| January 26, 2003 | Sunday | Ziqa’ad 22,1423 |
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Non-smokers’ right
Iraq: need for caution
Outdoor advertisement policy
Multan needs college of arts
Illegal parking in railway yard
PR passenger’s complaint
Quaid’s birthplace
India’s nuclear fantasies
PTCL’s monopoly
Late-night weddings
Madaris in Pakistan
KARACHI
HAVING read recent wire-service reports in the US that the Pakistan government will not be “goaded” into stupid responses to India’s tests firing three missiles while claiming that Pakistan is a terrorist nation, my hat is humbly off to the Pakistan government for showing forbearance and common sense.
In due course the people of Kashmir will be allowed, under world pressure building more on India than on Pakistan at the moment, to decide if they prefer either, or neither, and nationhood in their own right. It is the idea of Kashmir having nationhood in its own right that I believe most frightens India, even though the right of dual individual citizenship would most likely accompany such an outcome.
The free world can see through either India or Pakistan when smoke and mirrors and hot-headed, frenetic religious bravado are used by either side. We can also, at least this time out, see a calm and proper attitude on part of the Pakistan government toward a better outcome, sooner than later.
While it is clear that the UN is a weak organization both in the case of Kashmir and in the case of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain and his weapons of mass destruction, there is hope that a UN overseen plebiscite may still take place, with the emphasis from many Western nations now in motion toward both situations. If not the UN, the European Union or even Nato might be a better “honest broker” for holding a referendum in Kashmir.
The UN, of course, has been upset by North Korea as the threat of nuclear weapons so close to both China and Japan cannot be ignored by the otherwise spineless UN bureaucrats. Yet Pakistan and India are better served by such open world forums in situations like the stand-off between the two last year.
I want to be clear that both India and Pakistan at times have vexed common sense among knowledgeable and concerned Westerners. If Pakistan can stay the calmer course it now is pursuing, the world must recognize patient sanity versus Indian finagling at its worst.
There are still religiously mislead fanatics inside Pakistan who will murder their own people over both religion and politics, as was evidenced repeatedly by sectarian and ethnic killings last year. The government of Pakistan does appear to be sincerely trying to crackdown on such fanatics.
GEORGE SINGLETON
Birmingham, Alabama
THIS has reference to the letter titled ‘Smoking at public places’ (Jan 12) and the article, ‘Hidden dangers of passive smoking’ (Jan 15), by Dr Mohammad Ishaq.
I would like to congratulate both writers for highlighting the dangers of passive smoking which is a serious threat to the public health.
Recent data released by WHO show that the risk of lung cancer in non-smokers exposed to passive smoking is increased from 20 to 30 per cent and the risk of heart disease by 23 per cent. Most people in the West are aware of the lethal nature of passive and active smoking. Therefore, almost all shopping centres, public offices, hospitals, restaurants, airports as well as public transport are smoke-free zones.
In Pakistan, however, smoking is rampant and the public awareness of its dangers is dismal. The innocent victims of passive smoking are our young children who are faced with adverse health consequences, including pneumonia, bronchitis, coughing, wheezing, worsening of asthma, ear disease and neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular disorders.
According to a research, approximately 70 per cent of children in Pakistan get exposed to passive smoking every day. I frequently see parents smoking in their cars, totally unaware of the poison they are forcing their children to breathe as they sit next to them. I wonder if these parents would really continue with this toxic habit, both for themselves and those around them, if they truly knew of its hazards.
Pakistan Television can play an important role in educating the public on the dangers of active and passive smoking. Unfortunately, PTV is too busy promoting and advertising tobacco products.
We need to encourage a cultural shift in our thinking so that smoking is seen as an anti-social activity. It would be unfortunate for non-smokers to end up getting lung cancer and heart disease in the name of good manners and courtesy. The sooner non-smokers assert their right to breathe clean air, the better it is for our society.
DR JAVED HUSAIN
Karachi
ONE is confronted by the question as to when and how the US will attack Iraq. The answer is that when an elephant is attacks a mouse, it is simply a rout.
Since the anxieties of the Pakistanis are accentuated by the INS issue, we fail to
realistically judge the Iraqi issue.
We should be more realistic. The US was bitten so deeply on Sept 11, 2001 that it is justified in safeguarding its frontiers. By our anguish we don’t stand to gain.
The Muslim world in general and the Pakistanis in particular are victims of
self-conviction. It is time we, the Pakistanis, realized that we have a geographic boundary and overbearing economic problems to resolve at home.
Let us wage a war within our own country to alleviate the suffering of the poor rather than find religious targets outside. The developing events around us suggest a policy of discretion for the well-being of the Pakistanis.
As the poet says:
Khanjar chalay kisay pay, taraptay hayn hum Ameer;
Saaray jahan ka dard hamaray jigar mein hay.
(We are pained when someone is being stabbed. Our hearts bleed for the rest of the world rather than for ourselves).
Let us, therefore, dispassionately adjust our sails to avoid being swallowed up by the whirpool.
The heavy American buildup will most certainly not lead to a conventional war. The intention is to melt and whittle Iraq into submission.
BRIG (RETD) A. S. NASIR
FOR the last six months or so the city government (advertisement department) of Karachi is trying to frame a new policy for outdoor advertisements. So far the new policy has not been announced, but there are about it numerous rumours which are worrying the Karachi Outdoor Advertisers Association.
At least over 300 outdoor advertisers are registered with the city government and there are thousands of others who are working for them or are associated with their business.
Their livelihood depends on this business, but the advertisers are really scared as the city government has not issued challans for the year 2002-2003 for hoardings; hence advertisers’ inability to pay off their debts.
Also the Outdoor Advertisers Association is concerned over the proposed 500 per cent increase in the rental amount for the year 2002-2003.
They claim that the city government already had increased the rent by 100 per cent on signs in 2001-2002. The additional increase of 500 per cent would amount to a total destruction of the business.
We are talking about billions of rupees and the government’s decision will really affect the market. Both local and multinational companies will lose their trust.
Karachi is a big financial market and any policy or proposal that affects the market should get careful attention by the government. The city government and the Outdoor Advertisers Association should come forward with a mutual settlement and work with each other’s cooperation.
The city government should reconsider its proposal and come up with something that could be acceptable to everyone.
As far as the corrupt employees are concerned, the National Accountability Bureau should come forward to question them and take necessary steps to ease the process of making a new policy — a policy that is fair enough to satisfy both the city government and the outdoor advertisers.
A. H. KHAN
Karachi
EDUCATION in fine arts is a sure way of giving vent to the creative impulses of human beings. Colleges of fine arts are, therefore, the breeding ground for such pursuits.
The College of Fine Arts, Lahore, is the best example in this connection. Such institutions not only provide a base to many amateurs but also promote fine arts in society and lead to the development of more tolerant individuals. But this facility is at the disposal of only a few.
A large number of students, specially female, who aspire to enter the world of fine arts through such highly prestigious institutions, find it difficult to fulfil their aspirations owing to the non-availability of such institutions.
Multan is one such big city which otherwise has all the educational facilities except this one. The authorities concerned are requested to establish a college of fine arts on the lines of Lahore College of Arts for the benefit of hundreds of students here. It will certainly be a big contribution towards the promotion of a healthy trend in society.
ZIA AHMED
Multan
THIS is to draw the attention of the Nazim, Karachi City, and the general manger of the Pakistan Railways to the illegal parking of motorcycles by brokers, agents, investors and KSE staff in the Railway Yard area. Earlier, the parking facility was available within the security area of the basement of the Karachi Stock Exchange building.
The parking of motorcycles in the PR area is illegal and the railways authority can any time ask the KSE management about it. The approach to the parking lot is very narrow and uneven and owners of motorcycles feel difficulty in driving smoothly.
If any motorcycle catches fire, the whole lot of parked motorcycles may be destroyed. There is no security guard, nor is there any fire-fighting system at the parking lot.
We request the KSE that the previous arrangement of motorcycle parking in the basement be allowed for safety, security and cleanliness.
We also request the Nazim and the Railways minister to remove illegal motorcycle parking to avoid any accident on the rails.
MOHAMMAD IQBAL MUNSHI
Karachi
ON the morning of Jan 8 I started my train journey from Lahore to Karachi by the Shalimar Express. I am sorry to say that it was the presence of three men, not the lack of facilities, that distressed me and spoiled my journey.
It was annoying to see the three men, who were wearing uniforms of the Pakistan Railways and sitting in our compartment, pretend as if they were carrying out some survey. As they distributed among passengers a questionnaire about the cooling of the airconditioner, they harassed women passengers by passing indirect remarks and by gawping at them.
The passengers had to put up with their misbehaviour for 20 hours during which one of them even checked out our tickets. I was travelling alone and became their easy target.
I request the higher authorities to take into account civility and character of people before inducting them into the organization so that passengers do not face such humiliation and discomfort.
(Ms) S. RAHEEM
Karachi
THIS refers to a letter by Rafiq Ahmed Khan on Quaid’s birthplace (Jan 19).
It is indeed unfortunate to manipulate the authentic birth records of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Since the creation of Pakistan until the mid-60s, the original birthplace of Mr Jinnah was known to be Jhirk, a small town in the interior of Sindh, which was even recorded in the textbooks by the Sindh Textbook Board. However, in the late 60s the education ministry summoned the records and scrapped the authentic documents.
Such blatant acts of falsehood should not be the basis of our nation’s chronology. The government should take remedial measures to authenticate the actual birthplace of Mr Jinnah and the facts should not elude the common man’s knowledge.
ASAD PALIJO
Karachi
WITH reference to Shakir Lakhani’s letter appearing in your daily on Jan 20, the
following facts may be considered:
(1) The lesson on Quaid-i-Azam was authored by an undisputed scholar of Sindh, Dr U. M. Daudpota.
(2) The textbooks were not meant for rural Sindh only, these were taught in Karachi and other urban places as well.
(3) There was no objection to the text from any quarter.
(4) The text was amended during One Unit without any explanation.
(5) Attributing insertion of “a piece of disinformation” in textbooks with a mala fide motive would be as unfair as to say that the Quaid’s speeches have been edited with some purpose.
The Quaid-i-Azam Academy and the University of Sindh may launch a joint inquiry into this matter to ascertain the fact.
DR HABIBULLAH SIDDIQUI
Jamshoro
M. H. Askari’s article titled ‘India’s nuclear fantasies’ (Jan 17) ignores some very fundamental facts.
It says that India’s 1998 tests and the rhetoric that followed forced Pakistan to develop its own nuclear capability. It is not conceivable that Pakistan could develop its nuclear capability in a matter of days.
The fact is that Pakistan had developed its nuclear capability a long time back. To say that India’s 1998 tests nuclearized the subcontinent would be wrong.
The subcontinent was nuclearized the day Pakistan developed its nuclear capability some time in the late 80s.
What the tests by India and Pakistan suggest is that both countries now have nuclear weapons.
Their latent capabilities to produce nuclear weapons have now been given the shape of nuclear weapons. The tests have in no way increased tensions between the two countries.
On the contrary, they have raised the threshold for an Indo-Pakistan war a few notches. The tests challenged the nuclear hierarchy that wanted to restrict the membership of the nuclear club.
NITHIN KULKARNI
India
ALTHOUGH press releases and reports about the performance of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority in the media frequently depict a rosy picture of the sole telecom regulator of the country, one is constrained to think otherwise.
Leave aside the accomplishments of the PTA in the other areas it is entrusted with and just take the case of the ban on internet telephony which, according to one of the PTA press releases, should have been lifted with the advent of the new year, but the telecoms still await implementation of the PTA’s determination in this context.
The hapless ISPs favour the lifting of the ban on it whereas the PTCL doesn’t, because of its vested interests associated with the IP telephony.
Since most of the officers of the PTA are hired from the state-owned and controlled PTCL, it is quite obvious for them to safeguard the interests of their real master first rather than take care of the industry.
One should see the other side of the coin as well and praise the standard and quality of the PTCL’s training being imparted to their officers, besides their commitment to the PTCL at the same time.
IRFANULLAH KHAN WAZIRI
Islamabad
THIS is with reference to the letters appearing in these columns about the inconveniences caused to the guests owing to late arrival of baraats and performance of nikah ceremonies.
I urge the government to take the initiative and start switching off electric supply to all marriage halls by 11pm (10.30pm in winters) and ban serving meals at weddings. This is nothing new and was enforced on and off by some previous governments to the delight of all citizens.
NIZAM A. KHAN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to A. B. S. Jafri’s article on deeni madaris. Apart from being biased, it contains false accusations and crude insinuations. He is also off the mark when he accuses the Deobandis of opposing Pakistan and insinuates that the Barelvis, too, have “a distinctly Indian flavour.”
The opposition of the ulema and the sufis to Pakistan is a lie that has been repeated so often that it is considered true by many. As for the facts, they are as follows:
1) The Barelvis did support Pakistan whole-heartedly. In fact, way back in 1920 Ala Hazrat Ahmed Reza Khan Barelvi opposed Gandhi’s “Hindu-Muslim Alliance”. His followers (the “Barelvis”) formed the Jamaat-i-Raza-i-Mustafa (PBUH), and later the All-India Sunni Conference. In 1946 at the All-India Sunni Conference, held on April 27-30 in Benares, all the ulema present unanimously voted for Pakistan. In 1948, a new political organization, the Jamiat Ulema-i Pakistan, was formed.
2) As for the Deobandis, a majority did oppose Pakistan. But the Deobandis in Pakistan owe their allegiance to Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani, who led the funeral prayers of the Quaid-i-Azam. Maulana Usmani joined the Muslim League in 1940, and organized the Deobandi ulema who were in favour of Pakistan into the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam.
3) Many other ulema, Mashaikh and sufis worked for Pakistan, notable amongst them were Hazrat Jamaat Ali Shah Naqshbandi and Hazrat Maulana Zauqi Shah Chishti Ajmeri whose correspondence with the Quaid-i-Azam is preserved and has been published.
In fact the Sufi saint, Hazrat Maulana Zauqi Shah, worked for the Muslim League.
4) Freedom fighters like Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar and Moulana Shoukat Ali took ‘bait’ (spiritual initiation) from Maulana Abdul-Bari Mian of the famous Lucknow madressah, Farangi Mahal.
5) The very title of the Quaid-i-Azam was given to Mr Jinnah by a sufi of Delhi, the famous Hazrat Khwaja Hassan Nizami.
The fact is that, apart from the non-traditional Jamaat-i-Islami, the traditional ulema of madaris overwhelmingly supported the creation of Pakistan.
It is rather our secularist elements who have wished to exclude us ‘religionists’ from their vision of Pakistan. In fact secularism is anti-Pakistan and negates the very basis of the two-nation theory.
MOHAMMAD RIZWANULLAH
Karachi
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