| September 15, 2003 | Monday | Rajab 17, 1424 |
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Changing name for electricity bill
‘Defence in safe hands’
Unjustifiable roaming charges
Need for social laws
Hiring foreign faculty
Vicarious pleasure
Afghans in Chakwal
Sharon’s visit to India
Karachi, the city of encroachments
FOREIGN students, specially those enrolled in graduate programmes, are an important resource at US colleges and universities. They also help universities develop an international presence, and create culturally diverse campus environment. And the US schools offer them the best undergraduate and graduate training in various disciplines, so that they can contribute to the development of their home countries when they return.
During the past decade the number of Pakistan students, attending the US schools, has declined, whereas the number of Indian students has increased significantly. For the academic year 1990-91, Indian students accounted for 7.1 per cent, and Pakistan students 1.9 per cent of the total foreign student population (407,530) in the United States. The statistics for the academic year 1999-2000 reveals that the Indian students accounted for 8.2 per cent, and Pakistan students for 1.2 per cent of the total foreign student population (514,723).
the majority of the Indian students comes to the United States for graduate studies, whereas the majority of Pakistan students comes for the undergraduate programmes. During the past two years the Pakistan student population at US schools has decreased sharply, whereas the Indian student population has reached a record level. According to Institute of International Education, for the academic year 2001-02, Indian students were the largest segment of the foreign student population: their numbers increased by 22.3 per cent on the previous years, and they overtook the previous year leaders — the Chinese students — who increased their numbers by 5.5 per cent.
Similar trends exist for the temporary, professional work visas, called H1-Bs. According to statistics, more than 45 per cent of H1-B visas are issued to Indian nationals and less than two per cent to Pakistan nationals. Since 1992, it is estimated that Indians have been issued more than 0.4 million H1-B visas. According to The Washington Post (09/08/2003), the Indian immigrant community in the United States has doubled between 1990 and 2000. The H1-Bs have given a tremendous boost to India’s economy.
In Pakistan, as the present government tries to revive the higher education, and science and technology sectors, it should encourage students and faculty to pursue graduate and post- graduate programmes in science, technology and social sciences in the US universities. And, in this regard, President Musharraf and Prime Minister Jamali, during their forthcoming visits to the US, ought to address the issue of increasing the number of students and temporary work visas for Pakistan students and professionals.
PROF AHMED S. KHAN
Addison, Illinois, USA
MY daughter has bought a flat in Karachi and wants to get her name entered in the KESC record so that the bill may come in her name.
On her behalf, I contacted the Customer Service Centre in Block-2, Clifton, with an application and a copy of the registered sale deed to prove the title and, in my ignorance, I thought that it was enough to get the needful done. I was told that the following documents were required: (1) an application, (2) an undertaking on a stamped paper of Rs20, (3) NIC of the vendor, as well as of the vendee, (4) the last-paid bill, (5) a copy of the sale deed and (6) security deposit equivalent to 2 1/2 months’ average bill.
I fail to see the necessity of all this documentation. In my view, an application, with the copy of the title deed, should be enough for the change of name of the consumer in the KESC record. In these days, paperwork is being eliminated all over the world. American airlines issue, or rather make, electronic tickets and do not issue paper tickets, as is done here. The passenger shows his driving licence (for identification) at the airline counter at the airport and gives the computer number, his booking is checked in the computer and he gets the boarding card. And here we are, asking for a plethora of documents just for nothing.
Of what practical value is the ‘undertaking’? What is the necessity of submitting copies of NICs? And why on earth should security deposit be demanded all over again when security deposit has already been made by the builder and is lying with the KESC. Why is a fresh security deposit for the change of name of the consumer needed? All this amounts to harassment and making the KESC record unnecessarily bulky.
In this particular case, there is some additional problem which makes it practically impossible to meet the requirements. The builder of the project applied for electric connections for all the flats in the project and all the connections were originally in the name of the builder. The bills come in his name except in those cases where the purchasers have got substituted their names for the builder. In this case the purchaser, from whom my daughter has bought the flat, did not bother to get substituted his name and the bills are still coming in the name of the builder. The vendor is thus a stranger so far as the KESC is concerned; what is then the value of copy of his NIC? Moreover, he lives in Hong Kong and it is impossible to procure a copy of his NIC.
As for the builder, it is a firm and is not supposed to have an NIC. Besides, his whereabouts are not known to me. So, how shall the problem be resolved? I request the managing director of the KESC to review this cumbersome procedure for such a simple thing as change of name of the consumer in its record.
SALAHUDDIN MIRZA
Karachi
IN his column, “Defence in safe hands”, Mr Ayaz Amir argues that democracy is the only way forward. Fair enough.
But he puts the entire blame for the ’65 and ’71 wars on the military leadership saying: “It’s no use blaming Bhutto” (for ’65). Oh really? And why not? Wasn’t the plan based on our armoured brigade achieving its objective without India crossing the international border? Mr Bhutto, as foreign minister responsible for appraising enemy intentions, assured Ayub Khan that they wouldn’t. Only the courage and faith of our fighting forces prevented the Indian counter-thrust from developing into a critical strategic setback. How many young lives were lost due to this gross miscalculation?
And was it entirely military rule that caused the ‘71 debacle? The military had just held what are still acknowledged as the fairest-ever elections. But who threatened to “break the legs” of politicians planning to go to the constituent assembly meeting at Dhaka because the arithmetic wasn’t right? And who said: “Thank God the country has been saved” when the “army action” started on the night of 25/26 March, 1971.
And once in power, was the drift to fascism, repression against enemies (real or imagined) and treatment of dissident party members the stuff of democratic traditions? Mr Amir claims: “After Jinnah, the only real leader we had was Bhutto, champion of the masses” etc. Give us a break. First, Jinnah was the leader of the original Pakistan. Bhutto lorded it over what was left of the country after, somehow, the two obstacles in his way, the Awami League and the Pakistan army, were outflanked.
The consequences of his socialist policies and nationalization were devastating for the country, destroying billions in value and confidence. The living standards of ordinary people are still suffering as a result. Has Mr Amir forgotten how party goons would terrorize opponents saying: “We know where your daughters go to school.” Democratic traditions? Civil society? Give us a break, Mr Amir.
Yes, the Zia decade was pretty awful. The worst. But who hand picked the unctuous general, profiled as “least likely to stage a coup”? It’s good to have heroes but facts are facts. Or has the Chakwal moonshine finally got to Mr Amir? He should remember who banned the good stuff.
S. OMAR AHSAN
Karachi
THE article by Mr Umer Asif, headlined “Misconceptions about roaming in Pakistan” (ScienceDotcom, Aug 23), is an eye-opener. There are many like me who are on the move most of the time. It is our necessity to remain in constant contact with our offices and families. The high roaming charges (which are unjustifiable) are a source of headache and unease.
The point to be taken up is that in most countries the network operators do not charge for roaming within one’s own network, no matter wherever the person is within the country. A person will have to pay roaming charges only if he moves on to utilize some other network, thanks to the availability of inter-operability option.
My fellow citizens and customers are apt to question as to why the network operators are forcing us pay the roaming charges when we do not utilize any other network except ours. Why are they not following the global policy?
Furthermore, it must be made clear by all cellular companies operating in the country as to why they have not been able to establish inter-operability agreements. In this way any customer could take advantage of an enhanced coverage if he so wanted.
While it is a matter of simple observation that the cellular companies operating around us are earning huge profits, they are not doing proper customer service. The government has already embarked upon the course of deregulating telecommunications, and the market will soon be crowded with competitors. Will the operators mend their ways and facilitate customers, instead of devising new ways of extortion? Will the PTA take notice of this fleecing?
SOHAIB A. HASHMI
Quetta
A world-renowned philosopher, Immanuel Kant, once wrote: “Above my head a sky full of stars and down to earth in my heart the presence of great moral values are a proof of God’s existence.”
Unfortunately, in our country, Pakistan, there are no moral and social laws which may protect the respect and honour of the common man and could give evidence of our being a Muslim society. A sad incident was reported recently according to which a father was killed only because he was trying to stop a few boys who were playing cricket and hitting passersby while batting.
In another horrid incident a girl, in a Punjab district, was kidnapped by some outlaws and hooligans while she was sitting in atekaaf during Ramazan. Later, they gang-raped her. This is the social fabric of a so-called Muslim society that has rotted to the core.
My question is: what is wrong with us? I think there is a dire need of social and moral laws which should be implemented and practised to eliminate the evil of lawlessness in Pakistan. All western countries have social laws where all citizens are protected from any harm to their respect and life. Can’t we learn from the western countries some fundamental principles of a strong social structure based on the universal moral values of justice, respect and protection for all humans.
Indeed, only the government of Pakistan can do what is needed by a forsaken humanity in this part of the world.
S. R. HASAN
Karachi
THIS refers to Dr Sohail Naqvi’s letter “Foreign faculty hiring programme” (Sept 11).
He might seriously consider the suggestion given in detail by Pakistan’s great scientist and physics teacher Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy in a local English daily of Lahore last year that such foreign faculty could be most inexpensively hired on a renewable contract basis from India where there is an over-abundant supply of very well-qualified and experienced teachers, specially in the sciences, who are retired in India at the age of 59.
Besides, these teachers come from a culture similar to that of Pakistan, are completely non-political, do not have to be paid anywhere near as much as having to pay even mediocre imported Pakistani teachers from the UK or the US, and is a most cost-effective way of promoting understanding and peace between the two peoples.
One such example is Mr Srinivasa Iyer, originally from the first Indian and Shaheed Tipu Sultan’s south Indian hometown, Bangalore, (where Pakistani children are taken for heart surgery) who so much admired the Quaid-i-Azam that he migrated to Karachi in 1948 and taught as a professor of physics at the Degree Science College in Karachi from 1948 to 1988.
Justice Rana Bhagwan Das of Pakistan’s Supreme Court can confirm this story as he knows Mr Iyer very well and had met him in Karachi a few months ago.)
P. HARIMOHAN
New York, USA
WE seem to derive vicarious pleasure in deprecating and denigrating good things of others by making blatant statements describing western societies as “socially backward”, and being nostalgic and euphoric to gloat over past glories with none of its remnants left to cherish. Societies advance by appreciative acceptance of good things of others.
Western societies have social security, medical care, homes for elderly people are often built on sprawling greenlands with all and modern facilities and amenities, better than many of our homes. We need to replicate such “homes” in Pakistan, not in the form of apartment cages but far away from urban chaos in the rural setting on 50 acres of green patch, with woodland and garden. Social welfare departments of the provinces in Pakistan ought to conceive and implement such projects as they have nothing better to do than to shuffle papers.
Nothing of substance has been done for neglected senior citizens except exercises in semantics, while in the US (before 9/11) as a senior citizen only 50 per cent driving licence fee was charged from this writer and the entire process took only two hours, next week the driving licence was delivered by post. Let us improve our system to such standards.
FAZUL S. KAZI
Karachi
CHAKWAL is a district where poverty has surmounted for the last 200 years. Just to make a living, young ones are obliged to join services of any kind. People are kind and well-behaved. The district enjoys a disciplined and moderate culture.
It is about two decades that Afghans came over to this poor district, spoiling the fields with their herds of sheep (now goats), crushing the economy by capturing trade markets and refusing to pay taxes. There are big Afghan money launderers who lend money to everybody. Specially, they indulge in bribery for unlawful stay and activities.
Out of the 40 houses in my vicinity, nine have been rented to Afghans. These Afghans and their children are spoiling the harmonious life of the inhabitants of the vicinity. The question is, how many more Afghan refugees will come here? I fear these refugees may prove themselves “Tamils of Sri Lanka”, those who entered there as refugees.
KHURSHEED AHMED KHAN
Chakwal
THE Jewish community is known for having a long memory. Elders of this community may well remember the days when, in the early part of World War II, the Hindu population of India celebrated the victories of the Nazi Germany by launching a non-cooperation movement against the British war effort; marching with flags showing swastika painted on them and flying such flags on their roof-tops. When they saw sign of the collapse of the Nazi Germany, there was a volte face.
The visit of Mr Sharon to India was a slur to the memory of those Jewish people who perished in the Nazi concentration camps.
Mr Sharon should now proceed to demolish the holocaust museums established across the US and Europe to obliterate this memory.
M. SHAFIUDDIN
Spring, Texas, USA
AFTER quite some time, I read with interest of a bold demolition operation, carried out by the Karachi Building Control Authority through its demolition squad on July 13 against illegal constructions and encroachments, made on both sides of Khalid bin Walid Road (Dawn, July 15).
The location of such operation was primarily in a residential area, where there were originally residential houses on both sides of the road. However, as has become a gainful practice in Karachi, big money has gradually turned those houses into big car showrooms, the owners of which took liberty to utilize the space meant and reserved for footpaths for construction of ramps and enclosures for displaying their expensive vehicles.
There are two broad issues involved in this matter: one is the unauthorized conversion of residential houses into commercial offices and showrooms, and the other is the depriving of the residents of the area and the general public of their rights and privileges to use the footpaths.
It seems that the KDA, the city government and other civic agencies concerned have, thereafter, slept on the matter for the reasons best know to them, as there was no further such demolition operation in that area or any other areas.
I, however, take this opportunity to point out that there are hundreds and thousands of such localities in the city, where one can observe and find, while passing on foot or driving in a car or travelling on bus, in taxi or a rickshaw, such unauthorized conversion of residential places into commercial centres, so much so that most of the people have encroached upon the government’s lands or the lands and plots of various housing societies and schemes, and built up small lawns and gardens with iron enclosures, platforms, garages and even shops and stalls, leaving no spaces, whatsoever, reserved for footpaths.
The numerous electric and telephone poles on the space meant for footpaths have further created obstacles. People are constrained to walk on the streets. Parking of cars on both sides of the roads in such a situation also creates much hindrance in the free flow of traffic. This state of affairs infringes on the rights of the people. Even in posh areas like Defence Housing Society space for footpaths has been encroached upon.
The irony is we do not realize what great harm we are doing to our younger generations who will be affected by such encroachments and unhealthy surroundings and perforce follow in the footsteps of their elders, will have no respect or regard for the rule of law, nor will they hesitate to indulge in improper and illegal practices.
It is time all those associated with the Karachi Development Authority, the city government and other civic agencies took prompt steps to clean the Augean stables.
SYED IQBAL AHMAD
Karachi
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