| August 27, 2003 | Wednesday | Jumadi-us-Sani 28, 1424 |
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Access to health information
PSO and stock exchange crash
Can Benazir survive Swiss blow?
Prisoners in fetters
Bank service charges
Police brutalities
Oil spill disaster: seeking people’s help
Gang-rape ordeal
FBI probing
Pakistan-India ties & the Establishment’s role
MR Rasul Bakhsh Palijo, in his interview with the ‘Dawn Dialogue’ panel, has raised many points about the necessity of doing away with military rule, the need to be independent of neo-colonial powers in defining our policies and so on and so forth. I agree with most of what he has said.
However, I beg to differ on his comment that the large size of Punjab is not a negative factor in the country’s politics. I would like to ask the question: why is it that Punjab, of all the provinces, is always the one most harshly criticized? To my mind there are two reasons: first the predominance of Punjabis in the army which has ruled over the country for nearly half its life.
Secondly, the excessively large size of Punjab, so much so that its political clout is greater than that of all the other provinces combined. The result is that even during rule by politicians Punjab has had the lion’s share of power, simply because of its size.
If Pakistan is to be stable, both these factors need to be eliminated. In other words, there should be no military government, and there should be no ‘Big Brother’. Punjab should be divided into three provinces — Potohar, Lahore and Seraiki, or call them by any other name — so that there are six provinces, in all, and they are nearly equal in size.
One can argue that Sindh should also be divided into two provinces. If that appears desirable, it may also be considered. However, the overwhelming size of Punjab definitely needs to be reduced, so that each of the resulting provinces is of roughly equal size with the others.
In a federal setup no province should be bigger than the rest of the country. The Russian Federation was one such province in the demised Soviet Union. In the opinion of all commentators, its sheer size was one of the important factors in the break-up of the Union. If India, or for that matter the United States, had a single state whose population and, therefore, political power was more than the clout of all the rest of the states combined, it would certainly destabilize the country; fortunately for India and the US, such a situation does not exist over there.
If, soon after the creation of Pakistan, the mighty eastern province had been divided into four provinces and Punjab into two, we would have had nine nearly equal-sized provinces and our history might have been different. No province would have been big enough to dominate the other. All would have been nearly equal in population and, therefore, in political power. Today, the division of Punjab into three will improve the political atmosphere greatly.
This is what the politicians of the smaller provinces should demand if they want to end Punjab’s domination. If they do not demand this, it raises a suspicion that perhaps they need a large-sized Punjab to continue to be their whipping boy and punching bag.
As far as the controversy about Gen Musharraf’s uniform is concerned, it is somewhat off the mark. The question is not of Gen Musharraf but of the army. As we are being ruled by the military, the corps commanders are the real rulers and they do not want to give up power. On the civil side they have appointed literally hundreds of their officers as heads of all the important public corporations. They are enjoying all the privileges that are the prerogative of princes in a monarchy.
They captured power with the barrel of the gun. Why should they want to give it up without being ousted by force? Did any of the previous dictators quit? No, sir. Ayub gave up only when the whole country was in flames in riots directed against him, and he handed over to another military man. Yahya gave up only when half the country was lost and it was impossible for him to continue. Zia never gave up; he was blown out of the air by the C-130 crash. No military ruler has gone willingly. To expect the present one to do so is to ask for the moon.
Talks on the LFO have had the appearance of a farcical comedy throughout. The sooner the politicians realize it, the better. The parliamentary bipartisan ‘Constitution Committee’ which met daily during May should have known better than to sweat and toil for 11 long days. They should have realized that the decisions would be taken elsewhere. The ARD and MMA should even now realize that if they want the LFO to go, it won’t happen through talks with the army.
DR IJAZ AHSAN
Lahore
THE academic health community in Pakistan is well aware of the acronym ‘HINARI’ which is the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative. A public/private initiative aiming at bridging the digital divide in health was launched in 2000 by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Spearheaded by the World Health Organization, the Health InterNetwork brings together publishers, international agencies, the private sector, foundations, non-governmental organizations and country partners under the principle of ensuring equitable access to health information.
Its focus is on improving the information environment among health personnel in developing countries: professionals, researchers, scientists, librarians and policymakers are being provided with online access to 2,200 high-quality medical journals, either free or at drastically reduced rates.
While 69 poorest countries (having GNP/capita $1,000) at the first stage were given access free, 43 more countries (with GNP/capita $1000-3000) have been added in the second stage in January 2003, which will pay an annual fee of $1,000, beginning with a six-month free trial. Twenty-eight participating publishers are contributing the fee collected to a fund to train librarians and researchers in making the best use of the vast amount of information now being made available.
The sad news is that Pakistan is not included in it — some other major neighbouring countries like India are excluded as well. Librarians are probing and researchers are wondering as to why we are discriminated against. But no satisfactory reason has been cited by WHO so far. We librarians feel that this issue must be raised at the national level by the government, in an effective manner, with the World Health Organization.
A good opportunity is approaching in the first week of September (3-6) when WHO is holding a regional conference on building a “Virtual Health Sciences Library” in the region, at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Karachi. Seven public and private institutions, including the Aga Khan University, are partners in this event. While our government can negotiate for public-sector institutions, private institutions can negotiate for reduced rates, specially I am referring to the Aga Khan University and the Development Network which are doing so much for the developing world in the health and education sectors and its programmes are now spreading from Afghanistan, Syria to eastern African countries.
AZRA QURESHI
Karachi
THE recent stock exchange crash is certainly a direct outcome of the announcement of final dividend by PSO before which the company management deliberately built up an environment in which issuance of bonus shares was seen a must.
I fail to understand why an impression was created that the company’s profits are an all-time high. As a result, the common investors largely put their stakes on PSO shares whereas the announcement was disappointing. It is my feeling that a very subtle game was organized to lure the investors who eventually have lost a lot.
In these circumstances, an inquiry must be initiated to identify the players of the game, which would be easy if the following steps could be taken:
(a) Who are the persons/institutions who have had very large holdings of PSO shares say up to Aug 5 and who did sell the bulk of them up to say Aug 11?
(b) Which members of the KSE were their account holders, or were they direct account holders of CDC? Whether these two groups possessed inside information can easily be identified through the records of central depository company.
(c) And, further, find out the relations/connections of these groups with highups of the PSO?
K. G. RABBANI
Karachi
COMMENTING on my column on the ENCOUNTER page of last week, Mr Taj Haider, information secretary of the Pakistan People’s Party, has poured a lot of bile against me (Aug 21).
I have nothing against Mr Haider. I hardly know him as a politician of sorts, and haven’t had the pleasure of savouring his august company since our salad days at Karachi University in the ’60s.
I respect his views and he’s fully entitled to them. But in his exuberance to prove his fealty to Ms Bhutto, he has overstepped the bounds of civility and attacked my integrity, which is gratuitous and unethical. He has denounced me as a votary of President Gen Pervez Musharraf. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Allow me to put the record straight for Mr Haider’s and others’ benefit. I am no longer in service and, as such, owe no loyalty to the general. I am, in fact, one of those rare senior officers who asked for early retirement whilst I was ambassador in Turkey because of policy differences with the military regime. I am still paying the price of my temerity. The Foreign Office establishment is still blocking my pension on one flimsy excuse (such as concocted audit objections) or another. The government still owes me salary and allowance for the 18 months that I was on LPR.
For Mr Haider’s information, I have the reputation of being the harshest critic of the military regime and Gen Musharraf because of my weekly column in Urdu which is syndicated in the Urdu Times, printed from every major urban centre in North America. Mr Haider may consult his colleagues in this part of the world if he has any doubts about the veracity of my word.
I am an admirer of Ms Bhutto for her courage and determination to stand up and resist authoritarianism, and she knows it. But I do feel sorry for her that she is still lending her ears to the likes of Mr Haider who have ensconced themselves in a cocoon of their own fanciful imagination. His world, I’m afraid, has little in common with the real world and its realities.
AMBASSADOR (RETD)
KARAMATULLAH K. GHORI
Toronto, Canada
ABOUT the Punjab government’s directive to keep ‘dangerous prisoners’, even under-trial prisoners, in fetters during their confinement, one may say it is retrogressive, inhuman and against the Supreme Court order. We must not follow the example of the Americans, legitimizing their gross inhumanity in the eyes of our public.
Who in the first place determines the dangerous nature of a prisoner? Our very corrupt and lawless police who are used to trump up charges, mostly to cover up their inefficiency? If at all a prisoner is to be so treated, he be given a reasonable chance of opposing the allegation before the judge. (Would not this frequent exercise as directed brutalize the judge?)
AFAQ AHMAD KHAN
Lahore
I REFER to the notice in your paper by the UBL that they will levy service charges to “Improve the Standards of Service”. I draw the attention of the account-holders and the State Bank of Pakistan that the notice simply translates thus:
Those who have managed to save Rs600 will find at the end of the year a “nil” balance instead of mark-up, so well advertised. Those saving less than Rs600 will be compelled to pay a sum to the bank in addition to the wiped-out balance.
The practical improvement, if any, and the fate of those who opened accounts on 1-7-01 and prior has been tactfully omitted.
The moral of the story is: “stop saving money”.
A. Y. KAJIJI
Karachi
ACCORDING to a news report (Aug 22), Mohammad Ashraf, 35, was picked up on suspicion by the anti-car lifting cell in Rawalpindi and tortured. The Islamabad SSP suspended the sub- inspector, head constable and two constables. But, is this enough? Of course, not.
The culprits would definitely get away. And the victim, who received injuries to the sensitive organs (the police had injected petrol into his rectum), is in a critical state now. What would be his fate? Would he be able to lead a normal life after all this?
These people have no respect for the dignity of a human being. Where are the so-called human rights in Pakistan? I appeal to the government to bring the culprits to justice. The victim should be given compensation for what he has suffered.
AAMIR ZIA KIANI
Quebec, Canada
WE have read with great interest two news pieces in Dawn regarding the environmental disaster caused by the oil spillage from the tanker, Tasman Spirit.
The first article “We are to blame for blackening our city” makes a valid case that if the people of Karachi do not take notice and act, then we cannot blame the Karachi Port Trust, the administration or even the federal government for ignoring such a major event.
The second piece “The obsession with denying the obvious” also illustrates how our leaders, administrators and politicians have lied to us and continue to do so on this issue.
We are a small group of journalists, lawyers, academics, private and public sector employees, students, retired persons and housewives who have decided that we must channel our anger and frustration in a positive manner by forming a small non-political, non-religious, non commercial pressure group that will take up this incident, and others that may not be of such magnitude but affect the lives of the people of this city, and try and make ourselves heard above the din of indifference that plagues Karachi.
In this, we ask for the help of others who feel equally upset and angry not only by the oil spillage but also by the official indifference to it.
At this stage, all you have to do is show your support and suggest ways in which you can help by sending us an email at kk3@cyber.net.pk and we will take it from there. May God save our city.
CONCERNED CITIZENS
OF KARACHI
Karachi
I READ with deep shock the report in Dawn about the gang-rape of a girl in Karachi (Aug 18). Almost all over the world, such gangs operate and it is up to citizens to take caution.
The law-enforcement agencies can help prevent such ordeals, but in Pakistan society these evil elements take full advantage of our social values and taboos and the inefficiency of the law-enforcement agencies.
If the parents follow one rule, they can prevent, to a great extent, such ordeals: never let girls go outside without being accompanied by parents, and try to avoid taxis because most taxis are operated by police personnel or their close associates.
There is also need for the media to educate citizens about these dangers.
ABDUL RAUF
Houston, TX, USA
THIS refers to the report: “The FBI probing Pakistan journalist for 9/11” (Aug 18). The conventional wisdom does point out that such an approach may one day lead to the US declaring, for reasons of its own, many newspaper columnists san frontiers as terrorist writers.
Z. A. KAZMI
Karachi
ONCE again there is a smell of spring in the air of India-Pakistan relations. The bus service has resumed allowing a few ordinary poor Pakistanis and Indians to visit their near and dear ones to attend a family wedding etc. It made it possible for the two-year-old Noor Fatima to go to India for a heart operation which saved her life. It also brought back to Pakistan the 13-year-old innocent Munir who had strayed into India and landed in a prison.
The second positive development is the restoration of full diplomatic relations. If the two sides really want more people-to-people contact, as they claim, then the first thing they should do is to remove all unnecessary visa hurdles. They should reopen their consulates in Karachi and Bombay to help visa seekers.
While the restoration of bus service and full diplomatic relations are hopeful signs of creeping normalization, the development which has really rekindled hopes is the exchange of large delegations comprising parliamentarians, writers, journalists and peace activists. Since Prime Minister Vajpayee’s peace overture four such delegations, two from each side have crossed the border and received enthusiastic welcome, particularly the last one led by Laloo Prasad Yadav.
What gives one a ray of hope that things may improve and stay that way is the coming on board of some of those people who till now believed in “all or nothing” formula. The visit of the JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman with three other senior members of his party to India and a visible softening in the attitude of Jamaat-i-Islami leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Prof Khurshid Ahmed mean that they are beginning to see the futility of a Jihadi militarist solution to the Kashmir dispute. A similar change on the Indian side is reflected in the unusual silence of Mr Advani and the inclusion of BJP members in the last Indian delegation.
If these are manifestations of a true change in the perception of the hardliners in the two countries that war is no solution and permanent peace is needed to save millions of Indians and Pakistanis from starvation, disease and perpetual indignity, then the poor, hungry and deprived masses of India and Pakistan may not have to wait for ever to see the dream of a better life come true.
The statements made by members of these delegations in India and Pakistan invariably mentioned the painful and shameful level of poverty etc in which majority of the people is living. They all expressed the fear that the rapidly increasing population and poverty will pose a greater thereat to each country’s survival and integrity than the bullets and bombs that both are accumulating at a feverish pitch to solve the Kashmir dispute.
Having attended a public meeting of one of the Indian delegations, I feel sure that if a public opinion poll was conducted in India and Pakistan now, a large majority will favour peace and normalization of relations between the two countries.
But the all-powerful ‘Establishment’ is not happy with these visits and the climate of peace they are generating. It feels that it is being bypassed in the deadly game of war and peace which it has been playing for the last 55 years with expensive pieces of weaponry only to cause death and destruction.
The Establishment is unhappy because it is afraid of power slipping out of its hands and the loss of perks that power brings to its large membership. The Establishment in the two countries which gets to spend around 20 billion dollars every year to keep the nation bleeding and itself prosperous is not going to let these visits continue for long and get translated into rapprochement even though it accepts that war is no longer an option between the two nuclear powers.
MANSOOR ALAM
Former Ambassador,
Islamabad
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