| October 20, 2003 | Monday | Sha'aban 23, 1424 |
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Lack of research
Banana farmers’ problems
Making IT education costly
Learning English at MUET
Laws for the rulers and the ruled
Declaration of assets
Increase in bus fare
Utility bills and banks
Is this not terrorism?
Diplomats in Colombo
Zamzama gun
Zamzama gun
Delivery of phone bills
Arms licence for doctors
CNG prices
Islamabad graveyard
THE plight of Maqbool-i-Aam School, situated in Maqboolabad behind the Karachi PTV station and designated as a model school in August 2003, speaks of neglect on the part of the Sindh education department. There are hundreds of similar government schools in the province which are falling into ruins. The school managements’ complaints fall on deaf ears.
In the early days of our history, the good old people in the education sector were able to set up model schools, comprehensive schools and pilot schools, but now the education department finds it beyond their competence even to maintain them.
Recently, the provincial education minister has disclosed that as many as 3,700 posts of teachers/ lecturers are lying vacant for want of recruitment through the Sindh Public Service Commission which was one of the causes of setback to education in the province. Unfortunately, the education department is unable to mobilize a work force of able and willing retired teachers/educationists to fill up the gap.
I have discussed this matter with two or three education secretaries who endorsed the proposal but lacked initiative to implement it. Even my voluntary services with all my experience as a civil servant, educationist and journalist in this regard have not been availed of by the education department yet. There are many others like me who would gladly join hands with the government in promoting education in the province.
Over a year ago, the provincial ombudsman showing a great deal of anxiety over the non-registration of hundreds of private schools functioning in Sindh and charging exorbitant fees had directed the education department to get them registered by January 2002 and to rationalize their fee structure under the Sindh Non-Recognised Educational Institutions Ordinance, 1962. Instead of complying with the ombudsman’s direction, the Ordinance of 1962 was got repealed and replaced by the Private Educational Institutions (Regulation & Control) Ordinance 2002, which prevented the registering authority from interfering with the fee structure of private educational institutions.
In the absence of any good government school, the government employees, for instance, are forced to admit their children to expensive private schools and indulge in corrupt practices to meet their expenses. Since it is a matter of utmost public importance, black sheep in the education department should be exposed and tried for their criminal default.
MOHAMMAD ALEEM SHAIKH
Karachi
EVERY year a substantial amount is spent on the Quaid-i-Azam Academy and the Iqbal Academy and such other bodies but these academies have failed to produce even a single book on the life and thought of Mohammad Iqbal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah which foreign scholars could find worthy of quoting or of referring to in their writings.
Might not the reason it be that the heads of these academic bodies, besides being academically underqualified (there are instances where some of them are not even graduates), are more interested in the pride and pomp of their office than in serious research?
The Iqbal Academy and the Cultural Complex are being run by those who have not a single book on Iqbal to their credit. The Urdu Science Board is headed by a non-scientist. The Writers Guild is being directed by a non-graduate. The director of Iqbal Cultural Project is a non-graduate. And the head of the Children’s Complex has had no work related to children to his credit.
It is time the government reviewed the working of these bodies and initiated reforms wherever needed.
RAMZAN ALI TOOR
Lahore
BANANA farming is a highly profitable business. It is a bumper crop in Khairpur, particularly in Kingri taluka. With the imposition of a ban in the early 90s on paddy crops in Kingri, the majority of growers turned to banana cultivation. Although these growers earn enough money, they suffer from a number of problems such as:
1. Lack of protection against dacoits who seek shelter in the banana farms which serve as natural sanctuaries, keeping the dacoits hidden from the eyes of the law enforcers.
2. Severe water shortages and global warming.
3. High tax rates.
4. Absence of local research centre.
5. Sudden growth of virus/disease.
Owing to the absence of local research centre and scant interest shown by the government, the bumper crop is being lost. This misfortune has put the growers in a two-way difficulty: one is the loss of the crop and the other is the undue payment of taxes as demanded by the revenue department.
The affected farmers of Kingri taluka are in dire need of relief from undue taxes to enable them to run their farming business.
NIZAMUDDIN PIRZADA
Khairpur Mir’s
THE president and the education minister have no doubt enhanced the IT level in Pakistan by taking keen interest in the promotion of IT education. Poor students who had no access to IT education can now manage to get it.
But because of some black sheep in the education department, it is becoming very difficult for the poor students to continue their IT education (short courses). Moreover, IT institutions also face a financial crunch so much so that provision of education to poor students is becoming difficult. Recently the Sindh Technical Board of Education increased, without any due information, the registration/endorsement fee by almost 100 per cent with effect from July 2003, i. e., from Rs285 to Rs600. It is impossible for poor students to afford the higher fees.
In view of the above, the president, minister of information technology, minister of science and technology, the governor and the chief minister of Sindh are requested to ask the Sindh Board of Technical Education to cancel this increase in fee to enable the poor students to pursue their studies.
HABIB HASHMAT KHAN
Karachi
I AM a student of the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, a big and well-recognized institution from the engineering point of view. It is common knowledge that engineers of a university are usually required to deal and communicate with officials and engineers of multinational companies, for which the local engineers need a fair knowledge of the English language.
Our university introduced a new centre (department) known as English Language Development Centre (ELDC) where the students are taught modern English. However, the objective has been remains far from being achieved because English language a subject is taught for one term only.
Keeping in view the need to have a fair knowledge of spoken and written English to enable the students and engineers of the Mehran University to communicate with the multinationals, the vice-chancellor should keep English as a subject in all eight semesters. Such an enlarged course is bound to have a salutary effect on the performance of the university and its students/engineers.
DOST MUHAMMAD DASTI
Jamshoro
TERRORISM breeds in a lawless society. Whenever and wherever common people are deprived of their legal rights by their own government or by foreign occupiers, they take recourse to terrorism. In Pakistan, for example, the rulers consider themselves above the basic law, i.e., the Constitution. Ordinary individuals follow their example and take the law into their own hands as they do not hope to get justice from any relevant forum.
Laws that suit and help the government to continue in office are accepted while laws based on absolute justice are rejected only because they do not meet their ends.
No minister has ever resigned because of a serious lapse in his/her ministry. There is a growing tendency among rulers to cling to power. The interest of the state is sacrificed at the altar of floor-crossing. Sheikh Saadi has observed in a beautiful verse that if the king takes one pomegranate unlawfully, his soldiers will uproot the full tree.
ABDUR RASHEED
Lahore
THIS is with reference to the news item “Law needed on armymen, judges’ assets declaration” (Oct17).
According to the report, a spokesman for the National Accountability Bureau said there was no law in the country which required judges and armed forces personnel to declare details of their assets and liabilities.
Are the judges and the armymen above law or do we follow the principle that judges and armymen can do no wrong? They should also be made to declare their assets.
The fact that armymen have been inducted into every civilian department makes it even more imperative to conduct an inquiry into their assets. But even if such a law is enacted, will NAB dare hold higher armed officials accountable?
ANIL KHAN LUNI
Karachi
I HAVE come to know that Daewoo Urban Transport has increased its fare from Rs10 to Rs12 (route 10) with the approval of the Punjab government.
I wonder why the government has allowed the increase when there is no increase in fuel prices.
JAMSHED AHMED
Lahore
THERE are clear instructions of the State Bank of Pakistan that all affiliated banks will collect utility bills and also renew TV licences but there are certain branches which flout the instructions of the State Bank.
I quote a couple of instances in our locality. On 26th Street of DHA two new branches have started doing their business, but neither branch accepts utility bills, offering flimsy excuses.
I request the State Bank of Pakistan to take action against these branches. One branch also refused to renew my TV licence, saying that they do not have books containing the proper TV licence form.
KHALIQUE A. QURESHI
Karachi
ON Sept 27, a Pakistani graduate (MBA) was found extensively beaten and robbed by three American youths near New Jersey, in the vicinity of Orange. Young (24) Nabeel Siddiqui, the only son of Atique-ur- Rehman Siddiqui, died at a hospital in New Jersey.
Nabeel was alive when he was found by the police and made a statement describing how his car, his money and all other belongings were looted by those youths and how, on his refusal, he was hit with an iron rod and thrown out of his car. He died on Oct 6-7. No arrest, no case, nothing was done. Is this not terrorism?
ALIM KHAN
Karachi
I HAVE friends from Colombo who are nationals of Sri Lanka. The first point is that the Pakistan high commission in Colombo is issuing four to five visas a day while the Indian high commission is issuing hundreds every day.
The Pakistan high commission staff are not behaving in a proper manner. Some time even local businessmen who import goods from Pakistan are treated in an unbecoming fashion.
Is our foreign office aware of this mismanagement in our foreign mission?
M. SALEEM PATEL
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the article on Ahmad Shah Abdali (Encounter) by Shafqat Tanveer Mirza. I agree with the writer that Ahmad Shah did plunder Punjab. The gun Zamzama, owned by the Afghan king and placed so proudly in front of the Lahore Museum for decades and shown as a symbol of proud Muslim history, must be immediately dispatched to Afghanistan.
In its place a statue of the great Nawaz Khan, the diplomat and brave governor of Lahore, may be erected.
AMJAD LAHORI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the article on Ahmad Shah Abdali (Encounter) by Shafqat Tanveer Mirza. I agree with the writer that Ahmad Shah did plunder Punjab. The gun Zamzama, owned by the Afghan king and placed so proudly in front of the Lahore Museum for decades and shown as a symbol of proud Muslim history, must be immediately dispatched to Afghanistan.
In its place a statue of the great Nawaz Khan, the diplomat and brave governor of Lahore, may be erected.
AMJAD LAHORI
Karachi
I HAVE got three telephones at my residence. The bills are received regularly for two phones but the bills for telephone # 4930361 are never delivered at home.
Every month I have to send my representative to collect duplicate bills. The duplicate bills are not annexed with details of mobile, as well as of long distance calls as such it is not possible to check when and where these calls were made. Moreover a number of times I have to pay late payment surcharge unnecessary.
I have lodged complaints with the divisional engineer, as well as with the accounts officer of Pak Capital Exchange but without any result.
I would request the Pak Capital Exchange authorities to look into the matter and remove my grievances.
ABDUL QADIR
Karachi
AFTER a long wait and innumerable killings of innocent doctors, the government ordered concessions in the issuance of arms licences to doctors. But unfortunately this issue is being sabotaged because of the requirement of a police inquiry. As a result of this, no doctor has so far got an arms licence.
I would request the home department to resolve this problem by waiving the condition of police inquiry for doctors who submit copies of their MBBS degrees and registration with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.
DR SHAHAB MASROOR
Karachi
THIS refers to an increase of 95 paisas in the CNG prices a month ago. There is no reason to increase these prices as the number of cars using CNG are multiplying daily. The basic rule of economics is that the more the consumers are, the less the price.
The price should be reduced to encourage more people to use it.
SYED WASIQ ABBAS
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr Usman Tariq’s letter ( Sept 27) regarding the Islamabad graveyard. He has depicted a very miserable picture of the graveyard. According to him, the whole area of the graveyard is covered with four to five feet high thorny bushes, leaving no trace of footpaths leading to the graves, so much so that it was not possible for him to locate the grave of his dear mother. The story was also corroborated by a friend of mine who has recently come back after attending the burial ceremony of one of his close relatives in Islamabad. He says that there is acute shortage of water and no shady trees to take shelter in the scorching heat. The grave-diggers and grave-keepers fleece the people at every step.
If this is the condition of the graveyard in Islamabad, we can well imagine the condition of the graveyards in the rest of this country.
What has prompted me to write this letter is my recent visit to Toronto (Canada) to see my son-in-law and daughter. There I had a chance to study the country, its people, their way of living and their political, economic and social system.
I also visited a graveyard, Pine Hill Cemetery, situated quite near the residence of my daughter. The graveyard is 175 years old. It is spread over a vast area of land covered with a network of wide, clean and well-maintained roads. The whole area is divided into different sectors. The moment someone enters the graveyard, he is spellbound to see the high standard of cleanliness and the beauty of this place. Each and every tombstone is covered with colourful and beautiful natural and artificial flowers of different hues. The rest of the area is also covered with lush green grass and beds of beautiful flowers. Tall and graceful trees on both sides of roads add to the beauty of this place.
The graveyard has a large workforce of its own. Clad in their yellow uniform, they are busy round the clock in pruning trees, mowing grass and watering flower beds and grass with mechanical water sprayers and maintaining and looking after the high standard of cleanliness.
On stepping into the graveyard, one wonders whether he has entered a graveyard or a garden. Tombstones, old and new, are in apple pie order. The quality of maintenance is so high that one can read the names, dates of birth and death of those people who were buried 100 years ago.
In short, a combination of network of the cleanest roads, neat and clean footpaths, graceful trees, lush green grass and a riot of colourful flowers covering the whole area has made the graveyard a most attractive place and an ideal place for morning and evening walks. In fact I saw graceful Canadian couples, young and old, enjoying their morning walks in the graveyard.
My frequent visits to the graveyard left a lasting impression on my mind and I very much wished to be buried in such a beautiful place after my death.
PROF. JAMIL MALIK
Gujranwala
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