| January 2, 2003 | Thursday | Shawwal 28, 1423 |
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Islam and the West
Status of medical colleges
Tobacco crop: monopoly of MNCs
Deduction of income tax
Well done, fire brigade staff
Subsidy for exporters
Showing gun culture
Voltage fluctuations
PIA Haj flights
Doctors’ plight
Facts about India’s economy
Islamabad
YOUR editorial captioned “High-handedness” echoes the concern of the enlightened Pakistanis about the intriguing silence of the Bush administration over the shocking manner of the enforcement of the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) rules and the Attorney-General John Ashcroft’s approach.
You have pointed out the crux of the diabolical nature of their outrageous implementation. Besides the inhuman treatment meted out to the Pakistanis living in the US, it is bound to damage America’s image as a free and non-discriminating country.
These were indeed the traits that have been attracting young men and women to the US over the past decades. It was America’s tolerance which had been instrumental in creating an urge among the Pakistanis to opt for catching up with the new world’s progressive civilization.
Understandable though is the scare of the Americans following the ghastly events of 9/11, equally mysterious is their lack of capability to distinguish between friends and foes.
Generally speaking, the citizens of Pakistan, a frontline state in their war on terror, should be the least persons of being suspected of harbouring any ill-will feelings towards the US. This should be evident from the past record of the Pakistanis.
The scare created by the indiscriminate intimidation of the Pakistanis, simply on the basis of race and religion, can prove counter-productive in the long run.
TANVIR TALLAT
Karachi
THE inclusion of Pakistan in the list of those 21 countries whose nationals and citizens are required to undergo a mandatory but humiliating “registration process” is unjustified, illogical, unwarranted, irrelevant, uncalled for and inhuman.
It is surprising why India, with a confirmed terrorist record, is not included in the list although two of its citizens were caught by the FBI on American soil with terrorist stuff last year after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
On the other hand, no Pakistani citizen has been accused or arrested by the US security agencies inside America for indulging in any kind of terrorist activities.
Why then this discriminating attitude towards Pakistan whose government has been the staunchest supporter and ally of the US government since its creation in 1947?
It would be interesting to note that initially Armenia was also included in the list of the countries whose citizens were required to get themselves registered with the INS but because of the forthright and persuasive approach of the Armenian government, within less than 48 hours, the US
State Department had to reverse its decision vis-a-vis Armenia.
There are lots of lessons to be learnt from this effective and result-oriented action of the Armenian people and their government.
(Engr) AAMIR A. SALARIA
St. Louis, USA
IN his op-ed article, ‘Profiling Muslims’ (Dec 24), Omar Kureishi has made out a case against the current US domestic security policies.
The premise of his argument seems to be biased, as he claims that the security policies in the US are against the Muslims only. Well, they are not. A case in point is a recent incident in California, where several Jews and Christians from Iran were detained for violating visa rules.
In an open democratic society such as the US, most policies made by the government are reviewed, debated and accepted by the people through their representatives, who face their constituents after every two years.
BEHRAM B. ATASHBAND
Texas, USA
IT is a fact that the non-Muslim world, specially the European part of it, has derived more benefits from Islam than the Muslim world has in the last few centuries.
According to the holy Quran, the primary objective of Islam is to create a just society in which all people are treated with respect. But this objective has hardly been achieved anywhere in the Muslim world.
There is no concept of monarchy, martial law or civil or autocratic rule in Islam. Yet today there is not a single Muslim country where the regime is truly democratic and accountable to the people.
With the exception of perhaps Iran, Libya and Malaysia, the other Muslim countries enjoy the blessings of the US or were a prodigy of another superpower during the Cold War.
In most Muslim countries, there has been no investment of either money or efforts to develop human resources. No civilization can survive without making achievements in the fields of science, arts and medicine. A comparative study of most Muslim countries’ national budgets will show that education, scientific research and health are the lowest priorities.
As compared to the Islamic world which has been blessed with abundant natural resources, Europe has scanty resources but the Western civilization owes both its existence and zenith to huge investments in development of human resources.
Governments in Muslim countries maintain large armies; not to defend themselves against external dangers, but to perpetuate their tyrannical rule over their people. There is in the world not a single Islamic country which can claim to have a university of international repute.
The present global situation has emerged due to the desire of the West to take control of vast oil and other mineral reserves in various parts of the world, specially in Muslim countries.
No matter how evil the designs of the West might be, we, the Muslims, should not forget that we alone are responsible for our pathetic state of affairs.
M. T. ALI
Lahore
THIS refers to the letters, ‘Dilemma of medical students’ and ‘Medical students’ problem’ (Dec 19, 22).
The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) aims at helping medical and dental institutions maintain a minimum standard of basic as well as postgraduate medical/dental education in Pakistan.
To achieve this objective, the PM&DC has prescribed criteria to establish medical and dental colleges. It informs students from time to time through advertisements in the print media about the recognition status of all medical and dental colleges which are functioning in the public and private sectors.
A website www.pmdc.org.pk has also been launched to help students get the latest information about the status of recognition of medical and dental institutions in the country.
Besides, some public notices have been published in your newspaper on Sept 1 and 15. In spite of the available information, students get admission to unrecognized medical/dental colleges at their own risk.
KHUDA YAR KHAN
Media Assistant, PM&DC,
MULTINATIONAL companies and some national ones have a monopoly over the procurement of the tobacco crop which is grown only in some areas of the NWFP.
These companies are asking the growers not to plant without permits, otherwise their crop will not be purchased. So far so good. But, this is the only cash crop for the poor farmers and the ‘Virginia’ variety is exclusive to this region only in Asia and could be a dependable source of the desperately needed foreign exchange for the country, besides financial support to the poor farmers.
The MMA government must take stock of the situation and encourage the growers along with a guarantee for purchases (from the companies).
The companies and exporters must come forward and help the province and the farmers by participating in the growth of the crop and the export of the excess quantity.
What these companies have been doing for decades in the Frontier is what multinational seed companies like Monsanto is now trying around the world, i.e. monopoly of crop and seed so that countries and farmers remain mired in poverty.
The MMA government must stop this injustice to the poor farmers.
SABIR SHAH
Peshawar
MANY government organizations are collecting income tax on the sale of property through auction to the public without any legal authority.
It is pertinent to note that income tax on the sale receipts by public auction of any property or right belonging to the government, local authority, public company, etc. which was levied under section 50(7A) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 1979, was omitted by the Finance Ordinance, 2001.
Also, there is no provision in the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, for the collection of tax on the sale of property belonging to the government through public auction by any authority.
Surprisingly, Baldia, Karachi, in its recent advertisement, has advised its bidders to pay income tax under section 50(7A) of the Income Tax Ordinance 1979. This section was withdrawn one-and-a half years ago.
Similarly, the cantonment executive officer, Sialkot, and the Pakistan navy in their recent advertisements also advised their successful bidders to pay income tax. There are many other organizations which are collecting this tax despite its withdrawal with effect from July 1, 2001.
The Central Board of Revenue is requested to take notice of the collection of this tax by various organizations without any legal authority and also conduct audit to verify whether the collections made after its withdrawal were deposited in government account or not.
TARIQ MASOOD
Lahore
WE are residing at A-115, Block 9, Federal B. Area, Karachi. On Dec 28, at about 12 noon, our upstairs neighbours discovered a fire because of a short circuit in their drawing room’s wiring.
At that time there was no male member at home and the women started crying for help. At 12.15pm I called ‘15’, informing them about the situation and, surprisingly, at 12.27pm two fire engines reached our house and instantly extinguished the fire which could have engulfed many adjacent houses. Within a short span of time the fire brigade personnel controlled the fire, and immediately after that two police mobiles of the Jauharabad police station arrived and offered their services.
FATEH M. SHAIKH
Karachi
THE commerce minister has announced in the trade policy 2002-3 that the export of five million dollars by any exporter will entitle him to claim 25 per cent subsidy. Will the minister through your esteemed columns answer the following questions for the benefit of the readers?
1. How many exporters will be able to claim this subsidy?
2. Is it not discriminatory to allow this facility to only a few?
3. Will this not attract the proviso of monopoly and restricted trade practices?
4. Will this not lead to concentration of wealth in a few hands?
5. Is it not ultra vires of the Constitution?
6. Will it not lead to the closure of small export and medium houses?
If the minister is not fully aware of the above facts, will any higher up in the commerce ministry or the Export Promotion Bureau explain?
I hope the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, local chamber of commerce and other organizations concerned will also take cognizance of the implications of this announcement and take it up at appropriate levels to redress the grievances of the medium and small-size exporters, who really need of the subsidy.
IRFAN AHMED
Karachi
A REUTERS picture on your international pages (Dec 29) shows a four-year-old Chechen boy sitting with a toy gun beside a snowman. As the kid is holding the gun, it is pretty obvious that he is not even familiar with the way a gun is held.
Another gun on the snowman, who is decorated in celebratory red in keeping with the spirit of Christmas, too, is not naturally placed.
Wittingly or unwittingly this picture appears to show that guns and violence are a way of life for Muslim children. For the past few years such photos of Muslim children taken in Bosnia, Chechnya, Palestine, etc. have been appearing quite frequently in newspapers and journals.
Everyone knows that young boys in every country and culture tend to play with guns, tanks, military planes and rockets. A visit to any toy store will confirm this. “Cops and robbers”, using toy guns or imaginary ones, is an all time favourite in the West where children try to surprise you by saying “stick ‘em up!”.
I fail to understand why only Muslim children playing with such toys are photographed. News agencies can surely find millions of non-Muslim children worldwide holding toy guns worthy enough to be photographed.
In fact, stores in the non-Muslim lands selling toy guns could make an excellent subject for photographers. I believe that these photos could help remove the misconception that has been created about the Muslims.
SALMAN ALI
Karachi
VOLTAGE fluctuations in DHA’s phase VII opposite Rahat Park on Khayaban-i-Ittehad, Karachi, are so frequent that they often damage costly electrical appliances like TV, fridge and deepfreezer.
We are getting unregulated power supply due to the absence of a PMT in the locality. All bulbs and tubelights in my house have been burnt out.
I request the KESC to take notice of this matter and do the needful.
HAMEED ULLAH KHAN
Karachi
THIS refers Prof Mohammad Ishaq’s letter (Dec 28) about the seating arrangement in PIA Haj flights.
I boarded the same flight (PK 309) at Islamabad airport on Dec 15. While travelling in the tourist class, I could not fit my legs in the available space and had to spread them in the aisle during the entire journey.
A PIA steward gave the same explanation as mentioned by the writer: modification in the aircraft in view of the coming Haj season. Considering the average age of Hajis and various chronic illnesses they suffer from, this practice is very cruel.
And what about those who are not Hajis and pay full fares? Will PIA look into this matter?
DR SYED IMRAN AHMAD
Karachi
DR Zarina Khan has rightly pointed out in her letter, ‘Plight of doctors’ (Dec 29), some of the injustices being committed against the doctors’ community in Pakistan.
She is also right in saying that doctors are no more needed in the country. This fact is evident from the rising number of Pakistani doctors who are migrating to the US, the UK and various Middle Eastern countries for both better working conditions and attractive salaries.
Successive governments in Pakistan have never paid any attention to the plight of doctors whose income is low but responsibilities are many.
House officers are given a measly amount of Rs3,500 as salary. Add to this the deplorable conditions of our public hospitals. Most senior professors do private practice and have no interest in teaching junior doctors, who are often left high and dry in critical situations. It is no wonder that many people leave Pakistan every year.
It is time the doctors community woke up from its slumber and demanded its rights. The rumblings have already started with the signing campaign going on in PIMS and FGSH demanding more pays. This campaign needs to be widened.
The PMA should play its role in protecting the interests of doctors. Junior doctors need to be more vocal and united in voicing their demands.
RAJA SOHAIL ABBAS
Maryland, USA
THIS is with reference to the letter, ‘India’s economy’ (Dec 11), by Sachin Rath.
It is rather amusing to read, from time to time, reports or articles by Indian writers, claiming that India is a fast-growing economy. Ground realities, however, suggest otherwise.
Behind an impressive array of glowing statistics lurks a grim reality about India’s economy — “more than 350 million people are living in conditions of absolute poverty ... the world’s largest concentration of deeply impoverished people”, to quote Siddharth Dube, an Indian-origin economist of international repute.
Using data from World Bank publications, he points out that the phenomenon of poverty in India, far from being redressed, is actually getting worse, as “40 million people have slipped into absolute poverty” in the decade preceding 1997 alone.
Some Indian writers’ favourite theme is that their country’s foreign exchange reserves are in excess of $60 billion. But what good are these reserves in a country where “starvation” deaths are a common occurrence and where millions of people in some of its largest and most modern cities like
Mumbai and Kolkata sleep on footpaths, as they have no place to go at night.
As recently as September of this year, the Standard and Poor, a global ratings agency, downgraded the Indian local currency to a “junk status”, citing tardy privatization reforms, rising debt and a weakening public sector as reasons for the downgrade. These are hardly the attributes of a fast-growing economy. In contrast, the Standard and Poor, noting marked improvement in our economy, has upgraded Pakistan’s ratings.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is considered an important factor in the economic growth of a country. The Enron Corp., an American energy giant, before it got engulfed in problems of its own, had almost completed a $2.9 billion power plant in the Indian state of Maharashtra, when it decided to pull out because the state government could not pay its bills. The dispute with Enron has not yet been settled, and it is beginning to have a negative impact on India’s economy.
Other foreign power companies have either pulled out of the energy projects they were involved in, or have cancelled their investment plans in the country. Similarly, foreign motor car companies like Ford, General Motors, Mercedes, Daewoo, Fiat and Peugeot are having problems selling their cars because a large consumer class of that kind simply does not exist in India.
These are some of the question marks over India’s so-called fast-growing and vibrant economy. Mr Rath concludes his letter by saying that he would not like to compare India’s economy with that of Pakistan, as “we would like to get to where China is in, maybe, the next decade”. Sounds like a rather tall order.
Nevertheless, we wish our Indian friends all the luck in the pursuit of their dreams.
SALAHUDDIN K. LEGHARI
Lahore
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