| September 18, 2003 | Thursday | Rajab 20, 1424 |
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It’s unwise to renovate Kanupp
Kalabagh Dam controversy
Land for landless tillers
Misplaced priorities
Housing loans
Qatari work visas for Pakistanis
Stop serving America
Fertilizer prices
Decline in sports standard: need for inquiry
Tipu Sultan Road
APROPOS of your editorial captioned “Iran under fire”, published on Sept 15, a renewed stock-taking of relations with Iran may be in order.
Since the early years of Pakistan, the affinity of strategic interests between Iran and Pakistan has been mutually recognized. Hedged in as Pakistan is by an adversarial India, an unstable and turbulent Afghanistan and a Soviet Union/ Russia in strategic partnership with India, Iran provided Pakistan’s only secure and workable land link with the outside world.
While India’s hostility and Russian disapproval have more or less been constant, Iran for most of our national existence and Afghanistan during the Taliban era were Pakistan’s close allies. With our current troubled relationship with Kabul and the continuing ambivalence in our relationship with Iran, Pakistan has for the first time in its national existence no close allies in its immediate neighbourhood. (The special, all-weather relationship with China stands on its own and is not a part of this changing equation).
The deterioration in Pakistan-Iranian relations during the nineties resulted from their conflicting interests in Afghanistan and divergent postures towards the Taliban as also from misplaced rivalry over economic opportunities in Central Asia and the rise of sectarian terrorism in Pakistan which also targeted Iranians and raised doubts about the availability in the foreseeable future of a level playing field for the promotion of Pak-Iranian relations. That President Musharraf visited Tehran in November 1999, within weeks of his assuming power, showed his clear grasp as a militaryman of the mutuality of security interests involved.
The strong Iranian reservations about the Taliban were exploited by India as a means of policy convergence with Iran. On Iran’s part, the importance of political and economic cooperation with major Asian countries, specially with a state of India’s size and importance, was enhanced during the nineties by the US attempt to quarantine Iran politically and economically at a time when Iran was desperately trying to rebuild its economy shattered by a decade of war with Iraq.
Although the switch in Pakistan’s support for the Taliban regime has removed a major obstacle in bilateral relations, there have been continuing irritants stemming from Pakistan’s problems with the Northern Alliance which has longstanding ties with Iran and which has facilitated India’s re-entry into Afghanistan. It is time Tehran and Islamabad realized that the stakes which Pakistan and Iran have in a mutually supportive relationship are more important than the stakes either of them has in Afghanistan.
The potential for economic cooperation with Central Asia and the prospects for different pipeline and transit routes are varied enough to permit harmonious Pakistan-Iranian collaboration, as long as neither served as a cat’s paw of other powers.
Pakistan’s close military relationship with the US and the latter’s presence in and plans for South-West, Central and South Asia accentuate the security concerns of Iran which finds itself hemmed in by US military presence on all sides against the background of open US threat to Iran’s security and independence. Pakistan, with its longstanding ties with both Iran and the US, is well placed to use its good offices in a serious efforts to defuse the US threat which has, under the recent deadline imposed on Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency, assumed increased urgency.
A number of initiatives, taken by the two governments in the post-Taliban period, have manifested a desire to put the Taliban interlude behind them. President Khatami’s long-delayed visit in December 2002 was the culmination of the exchanges set in motion by President Musharraf’s visit to Tehran at the end of 1999. However, the significant political, security and economic inroads made by India in Iran during the period of Pakistan-Iranian estrangement continues to act as a limiting factor on those aspects of Pakistan-Iranian relations which impinge on India, including Pakistan-Iranian defence cooperation.
It is time that Islamabad and Tehran gave higher priority, in the vital interests of the two states, to the restoration of bilateral trust and cooperation to a level where significant security and development concerns of both side can be met. Annual summits and regular strategic dialogue at the foreign ministers’ level would be amongst the many diplomatic tools which could be brought to bear in the evolving situation.
MAHDI MASUD
Karachi
LIFE of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant was estimated to be 30 years, which the plant has successfully completed. This means that the plant needs to be decommissioned for being not only uneconomical to maintain but there are more compelling reasons for its becoming unsafe.
The double wall calandria tubes are known to have sagged at least two inches on account of neutron fatigue, high pressure maintained inside, the weight of fuel bundles and are practically worn out.
Any time any such calandria/reactor tubes, on this account, rupture/break, we have a loss of cooling accident so dreaded by nuclear power reactor designers, it is called LOCA. When radiation could be released inside the containment, the integrity of the containment was tested at design pressure over 30 years back.
It is very questionable if the plant should be allowed to operate. Looks like a second catastrophe awaits the city of Karachi after the oil spill recently. Except for the fact that radiation leakage is likely to pose a much greater and long- lasting effect, it is not clear why this risk is warranted in return for less than 125 MW, the designed capacity of the plant, when it is known to produce electricity much less than its capacity. I hope the recently-created Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority takes a serious view to save Karachi from danger of colossal proportion.
There was a news-item in the press recently that funds had been sanctioned for renovating Kanupp. To an engineer who has seen the inside of calandria/reactor, the news sounded alarm. I do not know who proposed and who sanctioned and approved the funds, but one thing is clear; whosoever has taken this decision, he has made a horrifying decision. It is very unsafe and would prove to be a faulty decision both economically and safety-wise, almost fatal.
We are not prepared or equipped to face a nuclear power plant disaster. Even if in the West certain NPP are being reviewed for remodelling for extended operation, we should not jump to decide remodelling Kanupp. We have neither the resources nor the know- how, nor manpower and equipment for replacement of reactor components. Renovating Kanupp does not appear to be safetywise acceptable, economically feasible or commercially viable.
ENGR. ARIF QAMAR KHAN
Islamabad
ACRIMONIOUS debates are going on over the construction of the Kalabagh Dam. It is a project which has been made hostage by the disgruntled politicians of Sindh and the NWFP. Punjab never raised any objections when Tarbela and Warsak dams were constructed.
I propose a solution to resolve the controversy as regards the construction of this dam. The 30/40 square miles of the area of the Kalabagh Dam be handed over to Sindh — either as a gift from Punjab or on lease for 99 years. Sindh be allowed to establish its writ on this area. This would be a great gesture by Punjab for Sindh. This will also end its bitterness against Punjab caused by a military dictator who extinguished the flame of life of a great scion of Sindh.
Let the people of Punjab rise and exhort the Punjab government to make a sacrifice that will go down in our history as the most sublime act ever performed by a province for alleviating the grievances and allaying the fears of another province. I request the president and the prime minister to take the lead and arrange statutory transfer of this piece of land through National and Provincial Assemblies.
PTV should telecast this event live when the handing/taking over takes place between Punjab and Sindh. The UN Secretary-General be invited to grace the occasion and to see how a thorny problem has been settled peacefully. This noble gesture of Punjab would also wipe out the prejudices against the Punjabis.
KH. M. SAEED
Lahore
THE Punjab cabinet’s decision to give land to landless tillers (Dawn, Aug 13) will prove to be a landmark in the history of the province. Until now the government agricultural land available in the province has been distributed among the favoured few through fraudulent means like allotment for cattle breeding and afforestation. The effort of Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in this regard are praiseworthy.
The farmers who have been rendered landless because their fertile land has been washed away when rivers changed their course deserve immediate attention of the government. A case in question is of washing away of about 30 villages on the right bank of the Chenab in the Gujrat district from Head Marala to the Wazirabad Bridge on Grand Trunk Road. In the last few decades, the proud owners of small farms in these villages have lost everything, i.e. their land, houses, trees, mosques, schools and even graveyards of their ancestors. Thousands of such farmers have become penniless and are leading a miserable life. During pre-partition days such farmers were allotted state lands in the new colonies on a preferential basis.
The chief minister is requested to issue instructions to the board of revenue to give priority to such landless farmers while allotting state land in the province.
MUSHTAQ AHMAD
Lahore
GEORGE Bernard Shaw is said to have considered expenses made on games as unwanted and a burden for a nation. Having noticed the devotion the whole nation paid to the recent Test matches between Pakistan and Bangladesh, I am compelled to think that Shaw was very right on reaching such a sagacious conclusion.
I am not against games, anyway. Rather, I think that games are the only recreation for young people, specially in Pakistan. But I cannot understand the use of spending so much money on a team of 15 to 20 persons?
Some people take the stand that games bring fame and glory to Pakistan. Can glory be achieved through games only? If we really want aura popularis for Pakistan, then why only on such accounts? Do we really lack talented people in other fields?
If you ask a child about his ideal, he will definitely name a cricketer or a singer or an actor. In this way we are sidetracking our real heroes like Dr S. Zaman Siddiqui, Dr Abdus Salam and Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.
Is it right to consider games as a priority for a nation like us who is miserably lagging behind in other fields such as education, technology and health care.
JAVERIA SHAKIL
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the statement of Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz (July 26) about the launch of housing loans to the people through the National Bank of Pakistan.
The NBP, accordingly, launched this scheme on Aug 14 but it is shocking that the bank has started this scheme in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad only, leaving out all other major cities.
The finance minister is requested to instruct the NBP to cover all major cities like Hyderabad (Sindh) to benefit the people.
JAMIL AHMED
Hyderabad
THE Qatar government has not been issuing work visas to Pakistan workers for a long time. The minister for overseas affairs has himself acknowledged the fact that the number of overseas Pakistanis in Qatar has come down from 140,000 to 35,000 in the past four or five years.
The relevant ministry and the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation are doing nothing in this regard, and please do not ask about the Pakistan embassy staff in Doha-Qatar; they just sleep, enjoy and do not bother about these matters of national interest.
I tried many a time to meet the counsellor at the embassy but he was always found attending meetings (one can imagine how difficult meeting our ambassadors will be); they don’t like to meet common Pakistanis, and are invariably found shopping with their families and having dinners in five-star hotels at our expense.
Nowadays many construction projects are being launched for building infrastructure in Qatar. If our government seriously attends to this visa problem and negotiates with the Qatar government, a number of skilled and unskilled Pakistani workers can find employment here.
ENGR. HAMID MUHAMMAD
Doha, Qatar
I AGREE with your columnist, Mr Ayaz Amir, that it is about time we stopped being a simple yes-person to the big bully, America. And now the Israeli prime minister’s visit but worse still the joint military exercises between Indian and American forces in Kashmir leave hardly any room for us to continue this “cooperation” to fight terrorism.
Nobody in Pakistan can tolerate the spectre of combined military exercises by India and the US and that too of all the places in our jugular vein, Kashmir. President Musharraf will, I know, counsel us that we are inviting America’s wrath this way. Well, let it be that way.
For sure, America is under no illusion that because of more suitable terrain here, Pakistan will be a thousand times much tougher place than even Iraq to keep subjugated. No sir, enough is enough and let us say a loud no to America. Kashmir is too dear to us for any kind of price to be paid for it.
DR TEHMINA SIKANDER
Rawalpindi
THE prices of all major agricultural-crops, for instance wheat, are fixed by the government and are uniform throughout Pakistan. The prices of fertilizers, the most important input, have though been left free. These prices vary from area to area. These variations in prices keep most of the farmers to a great disadvantage.
When the sale of petrol and diesel etc was privatized a few years ago, a mechanism was prescribed by the government to keep the prices of petroleum products uniform throughout Pakistan. This system is working successfully, ensuring one price of one product throughout the country.
I have been suggesting to the authorities concerned that a similar system be introduced for fertilizers. I really wonder why this has not been done.
The “Rabi” season is approaching fast. Wheat will soon be cultivated and about 70 per cent of fertilizers will be consumed. Before “Rabi” sets in, the government should follow the good example of oil and introduce an identical mechanism for ensuring uniform prices of fertilizers.
SYED MOHSIN RIZVI
Lahore
MR Latif Butt, General Secretary, POA (Pakistan Olympic Association), at his press briefing the other day, has blamed the Ministry of Sports and the PSB (Pakistan Sports Board) for the poor results shown by our sportsmen. Thirty or so years ago, if my memory serves me right, there was no money, no training facilities but sportsmen from Pakistan won medals. Would it not be correct to say that the sports federations and the POA, at that point of time, had dedicated organizers, who had the moral courage and the credibility to generate funds for sports from the people rather than beg the government.
The general secretary, POA, would clearly remember that in the past several times, because of paucity of fund, sportsmen from Pakistan participated in international events unaccompanied by any office-bearer of the respective sports federation. He would also recall that sometimes sportsmen could not represent Pakistan but the respective federation’s office-bearers enjoyed the trip. Was any action taken by the POA against such people?
The POA, being the governing body of sports and its office- bearers, is under oath to critically evaluate the performance of every member of each sports federation and its office-bearers. The POA has miserably failed in its monitoring responsibilities and has been instrumental in the downfall of sports standards. The charter of the POA is violated when an incompetent office-bearer of a sports federation, being a trusted voter, is preferred over a capable and worthy sports organizer. I invite the POA to publish, through your newspaper, lists of office-bearers of the POA and of each sports federation, specifically mentioning the period during which the office was held, sports activities organized, funds generated other than grants by the government, sports facilities provided through their own resources and so on. This will enable the people to assess the real reasons for the decline of sports standards. I am sure that several sports federations and their office-bearers would be exposed and this would also have some bearing on the working of the POA itself.
The general secretary, POA, has also referred to the allocation of funds by the Indian government for sports. I remember having read that some of the office-bearers of the sports federations in India abstained from making a foreign tour on government grant and instead sent additional deserving sportsmen to gain international experience. I am also sure that the government of India must have allocated the said grant in proportion to the funds generated by each sports federation through their own efforts.
The Pakistan Olympic House, Lahore, would be empty of sports lovers if the foreign tours of the officials of the federations are stopped on government grant. I believe the Sports Ministry and the PSB would be left to manage sports. It is possible that one will have new sports organizers having resources, dedication, and capability and the will to work within the charter of the POA.
We must initiate a process of accountability to pinpoint the persons responsible for the downfall of each and every sport.
DR TARIQ JAMIL
Karachi
I WOULD like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the very poor state of maintenance of Karachi’s Tipu Sultan Road that connects Sharea Faisal and Ibraheem Raheemtoola (Karsaz) Road. This is a very important link road that needs good riding quality. However, it has never been recarpeted for the last many years.
This road needs immediate attention as, apart from there being big potholes, its surface has broken up at many places.
PRO BONO PUBLICO
Karachi
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