Indian war strategy

THE first phase of a war is to create some justification for it and to make it a paradigm through well-planned propaganda. Unlike Pakistan, India’s policies are well-thought-out by the political leadership in consultation with think-tanks and experts like Subramanyum who had advised the top brass in 1971 to strike as he thought the iron to be hot and the occasion to be the golden chance of the century to disintegrate Pakistan.

So, India first launched scientific propaganda to defame Pakistan for the alleged gross violations of human rights in East Pakistan and the consequent migration of a large chunk of its population to India. India was successful in its design. Then it launched the second phase, i.e. military aggression.

India now feels it has a golden chance to silence the Kashmiris’ and strike at Pakistan and its nuclear assets. India has lately renewed with Russia the defence agreement it had contracted with the Soviet Union in 1971 and has also entered into a defence agreement with the USA. It thus feels that the world scenario is very favourable for its designs against Pakistan. The RAW, Mossad and CIA are hand in glove with one another in the name of combating so-called terrorism.

After the 9/II attacks, well-thought-out dramas of terrorism were staged in India and occupied Kashmir for which Pakistan and Kashmiri freedom fighters were accused. India did not agree to hold any neutral, mutual or impartial inquiry to find out the truth about these. India’s aggressive diplomacy and propaganda against Pakistan aims at preparing the ground for the second phase of the war.

In this background, one can understand India’s intransigence, arrogance and its creation of heightened tension. India successfully applied these tactics in 1971. It is waiting for the D-Hour to strike.

On the other hand, we are enjoying Basant festivals, Jashn-i-Baharan, etc. Aren’t we basking in a clouded sunshine? We must remember that no other human activity requires the deployment of so much moral energy, political ingenuity and intellectual prowess as war. War is an instrument of politics and not the other way round (Aristotle). When it comes to war, politicians and not the generals determine victory or defeat.

KHWAJA MUHAMMAD BASHIR BUTT

Bahawalnagar

English as medium of instruction

THIS refers to the letter, ‘English as medium of instruction’ (March 7), by Naveed Afridi. I do not agree with his suggestion that all educational institutions have English as primary medium of instruction.

At present, the literacy rate in Pakistan is 40 per cent only. It means that 60 per cent of people cannot read and write. In a situation where people cannot even read or write in their own mother tongues, is it possible to adopt English as primary medium of instruction?

I also do not agree with the writer’s second point that by reverting to Urdu in our educational institutions, Pakistan will become a backward country. In many developed countries such as Germany, France, China, and in developing countries such as China, education is imparted in the mother tongue.

These countries give first preference to their national language, i.e. the mother tongue, while English is taught there as a secondary language.

I would like to suggest that English be taught in our educational institutions as a secondary language. Urdu is our national language and must continue to enjoy that status.

INTISAR AHMAD SULEHRY

Faisalabad

Violation of labour rights

I REQUEST the government agencies to investigate the rampant flouting of labour laws in Pakistan. Talented and experienced workers are being ignored by the employers, who are hiring teenagers to work in the factories for a paltry daily wage of Rs50 or less. These labourers are offered absolutely no allowances or any fringed benefits, even though they may have been working on a full-time basis for a long period of time.

Various companies do not issue any work documents or appointment letters to their employees, and require them to sign a blank form at the time of hiring. They fill out the contract on their own to deceive the government and to get huge tax breaks. Employees and labourers are often paid only a fraction of what many private companies claim they pay in salaries as per false documentation.

The labour unions in Pakistan are largely inactive or they are working in cohorts with the employers. The rich are getting richer and the poor even poorer.

MOHAMMAD ARIF

Karachi

Teachers’ recruitment

THE other day I happened to go through an advertisement about recruitment of professors in BS 20 in the Punjab University and the Government College University, the universities being in the public sector.

The academic qualifications and experience in both the cases are the same. But the monthly emoluments for a professor of the Punjab University is about Rs25,000 and in the case of the Government College University Rs100,000, which is simply four times. I fail to understand this anomaly.

The matter does not end here. I was surprised to know the hefty salaries of chief executive officers of autonomous hospitals in Lahore. The chief executive officers of Jinnah and Services Hospital are getting Rs250,000 each and that of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology Rs500,000 a month. These very chief executive officers, before their present assignment, were in BS-20 or 21 and were getting something like Rs25,000 to Rs35,000, including the house rent and other allowances. But in their new job, they have been compulsorily deprived of their private practice and in lieu have been given Rs220,000 to Rs470,000 a month additional pay.

I wonder if these doctors were earning this much money from private practice. However, it can be verified from their income-tax returns of the last three years.

I request the Punjab chief minister to look into the matter and do the needful. The salaries of professors in the two universities be brought at par. The chief executive officers of the hospitals be brought into regular scales of 20/21 and allowed to do practice. This will save the already finance-starved institutions from incurring extra expenditure. Moreover, medical students and patients will stand to gain when these chief executive officers will star working as teachers-cum-doctors.

HAFEEZ AKHTAR

Lahore

Where are the police?

THE recently-reported spate of daylight robberies, car-snatchings and robbers operating in police uniforms looting and raping poor hapless passengers gives one the impression of living in a lawless state where police are non-existent.

The police action seems to be limited to providing security to the VIPs. Even here they fail, as was recently reported in the case of a provincial minister being deprived of his car in Defence. The Chief Minister of Punjab ought to wake up the police force, whose activities are seemingly confined to booking motorcyclists, leaving dacoits to loot and kill citizens.

If this state of affairs continues, people would be forced to believe that the civilian administration has failed. They would look for a strong administrator or a military ruler to set the unruly jungle-like conditions right.

The rulers who cannot safeguard life, property and honour of their citizens forfeit their right to rule. It is time the provincial government improved the law and order situation, and provided relief to the citizens who are left to fend for themselves against car-snatchers and dacoits.

DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI

Lahore

Livestock & poverty alleviation

The prime minister in his first address to the nation covered all the important aspects of the national economy except the livestock sector.

Livestock raising in Pakistan is primarily a subsistence-level activity characterized by small flocks/herds with widespread ownership. For most farmers, livestock is a supplemental source of farm income. The landless also keep sheep/goats, one or two buffaloes, a donkey and a few chickens.

As livestock is more evenly distributed than land and other assets, it forms the main asset base that meets the dietary needs and provide income to the rural poor. Since livestock production is not as susceptible to vagaries of weather as crops, this sector provides the much-needed stability to an otherwise fragile small holder economy.

It is a significant source of milk and meat in arid areas. Farm yard manure is the only or the major fertilizer available to the small holder.

Moreover, livestock is the only form of investment and saving that can be readily converted into cash during emergencies.

There is a lot of talk these days about poverty alleviation. What is not fully appreciated is that poverty and growth are inextricably intertwined. Poor and low-income pop ulation is concentrated in the rural areas. That is where a beginning should be made.

Therefore, within the present development scenario, livestock is the most important vehicle to improve the income of the small holders, the landless and women tending livestock.

Useless strategies like imparting sewing, stitching and preparation of squashes, jams, etc. skills to rural women will take them away from their mainstream economic activity of managing livestock, thus marginalizing them further.

H. U. HASNAIN

Islamabad

Ways to prevent AIDS

IT is common knowledge that diseases like AIDS and HIV are very dangerous and spread quickly when we reuse syringes.

It has been observed that some unscrupulous people buy used syringes at very low price, repack these and sell them to some medical stores which are also involved in the crime. Thus a cycle is formed and the disease goes on spreading.

Despite press reports in this regard, there is no decline in this dirty trade of spreading fatal diseases. The ministry of health seems to have miserably failed to control the situation.

However, a quality syringe manufacturer has started a campaign, in collaboration with social institutions, at different places to warn the people of the danger posed by used syringes. If municipal committees collect and burn all used syringes found in hospital garbage, we are sure to succeed in our mission.

DR M.S. ZAFAR WARSI

Lahore

Banking ombudsman’s appointment

THE law for the appointment of a banking ombudsman was passed in 1997. But the then prime minister, who was a bank defaulter, did not appoint one. The military government also did not find it prudent to fill this position because it might have hurt the then finance minister’s powers. I wonder if Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali would be interested in appointing a banking ombudsman.

The agony of the citizens can be judged by the fact that there is no legal, cheap and effective forum available to redress their grievances regarding the high-handedness of the commercial banks. Complaints against the commercial banks made to Wafaqi Mohtasib in most cases are decided in favour of the banks or justice is denied on technical grounds.

The State Bank and its banking inspection department do not discharge their legal obligations in accordance with the law, thus holding the cases undecided for years without any action. There is no monitoring at any level for expeditious and judicious disposal of public complaints by the State Bank.

I request the president to intervene and direct the government to immediately appoint a banking ombudsman to provide justice to the victims of the banking sector in Pakistan. The State Bank should also be directed to devise a system to effectively monitor public cases and ensure quick and expeditious disposal of public complaints.

S. M. ZAHID ALI

Karachi

A tribute to Maisoon

IT was painful to hear about Ms Maisoon Hussein’s death. I first met her perhaps in 1994 or in 1995 when I was lodged at Karachi’s Landhi Jail. She did not go there to interview politicians like us; she was there to hear and then to write about those prisoners who were almost forgotten by society and were living most miserably. Her death was certainly untimely.

I remember, when I talked to her some 18 months back, I could feel a distinctive pain in her voice. Whenever my letter would fail to get its place in ‘Letters to the Editor’ columns, I would call her and would always find an assurance in her voice.

May God bless her soul and rest her in eternal peace. Once again, my sympathy with her colleagues here at the Dawn office and with the members of her family. Maisoon Hussein would be remembered for long.

KUNWAR KHALID YUNIS

Islamabad

Plight of CSS-qualified candidates

THIS refers to Zaigham Tiwana’s letter captioned “Plight of CSS qualified candidates” (Feb 2).

The complainant has alleged: “The FPSC announced the final results of the CSS examination 2001 on Sept 21, 2002, but it has not allocated groups/services to the successful candidates, thereby letting their future hang in the balance.”

In the letter the commission has been called incompetent because it has failed to allocate seats in various groups to the successful candidates.

The correct position is that the Sindh High Court struck down Rule-6 (iii)(a) of the Competitive Examination Rules relating to domiciliary status of the candidates as violative of the Constitution, and the Commission has filed a petition for leave to appeal in the Supreme Court, which is still pending.

Therefore, if allocation of groups/services is made on the basis of Sindh High Court judgment at this stage, then in case of reversal of this judgment by the apex court, this process has to be revised again, which obviously would result in enormous complications and hardship to the Commission, as well as to the candidates.

It is emphasized that the allocation is not a difficult task which can be finalized within a few days of the decision by the Supreme Court. Mr Zaigham Tiwana should have ascertained the correct position from the Commission before making such a wild and haphazard allegations without any basis.

SARWAR HASSAN KHAN

Director General, FPSC,

Islamabad

Shoaib Akthar

ZAHEER Khan and Chaminda Vass may not be extraordinary but they are effective because they know their limitations and work hard to bowl well. Bret Lee is lethal because he combines speed with precision. However, what is common between all of them is that they play the game hard and play for their teams.

If only Shoaib Akthar can follow up the ferocity of his tongue by some hard work, teamwork and intelligence on the field, he can become the best of them. Shoaib Akhtar can for sure talk up a good game, if he can only play it, too.

SAEED DADABHOY

Karachi

Confrontation over LFO

THE opposition parties little realize that the storm of protest raised against the LFO could start a chain reaction that would shatter whatever fragile democracy we have now.

First, Election 2002 was held under the LFO and its repeal would mean that some of the clauses like the reduction of voting age from 21 to 18 would go, creating a situation for holding fresh polls.

Also, the cancellation of the LFO clause declaring a non-graduate ineligible for contesting election would require the holding of a fresh poll to provide an equal opportunity to the prospective candidates that could not contest elections since they were non-graduates.

A new poll under the 1973 Constitutions will have to be held to give legal cover to the members who are sitting in the assemblies today. Can we afford a fresh election?

COL SAYED G.B. SHAH BOKHARI

Peshawar

Bad roads

I WISH to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the condition of broken roads near Bhayani Heights and Maskan bus stops (Block 7 and 4) in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Karachi. Negotiating one’s way through bad roads causes delays during peak hours.

MOHAMMAD YASIN

Karachi

Sabzi Mandi Park

WE write with reference to your aforesaid editorial (March 13).

The Old Sabzi Mandi existed on an area of 18 acres only. To our best knowledge, the said land is lying vacant, and there is no hindrance or obstruction whatsoever from any quarters with regard to the development of Askari Park on the said area by the City Government with the aid of the army.

The report that work will commence on a project involving 38 acres of land shortly is erroneous, and amounts to contempt of the orders passed by the High Court of Sindh on our petitions.

The land vacated by the shifting of the Old Sabzi Mandi is lying vacant. In fact, the land in our possession consists of about 20 acres and it does not form part of the Old Sabzi Mandi but is outside the said area. We have been enjoying possession of the said land independently and within our own rights since before the Partition by virtue of valid and lawful leases executed from time to time in our favour.

Though the land in our possession did not form part of the Old Sabzi Mandi, the City Government wanted to extend the development work to our land illegally and without due course of law. The City Government also deemed it convenient to get our respective leases cancelled on the alleged ground of non-payment of land rent and on that ground took over the possession of the land illegally and arbitrarily.

Therefore, we challenged the said action by recourse to constitutional petitions before the High Court of Sindh upon which there are explicit orders of the Division Bench, directing the City Government to restore our possession forthwith, and further not to interfere with our possession.

In view of in the above, the action to include our private land in the park project, particularly after the said orders of the High Court of Sindh, is tantamount to the commission of contempt of court, for which we are taking proper steps against them.

SYED MUNAWAR HUSSAIN,

For Gulshan Industrial & Trading Group,

Karachi