| May 24, 2003 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 21,1424 |
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Politics of exclusion
Karachi Cricket Stadium’s land
Qualifications for company secretary
Aliens’ right to work in Pakistan
Killing of a teacher
Terror in Okara
Sharing intelligence
Boycott of goods
Train dacoity
Manners
‘Pakistan first’
Indo-Pakistan peace efforts
DURING Prime Minister Tony Blair’s recent visit to Russia, President Putin taunted him about the inability of the coalition to find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Much of the anger and protest throughout the world at the American attack emanated from a lack of belief in the stated objectives of the war. However, regardless of what the real motives of the war were, the long range aftermath is not likely to be bad.
First and foremost, a vicious and tyrannical ruler has been eliminated. The recent unearthing of mass graves of blindfolded and bound victims by the thousands and the heist of one-third of the assets of the central bank of Iraq are just the tip of the iceberg of the monumental corruption and bloody legacy of the deceased regime. Unfortunately, foreigners have done the dirty work for the Muslims, motivated of course by their self-interest, that the Muslim Ummah should have done itself.
For five years, the Taliban terrorized and brutalized their people, especially the women, but Muslim countries remained silent. Similarly, the bloody excesses of Saddam Hussein were accepted by the Arabs and the Muslims without application of any pressure.
The recent bombing attack in Saudi Arabia has unleashed an avalanche of highly critical assessment of the US-Saudi relations at the highest level of the government. The US ambassador to Saudi Arabia has openly questioned the willingness of the Saudis to fight terrorism and protect foreigners.
The press keeps reminding that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, and continues to point at the curriculum of hate taught in Saudi schools; not much different from that of our own Madressahs. There is a ray of hope that Saudi Arabia will slowly unravel under outside pressures and at least become less repressive.
Closer at home, the Jihadi culture nurtured by the influx of Saudi money and support may eventually start to wilt as a corollary of what their fountainhead suffers. In this context, one hopes that Pakistan seizes the rare opportunity to improve relations with India and come to a settlement on the Kashmir issue. Nothing but good in all fields and immense economic prosperity would ensue from such an improved climate.
However, in order to accomplish this, the government must have the will to rein in the Jihadis.
M. HAIDER
New Jersey, USA
IN his letter of May 11 under the above title, Syed Mahboob Ahmed alleges that in a recent article concerning Shahbaz Sharif (April 27), I “made a forceful and passionate appeal for pardoning and re-inducting (Shahbaz Sharif) into Pakistani political mainstream.”
He went on to say that I had “bracketed Mr Sharif
with the Quaid-i-Azam, H.S. Suhrawardy, and Sir Firoz Khan Noon” in terms of “political stature, sagacity, and integrity.” He also implies that I have called Shahbaz Sharif “outstanding” and “incorruptible.”
This is incorrect except in two particulars. Allow me to cover Mr Ahmed’s ground step by step.
(1) Was I forceful? I hope so. All good writing in the nature of an argument is forceful. (2) Passionate? No, Mr Ahmed will not be able to cite a single sentence in my article that is pregnant with passion.
(3) Did I make an appeal? No, I simply offered an analysis and a resulting suggestion in the public interest.
(4) Did I suggest a pardon for Mr Shahbaz Sharif? No, because he has not been formally charged with, much less convicted of, any crime.
(5) Have I bracketed him with the Quaid-i-Azam? I have done no such thing; I have bracketed neither him nor anybody else with the Quaid-i-Azam.
(6) Have I bracketed Shahbaz Sharif with Suhrawardy and Noon? Yes, I have, but only with regard to integrity, not with regard to political stature or sagacity. (7) Have I called Shahbaz Sharif “outstanding” or “incorruptible”? I have said no such thing.
ANWAR SYED
Amherst, MA, USA
AS a Pakistani I am proud that in three games, squash, hockey and cricket, we have achieved world class status. We must do much more to sustain it and continue to nurture high performance players and teams.
In an article in Dawn on May 18, it has been stated that 17 acres of land of the Karachi Cricket Stadium has been given away to create a housing colony. If so, it is a most unfortunate move. This is an appeal to the authority or the authorities concerned to reverse their decision, if already taken. Now is an appropriate occasion to be grateful to those who got and dedicated this land to cricket in the first place. That was visionary.
Our people are mad about cricket and all such assets should be held in trust for them and the game. The only other body or institution which
may have some justification for claiming the use of this
land would be sports development.
On a bigger canvas I take this opportunity to emphasize with many others the necessity and comprehensive value of open spaces in towns and cities. More housing colonies should be planned in places other than Karachi and Lahore. Other urban areas need to be upgraded and made attractive for providing education, health care, entertainment, communications, etc.
My family and friends join me in appealing to the Pakistan Cricket Board and Lt-Gen Tauqir Zia to think futuristically. As T. S. Eiliot wrote in one of his poems it takes just a moment to reverse a decision.
GULZAR BANO
Lahore
THIS refers to the letters appeared in your newspaper on May 6 and 7 on the above-captioned subject.
No doubt, the profession of company secretary is of technical nature but the two letter writers have ignored the fact that no qualifications have been prescribed for this job in the last 55 years and everyone is eligible.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants and The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants are recognized professional bodies that teach secretarial work to some extent.
Moreover, keeping in view the number of the listed companies and multinational companies, it is impossible for the Institute of Corporate Secretaries of Pakistan, the only professional body in the corporate sector of the country, to meet the demand for company secretaries for the time being and thus the dependence on other professional bodies is understandable.
Like America, where a lot of unapproved universities are working, there are in our country lots of institutions which claim to be professional but are without any standing. The matter may, therefore, be decided on merit and not on the propaganda being made by writing letters in newspapers.
WASI MURTAZA
Karachi
THE announcement by the National Aliens Registration Authority (Nara) about signing an agreement with a UN agency, allowing a legal “work for wages” right to any non-Pakistanis present in Pakistan owing to a civil strife in his own country is very surprising.
Such decision of national importance and affecting the macro economics of the country should have been first debated in the parliament, and then executed with full authority and understanding of the situation.
Right now, we would consider this agreement only a proposal, without a legal force until it is vetted by the National Assembly and then by the Senate.
The social and economic impact of such actions are far reaching. Already Pakistani transport business, among others, has been a target of Afghan entrepreneurs mostly operating without a legal or moral right to do so. In a nation which is itself struggling to provide jobs and business opportunities to its own nationals and continually denying a right of emigration to its own citizens stranded in ex-East Pakistan, such actions would be considered debatable and deplorable.
The Nara and our politicians in power should explain the legal, moral, political, and economic basis of its decision.
HASHIM SYED MOHAMMAD BIN QASIM
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
LAST week, Alia Anjum, a lecturer in English, at Government Degree College, was kidnapped from Tariq Road and brutally murdered the same day. Her body having torture marks was found after two days from the boot of her car in a decomposed state.
As a colleague, she was kind, sympathetic, hard working friendly and very caring. She was so close to us that it is very difficult to work without her. It seems we have given a free hand to the killers. We are simply helpless; they are the ones who rule. We are at the mercy of the savages, yet we say that we live in a civilized society. We were shocked to see some newspapers carrying distorted account of the incident pointing fingers at her, instead of condemning the killers. Is this the way a civilized society should behave?
Our request to the authorities concerned is to find out the murderers and give them exemplary punishment so that it serves as a deterrence to the insane maniacs. Alia Anjum will not come back. She has been snatched away from her little daughter, hundreds of students and colleagues. We will cherish her memory for the rest of our lives.
FACULTY MEMBERS
Government Degree College, Karachi
I AM distressed and saddened after reading Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy’s column describing the plight of the poor tenants of Okara.
I fully endorse his views that:
“The siege of Okara is a blot on Pakistan’s collective conscience and must be lifted immediately and unconditionally. Further, the incidents of torture and beatings that have occurred there over the last three years should be immediately investigated at the highest level and the guilty punished.
“We cannot plausibly demand that India end the military occupation of Kashmir while employing similar brutal means and tactics at home. Pakistan cannot bear the shock of nearly a million of its own people being dispossessed of the lands they have tilled for over a century. Peasants have no political agenda — land is about livelihood and physical survival. To evict them would be cruel and unjust, and certainly was not what Pakistan was made for. President Musharraf must move quickly to see that this outrage is no more.”
While I am confident that General Musharraf, a man of conscience, will immediately respond, I would also like to appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu action to provide immediate relief to the poor tenants of the Okara farms. I may be permitted to advise the officers, who are in charge of the inhuman operation in Okara, that “there comes a point where a man must refuse to answer to his leader if he is also to answer to his conscience.” (Sir Hartley Shawcross, Nuremberg, 1946).
NAZIM F. HAJI
Karachi
THE recent bombing carried out in Riyadh by a group of terrorists in which several innocent people lost their lives and many got seriously injured should serve as an eye-opener for the security agencies which are not working up to the mark in gathering intelligence before the occurrence of such deadly incidents.
People have not yet forgotten the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. The attacks caused many problems for the visitors to the United States who now have to go through various security checks.
The terrorists carried out another planned attack in Riyadh in the expatriate residential compounds, killing several US and Saudi nationals and leaving many injured. Such attacks are only possible when an intelligence network completely fails and security agencies are unable to gather information during the planning stage of such terrorist attacks.
There is an urgent need for the security agencies to enhance their ability to arrest such terrorists before their evil plans are executed for killing innocent people, and for that, it has now become imperative for the security agencies to exchange and share information of the people that have a dubious character and move from one country to another on fake identities and passports. The security agencies must remain vigilant on the arrival of such foreigners who enter the territorial limits of a peaceful country with the intention to destabilize its economy.
The terrorists operating in different parts of the world should be taken to task by the security agencies and exemplary punishment awarded to those apprehended.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
THIS has reference to a letter published recently in these columns, criticizing the plea to boycott goods made by the US, Israel and other European countries.
The letter seems to be failing to focus on the main issue. The economies of the developed countries are intertwine. No doubt about that, but that should not hinder us from doing the little that we can do to help in stopping further economic growth of those countries which are openly imperialistic or anti-Muslim in their approach.
True, our boycott may not amount to more than a token show of opposition and might not even have an appreciable impact on their economies, but in the present circumstances, I believe, it is each individual’s responsibility to make at least this minimum gesture showing our anger and opposition to the US’s anti-Muslim policies.
GHULAM HUSSAIN
Karachi
I WAS shocked to read the news item headlined “Train looted” (May 9). One of the fastest and most important trains, Tezgam, was the target of an attack by no less than 30 dacoits on Wednesday night. They stopped the train near Rohri and looted the passengers at gunpoint for about an hour.
The police appeared on the scene after an hour when the dacoits had completed their task. It is a sad commentary on the state of law and order under the current quasi-military regime.
It is regrettable that the national press did not give the prominence to the news it deserved.
R. R. ALVI
Lahore
IT is customary among the people telephoning to ask, “Is Peter there?” This question is asked in such a way that shows as if Paul were looking for Peter. The best way is to say: “May I speak to Mr Peter please?”
J. M. H. MARTINS
Karachi
THIS refers to Qazi Faez Isa’s article on the CPLC (Dawn, May 7) in which he mentions that Gen Musharraf coined the slogan “Pakistan First”. Gen Musharraf has done a number of good things and has an inventive and nimble mind.
However, for the sake of record it may please be noted that Capt M. S. K. Lodi (formerly of PIAC) had written an application (on its letterhead) seeking registration of a new political party, named “Pakistan First Party”, with the Election Commission of Pakistan at Karachi long before the general used this slogan.
The Election Commission must have tried to seek instructions from Islamabad about the new political party.
AHMED SAEED
Karachi
THE round table conference to discuss the people’s agenda for peace organized jointly by the Aurat Foundation and the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy on May 19 threw up the usual ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ that have had disastrous effects on peace initiatives in the past. Only this time they also came from peace activists and saner elements of society.
For instance, a former federal law minister said that peace should be made with ‘honour’. This reminded one of the facts that innocent and hapless young girls are being hacked to death in the name of (family) ‘honour’. Is there any honour in the continued impoverishment of the people on both sides of the border?
A female MNA of the Millat Party did not want trade to be resumed unless Pakistan stood to gain in the balance of payments situation. Even a veteran female peace activist did not think tourism would be possible between Pakistan and India in the present situation. Is she not aware that there has been no greater war than the one fought between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union and between Japan and the US? Yet today American tourists rain dollars over places where they once rained bombs and there are any number of German tourists in Moscow and St. Petersburg and any number of Russian tourists in Berlin and Bonn. Should the wars fought by India and Pakistan come in the way of understanding through tourism when the world is talking about open borders?
The best, however, came from a poetess who, after availing herself of India’s hospitality for many years, now says that Indian conditions have ‘changed’ and will not allow things to improve. This reminded me of my meeting with Qurrat-ul-Ain Hyder in Delhi in 2001. At first she insisted that no good would come about as a result of our efforts in arranging students’ goodwill visits, but after I gave her the rationale of our visit and the success achieved, she insisted on inviting all 37 youngsters to her house in Noida for a meal.
Kunwar Khalid Yunus wants ‘local boys’ to be appointed high commissioners in the two countries, quite oblivious of the fact that the most popular consuls general in Karachi were a Tamilian Mani Shankar Aiyar and an Oriya Mani Tripathi and his Sikh wife, Shashi. It is not ethnicity of the incumbent but the commitment to peace and better relations that counts. Raza Rabbani could not help carrying a brief for his ‘exiled’ leader instead of making some meaningful suggestions for peace as a member of Pakistan’s largest political party.
There were of course some sane and sincere voices for peace like those of Anis Haroon, Nasim Gandhi, Karamat Ali, Rahat Saeed, Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim and M.B. Naqvi. Karamat particularly made an impassioned appeal against war and the injustices prevailing inside the two countries that are often the fountainheads of war-like situations.
ANWAR ABBAS
President, Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace & Democracy, Karachi
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