| December 18, 2002 | Wednesday | Shawwal 13, 1423 |
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Crime victim’s rights
Textile exports to US
Ibex hunting in Sindh
Amartya recalls tragedy
Ayub Medical College affairs
Okara Military Farms
Not learning from history
UAE Qira’at competition
Doctors’ advertisement
PM’s visit to Karachi
Incomplete water scheme
All The King’s Men II
Cloning humans and animals
THIS bears reference to the letter, ‘Costlier visits of Pakistani expatriates’ (Dec 13). The correspondent has pointed out the difficulties faced by US nationals of Pakistani origin in getting consular services in the US.
I have gone through a similar kind of experience. I called the Pakistan embassy in Washington DC and asked the attending gentleman about the documentary requirements for Pakistani origin US nationals for travelling to Pakistan in the wake of a recent decision made by the Pakistan government which allows US citizens of Pakistani origin to keep their Pakistani citizenship unrevoked.
This person was unaware of the whole story behind my question and said that once a person was naturalized as US citizen, he or she lost his or her Pakistani nationality and that in order to travel to Pakistan that person needed a visa.
When I explained to him the whole thing, he transferred my call to the consular department where a woman received my call. She told me that the consular staff were waiting for detailed instructions from the foreign ministry about the documentary requirements that would be applicable to Pakistani origin US citizens for travelling to their country of origin.
The Pakistan government announced this decision a couple of months ago, but no modalities and rules have been framed yet. It seems that this decision was made and announced in haste without preparing any groundwork or without giving adequate consideration to the matter, thus no SRO or any government order has been made public yet.
Recently, the Pakistani consul-general announced the introduction of two types of national identity cards for overseas Pakistanis — Pakistan Origin Card and National Identity Card — but there is no clear distinction between these two types of cards. The consul-general did not explain as to which card would be issued to the Pakistanis having a dual nationality.
The website of the Pakistani embassy, which is full of conflicting instructions for obtaining consular services, is silent about this issue.
MUBEEN AKHTAR
New York, USA
THIS is with reference to the World Human Rights Day observed on Dec 10.
The underlying concept of human rights is fairness in the treatment of all human beings without discriminating against them on grounds of race, creed, colour and social and economic status. Thus, all humans are dignified and must be respected equally.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights stresses that all sorts of prejudices resulting in injustice to weak individuals or social groups all over the globe should be eliminated.
The declaration is also against victimization of innocent people by criminals. This enjoins us all to treat victims of crime as having the same legal and human rights in society. Rather, victims of crime deserve more regard, compassion and help because they have gone through a trauma.
The term victim means a person that has suffered direct physical, emotional or pecuniary harm as a result of commission of crime. The victim of crime is a person who has suffered bodily harm to himself, or his property has been damaged. The descendants in case of criminal homicide will also be called victims.
Crimes against a person are violent crimes which involve use of physical force. They include criminal homicide, rape, assault and robbery.
Victims of serious and violent crime deserve just participation in criminal justice process. We have to develop a mechanism to properly survey victims of crime at the national level. This would enhance reporting of criminal incidents and provide help to victims. This would also assist in assessing the extent of both criminal victimization and injury or loss suffered.
Surveys determine patterns of criminality and can help prevent crime in the future. There is an urgent need for initiating victim compensation and restitution programmes, specially for vulnerable groups like women, children, the disabled and elderly.
Victims of crime do not get justice due to fear, intimidation and discriminative criminal justice system prevailing in our country. The statutes regarding rights of victims must be initiated to provide safeguard to human rights of victims of crime. Offenders must serve victims in ways prescribed by court, probation and parole authorities.
NABI BUX NAREJO
Secretary, CARE,
Hyderabad
AFTER joining the alliance against terrorism, Pakistan was expecting a special treatment from the US as far as aid and trade were concerned. Some aid was received but it was much below the expectations.
On the contrary, some harsh measures taken against Pakistan on the advice of the IMF and other international finance agencies have increased the poverty level in the country.
In Pakistan, only the textile industry could grow to an appreciable level and we were, therefore, looking forward to the US as well as the European Union for greater access to their textile markets.
No doubt, the European Union has responded favourably and has granted us duty-free access to the textile markets of its members even though it is, at the moment, unhappy with Pakistan for unknown reasons.
But the US, in spite of its promises vis-a-vis larger access for Pakistani goods, has disappointed us. What to say about market access, they have not even given us credit for the discrepancies in the US data which is about 10 per cent in category 363 (towels).
We have proved to the US customs that they have made wrong entries at their end and these discrepancies have been accepted by the US customs. As credit for these discrepancies have not been given as yet, this category has come under an embargo with effect from Dec 3.
Besides, an embargo has already been imposed on bed linen and sheetings. If the United States does not come to our help immediately, hundreds of industrial concerns will be closed down and jobless workers will come out on the streets, creating the law and order situation.
We request the commerce minister to intervene in the matter and seek the US ambassador’s help in sorting out the matter related to US customs.
S. M. A. RIZVI
Karachi
THE decision by the Sindh wildlife department to allow trophy hunting of ibex has caused a furore among people, specially environmentalists and citizens concerned about the wildlife habitat.
First, the reporter who broke the news called it a discriminatory policy, as the fee for Sindh-based hunters is Rs25,000 while it is Rs50,000 for the people of other provinces.
All over the world, including the United Sates, Canada, Europe, Australia and Africa, where hunting is managed scientifically, the permit fee for resident hunters and out-of-state hunters varies because resident hunters contribute a lot more to the state treasury through local taxes and levies than non-residents who hardly contribute anything. Thus, the practice of charging the local residents a low fee is a fair rather than a discriminatory practice.
One reader passionately protested against the decision of allowing trophy hunting of ibex, as he felt that it was unkind and amounted to slaughtering animals. The truth is that trophy hunting is a wildlife management tool. It is a methodical and scientific way of managing the population of certain species. Ibex trophy hunting is usually restricted to old males which have passed their prime period and are now too old to reproduce.
Such males are of little benefit to the herd and the population of the species in general, as not only are they no longer able to breed but they also, by virtue of their patriarchal status in the herd, prevent the younger and more virile males from breeding.
Trophy hunting prevents inbreeding and helps maintain a healthy genepool, which prevents diseases and ensures a healthy and sustainable population.
MURTAZA YASEEN
Karachi
ON Dec 15, in an interview with the inimitable Karan Thapar on BBC, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen recalled a gory incident which proved to be a turning point in his life.
When he was nine, Sen saw a labourer called Qadir Mian staggering into his house in Dhaka before the partition. He had been stabbed by Hindu communalists.
“My wife warned me that it was risky to leave the house, but there was nothing for the family to eat and I had no money, so I sneaked out in search for work,” said the poor man, who was profusely bleeding.
Sen’s father rushed him to a hospital but the riot victim could not be saved. This incident made Amartya Sen anti-communalist. It also made him realize that the worst sufferers in riots are always the poor. The plight of the underprivileged led him to study welfare economics, and it was his contribution to the subject that got him the Nobel prize in 1998.
Now six decades after the tragic event, described by Sen, the communal situation has worsened.
Communalism and poverty have become much more intense. Sadly, the fundamentalists on both sides of Wagah are not talking, let alone doing anything, about poverty alleviation.
They are spewing hatred. Come to think of it the fundamentalists on both sides feed on each other.
ASIF NOORANI
Karachi
THE students at Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, are suffering for no fault of theirs. For the last four years, the college administration has been forcing them to spend one extra year before being allowed to appear in the final MBBS examinations.
At the end of their fifth year, students are asked to go home, return after a period of one year and then appear in the final professional examinations. Thus, they lose one precious year of their educational life.
I appeal to the provincial ministry of health to direct the college administration to let the students take the final MBBS examinations at the end of fifth year as it is done in all medical colleges of the country.
A PARENT
Swabi
POOR tenants have been tilling the lands, now called Okara Military Farms, since the British days. At that time, the rulers created a colonial outfit, the Punjab Seed Corporation (PSC), to appropriate these lands from the tenants. Come 1947, the colonial rule ended, but the PSC survived and, with it, began the systematic oppression of the tenants of Okara, who are the rightful owners of the land.
In recent months brute force has been used to browbeat the tenants. Three people have already been killed. The tenants are being led all odds by the Anjuman Mazareen-i-Punjab, Amazingly, women are playing a major role in this resistance.
At the heart of the tenants’ grievances is the issue of land, something with which the peasants’ life is intertwined in the same way as that of an infant with his mother. This land rightfully belongs to these tenants.
RAZA NAEEM
Lahore
THIS refers to the letter, ‘Not learning from history’ (Dec 13), in which a reader from Canada made a proposal how to get rid of extremist elements in Pakistan. His proposal is nice but not workable.
We should not forget that “bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote” (George Jean Nathan cited in the Internet edition of The Times of India, Dec 13).
The educated voters of Pakistan did not participate overwhelmingly in Election 2002. They preferred to remain at home as silent spectators.
In the NWFP the rate of polling was much higher, because the tribal voters did not prefer to remain at home, hence MMA’s many seats in parliament.
We have many distinguished people in Pakistan but they do virtually nothing to fight extremism.
They should come forward to raise national awareness for the promotion of democracy. Television and newspapers should be extensively used for this purpose.
TANWEER HUSSAIN
Bickenbach, Germany
DURING Ramazan, a Qira’at competition was held in Dubai, UAE. It was sponsored by Sheikh Mohammad, crown prince of Dubai.
The competition was contested by young Muslim ‘qaris’ from over 30 countries. It was a great disappointment for the Pakistani community to find that not a single Pakistani ‘qari’ took part in this competition.
I wonder if the Pakistan embassy in the UAE was aware of this event.
MANSUR AHMED
Dubai, UAE
IT is a tradition that professionals like lawyers, doctors and chartered accountants do not advertise their services to attract clients.
However, this tradition is being violated by some doctors who are advertising their services on the radio to attract patients.
It is regrettable that the Pakistan Medical Association has not taken any effective steps to prevent such advertising. The ministry of health is requested to intervene in the matter to safeguard the reputation of the profession of doctors.
NOORALLAH MANJI
Karachi
KARACHIITES had been quite at peace for three years until recently as there was no prime minister in the country and they did not have to face tormenting difficulties which are caused by the movement of such VIPs and VVIPs in this city.
But all this changed on Dec 11, when our prime minister visited Karachi. Heavy contingents of the police and personnel of other law-enforcement agencies were detailed for the security of the prime minister.
Roads were closed and traffic had to be diverted. The visit caused undue hardship and harassment to Karachiites.
Our organization’s goods transport vehicle was commandeered by the Madadgar force for security surveillance. The vehicle was released with great reluctance only after performing many hours of community service.
I request the PM not to visit Karachi since security is such a big concern. In any case, his flying visits, like those of his many illustrious predecessors, would result in nothing but needless misery and hardship for the people of Karachi.
SAEED DADABHOY
Karachi
I BELONG to a small village, Abbassia, in the Liaquatpur tehsil of the Rahim Yar Khan district. We live in an area where only brackish water is available.
Our village was, therefore, selected for a water supply scheme by the Punjab government under the Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme.
We deposited a sum of Rs30,000 for the initial maintenance cost of the scheme. Over Rs10 million has been spent on this scheme so far but we are still without clean water.
It is learnt that, due to the use of sub-standard material, the authorities concerned are reluctant to commission the plant. There are a number of other schemes in our area which have proved to be of no use for the same reason.
I request the authorities concerned to look into the matter.
SANA ULLAH
Rahim Yar Khan
Now that the establishment has succeeded in manipulating the results in three provincial governments, and obtaining its “dream teams”, we eagerly await good governance and clean administration promised to our countrymen.
Congratulations, Mr president, so far your carefully thought out scheme is firing on all four cylinders. After all, you have managed to exclude from all your calculations, in the short term, the party (PPP) that obtained the highest number of votes in the recent general election. Pakistan Zindabad.
ZIA ISPAHANI
Karachi
HUMAN cloning may very well become the future of the human race. Already billions of dollars are being spent on research and on funding of animal cloning for food production. It is estimated that by the middle of the century, half of the meat production, including mutton, chicken and beef, would be a product of mass animal cloning.
Much of the debate on cloning is negatively programmed, as everything new is usually criticized by those who refuse to welcome changes. Let us discuss human cloning. Much can be said about the problematic ethical, moral and legal issues raised by the phenomenon of cloning. These issues may be problematic but not unsolvable.
Let us imagine a reverse scenario. Suppose that until now, all human babies have come into existence as a result of cloning. Then in the year 2003, scientists announce an amazing discovery related to a novel way of creating babies with the joint effort of a man and a woman. This announcement will provoke an outcry very much similar to what we are witnessing today against human cloning.
A large number of unsurmountable ethical, legal and moral difficulties will enumerate. It will be said that the child will suffer extreme mental torture by discovering that two people have contributed to its creation and will have to divide its loyalties between them. And in what distress the child will be if the two parents are to split up? The baby will stand a double risk of contracting inherited diseases. The criticism will go on like that. But we have lived with all this pattern of criticism since the creation of the human species. Society has developed fairly adequate means for coping with these complex issues.
So, we need not feel too pessimistic about our ability to tackle the issues arising out of human cloning which is bound to come in the near future. Human cloning should be supported because it will help eradicate certain diseases and replace and transplant organs. Cloning of animals will help countries like Pakistan and India where a large number of the people live below the poverty line, as it will enable the poor to afford cheaper meat of cloned animals.
If the cloning technology is utilized in a proper manner, it could be a blessing for the mankind in more ways than one.
DR H. R. SUKHIA
Karachi
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