| October 17, 2003 | Friday | Sha'aban 20, 1424 |
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Repayment of debts
Cotton issues
Privatization of PSO & OGDC
Arms race in South Asia
Women’s rights
Underpass vs flyover
Gang-rape victim
Seeking a reply from Nadra
Hereditary politics
Atuo prices
Regional peacekeeping force
War with a clean purpose
Suspect as councillor
Zakat payment
Violence at QAU campus
I REFER to your editorial “Takeover and after” and Mr M. Ziauddin’s article “Musharraf’s four years in power” of Oct 12.
Sane Pakistanis agree that “the army has no moral or political right to rule”. You have grudgingly given some credit to the last military rule for the improved macro-economic position and the free press in the country. But you have correctly identified the political failures of repeated army rule.
Unfortunately, our politicians, bureaucracy, courts and “religious leaders” have failed just as badly. The Evacuee Property Law opened the flood-gates of corruption. The 1953 Punjab agitation by “religious leaders” tore at the fragile fabric of the infant state. As a result, Lahore was handed over to the army. In 1954, a bureaucrat de-railed a prime minister who had the assembly’s confidence. The Supreme Court upheld that move.
Pakistan had a difficult problem of being split into two wings. The Bengali language issue was initially mishandled, but eventually resolved. So, we forgive the nine years it took to frame the 1956 Constitution. But our politicians then postponed national elections, until it was too late.
Gen Ayub Khan had a golden opportunity in 1958 to make sound and lasting reforms. But his 1962 Constitution was tailored to keep him in power. He clung on for 10 years, then destroyed his own Constitution while leaving.
In 1971, Gen Yahya, supported by Mr Bhutto, cancelled the Assembly’s Dhaka session, and then decided to “shoot his way” through the resultant mess. The civil and military leadership of West Pakistan either cheered the bloodshed, or remained silent spectators (with some honourable exceptions). Nobody led “long marches” or held “hunger strikes” to protest.
The less said about our post-Yahya prime ministers and politicians, the better. Among other misdeeds, they wreaked public services and enterprises, by wanton and irresponsible interference in appointments, promotions, transfers, loaning and other operations.
Those who clamour to restore the 1973 Constitution forget that it started cracking up within hours after it was passed. It is a fatally flawed document, which broke down irretrievably in 1977 at the hands of its own authors. Was the army responsible for the shambles of the 1977 election?
Our rulers do not know when to make a graceful exit. Had Gen Musharraf, like de Gaulle, set up a system genuinely designed to work without him and then relinquished office after three years, he would have been a hero. Instead, he is involved in an undignified argument over his uniform and the LFO. He has to go some day. For the country’s sake, I pray that when he does, he leaves with honour, unlike his three military predecessors.
SAMEE-UL-HASAN
Karachi
YOUR editorial (Oct 15) gave the good news that the government has decided to repay one billion dollars of the debt which we owe to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank much before it is due.
Earlier, the Council of Islamic Ideology had recommended that the national debt be paid out of the Zakat fund. The recommendations of the CII are in line with the Quranic injunction as laid down in verse 2:177: “True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the East or the West, but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the revelation (the Book), and the prophets: and spends his substance however much he himself may cherish it - upon his near of kin, and the orphan, and the needy, and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the freeing of human beings from bondage.”
The expression “fi’r-riqab” denotes “in the cause of freeing human beings from bondage”, and applies to both the ransoming of captives and freeing of slaves. By including this kind of expenditure within the essential acts of piety, the Quran implies that the freeing of people from bondage and, thus abolition of slavery, is one of the social objectives of Islam.
The Pakistani nation, with the debts it owes to various lending organizations, is like a captive who has to agree to their conditions, howsoever harsh they may be. Freeing of our necks form the clutches of moneylenders is essentially a national and religious duty. The total collection in Zakat fund should be utilized on repayment of such loans. Other obligatory payments of Zakat can be made by individuals themselves who know better about their deserving kith and kin and other needy person locally and can pay them from the remainder of their Zakat dues.
FAQIR AHMED PARACHA
Peshawar
THIS is with reference to the letter “Small cotton farmers’ plight” (Oct 13) by Shehryar Mazari.
He has rightly said that in 1995 the price of cotton in the international market was one dollar per pound for cotton lint. However, he has miscalculated the price of one maund (37.324 kilograms) of cotton in Pakistani currency as Rs4,750 per maund which he has based on the exchange rate prevailing today as opposed to the very different one that prevailed in 1995.
Actually, the price works out to Rs2,800 per maund. Mr Mazari has tried to plead the case of the small farmers but on the basis of this miscalculated cotton price. The hard facts are that higher cotton yields and better quality can only increase farmers’ incomes but our cotton yield has stagnated between 550-600 Kgs per hectare and its quality is poor. All cotton stakeholders have failed to make any improvement in yield and quality in the last decade or so and it is the poor farmers who have had to bear the brunt of this.
An improvement plan in the form of a Pakistan Cotton Standards is ready for implementation and which can ensure extra financial benefits to cotton growers of as much as Rs12 billion annually. The government of Pakistan has set up the Pakistan Cotton Standards through a presidential ordinance in October last year but the federal ministry of agriculture has failed to enforce its provisions. Hidden hands do not want our poor farmers to prosper. Is there anyone who can look into this matter in the best interest of the growers as well as the country?
S.A. AZIZ SHAH
Karachi
I TOTALLY agree with the comments made by Mr Khalid Abdussalam regarding privatization of PSO & OGDC.
I would like to give an interesting example. The Australian government is the majority shareholder in a public company called Woodside Petroleum. About a year back, a multinational oil company which also holds about 10 per cent shares of Woodside, launched a hostile takeover bid for Woodside. There was an outcry among ordinary Australians like myself, because we thought that Woodside was a national asset and shouldn’t be taken over by a big concern. The federal treasurer, who has the last say in such matters, finally came out and blocked the takeover bid by saying that it was against the national interest of Australia to hand over control of Woodside to a foreign company. This was an unprecedented move by a country very well known for its open market and pro-capitalist policies.
My question is, why is our government so keen to privatize these two very important companies? Is it pressure from the big oil companies or is it just to show the world how rapidly we are moving towards a more open economy? Whatever the reason, let me say this one more time to the government of Pakistan that PSO and OGDC are national assets belonging to the people of Pakistan. It is against the national interest to privatize them. We just have to find another way of dealing with problems related to these two companies.
ATIQ REHMAN AWAN
Sydney, Australia
SOUTH Asia stands on shaky ground, though broadly speaking, its people, inspired by its great past and aware of its present problems and opportunities, had hoped to enter the new century with confidence. Although its chief source of strength today is still the people’s urge for action to resolve the problems of poverty and backwardness, India has taken a step backward.
It has signed with Israel a weapons deal to buy three Phalcon airborne early-warning radar systems. India is also looking forward to buying the anti-ballistic missile defence system (Arrow), jointly developed by the US and Israel.
The common people of South Asia feel that New Delhi’s arms shopping spree is only hurting the region’s poor. Moreover, as India is known for diverting sensitive technology — it has already diverted the engine of Soviet air defence missile SA-2 and the design of US space-launch rocket Scout to make Prithvi and Agni ballistic missiles — it will take advantage of the technology used in new weapons it is buying from Israel.
As the ground under the feet of the people of South Asia gets shaky, the onus of enforcing disarmament in the region by the UN increases. It needs to be pursued at all levels to save future generations from the curse of war, and to foster faith in fundamental human rights.
FEROZ SADRUDDIN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to a seminar organized by Sungi this week to observe World Day for Rural Women.
It was pointed out during the seminar that in terms of the status and rights of women, Pakistan lagged behind all other countries of South Asia. This observation makes me wonder as to when we shall become what we were meant to be at the time of our country’s creation.
The Quaid-i-Azam said in his address (March 1940) to a college for girls in Lahore that two powers were well known, the powers of the pen and the sword, but that there was a third power as well, and that was the power of women. It was this power which guided men to make use of the powers of the pen and the sword. (Excerpt taken from Anecdotes of Quaid-i-Azam by Prof Masud-ul-Hasan).
However, what we see in Pakistan is just the opposite of what the Quaid said about women. Why are women denied their rightful place in society? When will such laws be repealed which have proven unjust and destructive for them? Or will we be just left quoting those who founded this country without implementing the ideals which they had promoted?
IRUM AFSHAN QURESHI
Karachi
LAHORITES are constructing underpass after underpass. This time around they are building one under The Mall. The time estimated to complete this underpass is three months and going by their track record no one can doubt it.
Compare this with the three-year plan of the Sharea Faisal flyover and the flyovers planned for Hino Chowrangi and Hasan Square in Karachi and try to estimate the cost. There is no comparison.
An underpass can be made unconventionally by making pre-cast modules. A trench can be made by excavators, levelled and then pre-cast modules can be lowered by a suitable crane. The modules can have locking arrangements to ensure there is no gap between the two and water passages can be sealed once the modules are in place.
The time taken will be reduced and the cost will come down. For the cost of one flyover we can probably make 10 underpasses. Karachi Nazim Naimatullah Khan should think about this option.
S. NAYYAR IQBAL RAZA
Karachi
THIS refers to the news items “Gang-rape victim in serious condition” (Oct 9) and “Six suspects held on gang-rape charge” (Oct 10).
These events are really disturbing and indicate that there is no respect or fear of law in our society. Things have become so bad that a woman in Karachi is raped twice in a week and threatened with dire consequences in case she reported the matter to the police.
The woman tried to lodge a complaint with the police but no action was taken. She was then kidnapped along with her husband and gang-raped again. It was only after the DIG operations, Karachi, intervened that an FIR was registered and the culprits arrested.
I thank the DIG for his personal initiative in the matter.
ENGR. AFTAB MUHAMMAD KHAN
Karachi
I ADDRESSED Nadra by emails many months back, followed by numerous reminders, including posting printouts of the emails at both its Islamabad and Karachi postal addresses, seeking certain information but have never got any response. Most of the emails came back undelivered.
I wanted to confirm if it is invariable that the required photograph must be in the blue colour. I do remember Nadra once explained that the blue colour was not mandatory but preferable and that photographs with white background etc. can also be used.
SHAHNAZ
Karachi
“NAWABZADA Mansoor Ali Khan elected unanimously PDP Chief,” says a news item in Dawn. Three cheers for democracy in Pakistan. The father, nay the ‘Father of Democracy’, dies and the son ascends to the throne.
This must be an occasion to celebrate for the stalwarts of democracy on the birth of yet another hereditary political party in the country.
COL. RIAZ JAFRI (RETD)
Rawalpindi
CAN’T the relevant ministry allow the import of 10,000 cars to reduce the shortfall in the production of autos in the country, without affecting auto manufacturers? Also, the premium should be abolished.
M. ANWER
Karachi
ACCORDING to a Dawn report (Sept 14), the government has suggested that a regional peacekeeping force should be mobilized under the umbrella of Saarc, which should come into operation whenever and wherever necessary in the region.
This sounds a brilliant idea as a multinational force would be available under Saarc to maintain peace in the region. The force would be able to help in counter-terrorism operations.
Since the peacekeeping force would be drawn from different nations, it would have a larger measure of credibility and would play a significant role in knocking out false allegations exchanged by hostile neighbours.
MOHAMMAD ALEEM SHAIKH
Karachi
“AND always we had wars, and more wars, and still other wars all over Europe, all over the world. ‘Sometimes in the private interest of royal families,’ Satan said, ‘sometimes to crush a weak nation; but never a war started by the aggressor for any clean purpose — there is no such war in the history of the race.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)
What Mark Twain said almost 100 years ago is still valid. Lies told by the US president, the British prime minister and by their faithful staff members make no difference.
MIR TABASSUM MAIRAJ
Islamabad
THIS refers to the news report “Councillor shot dead in Keamari” (Oct 15).
According to the town police officer of Keamari, councillor Mohammad Ayub was wanted in at least 23/24 criminal cases pertaining to murder, arms ordinance, attempted murder, etc. Ayub also reportedly had enmity with a number of people, including a rival group.
The question is, why was a person with such a criminal record allowed to serve as councillor of UC-5?
M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA
Karachi
I WANT to draw the attention of your readers to the need for reforming the Zakat payment system which, at present, is marred by red tape.
Zakat in Karachi, as well as in all other cities of Sindh, should be distributed districtwise. Whatever is collected in a district should be spent in that district. Zakat should be paid monthly or quarterly to needy widows all the year round.
It is time our parliamentarians woke up to the situation so that we may have national health insurance schemes in all the cities and districts of the country.
SYED HUMAYUN IRFAN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the news regarding a firing incident at the Quaid-i-Azam University in which a student was killed and another five injured. As rightly reported by your correspondent, the administration did not allow the police to be deployed, despite the fact that the students have a record of using weapons freely.
And it happens at least twice a semester. Could the administration’s refusal to deploy law-enforcement authorities have to do with the fact that it does not want the students to stand united on a single platform?
The QAU has spent about eight million rupees on a new paint job, installing a revolving gate and hiring a few but expensive private guards. These guards are placed on entry points at the campus and do nothing but stop cars carrying families out on a picnic to the university grounds. Some people, a minority, have written in the past to the vice-chancellor to disarm the student groups but the administration has always turned a deaf ear to such pleas.
Hopefully, this tragic incident will now open the eyes of the administration and they will do the needful. Those behind this incident must be brought to justice before the university becomes a blazing cauldron.
CHAUDHARY AZEEM ALI
Lahore
THE current wave of violence at the QAU has taken yet another precious life. Naseeruddin, of the history department, is the fourth student to lose his life at the campus in less than seven months at what is supposed to be country’s premier university.
The administration and the government-dictated lop-sided admission policies are to blame for this. The procedure for allotting places in the university’s hostels also needs to be reviewed.
It is time the government and the university administration took effective measures so that such incidents could be prevented in future.
EJAZ HUSSAIN BHATTY
Islamabad
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