| October 2, 2003 | Thursday | Sha’aban 5, 1424 |
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Auto prices in Pakistan
Steroid in toothpaste
‘Merger of PML factions’
Amusement park
Pension issue
Immigration policies of US, Canada
Lack of road facility
Friends in need
Karo-kari: a cancer in our society
Inzamam as captain
Encroachers galore
Exporters
NOW it is apparent that the hopes that the Indo-Pakistan relations will soon be normalized have been dashed to pieces and we are back to square one, hurling allegations and abuses on each other. It is no use blaming one party or the other: we are only concerned with the net result.
However, re-establishing the travel links and either abolishing the visa system or rationalizing its procurement and making it easier and cheaper need not wait for the settlement of the disputes. It is a humanitarian issue and affects a man’s basic right to visit his relatives and friends even though they may be living in an ‘enemy country’.
What crime have the citizens of the two countries committed to be punished with denial of this right? Or, was it a crime for the Muslims of India to struggle for Pakistan and then, some of them moving to it? It is only they, and the Hindus of Sindh, who suffer from this continued denial.
I urge the two governments to consider the ordeal of the common people and work out some formula under which restrictions for the Indo-Pakistan travellers are reduced to the minimum — and till this is done, at least the Lahore-Delhi bus service may be run on rational and practical considerations of requirements. At least 200 passengers should be enabled to commute daily either way, and for this the frequency and the number of buses need to be increased.
Visa procurement is a big problem. It costs more to go to Islamabad to obtain the visa than going to one’s destination in India. If deputy high commissions cannot be re-opened in Karachi and Bombay (and new ones opened in Kolkata and Hyderabad Deccan, and Mirpurkhas in Pakistan), can’t visa officers be posted at these places or can’t visa be given by post? Future generations will surely laugh at the irrationality of the present system of visa. We often hear of rationalization of prices or rationalization of this or that system. Why should we not consider rationalization of the visa system as well?
Even ‘adabi’ and literary activities are adversely affected. The Mushaira Committee of ‘Sakinan-i-Shahr-i-Quaid’ is holding the annual Aalami Mushaira on Oct 4. It applied for NOC for 13 poets and was given the same for 11, out of which only four could obtain visa from our high commission in Delhi, and even they have not been able to manage their seats in the bus because of heavy advance bookings in the twice-a-week 34-seater bus service. As a result, the Indian poets will be conspicuous by their absence, and the Mushaira will be the poorer because of this. A cultural void has been created by the prevailing restrictions on the Indo-Pakistan travel.
SALAHUDDIN MIRZA
Karachi
REFERENCE is made to Mir Usman Ali’s letter “Auto prices in Pakistan” (Sept 28).
Mir Sahib’s research is pretty accurate indeed about vehicles and our per-capita income but he conveniently forgets that we are not citizens of Pakistan but merely “subjects” of whosoever rules this country and rule they do with utmost impunity.
Who are we to benefit from what a country as a rule offers its citizens? The answer is that we are no one actually. We are expendable. The entire lot. When a country is ruled, albeit Gestapo-style, we stand no chance of gaining anything that a country has to offer. Whatever is to be gained is to be gained by the ruling mob and not by us, the mere subjects of these citizens of Pakistan.
Sir, it is not just the price of vehicles. If you were to compare prices of foodstuff, pharmaceuticals and or many other essential day-to-day items, you would find the same disparity between our prices and theirs. Two words for you my friend: vested interest. So the less said about the citizens who rule our everyday lives, the better actually.
As regards the vehicle you mentioned in your article, well, sir, let me add this while I am at it. What’s worse is the fact that not only we pay an extremely high toll for a car which is half its actually worth but we pay additionally in terms of the so-called menace of the ‘on’ money (without which it will take forever for the delivery of a new vehicle) premium paid for a particular colour, registration and taxes, insurance cost, vehicle tracking system and lest we forget a quick change of all five tyres as the ones provided by the manufacturer (well the screw driver factory actually) are of dubious quality. So, a vehicle priced at Rs450,000 can be regarded as at Rs550,000 minimum. Compare this with theirs.
We do not live under the free economy umbrella. Our ruling class has no interest to better our lives, so there cannot be a free market economy for obvious reasons. They have no idea how a good cash flow in the market can boost overall living standards. But that is another subject for another day.
RAHEEL QZAI
Karachi
I WISH to draw the attention of all to a potentially serious health hazard posed by some toothpaste brands. A few of them even claim to “cure” all diseases of teeth and gums without even listing the active therapeutic ingredients on the label. And all this has been going on right under our noses. Why? Because toothpaste is not included in the list of items under compulsory monitoring by the Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority, I have been informed by the officials of PSQCA, and hence manufacturers are not legally bound to follow the Authority’s specifications for toothpastes.
There had been anecdotal reports previously that perhaps the unusual popularity of some medicated toothpastes could be due to presence of steroid in it. Corticosteroids have a very limited use in the routine management of dental disease. At best, they are indicated in conditions not amenable to other measures and drugs.
Steroids are known for their “masking effects” and their abuse is documented in a previous study in the country. There is no justification for incorporating steroids in over-the-counter dentifrices/toothpastes because of potential hazards inherent in side-effects of this drug.
In view of this possibility, this writer decided to test out some of these proprietary products for the presence of steroids. These samples were tested for steroid at the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Laboratories, Karachi. Eight out of 20 brand samples tested positive for the presence of steroid (cortisone). Some of these brands are supposedly more popular than any other regular toothpaste. These findings have been reported in the latest issue of Journal of Pakistan Medical Association (JPMA 53:332;2003).
All those concerned are urged to take a serious note of this problem. It goes without saying that absence of any regulation/legislation led to this exploitative, unscrupulous and highly unethical practice/marketing. Can we hope that something could be done about it now?
DR OWAIS ALI FAROOQI
Buffalo, NY, USA
THIS letter is with reference to the article “Merger of PML factions” (Sept 28) by Syed Anwar. I respect the writer’s and cannot dare confront him in anyway, but I think I should say what I think.
Indeed almost everything in the article is agreeable, except “We must assume that the PML is not merely a crowd of self-seeking opportunists, and that it has its share of decent men and women ready and willing to work for the public interest.”
Well, we must not forget that most of them are merely byproducts of past coups and used and grown by invisible governments for power sustainability.
The point is that none of them is democratic; they accept the Legal Framework Order which means ignoring a true form of constitution and are following their personal interests on the pretext of saving Pakistan. It is a party registered as a national party which is based on the idea of parliamentary form of democratic government. What hypocrite behaviour!
I agree with the writer that there will be new factions again and they will be led by those who will lose in the musical chair game of this merger. My assumptions may be wrong but I believe in economics which is the mother of politics, as Adam Smith wrote in The Wealth of Nations (1776), that “it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest”.
MUHAMMAD ALI PANHWAR
Khairpur Mir’s
RECENTLY a cousin visited Al-Habib restaurant on the Super Highway, an eating spot that has become hugely popular with Karachiites. Capitalizing on its success, the owner has also added a small-scale amusement park adjacent to the restaurant. My cousin decided to have a go on the rides set up there. However, to his horror, as the ride was spinning at top speed the carrier he was seated in detached from the main body, and he was flung several metres away on to a dirt rise. Luckily he suffered only minor injuries.
In the opinion of one doctor, he could have very easily broken his neck or back. Nevertheless, the shock and anguish that he and his family had to experience was not inconsiderable. When the family complained to the restaurant owner, his incredible reply was ‘accidents happen’! The next day when I visited the same place, the ride was back in operation with the one broken cart removed.
Incidents of such immense callousness and irresponsibility that threaten people’s lives occur daily in this great city. Afterwards, the perpetrators comfortably continue as before, confident that they will face no retribution.
The city authorities need to wake up and fulfil their duty to regulate such establishments and ensure that they are safe for the public to use.
No one can deny that there
is great demand for recreational venues in Karachi, but if such venues are allowed
to mushroom, unchecked
and unregulated, they become nothing more than death
traps.
SHEHZAD S. SHAH
Karachi
PLEASE refer to the news item “Pension issue needs to be settled: SC” appearing in your paper on Sept 22.
The decision of the Supreme Court to settle the issue categorizing pensioners into groups, and the payment of pensions to the new and old pensioners on two different formulas — gross basis (full pension) and net basis (pension being drawn) — is not only highly commendable but it should be highly appreciated by many old, disabled, helpless senior citizens ready to welcome death at any moment.
It is a widely accepted fact that justice delayed is justice denied. I am sure that the honourable judges of the apex court would give their final verdict before we go to a place from where no one can claim his pensions or dues.
M. KHIZIR FAROOQI
Karachi
THERE are advanced countries that still continue to exploit the poor parts of the world just as they had been doing during the colonial period, though now in a somewhat different garb. For example, Canada has an immigration policy that encourages two kinds of foreigners to seek permanent residence in that country:
1) Those who bring with them a lot of capital or
2) Those who are in a position to add something to its economy by virtue of their qualifications.
In contrast, America grants temporary visas to the expatriates to help them improve their qualifications and on the condition that they would go back to serve in their own country on completion of their studies.
Thus, the US policy does not result in brain drain for the Third World but Canada deprives the poor countries of their most precious resource, the human talent.
MUHAMMAD SHAKEEL
Muzaffargarh
THE people of southern part of the Lahore city continue to suffer because of indifference of the bureaucracy in the Lahore Development Authority and TEPA. The president and the governor have been very kind to sanction and release huge funds for the road network in this area. One-and-a-half years have passed but little work has been taken up in this regard.
Most of the newly-developed localities do not have road access. All that exists right now is very sketchy, kutcha/pukka, pebbled/potholed roads or paths, with no provision for streetlights. The people go through physical and mental torture while using these roads/paths to reach their offices, business places, etc. In the absence of streetlights, thieves and thugs are most of the time prowling in the area. It has created scare among women and children who do not go out even in the day time without being accompanied by a male member of the household.
The area people have been seeking early extension of College Road from Ghazi Chowk to Defence Road to meet their communication requirement. In the package announced for southern Lahore this road was assigned the topmost priority. This extension will give much relief to people of the area.
MOEEZ EJAZ
Lahore
IT was refreshing to read the above-captioned letter by Kunwar Khalid Yunus in your issue of Sept 30. In our religious and emotional frenzy, Pakistanis conveniently forget the truth: the crucial role played by the US for our survival.
In addition to the three instances where America has come to our rescue, I would mention here a fourth one, i.e. when it destroyed the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. If the US had not eliminated them, this fanatic-terrorist axis would have threatened the security and existence of Pakistan in a big way by now.
Apart from the above-mentioned instances, the US has helped Pakistanis (and consequently Pakistan) more than any other country in the whole world, including Muslim countries, in such fields as education, jobs and immigration. Hundreds of thousands of our countrymen have obtained high education, experience, training in the US and are earning tens of billions of dollars every year. This is just another truth we conveniently forget.
DR AFZAL HAQ
Houston, Texas, USA
MR Ardeshir Cowasjee has blasted the so-called ‘honour killings’ in his Sunday column “Women” (Sept 28). In their constitution and place in nature, women are the weaker sex. Since there is very little justice and decency in the world, the stronger strangulates the weaker. Who says jungle law is restricted to jungles only?
Ms Sassi Palijo, a Sindh Assembly MPA and a writer with a name, has rightly termed ‘karo-kari’ a cancer. Some people who feel pained at such news that in the past eight months there have been 631 victims of these convenient honour killings pose a question: why all these crimes have gone unpunished?
The answer comes from Mr Zulfiqar Halepoto, evidently a man with a conscience, who believes ‘the government and state machinery are natural allies of the feudals, and the feudals are upholders of karo-kari’. These sardars are loath to introduce change for fear of losing their hold on the tribal society whose jirga system, as he suggests, should immediately be banned. It is this jirga system which not only protects but also glorifies karo-kari.
How are we to solve the Gordian knot of this brigand society? The answer is proliferation of education, economic development and exposure to the outside world. The feudals or sardars would not let education be extended to their sphere of influence. The government, responsible for such facilities, would not do enough for education; economic development would not be accelerated due to the unbearable burden of foreign loans, and exposure to the outside world would not affect the present criminal society whose values are based on age-old rituals and tribal customs.
The need of the hour is to bring radical changes. The government should act tough and break the bones of the rural power structure. Only then the suppressed and oppressed can straighten their back and breathe the fragrance of liberty and justice.
S. M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
NOTWITHSTANDING Mujtaba’s criticism of Inzamamul Haq, it is appropriate for the Pakistan Cricket Board to continue with Inzamam as captain against South Africa. The facts speak for themselves: he was rightly retired after his slump in the World Cup, but showed perseverance and character to come bouncing back in the national side as a first class batsman. He served well the team and his captain, getting good runs when they mattered most, albeit against Bangladesh.
When made captain, he was not distracted, continued his good form and ensured a clean sweep. Why then change a winning streak? Being captain means wearing many hats and it is the hallmark of a good one to maintain one’s own high standards and to motivate teammates to win matches. Based on current form, I am prepared to give that opportunity to Inzamam, but he is keenly aware, like everybody else, that his inclusion as a batsman, let alone his captaincy, is not set in stone.
We Pakistan cricket fans are a fickle lot and do not tolerate failures for too long. Kudos to the selectors for displaying confidence in this team and Inzamam. Youhana, being a player of the highest calibre, will get his chance to captain Pakistan one day, I am sure, but not quite yet.
TARIQ SHAFI
Springfield, VA, USA
THE people of Qila Didar Singh are being compressed to bones by the encroachers in the main bazaar and bordering streets, specially Church Road leading to the bus stop which has been comprehensively occupied by wooden kiosks, placed on the road along the boundary wall of Government Degree College for Women, Gujranwala.
The vendors enjoy the facilities, thanks to staff of the TMA (Sadar). These vendors exercise full control over the public facilities. The area from the stop to the main bazaar has become impassable for pedestrians and girl students because of encroachments.
It is alleged that the TMA has turned a blind eye to it because of political sensitivities involved in the dislocation of encroachers. The TMA is requested to clear the encroachments from all the place of public facilities.
CAPT. (R) MOHAMMAD AFZAL MUGHAL
Qila Didar Singh
EVERY year the government grants the Pride of Performance award to people qualified for it in different fields.
This kind of award is, however, not granted to the exporters on showing good performance in exports.
If taken, this step will go a long way in achieving export targets of our country. Besides, many exports will try to increase their exports to achieve this honour.
ALI AHMAD
Karachi
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