America and world peace

THE United States is all set to unleash war on Iraq. Well over a hundred thousand troops are already arrayed close to Iraq, ready to attack with the full strength of the mightiest military power in human history. Alas, instead of becoming a blessing to the human race, and this planet as a whole, it has become a fearsome power ever ready to wage war at the drop of a hat.

If there is any nation that has come to deserve to be called a war-monger, it is decidedly the United States of America. Its record proves this to the hilt. It has gone to war against 20 states since the end of the World War II. That is to say in just over half a century it has waged 20 wars, all of them on nations much weaker than itself.

Anyone in any doubt had better look at this record of the wars the US has inflicted on other nations: (1) China 1945-46 and 1950-53, (2) Korea 1950-53, (3) Guatemala 1954 and 1967-69, (4) Indonesia 1958, (5) Cuba 1959-60, (6) Belgian Congo 1964, (7). Peru 1965, (8) Laos 1964-73, (9) Vietnam 1961-73, (10) Cambodia 1969-70, (11) Grenada 1983, (12) Libya 1986, (13) El Salvador 1980s, (14) Nicaragua 1980s, (15) Panama 1989, (16) Iraq 1991, 1999, (17) Bosnia 1995, (18) Sudan 1998, (19) Yugoslavia 1999 (20) Now Afghanistan. This action continues.

It will be noted that from nowhere has it returned with genuine triumph, success or even a shred of honour. As for its closest and most intimate ally, the United Kingdom, which does not know that after ruling over an empire over which the sun would not set, it has been beaten back to its North Atlantic islands.

These two are the nations that hold the entire world hostage in a manner so menacing as to defy words. At this point one is reminded of the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) who spoke of freedom from fear which, “translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbour — anywhere in the world.” (Message to Congress, Jan 6, 1941). Today’s United States of America and its leadership are a stark negation and obstinate rejection of those noble thoughts.

It is time peace-loving nations requisitioned a special session of the United Nations General Assembly to create awareness of the grave danger to world peace. In fact, the very existence of the United Nations as the guardian of world peace is under the worst-ever threat. It stems directly from two of the world’s strongest military powers bent upon use of force, instead of resorting to the United Nations and in defiance of international law and morality.

Let it not go unnoticed that the United States has refused to accept the International Criminal Court. Now we also know why.

A. B. S. JAFRI

Karachi

Saffronizing history

WITH reference to your editorial of Jan 10, I would like to correct the editorial writer in that the Muslim rulers and people did not adopt many elements of the Hindu culture and did not settle down in India from abroad.

The fact is that a brute majority of the Indian Muslims are as aborigine Indians as the Hindutva believers of today’s India. Not even a fraction of the Indian and Pakistani Muslims are settlers here in this subcontinent from abroad, the vast majority being converts from Hindutva to Islam. This large conversion had and still has very genuine reasons. The four caste groupings of Hindutva had placed the Waish and the Shudra groups at a level lower than that of some animals, the cow for instance.

The Waish were an integral part of Scythian race, when the Scythians migrated and occupied most of the northern Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. So were the Brahmins and the Kashatrayas part of the same Scythian race, Aryas being a small sub-caste of Scythians living on the Iranian border of the Caspian Sea.

The word Arya means the “cultivator” and the Aryas were never a separate group than the general mass of Scythians, living all around the Caspian Sea and occupying lands north of the Black Sea (7th-8th century BC), then moving westward to Europe and southward to the subcontinent (7th century BC).

It was after firm establishment in India that the literate groups out of the Scythians invented the caste system, primarily to keep the conquered people (the Dravadians and other Shudras) under Scythian domination and the caste system was introduced and then vigorously enforced during the Gupta Empire (from 4th to 6th centuries AD), the Guptas themselves being Dharan Jats.

The rigidity of this inhuman caste system had caused the creation of Buddhism, Jainism and then conversions to Islam, Sikhism and now Christianity.

It is nowhere near the truth that Muslims have come from outside into the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. We the Scythians (called Jat, since the 5th century AD) are Scythians, called Bhartis in India now. Only some families of the so-called Syeds and Qureshis had come to India following the conquests by Afghans and Turks.

The culture of the vast majority of Pakistani people is still the same as that of the East Punjab people and we in Pakistan are as proud of our culture and traditions as the non-Muslim Scythians dominating India of today.

SALEEM A. BHALLI

Lahore

Air passenger’s complaint

THIS is to draw your attention to the questionable behaviour of a PIA crew during an international flight.

I travelled by PIA on Dec 28 from Heathrow, London, to Lahore. I was smoking in the smoking zone. Suddenly a crew member came to me and asked me to give up smoking. He also began to shout at me. I reminded him that he should behave with passengers. Instead of feeling ashamed, he started physically assaulting me. When some passengers intervened, he went back.

I complained about the incident to flight supervisor Khan Sher, but he did not take any notice of it. I asked him to provide me with the complaint book, but I was astonished when he told me that there was no system of making written complaints in the plane. Later, I complained to the captain of the aircraft. He also remained indifferent.

At the end of the journey, I made a written complaint at the office of PIA, Lahore airport. In spite of that, no action has so far been taken.

I request the high-ups of PIA to take immediate action against the crew concerned to avoid any inconvenience to passengers in future. This is essential that well-trained staff are deputed on international flights.

WADOOD MUSHTAQ

Lahore

Licence fee on TV

NOWADAYS a number of television channels have been made available in Pakistan. These channels are not only providing the latest news from all over the world, but also are a good source of family entertainment.

As compared to these channels, PTV is concentrating only on the rulers and their activities, offering very little entertainment. And there are excessive commercial breaks. Almost in every home in Pakistan, other channels have become popular and a few people bother to watch PTV.

In these circumstances, the levy of licence fee on television seems to be unjustified. In a country where outdoor entertainment and recreation has become a luxury of the rich, television is the only source of entertainment for common people. The government should, therefore, abolish the fee.

FAROOQ A. KHAN

Rawalpindi

Indian-made drugs in Pakistan

THIS is with reference to the article titled ‘Indian-made drugs flood the market’ (Dec 28).

It is evident that the correspondent did not do his homework before stating sensitive ‘facts’. The information in the write-up is misleading to both the government and the consumer. I would like to bring the following facts to the attention of the readers.

Firstly, the prices compared in the article are between the lowest Indian generics and the most expensive branded products in Pakistan. This is an unfair comparison which seems to be a deliberate attempt to present the situation in a distorted manner.

Secondly, the correspondent has overlooked the disparity in the input cost, i.e. land, bricks, machinery, cement, raw material, packaging material, skilled, unskilled labour and maintenance cost between the two countries.

Consider the fact that a PhD professional in an Indian pharmaceutical company would cost Rs120,000 a year, while it would take at least one million rupees to employ an experienced PhD in Pakistan. Moreover, the pharmaceutical industry of Pakistan is a ‘scared’ industry due to severe and excessive rules and regulations imposed by the government.

If I were allowed to set up an industry across the border with the same input cost as India’s, the medicines produced would be of much better quality at highly competitive prices. I claim this with confidence because it is apparent that on average the quality of drugs manufactured in Pakistan is far superior to Indian-manufactured drugs. This is so in spite of the fact that the Indian pharmaceutical industry has the advantage of inexpensive manpower and low input cost.

Thus, the article under question is an attempt to undermine the pharmaceutical industry of Pakistan and should be reprimanded.

INTESAR A. SIDDIQUI

Lahore

INS special registration & Pakistanis

THIS is with reference to the letter titled ‘INS: advice to Pakistanis’ by Yousaf Sami. My experience reflects what the writer has said in his letter.

I arrived at the Baltimore INS office at around 9.30am. An INS official handed me a form. After filling out the required information, I submitted the form along with my passport and I-94. My turn came at around 2pm.

The lady official who conducted my interview was very polite and courteous. She apologized for the delay and thanked me for coming to register.

My registration was completed in less than 30 minutes and I was out of the door at around 2:30pm after my fingerprints and photograph had been taken. The attitude of the officials was far better than what we had recently heard in the media.

I would advise all Pakistanis who fall in the category of special registration to register as soon as possible. As long as they have not violated any law, there is nothing to worry about.

ZEESHAN YAKOOB

Maryland, USA

North Korea’s strategy

PERHAPS all of us know about the disagreements between America and Iraq. Also we are aware of the conflict which is going on between the US and North Korea.

While Iraq has surrendered on the issue of inspection of lethal weapons and allowed UN inspectors to enter and search its very own territory, North Korea is still firmly resisting the American pressure to revert its nuclear programme and to make all of its ammunition available for inspection.

All of us can see that while America has asked Saddam Hussein to resign, its attitude towards North Korea has soften up a bit. White House’s spokesman now gives such statements as America wants peace with North Korea.

I on behalf of myself and my friends wish North Korea best of luck and hope that it keeps on resisting the modernized form of colonialism.

WAJEEHAH SABAHAT

Lahore

Deplorable condition of parks

IN Dawn’s issue of Jan 19,the photograph of an abandoned park in Block 15, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Karachi, clearly shows carelessness and neglect on the part of the city government. There are in this Block more than half a dozen parks which are either lying abandoned or have been encroached upon by professional land grabbers.

Since 1994 we have been making hectic efforts to develop Park No. ST 22. A letter was sent on Nov 28, 1994 to the then Sindh minister for housing and town planning. The minister issued instructions to develop the park on a priority basis within a month.

We also approached the city Nazim several times with the request to develop this park and other parks in this Block. For the last more than eight years we have been running from pillar to post, but no action has yet been taken by the authorities concerned.

In spite of the fact that Block 15 is fully inhabited, not a single park has been developed for the residents of this area. The abandoned parks have become hideouts of criminals and undesirable elements. As there are no streetlights in the locality, these parks have become all the more dangerous.

Through these columns, we would like to request the Nazim once again to develop this park and other abandoned parks in Block 15 on a priority basis.

S. W. A. MAULAI

Karachi

Pakistan’s satellite

President Pervez Musharraf is excited about Paksat-I. A news report in Dawn recently quoted him as saying that Pakistan’s space programme was now a reality and our scientists must build indigenous satellites within three years, instead of five years. According to the president, Pakistan’s space programme is now ahead of India’s.

Paksat-I was built by Boeing for Indonesia and was launched from Kourou in French Guiana in 1996. It was then known as PALAPA I. Immediately, some electrical problems occurred in the satellite.

It was declared unusable and insurance claims were settled. Then Greece leased it (and named it Anatolia I) but found it useless. Pakistan leased it to save the only geo-stationary slot left to it.

This satellite does not function during eclipses as the rechargeable batteries fail during this period. It costs the Pakistan treasury $40 million a year to lease this satellite.

At the current exchange rate, the cost to the people of Pakistan is about Rs40,000 per minute to operate Paksat-I. Now it is for the Pakistani scientists to prove that this valuable tool is operated properly to help promote education in Pakistan.

KISHAM BHATTA

Texas, USA

Gas pipeline

THIS refers to Shams Naqvi’s letter titled ‘Iran-India gas pipeline’ (Jan 9). An agreement has recently been signed between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan for the supply of natural gas to Pakistan through Afghanistan.

I hope our engineers and analysts will comment on why Pakistan is not purchasing natural gas from Iran.

Is the purchase of natural gas from Iran against our national interests? The former is our neighbour while Turkmenistan is next to the neighbour. Besides, there are so many hurdles and security problems on lying pipelines through Afghanistan.

M. AAMER KHALIQUE

Kot Lakhpat

Minority

A SHAMEFUL sticker has appeared pasted on the back of public transport vehicles. It pledges to liberate Kashmir by thrashing a certain non-Muslim community.

It should be kept in mind that we have minorities living in Pakistan. By using such phrases we hurt the feelings of this minority. Good and bad people exist in every community.

It’s time we learnt to behave.

IRFAN JAVED

Lahore

Ethics of politics

PRIME Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said at a function that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal should learn ethics and requisites of politics.

I ask the prime minister whether the MMA should adopt the ethics and requisites of politics as is being adopted by the PML(Q) in appointing ministers and the governor of Sindh those against whom there were criminal cases, or its leaders should stick to Islam.

JAVED SALEEM SOHAL

Kamonke

Impact of tea smuggling on the economy

PAKISTAN has been the second largest importer of tea in the world for over 25 years. Our total annual consumption is around 140 million kilogrammes. Tea as a beverage has been steadily selling at average rates, from one rupee to two rupees per cup locally.

It is a poor man’s drink as compared to other beverages whose prices have steadily risen to nearly three-fold in 10 years or so.

The duty on tea in 1990-92 was 45 per cent. As the government realized that the incentive for smuggling was great, the duty was brought down to 30 per cent last year. It was further reduced by five per cent to make it 25 per cent. In fact, with the addition of income tax, sales tax and other taxes, the duty comes to about 58 per cent.

In the course of smuggling via Islamqilla or Quetta borders, none of these taxes is paid by illegal importers. Another short-cut to these routes has been found though the dryports of Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi. This has adversely affected the market as the tea consigned from Kenya directly booked to the dryports shows nominal value of tea from 50 cents to 80 cents, though its real cost is between $2.20 and $2.30.

The Karachi Customs has no authority to detain such containers. Written reports to the authorities of the dryports in which are smugglers’ paradise have yielded no positive results so far.

Recently, three containers bound for the up-country were challenged. These containers were found to contain tea on which a colossal amount of duty was being evaded. These were declared as ‘wool waste’ on which no duty is levied. The attention of the authorities concerned was drawn to such glaring evasion of taxes and duty.

Currently, over 30 million kilogramme of tea is being smuggled to our market. As a result the government is not only losing hefty amount of legal dues, but the local trades are going out of business, particularly the loose tea traders, as the smuggled tea is sold in bulk to markets in Karachi, Lahore, Hyderabad, Faisalabad and Peshawar.

We urge the authorities to take fiscal measures by reducing the duty to 10 per cent, which will not allow any incentive to illegal trade. The other step is to allow the Karachi Customs to examine dryport containers before being dispatched to the up-country. This will result in immediate stoppage of illegal trade in which heavy amount of duty is being evaded. The dryports were basically introduced to help the export trade, but this step has been exploited by unscrupulous elements, to their advantage.

In October 2002 the duty on tea from Bangladesh was abolished. With this measure the entire tea smuggling from the country has been done away with.

We strongly recommended similar measures with regard to Kenya which is the man source of smuggling. Afghanistan was known to import and consume the cheapest tea. It in now the third biggest importer of the Kenyan tea. The authorities may realize as to where all this tea is going to.

K. N. A. FAROOQI

Secretary, Pakistan Tea Association,

Karachi