| January 19, 2003 | Sunday | Ziqa'ad 15, 1423 |
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INS issue: Musharraf’s claim
Foreign aid and Pakistan
Quaid’s birthplace
Rashid’s style of politics
Egyptian example
Forget the cup
Garbage dump in Gulshan
GP funds & woes of teachers
Doctor on death row
Violence in Gujarat
AFTER eight years I realized that I had been away from Pakistan for too long and made plans to return to my country. As my two sons aged 17 and 21 and my wife had conflicting schedules for winter vacation, I convinced or rather forced them to accompany me.
The first pleasant surprise I had at Karachi airport was the ease with which we cleared immigration and customs formalities. The roads on the way to my brother’s house were wide and clean, the median had nice, tall trees, and even though traffic was chaotic, it still felt safe.
Before going to Pakistan, my son requested us to visit different areas of Pakistan. Our first stopover was in Lahore. I was again impressed by wide and clean roads of Lahore and the different monuments we went to see were well maintained. The trip to Wagah was emotional and I realized what it meant to love a country.
In Islamabad I was in for a pleasant shock. Serena Hotel where we stayed was as good, if not better, as most of the five-star hotels in America. Again roads in the capital city were wide and clean, besides, air was clean with no dust or pollution.
We made a one-day trip to Murree and Bhurban. I was saddened to see denuded hills in Murree. I am sure it didn’t happen in one day. How could successive administrations have failed to see the destruction of forests?
The trip to Taxila was again very informative, but I was dismayed to see that no effort had been made to make Taxila a tourist attraction. Paving of roads and a small but clean restaurant-cum-exhibit store would enhance the reputation of Taxila.
Coming back to Karachi I was in for a shock. The azan in the morning was given with loudspeakers turned to their full volume; the noise was enough to keep me awake during the rest of my brief stay in Karachi. I request that the loudspeakers be turned down. In addition, the parks that I went to exercise in had no clear rules. You were supposed to know at what time they opened and closed.
It appears that Karachiites have given up on reading for pleasure; none of the houses I visited showed any novels or magazines. Maybe, the price of magazines or novels is too high.
I came to America with the first wave of immigrants in the early 70s. During this time our ties to Pakistan have become loose due to the passing away of our elders. The scenario is much bleaker for our kids, who for the most part do not speak the language and have no particular affinity for Pakistan.
Pakistan as a home country is receding as we get more assimilated in the American way of life. To get the expatriates to once again be involved in Pakistan a workshop should be held in Pakistan to see in what way expatriates can help their country of origin. Something similar to this was held in India a few days ago.
Pakistan has got to set up a department, whose sole criterion should be to expose the children of expatriates to Pakistan. As a first step they should arrange trips for children to come to Pakistan (trips should be paid by the expatriates) and see the different areas of the country. The kids should also be exposed to life in villages and do volunteer work.
SYED JAVED QAMER
Virginia, USA
I WAS quite dismayed to read the news item titled “Isolated events can’t strain ties with US” in your newspaper on Jan 11.
This statement was reported to have been made by President Pervez Musharraf while speaking at the inaugural session of National Defence College and the US National Defence University in Islamabad.
The despondency arose particularly in light of the present atmosphere of discrimination and harassment being suffered by the Pakistani expatriates in the United States, because of the registration exercise being conducted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). This all is being done under the National Exit and Entry Registration System.
Pakistan, though a staunch ally of the US in its fight against terrorism, has been bracketed with a score of countries — all of them Muslim, except North Korea.
I could find no justification whatsoever for considering this exercise as an “isolated” event, even if the president did not mean this particular exercise when he mentioned the words “isolated events”. In the latter case, it is even more saddening that the current INS exercise was not thought worthy enough to be mentioned at the seminar that was inaugurated by the president.
The questions arise: can Pakistan be expected to “act” as a loyal ally when its own citizens are being humiliated and harassed on the plea of registering them? Does the US justice department know how many of the once-intending expatriates from the many countries on the list for registration took a cue from the ill-treatment meted out earlier (to those who had voluntarily presented themselves for registration) and vanished; some are said to have reached the Canadian border, asking for asylum because of the injustice that they felt was being perpetrated on them by the US authorities?
If it was registration pure and simple, sans detention without legal assistance and its availability, then there may not have been an air of fear and uncertainty surrounding the scene, as it does now.
I hope the Pakistan foreign minister, during his forthcoming visit to the US, will take into consideration the prevailing sentiments both in the US and in Pakistan and apprise the American public and its leaders in this regard.
AMIR ALI ESMAIL
Karachi
AT a seminar on poverty in Islamabad, World Bank official Tara Vishwanath said 32.6 per cent of Pakistanis were living below the poverty line. This sad state of affairs is no different from the state of people in most of the Third World countries.
The situation has been deteriorating as these countries continue to receive “aid” from international financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank.
This widespread poverty is not solely due to mismanagement of funds, lack of education and political instability, as is usually portrayed. In fact, the root cause of poverty is the capitalist system promoted by colonialist nations such as America.
Aid is not charity. International financial institutions deliberately endorse these capitalist policies as part of “aid” conditions, which result in poverty elevation instead of its reduction. Handing over a country’s assets to multinational companies in the name of privatization raises the prices of utilities. Subsidies are withdrawn in the name of reducing budget deficit, which destroy the economy of a country.
And harsh taxes like GST are imposed in the name of generating revenues, which further reduce the capability of people to buy essential commodities of life. All these policies are based on capitalism, enforced by loaning institutions, directly increase poverty. As such foreign aid does not “aid” a country but cripples it — so much so that countries with huge natural resources are now count among the poorest countries in the world.
The only solution to this problem is to enforce a Khilafah system, which will reject harmful loaning institutions. Such a system will implement the Islamic economic system so as to utilize the abundant resources of the Ummah and alleviate poverty.
DR IFTEKHAR AHMED
Lahore
THIS refers to a letter by Muhammad Umar Chand on Quaid’s birthplace (Jan 3). I agree with his views.
When I was a student of class V in N. J. V. Government High School, Karachi, the Sindhi language was a compulsory subject probably up to class VIII.
I do not remember the name of the book, but I can say with certainty that I read in its first lesson that Mohammad Ali Jinnah was born in Jhirk, a town located on the right bank of the Indus river and at some distance from Thatta on the way to Hyderabad.
As a geologist, I visited Jhirk several times. The local people told me that Quaid-i-Azam was born in Jhirk. During the last week of March 1997, I visited the “actual site” in the Jhirk town.
There is a house and on one of the pillars of the gate is written, “1943-Late Agha Hassan Ali Shah Agha Khan. The property of his Highness Prince Agha Khan IV.” The house is still there, of course, locked. Next to the house is an empty plot. The area people confirmed that it was the place where Mohammad Ali Jinnah was born. They also showed me a small empty shop which belonged to Jinnah’s father, Seth Poonja.
I also visited the Government Primary School of Jhirk and met the then headmaster, who told me that Mr Jinnah had been a student of the school probably during 1881-82 and his name had been entered in the school register with his date of birth as 1876.
According to the headmaster, once an official of the federal ministry of education visited the school and took away the register in which Mr Jinnah’s name was entered. That register was never returned to the school.
In view of these facts, a committee should be constituted to look into the matter in order to ascertain as to which was the birthplace of Quaid-i-Azam.
RAFIQ AHMED KHAN
Karachi
DURING a public meeting in Rawalpindi, Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed stated that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal wanted power and its leadership indulged in fantasies more about Islamabad than Islam. He used humiliating language against the MMA leaders and made a fun of them in his usual style.
This is not the first time that Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has shown his real face. My friends in the US would sometimes mention his name during the Tehreek-i-Nijat and about the indecent language he used against Benazir Bhutto at various public meetings.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the first politician to deride his opponents. He had the touch of a Wadera in him but he also had the vision to join hands with the opposition if it promoted the interest of Pakistan. The consensus Constitution of 1973 is a radiating example of his political foresight.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed is nevertheless striving to imitate ZAB’s style but in actuality he cannot be compared with him at all. Sheikh Saheb can continue his rhetoric against the MMA, but the truth is that now the pattern of politics is changing in our country.
After staying six years in the US and about three years in Canada, I do not recall any politician abusing his opponents in such a manner. Sheikh Saheb has won all elections since 1985 and we expect rather refined behaviour from him.
TALHA SIDDIQUI
Canada
RECENTLY on my trip to Egypt, I was pleasantly surprised to read a news item, ‘MP opens fire on police offices’, in Egyptian Mail (Jan 4).
The news report says that Mohsen Ibrahim, an MP, has proposed that “the law should be amended to imprison any officer or NCO who abuses his authority by detaining anyone without necessary jurisdiction”.
The MP’s proposal also goes on to formulate a law that a police officer or an NCO should be sent to prison for at least 12 months if he forces anyone to stay against his will at a police station or if he refuses to release him from custody, despite a judicial ruling to the effect.
With such determination in maintaining internal security, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has succeeded in eliminating terrorism, thus making urban and rural life peaceful and secure for the citizens. Most of the credit for this also goes to the Egyptian police, who have not only observed the rule of law but also ensured civil peace.
I wish our newly-elected MNAs could start working on similar lines and with the same determination so as to ensure us peace.
ABDULLAH HASHIM HUSSAIN
Karachi
I THINK that Pakistan’s cricket team sees itself winning the Cricket World Cup 2003 with players the likes of ‘Nawab’ Inzamam, ‘Chaudhry’ Yousaf Youhana, ‘Malik’ Waqar Younis, Sardar Wasim Akram and the rest of their dignitaries. The problem is clear; the crown is one, kings too many.
QAZIM NAZIM NAEEM
Hyderabad
THE garbage dump behind the Government School in Block-1, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Karachi, has been a nuisance for the people living in the immediate vicinity for a long time.
The authorities concerned have done nothing to remove this dump, which is often rampaged through by cattle in search of food. Besides, polythene bags keep on flying on roads in the area.
The people have to bear a foul smell which emanates from the garbage when it is removed from the dump.
The authorities have found an easy way to dispose of the garbage; they set it on fire, instead of removing it from the dump, thus polluting the environment. This practice of garbage burning specially causes problems for people suffering from asthma.
The matter needs immediate attention and action by the authorities concerned.
S. A. MANZAR
Karachi
RECENTLY, teachers’ general provident funds to the tune of about two million rupees were reported to have been embezzled in the district accounts office, Muzaffargarh. This fraud was uncovered after the publication of some news reports about this fraud.
General Provident Fund constitutes the life savings of a government employee. Defrauders’ work is made easy by the way the fund accounts are recorded.
Every month a fixed amount is deducted from the salary of an employee towards his GPF. A voucher of the deducted sum is prepared which, when it comes back from the paying bank, is entered into a separate register by another clerk. But the trouble is that, although the employee’s money is deducted regularly from his salary, GPF vouchers can easily be manipulated to misappropriate his money.
At retirement, when an employee applies for the release of his funds, the burden of collecting his accounts from the districts he has served in is put on his shoulders. And even then the account clerks there check the voucher register and not his salary register to issue the final statement, and here lies the problem. It is then found that most of the vouchers were never entered into the GPF register by the clerks concerned.
The governor of Punjab is requested to order all the DAOs to prepare final GPF statements of retirees on the basis of deductions in the salary register and not the vouchers and the last posting station. The DAO may be ordered not to put the burden of collecting the fund on an employee but to do it himself within one month of the submission of an application.
KALEEMULLAH
Muzaffargarh
I AM writing about Dr Younis Sheikh, who is in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, and is facing punishment by death.
I am very concerned that Dr Sheikh is on death row for blasphemy. And it is my understanding that the complainants originally lodging the charges were not eyewitnesses to this alleged blasphemy.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all individuals are granted freedom of religion and the right to express themselves without criminal penalty. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights requires that no person be subject to cruel, inhumane or degrading punishment.
I strongly believe that the death sentence is disproportionate to the charges against Dr Sheikh. Also, I am very concerned about the abuse of the penal code on blasphemy and urge you to encourage your elected officials to introduce procedural changes that would lessen the possibility of abuse through blasphemy laws.
It is my sincere hope that Pakistan correct this situation as soon as possible.
SEAN MURPHY
Cambridge, USA
This refers to an article by Ghayoor Ahmed recently published in your newspaper about violence in Gujarat.
I am a final year student of engineering in the state of Goa in India. There are events in the history of India which make me, and many others, ashamed of ourselves. The destruction of the Babri Masjid was one such event, and the violence in Gujarat is another.
I am ashamed that such acts of violence are carried out in the name of Hinduism, which is a religion of tolerance. The people who commit these crimes certainly do not represent me or other sane Hindus.
Yet, one must realize that such crimes are committed by some vested interests. The overwhelming majority of Hindus in India live in harmony with their Muslim neighbours. Some of my best friends are Muslims. How many Pakistanis of my age can say that they have Hindu friends?
In the whole country, Gujarat included, there are numerous incidents of Hindus and Muslims coming together for their respective festivals. The, media, however finds it more lucrative to publicize incidental acts of violence and in the process tarnish the image of an otherwise peaceful nation.
Mr Ahmed, the reason most right thinking Indians do not support the likes of Narendra Modi is that we do not want our country to deal with our minority communities the way your country has dealt with theirs. Pakistanis like you have the luxury of condemning India for not protecting Indian minorities, because you do not face such problems in running your own country. Pakistani non-Muslim communities have been all but eradicated.
You talk of taking the Gujarat issue to the United Nations. Need I remind you of the acts of aggression that are committed against women in your own country on an almost daily basis by men who claim they are doing this to protect their ‘honour’? Shouldn’t that be discussed in the UN as well? What about the tribal courts in the villages of Pakistan which make a mockery of the justice system there? Should that be discussed with the rest of the world?
Mr Ahmed, people in countries like ours, which have a multitude of internal problems, should not waste time pointing at each other and sensationalizing each others’ difficulties in running their governments. It would be better if we could channel our thoughts to solving our own problems, instead of thinking of how to show the rest of the world what a failure our neighbour has been in running their country.
SOHAM PABLO BANERJEE
Goa, India
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