| November 11, 2003 | Tuesday | Ramazan 15, 1424 |
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Chakwal’s unnatural division
Streamlining CPSP working
Tribute to a gentleman
Tenure track system
India’s peace offer
Riyadh bomb blast
‘Taliban in Quetta’
Pensioners’ dues
Dental health issue
Civil posts for army men
Overcoming shortage of teachers
THE sugar industry is in trouble, with margins of profit shrunk to the minimum and funds for development projects getting scarce. As investors demand immediate results, it is more than necessary to rectify the situation.
In our economy, the share of the sugar industry is 12.5 per cent in the GDP, 15.8 per cent in manufacturing and 3.6 per cent in employment, with a capacity utilization of 45 per cent, which is a large contribution.
Sugarcane is the most important cash crop after cotton. The average yield per hectare is about 46 tonnes, that is below the world average of about 60 tonnes a hectare. In India the average yield is between 60 and 70 tonnes a hectare.
The milling capacity is about five million tonnes but the mills are operating at 60-70 per cent. Water shortage causes low yield, leading to underutilization of the milling capacity. The other problem is low recovery due to deterioration in sugarcane quality.
Everyone will have to play a role to put the industry back on the track that leads to stability. The government has a major role to play as far as the provision of water is concerned. It should take steps to ensure water supply to the tail-enders, specially in the sowing season. Basic infrastructure like roads should be upgraded. This will give an advantage inasmuch as sugarcane can be carted from the fields to the mills in a very short time which, in turn, will result in better recovery. Moreover, special funds for research facilities should be allocated to obtain the maximum recovery with a reduced water use.
The industry has its own role to play. The mills have to develop sugarcane so that it is available at a reasonable price and the growers have to improve the quality of sugar so that the recovery of sugar improves and its cost of production is decreased.
Besides, we have to put all efforts to keep the cost of production regionally compatible. This can be achieved by various means, such as energy management at the mill, financial support to the growers, introduction of the cane quality laboratories within the mills’ premises for continual analysis.
The farmers too have a role to play in this regard. There should work on their on their fields to increase the yield and quality of sugarcane.
Pakistan is a signatory to the WTO whose regime demands that we become competitive in selling our surplus products to the consumers at a reasonable price under an open policy. Thanks to massive rainfall this year, our crop position is good compared to the previous year’s.
ENGR M. SARFARAZ KHAN
Hyderabad
WHEN Chakwal was upgraded to the status of district during the rule of Gen Ziaul Haq, some vested interests carved up tehsils in it, ignoring its major towns like Lillah which is closely linked to Chakwal in the matter of language, culture, civilization and even natural layout. This mistake was realized at a much later stage.
The residents of Lillah were promised that their town would be made a part of the Chakwal district by linking it with Kalar Kahar which was to be given the status of tehsil.
Now when Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, in consideration of the sufferings of the people because of the unnatural division, is bestowing the status of tehsil on various major towns like Dina in Jhelum district, it will be greatly appreciated if Kalar Kahar is given the status of tehsil and the police station of Lillah town is made part of it, alleviating thereby the prolonged sufferings of Lillah town residents, specially when Dina has been given the status of tehsil of the Jhelum district.
The residents of the Lillah town, which lies on the farthest end of the Jhelum district, have to pass through two district — Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat — to reach Jhelum in six to seven hours, a quite miserable journey by road. Whereas now by using the motorway, the Lillah residents can reach Chakwal within 40 to 50 minutes.
It is hoped that the chief minister will appreciate the problems, as well as the sentiments, of the residents of the Lillah town and order its inclusion in the Chakwal district.
Lillah town is also suffering from multiple problems such as lack of proper education and health facilities, absence of Sui gas supply and clean drinking water. Telephone and Wapda departments too are lagging behind.
SUNAWAR CHAUDHARY
Rawalpindi
A NUMBER of letters have appeared in the press regarding good and bad aspects of the CPSP (College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan) and the quality of examinations. I am sure the CPSP would have been better placed if the administration had been in the hands of some sincere, honest and undisputed person like Prof Adeebul Hassan Rizvi.
A friend of mine working in the same organization says it is very surprising that a professor of medicine is not practising medicine and has decided to go for an honorary job. Some administrative problems of the CPSP are as under:
— Salary of every employee should reach bank on the last day of each month as per the government regulation. At present, the salaries of a number of the CPSP employees reach bank on the 10th of the following month.
— The break for the Friday prayer and lunch in other organizations is for two hours, from 12:30pm to 2:30pm, but in the CPSP it is only for one hour.
— Any employee can be removed from his service without any reason whatsoever. In one year, hundreds of employees have been axed without being told the reason.
— It is worth mentioning that spending millions of rupees on face-lifting of a building or buying branded PCs for data entry does not necessarily increase the quality/standard of education or examination. But of course these are very lucrative.
— Software on a statistical package for social sciences is being copied illegally in the thousands, violating copyright rules, and distributed among participants of a workshop, possibly to justify an enhanced workshop fee.
It is recommended that audit be conducted by a firm of repute before it is too late.
TARIQ WAQAR
Karachi
ON Sept 17, a gentleman of repute and a loving friend of 68 years died peacefully in Canada where he had gone to see his three children, who had migrated to the US for “greener pastures”. The great “dollar-divide” had taken its toll. ‘Al’, as Ali Muhammad was popularly known, left his body with them but not his soul which shall remain in Pakistan.
I had known Al since 1935 when we were at St. Mary’s High School, Bombay. We separated in 1942 for our individual pursuits — he for his higher education in the US and I for my Army service. When in the US he was a friend and a contemporary of such stalwarts as Kamal Farooqui, Z. A. Bhutto and Omar Kureishi.
We then met in post-partition Karachi in 1950 when, to my pleasant surprise, I found that Al had married Zubeida Dossal, the sister of my first commanding officer and mentor in Pakistan, Brig (then Maj) Hamid Hajeebhoy (retired). Al was a quiet and unassuming man with a perpetual smile on his face and a warm infectious personality which endeared him to everyone he came across.
His modest home in Lodge Street, Defence, was a second home to us and its perennially open gate was reflective of his open hospitality. I recall nostalgically his unabashed invitation to an exclusive dal-chawal and papar lunch on occasional Fridays which was typical of our common Gujrati tradition.
Apart from his other qualities, Al was a dedicated and outstanding professional who could truly be described as a compulsive workaholic. He would often sit up late after midnight to complete his official assignments, regardless of his domestic or social engagements.
Al was his own man, sincere, humble and kind-hearted, a friend in need and a friend indeed.
His wife of over 50 years, Zubeida Dossal (at present a member of the governing body of Habib Public Schools), an accomplished educationist, author and welfare worker, lent lustre to this gem of a husband and it will be painful to imagine this lovable tandem so tragically split in two. But Zubeida’s courage will certainly prevail over this adversity.
For me personally it is the end of an era of 77 years. This reminds me of a poem we learnt together:
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints in the sands of time.
LT-COL (R) SALIM MARUF SAYED
Karachi
THE proposed tenure track system for university professors is based on certain assumptions whose validity requires scruitny, otherwise we would be headed for a two-cadre based reform effort undertaken for the CBR to no avail.
The first assumption is that all current faculty are dead wood when actually there may be several embedded gems who, if ferreted out, could actually bring about meaningful reforms.
The second assumption is that teaching calibre is directly proportional to the emoluments demanded in six figures. And those who settle down for teaching at anything less than a six-figure salary are not good enough when teaching capability is more a matter of commitment and intrinsic drive rather than pecuniary considerations blown out of proportions but held in high esteem by the current policymakers.
The third assumption is that faculty is all that it takes to turn a university around when any organizational turnaround is also a function of the quality of management, administration, values, culture, decision-making and the thought process, as all of them and many more variables determine the quality of an organization.
So, if we want world-class universities, all the other determinants should also be world-class without which even the world-class faculty, if retained, will lose its class on a turf ill-equipped to compete internationally for a number of reasons. And, must international competitiveness be an end in itself, or should the goal of education be to satisfy the nation’s needs and wants first and foremost which, if done well, could ensure international recognition that is meaningful only if there is utility in it for domestic purposes?
DR MAHNAZ FATIMA
Karachi
INDIAN confidence-building measures (CBMs) are an effort to hoodwink world opinion and nothing more. Pakistan has given a correct and calculated response. We have already travelled an extra mile but we should not go beyond that. India right from the beginning is working on the assumption that delaying tactics will put the Kashmir issue on the back burner and the issue will eventually be forgotten.
The above-mentioned assumption is self-deceiving and history does not support this view. No colonial power can stay in its colony forever. Indian occupation of Kashmir is no exception. India will have to vacate Jammu and Kashmir some day. This is the verdict of history.
However, as long as possible India would like to retain its hold on Kashmir. Once there is no option but to pack up and go, India will try to ensure that such legacies and rivalries are left behind which should keep the liberated land divided in bitter conflicts. Clandestinely, India has already embarked upon this venture to create dissensions and cracks in the ranks of Kashmiri freedom-fighters as well as their political leadership.
It is this aspect which the people of Kashmir and Pakistan have to keep in mind. They should ensure that their struggle for freedom remains unified, both now and after the withdrawal of Indian forces.
SYED IFTIKHAR AHMED
Karachi
THE news of the bomb explosion at a residential complex in Riyadh in the early hours of Sunday shocked all of us as, according to reports, most of the victims were women and children.
Acts of terrorism are not allowed in Islam. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) has prohibited killing of women and children even during wars. The elements behind this act are not helping the Muslims in any way. They have rather caused more tribulations to the Muslims around the world. Their activities are also destabilizing the Muslim countries economically, socially and politically.
This act of terrorism should be condemned at all forums. It is also suggested to all governments and the UN to chalk out a strategy to fight terrorism by eliminating the circumstances that lead to such evil acts.
HARIS AHMED KAYANI
Tanajib, Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia
THIS refers to the new item that says The Washington Post has claimed that Quetta has become the new headquarters of the Taliban, and the next day our embassy in the US issued a denial.
I think it is time now to acknowledge and say we do have Taliban-style people and their sympathizers in the millions in every part of the country, and that it is not possible that all of them can be rounded up.
However, we are seeking improvement in the situation by making suitable changes in the madressah educational system which, of course, will take quite some time.
Does it require any kind of reminder to know that all the countries in the world have all sorts of people, including extremists? The Washington Post ought to know that the 9/11 incidents happened in America and we are suffering for being at the receiving end, for nothing.
Z. A. KAZMI
Karachi
PLEASE refer to the news item “Pensioners’ dues” (Oct 7) in which the Sindh chief secretary has asked the authorities to dispose of cases of the retired employees without delay and pay them their outstanding dues.
In this connection, I draw the attention of the relevant authorities to the deprivation of the retired SDOs, Sindh irrigation department, of their legitimate dues. These SDOs were declared gazetted officers in class II pay-scale, according to the West Pakistan governor’s notification (No. 14/64/ESH-1/63 of 27-01-1964), but this notification was kept inoperative for over six years and was arbitrarily allowed with effect from 28-05-1970 (interim action) vide notification No. 17/41/80 (iii) E 66 A of 28-05-1970.
This process continued in instalments/batches, consuming 20 years to finalize vide the last notification No. 01-35/70-VII dated 9-07-1984. It was expected that on finalization of this process a revised notification effective 27-01-1964 would be issued by the irrigation department to cover the affected SDOs but the department has so far failed to issue any revised notification to clear their dues.
Several SDOs have died and their families are facing severe hardship, drawing a meagre pension. Action against those responsible for this wilful delay should be taken.
BASHARAT ALI
Karachi
THIS refers to a letter (Oct 30) which says that cortisone is being used in various toothpaste brands.
The ministry of health must check the laboratory report of all the brands of toothpaste and publish its findings in newspapers so that everybody could know about the quality of the product they use.
Arrangements must be made to check every batch by the drug inspectors in this respect and their findings should be kept on record as it is an alarming situation and deserve most immediate action.
S. SUBHAN BAKHSH
Karachi
WHAT can one expect from over 1,000 non-professional serving or retired armed forces officers posted in various government or semi-government organizations? If they had tried for these posts as civilians, they would have known their capabilities.
Gone are the days when heads of department would step down on failing to discharge their duties. Now in spite of events like the Tasman Spirit, disaster, they do not resign.
The tendency to seek appointments out of the army circle is on the increase, which must be checked forthwith.
ASHGAR KHAN
Karachi
I WAS glad to read in your issue of Nov 1 that “about 250 men and women having postgraduate degrees have volunteered their services to the city government, Karachi, to teach the first year students of newly-established public sector colleges in the city”.
It transpires that in view of the continued shortage of teachers, the government appealed to qualified and willing persons to render their services for teaching assignments, for instance, at the city colleges made functional this year. Those selected will serve honorarily and will be awarded only certificates of appreciation and experience. These volunteers will be called upon to teach in far-flung institutions of the metropolis.
Approximately, 1200 lecturers are estimated to be required for teaching different subjects at the government colleges, in addition to the 22 colleges established by the city government during the last two years.
Your editorial of Sept 14 on school problems is relevant in this connection wherein you have rightly pointed out that the Sindh education department’s plan to recruit 750 teachers on an ad hoc basis for some 3,700 non-functional schools is a short-term solution to a problem calling for a long-term strategy. In the past, directors of education were competent to recruit teachers/ lecturers on ad hoc terms subject to their approval by the Sindh Public Service Commission so that the process of education was not interrupted. The practice was called off for reasons best known to the relevant authorities.
I have been trying for some time to impress on the Sindh education department, verbally and through the print media, the need for mobilizing a workforce/reserve pool of able and willing retired persons and educationists to fill the gap by taking up teaching assignments in schools and colleges nearest to their places of residence. They may be given stipends or provided with the pick-and-drop facility. As soon as the selectees of the SPSC join these institutions, the stop-gap teachers can go back to their homes or absorbed elsewhere, if need be.
I also discussed this proposal with two secretaries of education who endorsed the idea but, unfortunately, lacked the will to put it into practice. Even my voluntary services based on my experience as a civil servant, educationist and journalist, could not be availed of.
However, I believe that there are many like me who would like to join hands with the government in promoting education. It is, therefore, good to know that the city government has initiated action with the expected encouraging response from qualified and experienced people.
MOHAMMAD ALEEM SHAIKH
Karachi
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