| September 10, 2003 | Wednesday | Rajab 12, 1424 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
The state of Indian Muslims
Industrial sector of Pakistan
A visa seeker’s complaint
WTO and the poor
New hope for the libraries
Gang-rape: need for strict laws
Kashmir and East Timor
Multan Test
Chocolate eaters
Libya, the Cuba of Middle East
THE Pakistan government has banned the Indian entertainment channels that were accessible through cable networks. However, it should be noted that numerous shops do a roaring business selling and renting out Indian movies and programmes on VHS videos and DVDs. There is no check on the sale of thousands of Indian audio CDs, which are, not surprisingly, recorded and mass-produced in Pakistan itself, with Karachi one of the prime locations for such labs and factories.
It should also be kept in mind that these Indian entertainment channels were shown because of popular demand. Had this not been the case, it would not have been a profitable endeavour for the various cable operators who were earning a fortune through the subscriptions of these channels.
Without going into the debate of whether it was right or wrong, it is evident that based on the “supply and demand” principle of economics, the “supply” of Indian channels was there to meet the “demand” in the local market. Had the channels been banned in line with the wishes of the ordinary Pakistanis, the thriving business of Indian movie rentals or the hustle-bustle at the hub of these activities, such as Rainbow Centre in Karachi, would not have been there. Indian movies are far more expressive when it comes to showing anti-Pakistan sentiment.
The argument presented in favour of the ban is that the channels were spreading immoral values and “anti-Pakistan” and “anti-Islam” messages. There have also been ridiculous suggestions that in addition to the banning of Indian channels, various Internet websites and publications, such as Times and Newsweek, should be banned (Sabeen Jamil, Sept 3) because they spread similar messages.
Banning every single media and information outlet/publication that expresses negative views about Pakistan — majority of whom are purely analytical — would further isolate the Pakistani minds and push us into a dark age of ignorance. Not being exposed to the views of outside world regarding Pakistan would result in the emergence of a narrow-minded society, unable to reach any conclusions in light of these varied opinions, be that of Indians or those of the West.
Hollywood produced dozens of movies ridiculing the Germans after World War II, but this did not have a major impact on their long-term strategic relationship. British actors such as Roger Moore and Richard Burton starred in various war and espionage movies depicting Germans as an evil bunch, but this has not deterred Britain from moving closer to Germany under the economic umbrella of European Union.
It is hard to believe that by the continuous airing of these Indian channels the loyalties of Pakistanis would perhaps start to shift! The reality is that Pakistani programmes available through cable or satellite are increasingly copying the trends and format of the Indians. This is true particularly in case of the music programmes. The VJs hosting such music programmes copy their Indian counterparts, don similar attire and even use the same phrases and body language while in front of the camera.
The pretext of saving the nation from programmes showing immoral values becomes quite irrelevant in this regard, since the various Western entertainment channels, far ahead in spreading such values, continue to be aired without hindrance. Pakistanis need to be aware of the anti-Pakistan or anti-Islam sentiments out there, not necessarily agreeing with them, but this exposure could prove quite healthy, prompting an improvement in some aspects of the Pakistani life which are the cause of such negative perceptions.
DR SHAAZ MAHBOOB
Uxbridge, UK
ANWAR Syed makes a plea to help Indian Muslims for their role in helping create Pakistan (Sept 7). I strongly recommend that Pakistan leave the Indian Muslims alone. They are the largest minority and quite capable of fending for themselves.
Mr Syed seems to be out of touch with reality in India (maybe due to restricted access to information in Pakistan). When I was growing up in India in the early sixties, the top movie stars (Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Waheeda Rehman, and others), music directors and lyricists were Indian Muslims. Even today I gather that the top directors, movie stars, richest man in India, top music director (A. R. Rehman) are Muslims — just to name a few.
There was a vacuum in education and other top echelons in bureaucracy as many Muslim leaders and well-to-do people decided to migrate to Pakistan. Most of the Muslims in the armed forces also decided to go to Pakistan. Mr Syed might like to review Nobel laureate Trinidad-born Mr Naipal’s book on India. The leadership gap has been narrowed. The top rocket scientist, Dr Kalaam, is now the president of India.
Mr Syed would like to offer scholarship to Indian Muslims. There are not many educational institutions of repute in Pakistan. Indians, including Muslims, may prefer to study at IIT’s and IIS. The exception may be Pakistan’s excellent madressah system. Given Pakistan’s record in helping out in Afghanistan and in Kashmir, I would say: no, thanks. Let Indian Muslims find their own niche in the secular Indian state. I would even venture to say that if Pakistanis have a choice, they might prefer to study at prestigious Indian educational institutions.
Mr Syed also errs in stating that Hindus are intolerant of Muslims. One should only look at Indian and Pakistan records. There are hardly any minorities who flourish in Pakistan. Even some of the Muslim sects such as Ahmadiyas and Shias are persecuted. It seems that Muslim societies are intolerant of non-Muslims (there are hardly any Parsis — Zoroatrians in Iran). There is no church or temple in Saudi Arabia despite the fact that a lot of its migrant workers are non-sunni Muslims, Koreans, Christians, Hindus and Chinese. In India, there are lot of mosques and Muslim universities. The Aligarh Muslim University produced a lot of intellectuals that contributed to the creation of Pakistan.
And, in Muslim states where there is hardly any non-Muslims such as Afghanistan, Iraq, even Pakistan, there is sectarian violence among different Islamic religious groups. Political leaders of different views stay and fight within the Indian system rather than seek refuge in Europe or Saudi Arabia, as is the case in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
The optics of helping Indian Muslims are not conducive to fostering peace between the two peoples unless the helping hand is extending to all Indian minorities. One reason why Indians resent Muslims of Pakistan is that they did not want to live under Hindu dominance. This argument is used for the Kashmiri people. The writer should check history to know as to how long the Muslim minority ruled Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and others in India.
AVTAR WASSON
Ottawa, Ontario
THE industrial sector in Pakistan is no more in a good condition. We see every day that our markets are being flooded with all sorts of foreign products. The imported products are generally of daily use and minor nature. These products can easily be manufactured locally. The countries like Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and China have made inroads almost into every market of the world. The quality of their products is also good and reasonably acceptable.
But sadly, what to speak of other markets, even in the Pakistani market, locally-manufactured goods of reasonable quality are hardly to be seen. This may be due to lack of cognizance on the part of men of means, coupled with incompetent and poor planning. Retired people roam around with their life-time savings, but they fail to find reasonable avenues for investment in the country. They generally invest in video shops run by their nephews. So, the savings go down the drain.
It is time the government did the needful to help develop the industrial sector by ensuring a investment friendly environment in the country.
MUHAMMAD IQBAL BRULA
Karachi
RECENTLY I applied for a visit visa to Australia. I was to accompany my aunt whose son has migrated to Australia and works in a well-reputed firm.
Probably, as per tradition of the Australian High Commission, my visa was refused. What the consular overlooked was:
1. I have recently returned from the UK (where my visa is still valid).
2. I have visited more than 14 countries (including the US, Canada, UK, France and Singapore) around the world and have never stayed beyond my visa limitations.
3. I am the only son of my parents, and Pakistan is a country where parents and children share a tight family bond, which cannot be tarnished by the lures of any country.
4. My sister whose husband has been working in the US for the past three years has been asked to apply for citizenship so that his appointment could be made permanent. If I wanted I could have applied for immigration to the United States, where job opportunities are far more attractive.
5. Furthermore, I have the money, the qualification and the age for further studies abroad. Why then, for heavens sake, would I like to take the illegal course and invite the ire of the law abroad?
6. My guarantor, who is my aunt’s son and has immigrated to Australia, would have never sent a letter of invitation if he thought I would bring ill repute to his name.
7. The amount of exit/ entrance (into Pakistan) stamps shows the intent of my strong connections with Pakistan, otherwise I wouldn’t have made two trips every year to come to Pakistan.
8. The letter of references from my previous employer and high-ranking air force and government officials is meant to reinforce my credentials.
9. If the counsellor had any reservations, he should have asked me for an interview, and I would have gladly obliged.
Keeping in mind all this I applied for a visa but to my horror I was refused, with a written explanation saying that as long as I belong in the age group of 25 to 29 and am unmarried, I will not be given a visa. Doesn’t that sound ludicrous? Thank you very much for your hospitality.
I just hope that one day when this earth is a little freer for humans to travel and individuals are not damned for their race or religion, and there is no stereotypical branding, I might think of applying again.
M. FAISAL JAN
Via email
THE idea that WTO and globalization is an organized conspiracy hatched by rich countries against the developing states to weaken their already staggering economies may be oversimplified. To low-income citizens in a rich country, it may appear to be an organized conspiracy of the rich, regardless of the country, to weaken the increasingly staggering economic power of the not-so-rich and the poor, regardless of the country.
Globalization blurs national boundaries and sharpens the distinctions between exploiting economic entities and exploited classes of people. Exploited workers in Pakistan and displaced workers in the United States may have uniting interests for standing together against the exploitations of the uniting interests between wealthy business owners in Karachi, Pakistan, and Houston, Texas.
The road to universal justice may come closer to us if we can see each other through our shared dreams, aspirations and challenges, and pay less heed to the political boundaries created to consolidate power and control.
MEl SCHULMAN
Via email
I AM once again writing with reference to Ms Zubeida Mustafa’s article on the above-captioned subject. We who are working abroad witness each year the dumping of books by schoolchildren on their promotion to the next grade. Ninety per cent of the books are in good condition and can become very valuable for libraries, specially targeted at schoolchildren.
I suggest that the government instruct PIA and the PNSC to carry these books free of freight charges. Resident Pakistanis can make arrangements in each city to make the collection and either deposit it with the embassy or the local office of PIA.
SHAHBAZ AZMI
Dubai, UAE
THE gang-rape of a girl in Karachi (Dawn, July 18) has shaken the confidence of every citizen. The criminals of this barbaric crime are still at large. Despite several letters appearing in these columns condemning the incident, the police seem to be least bothered about the ordeal of the victim.
What is required to control crimes like gang-rape are strict Islamic laws. If cases of gang-rape criminals are tried in a court of law as top priority and punishments executed, crimes of this nature can be controlled to a great extent.
It is time the government focused its attention on the incidence of gang-rape. If this is not done, we will continue to read such reports in our newspapers and our government will continue to condemn such incidents.
M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA
Karachi
I WELCOME the appointment of seasoned journalist Dr Maleeha Lodhi as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and the reported statement in the press today that she is going to play her role, in Britain, to solve the longstanding Kashmir dispute on the pattern of Northern Ireland. Well, this will amount to division of Kashmir in whatever form it may be.
Through these columns I would like to bring to the notice of Maleeha Lodhi the case of East Timor, which won its independence under the aegis of the United Nations. Why can’t the same pattern be followed in the case of Kashmir: the two cases are surely identical in spite of president Clinton’s assertion that the two cases are not identical.
I would, therefore, suggest that Maleeha Lodhi use her good offices to win freedom for Kashmir on the lines of East Timor, instead of dividing it on the lines of Northern Ireland, which will tantamount to betraying the cause of Kashmiris.
ALI ASHRAF KHAN
Karachi
THE Pakistan team’s performance in the Multan cricket Test was termed disappointing by the Pakistan Cricket Board boss. Considering that Pakistan was playing with eight players (as the other three, according to former Pakistan captain, manager and coach Intikhab Alam, were Tom, Dick and Harry), the performance of the Pakistan players was remarkable.
JAMALUDDIN HASAN
Toronto, Canada
THE plan of creating autonomous European military command headquarters in Belgium by Germany, France, Luxembourg and Belgium has been sneered at by the US dubbing them as “chocolate makers”. So now it is “chocolate eaters vs chocolate makers” (the US being the largest chocolate-eating nation).
It shows amply the bullying attitude of the US, a self-appointed policeman of the world.
IRFAN ALI QAZI
Sibi
THIS refers to Irfan Hussain’s article “A study in contrasts”, published on Aug 30.
I think he has been very unfair towards the Libyan people and the gains which they have made under Muammar Qadhafi. Without any doubt, if there is any leader in the Arab world who has a semblance of dignity about Arabs and their place in modern history, it is Qadhafi; he is the true heir of Nasserism in the Middle East, which means an end to imperialism, the use of Arab oil for the Arabs alone, the resolution of the Palestinian question and the realization of a united states of Africa to realize the potential of the many peoples of this ill-fated continent.
Since this is an agenda which Mr Hussain does not share, in his zeal to demonstrate his love for the western conception of ‘democracy’ (a system which is still dominated by parties tied to big capital), he comes down hard on Qadhafi’s Libya.
First of all, for the record, the Libyans are not responsible for the Lockerbie crash. The so-called evidence for Libyan involvement comes from a microchip the size of a thumbnail found in Lockerbie, which does not identify President Qadhafi explicitly as an instigator of the plane’s crash. In fact, recently it was the Abu Nidal organization which also claimed responsibility for the Lockerbie incident in the trial of one of their members. So, this issue remains a highly contested point.
Secondly, Mr Hussain makes reference to numerous ‘secessionist’ attempts worldwide aided by President Qadhafi. While some may dismiss this as a quirk of his eccentric personality, he is more known as the supporter of those people who are today fighting wars of national liberation against tremendous odds. Not only does this include the Palestinians, but also the Irish Republican Army and the black struggle in the United States. It is for these reasons that he has become a gadfly for US imperialism, not because he is a terrorist. His wars in neighbouring Uganda (where he supported Idi Amin) and Chad have to be seen in the broader regional context for Libya’s national security; it is another thing that they have often ended up in abysmal failures.
It is really unfortunate on Mr Hussain’s part to equate Saddam Hussein with President Qadhafi. Though it is true that both came to power in military coups, Qadhafi’s coup was regarded as a relief for the Libyan people, while Saddam’s coup was the result of an intrigue in collusion with the CIA against Communist influence in Iraq.
I think Libya’s achievements under Qadhafi need to be highlighted here. Libya is the only Arab country with the greatest level of women’s emancipation, top-class health and education services and whose people enjoy the best standard of living outside the Gulf monarchies. In fact, they are the only Arab country which never borrowed from the IMF and World Bank and thus remains debt-free.
Moreover, Qadhafi has come up with his ‘Third Way’ theory in his Green Book, which is a remarkable synthesis of the tribal sedentary conditions of Libya, its Islamic present and the strengths of communism and capitalism; it is at best a creative Arab interpretation of a form of governance for the Arab world, in an age when Arab rulers have long ceased being creative and are caught between modernity and mediaeval urges.
Libya, I think, is the only Arab state whose people and leader know the price to be paid for maintaining Arab independence, Arab dignity, Arab oil and a resolute stance on the Palestinian question; and, in simple words, this has won them the enmity of the US, the Zionist state, and I may add, Mr Hussain too.
Mr Hussain’s arguments about Libya in fact play into the hands of the Christian Zionists, now adorning the White House, and encourages them to topple this last remaining vestige of Arab independence with bombs and daisy-cutters. If at all, I think, the Libyan people deserve our full support and sympathy in their continuing path towards a genuine Arab revolution.
RAZA NAEEM
Lahore
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.