the lady on the counter, I should get my current reservation cancelled and amount refunded with a 50 per cent deduction on account of cancellation charges. I could then make a fresh reservation for the date of my convenience by making full payment. Having paid Rs1,495 for the existing reservation, I could not throw away half of this amount. I, therefore, resigned myself to wasting my time here in Karachi till Dec 3.
Had the Pakistan Railways been a private company, I am sure I would have been accommodated without any financial loss. But, being a government service, why should the PR care about customer relations?
OBAID DOGAR
Karachi
I AM a student of the department of computer science, University of Karachi, and currently enrolled in a BCS programme.
I would like to bring it to the notice of the concerned authorities of the ministry of science and technology that I and other students of the department, who got admission to the department on merit and are entitled to scholarships for the entire programme, have not received stipends for 2002-2003, though we have fulfilled all requirements as per the schedule and in accordance with the rules and regulations specified by the ministry.
We have emailed many letters to the ministry, but in vain.
MUZAMMIL H. QURESHI
Karachi
IN the midst of the crisis over government formation came a rude reminder of who really controls Pakistan’s critical affairs.
On Nov 11 Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz assured the head of the IMF mission that the policies of the government would continue in future, and the contracts signed with bilateral donors and international financial institutions would be honoured by the future government.
The IMF is in firm control of the most critical aspects of Pakistan’s financial affairs. During its review in November, in respect of the release of the fourth tranche of its PRGF loan, the International Monetary Fund team demanded cuts in defence spending, sale of Pakistan’s energy sector to foreigners and a crippling increase in taxation.
These demands have now been translated into a “transition plan” to be handed over to the new minister who is likely to be Shaukat Aziz himself.
Regardless of who comes to power, the major policies have already been defined by imperialist powers.
So, the real political crisis that Pakistan faces today is the same as it did in 1947 — colonial control.
DR ABDUL WAJID
Lahore
TWO months ago, one minor child, Allah Dino, son of a widow, Nooraan, was burnt to death while working in Zeal Pak Cement Factory in Hyderabad.
His mother was paid Rs6,000 as compensation. There are other minor children still working in the factory. This poses a very serious danger to the health and lives of these children.
I wonder if any organization would take up this unfortunate case of child labour.
SHAHNAWAZ
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
WE are in the habit of criticizing everyone and everything under the sun. We forget that if many problems have not been solved, so many others have been settled down and should be taken notice of. Those of us who live and work outside Pakistan know that this also happens in other countries and the actual picture is not that rosy as it seems to be from far away.
Dr Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia has built his country from the scratch and has won for it a respectable position in the world because of its sound economy. Recently, he has announced his plan to step down from prime ministership. In his farewell speech, he talked about his helplessness to persuade the majority Malay Muslim community to prepare itself to compete with the much more entrepreneurial but less powerful Chinese minority of the country. He was so disheartened by the attitude of his fellow Muslims that he broke down into tears.
Dr Mahathir has a large number of critics, who include Western mediamen and Islamic purists. However, none of these critics has an alternative as a model.
We all criticize the government for one thing or the other, but do we know that much work is to be done to bring things back to the right track? Now whatever has been gained is being heaped together by critics with the dividends of the 9/11 attacks. Yes, it did help the government get extra bucks from the US but what about the other efforts?
If Mahathir has not been able to achieve his dream for his community in 22 years, how can we expect Pervez Musharraf to complete his agenda within three years?
If we look at what was written on the economic and political situation of the country during the last three years, we would hardly find one or two columns out of 10 pieces, making an objective assessment of the situation.
In order to progress as a nation, we need to build our self-respect and to come out of a defeatist mindset.
FAHIM UZ ZAMAN
Singapore
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address:
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.