| September 9, 2003 | Tuesday | Rajab 11, 1424 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
Fringe benefits in PAEC
Police performance
Two-nation theory
Where are our libraries?
Hunt for Osama
Star syndrome
Monsoon tree plantation campaign
SME bank’s poor performance
‘Never too late’
WHAT is surprising is not the refusal by France, Germany and Russia to help the United States save its face from the sheer ignominy of leading an aggressive war on Iraq, but the audacity of the US to ask for it. This mightiest (not in terms of moral but firepower) giant in recorded history stands naked in violation of the United Nations charter, all relevant international laws and universally honoured basics of international morality. Now it is seeking a fig leaf.
There is no reason why any power should oblige such audacious an offender. Not to be ignored, however, is the case to sort out this blood-soaked outrage as soon as possible to relive the agony of the people of Iraq and the neighbourhood. But the US misconduct ought to be seen and shown to the world for what it is — a punishable crime against international law and ethos and against entire humanity and human civilization.
First and foremost, the United States and its partners in the so-called coalition of the willing should be told point-blank to unconditionally, and forthwith, withdraw from Iraq, handing over that country to the control of the United Nations. The US should then be told to pay the full cost of the rebuilding of a country it has devastated in the most monstrous manner imaginable. In addition to the cost of rebuilding Iraq, the US should be obliged to pay a fine for what is manifestly the worst example of unprovoked, but cold-bloodedly premeditated aggression, ignoring warnings in the most unambiguous and categorical terms from all quarters, including the majority of the permanent members of the Security Council and the UN secretary general.
The matter would not end here. The United States owes a clear and straightforward apology to the UN and the world community as a whole for an offence that has no parallel for its perversity and brutality. The US misconduct is tantamount to insulting the very culture, and wrecking the very institutions, upon which rest the foundations of the multilateral system of peacekeeping in the world. Not to be ignored are the monumental lies that the US and its allies, notably British Prime Minister Tony Blair, resorted to in order to deceive the world about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Imagine the power that has invented, perfected and multiplied weapons of mass destruction, accusing Iraq of amassing such weapons when none existed in that country.
The US is the only country in the world that has actually used these weapons of mass destruction on civilian targets — not once but twice. Its chief partner in this crime against civilization and humanity, the United Kingdom, is arguably the second largest nuclear power with weapons of mass destruction. Both have given more than enough evidence to be asked to start nuclear disarmament process because they cannot be trusted to act in a responsible manner, their record now being what it is.
A. B. S. JAFRI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the letter (July 22) by Mr M. Ijaz, director (SI & PR), PAEC, written in response to my letter of July 18. I feel it is my duty to highlight the facts regarding appointment of directors in the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and delivery of fringe benefits and perks to its employees.
Essential ingredients of ‘merit’ are qualification, training, experience in the relevant field, seniority and competency. Compared to a junior person of the same or a lower scale, a senior person having all these ingredients has the right to hold an executive position. How can then Mr Ijaz, being a very junior officer in a lower rank, justify his own appointment as director and appointment of the directors of DTP, ASAG, ICCC, Trg. & IA Affairs, DOS (the present director has no qualification /training/working experience in the relevant field), many other directors and heads of division?
Specially when numerous other senior officers qualify for these positions, distribution of positions on a pick and choose basis, while ignoring the seniority and merit, is actually done to give them the associated benefits.
According to Mr Ijaz, scientists/engineers like officials in accounts/finance/administration have their own role that needs to be recognized. The fact is that in a technical organization like the PAEC, scientists/engineers have a major role. All others are the supporting staff, not answerable for any failure in achievement of set goals and targets. So, providing cars to the junior, simple graduated generalists while leaving the senior and highly qualified scientists/engineers to wait indefinitely actually means denying the deserving ones their right.
The Special Pay Scales-2001 vested authority in the members of the commission and the PAEC chairman to allow certain allowances to the employees (not to an individual) working in special environment. They do not have the authority to distribute the perks linked to the scale on their own devised criteria. If, therefore, sufficient funds were not available for purchase of cars for all entitled officers at one go, the universal criterion of overall seniority in the PAEC in the relevant scale should have been followed, whether the entitled officer holds an executive position or not.
The fact is that misadministration/injustice/victimization/ favouritism is being practised in the PAEC very openly in promotions/appointments on executive positions and distribution of fringe benefits etc. On the one hand, very junior officers are given executive positions and perks associated with these positions (such as charge allowance and mobile phone) and perks associated with the scale like a car and a driver, but on the other, very senior officers are deprived of the executive positions, as well as of all type of perks whether associated with the position or with the scale, and are thus suffering an average loss of over Rs20,000 a month.
When injustice prevails in society, it loses its right of pride and existence. Norms of Justice, therefore, demand from the PAEC authorities to withdraw the cars that have already been given to the junior and non-deserving officers, and distribute these, as well as the ones to be bought in future, according to the overall seniority of all entitled officers. Till the availability of sufficient funds, the remaining entitled officers should not be deprived of the entitled quantity of POL etc.
WAHEEDUDDIN ARSHAD
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission,
Islamabad
BILLIONS of rupees were allocated for police reforms during the last three to four years, but hardly any tangible results are visible as far as their responsibility to alleviate the suffering of the common man pertaining to law and order or the provision of security is concerned.
This department, which we inherited from the Britishers, is strictly following the colonial rule by treating the common people as slaves. Traffic police are indulging in rampant corruption, the burden of which is being passed on to commuters. This malpractice is in the knowledge of all police high-ups, bureaucrats and even to all elected members and ministers, but hardly any remedial measures are taken to curb the highhandedness of police. Corrupt police officials are suspended for a few days, just to befool the people at the helm of affairs.
Police high officials are directly involved in the latest tragic incident of killing four civil judges in Sialkot. The latest disclosure by an investigation report reflects that at least two civil judges and many other civilians were killed by the police force in their hurried, unplanned and stupid rescue operation.
The civil judges killed were shouting at the top of their voices against the use of brute force and indiscriminate fire by the so-called police elite force. Their hue and cry and requests went unheeded, resulting in their death.
Revolutionary changes are required to get rid of this inhuman, brute, and unwanted force. There is hardly any change in the functioning of police stations. Robberies, carjacking and drug trafficking are common crimes in all cities and provinces. One should appreciate the efforts of the print media to highlight these crimes.
NAB is requested to launch comprehensive campaigns to carry out an assessment of the movable and immovable assets of all police officials. They can recover from them billion of rupees amassed through illegal means. A display of recovered arms and robberies items by some senior police officers with proper TV coverage is nothing but a drama to befool the general public and the civil administration.
It is an established fact that more than 50 per cent crimes are committed with the active connivance of this undesirable and unfriendly force.
SUNAWAR CHAUDHARY
Rawalpindi
I AM an avid reader of letters and opinions posted in Dawn. I too read Kuldip Nayar’s views and now I have just read Jahanzeb Saleem’s views as well.
Mr Jahanzeb is absolutely right when he says that “Pakistan came into being with the conversion of the first native”. I also agree that Pakistan is here and will stay and deservedly so. A people has a right to their own motherland and culture and language and religion.
Kuldip Nayar should have and probably does understand whys and hows of the two-nation theory but has not accepted its reality. Well you cannot expect everyone to accept reality; some stay delusioned for good.
Bangladesh also came into existence and is not part of India. The will of the people of Bangladesh for their own language, culture and motherland ensured that first they
separated from Pakistan and then stayed separate from India. Pakistan and India are neighbours and will stay so forever.
The problem, as I see it, is not the two-nation theory or the lack of its acceptance or non-acceptance. The problem is that two peoples (governments and religious bigots) refuse to stop hurling stones at each other. In other words, “mind your own business” does not seem to apply even 56 years after going two separate ways.
Kuldips of the world cannot refrain from calling Pakistanis (or leaders) non-secular and Jahanzebs cannot stop pointing at the fate of the down and out Muslims of India. It is all a matter of perceptions and beliefs.
If culture and language and motherland were the true reasons for the two-nation theory, there would have been countless nations in the subcontinent.
I pray that some day all of us will accept brotherhood of humanity the peoples of these lands share with each other.
S. K. MAGGU
Lockport, IL, USA
MANY letters have been written on the negligence of libraries highlighted by Ms Zubeida Mustafa (Dawn, Nov 27, 2002).
A good number of book lovers responded in order to emphasize the need for libraries. Later on facts were well expressed in the thought-provoking editorial of your newspaper on Jan 11, 2003, in support of better library services with latest books and periodicals.
Libraries of even the most celebrated universities and research institutions have been getting outdated. School libraries do not exist in most of the government and private schools. Modernization of academic library is very essential to change the prevailing conditions. Transfers of information through electronic means have tremendously changed the ecology of book world and taste of readers.
To cope with the changing mood it is necessary for the libraries to cooperate for the better utilization of available resources. The use of digital library and computer-based library services will prove equally important for both resource-sharing and housekeeping operations.
Education and libraries are in the hand of non-professionals. It is, therefore, deemed necessary to establish a committee of experts to change the miserable conditions in our libraries on a crash basis. The Higher Education Commission is, therefore, requested to allocate resources for revamping our libraries and for instilling a research culture in all educational institutions.
M. GULISTAN KHAN
Karachi
THIS refers to an article on Aug 7, titled “Troops pressing ahead with hunt for Osama: Washington”.
It is surprising that the US, after all its plans and schemes for the war against Iraq have been proven unjustified and baseless, has the audacity to continue the hunt for Osama. The issue has been dead in the water for long, and Gen Myer’s intention to search the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan should raise a tide of suspicion in the region.
Actually, now the US proudly follows its “might is right” policy and when it enters an area, either it never leaves or when it does leave nothing is left behind. America’s credibility has been seriously and severely damaged by its policies in Afghanistan and Iraq, and now Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran will have to bear the brunt.
America’s greed for power and supremacy and its efforts to make the world a unipolar world must come to a halt. The Muslim nations will have to strengthen their bonds and put their differences behind.
DR NAVIRA ANWAR
Islamabad
YASIR Hameed showed great determination to make a fantastic debut against Bangladesh for which he needs to be congratulated. However, in the post-match conference, Rashid Latif made a statement concerning Hameed that “a new star has been born”.
After that match, the young batsman was unable to play any innings of any worth during the Pakistan-Bangladesh Test series. Our cricket management needs to refrain from this star treatment and continue urging the young players to work harder like true professionals.
HARIS AZIZ
Lahore
THE monsoon tree plantation campaign began on Aug 1. Its main objective is to make Pakistan greener. Pakistan has 5.2 per cent of its total land area under forests, instead of the desirable ratio of 20-25 per cent. This is so because over 75 per cent of the area falls under arid and semi-arid zones.
Moreover, during the two world wars, the accessible forests were overexploited to feed the warmachine. While starting the systematic forest management in Pakistan, the land settlement rights of the local population were admitted for timber, fuel-wood, grass-cutting and grazing. Since these rights have multiplied with the growth in population, they are, therefore, no more compatible with the resource sustainability. Thus, at the time of independence, the forests in this part of the subcontinent had already been depleted to a great extent.
In addition to the regular afforestation programmes launched by forest departments all over Pakistan, efforts are also made to grow and manage more trees on lands other than forests, i.e. agricultural lands, roadsides, streets, public places, educational institutions, hospitals and houses, through people’s participation.
In Pakistan two tree plantation campaigns are launched every year — in the spring and during monsoon. However, results are still far from satisfactory. The main reason behind this is lack of awareness among the public. The percentage can only increase if trees are grown on private agricultural lands with the participation of progressive landlords. This needs motivation. So far the percentage has increased from three to five, and can be increased further with sustained efforts.
LALA FAZAL BELAEE
Hyderabad
THE SME bank was created in 2001 with most capital injected into it by the government and the State Bank in order to help the poverty alleviation programme. For this a federal head office and provincial offices were created so that the SME bank should function smoothly. But the bank’s executive employees acted as big bureaucrats in their dealings with the entrepreneurs seeking finance for their projects.
Co-sponsored by the ADB, the SME bank was supposed to deliver their services to its focussed market of SMEs in a much more effective manner than what they did in the last two years. Its top management remained dormant and did not take one step forward in asking for easier rules and more facilities from its controlling authorities for the SME applicants taking feedback from the general condition of SMEs.
The ADB representative has already recommended to the government to close down the SME operation as it has failed to deliver. He has asked for SME’s privatization into a scheduled bank which should essentially entail downsizing its staff to the level of any commercial bank in the country.
Contrary to that, the SME chief executive officer is reportedly exerting for retention of the organization in a compact size — with 150 contractual employees on fabulous salaries and perks, including a Rs3 million loan and life-time club membership for each. He is certainly looking for making his mark on the economics of Pakistan by offering his contractual employees unmatched rewards and by making them an association for mutual facilitations. Contractual employees, by definition, are those who receive monthly salaries only and are not entitled to any other benefits from the organization.
Bravo SME bank. Let the authorities in the government take notice of their daring ventures in asking for a private club environment for themselves in the backdrop of their bitter failure in delivering effective services to SMEs. They only deserve to be privatized and downsized to the level of any commercial bank operating in the country, in order not to be hard with their employment.
At the same time, the government and the SBP consider filling the unfortunate vacuum left by the SME bank in this particular sector of financing SMEs by introducing a venture capital concept delivered from every operating schedule bank in the country. It is a 51:49 partnership in which the bank will finance the total project cost and will allot 49 per cent shares to the project owner for him to receive profit only but the project will remain 100 per cent under the control of the venture capitalist for a maximum of three years, after which the venture capitalist must sell all its share, by right, first to the project owner and in case of his inability to buy them, to any other bidders at par or premium as the case may justify.
The venture capital concept will not require any collateral from project owners, nor personal sureties and equity contribution by the project owners. The project itself will be a surety for the investor and it will also be closer to Islamic concept of financing a business. Gradually the authorities should do away with conventional Indian banking system in this country and devise Islamic banking with basic approach of helpfulness to the investors and consumers alike.
M. M. KHAN
Karachi
IF Patras Bokhari can be awarded/decorated after 45 years of his death, why not others like Allama Iqbal, Liaquat Ali Khan, Abdur Rab Nishtar, Miss Fatima Jinnah or even the Quaid-i-Azam himself?
SALMAN S. MARWAT
Lakki Marwat
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address:
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.