| November 17, 2003 | Monday | Ramazan 21, 1424 |
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Promoting information technology
Steps to revive economy
Madressah education
Tax evaders in tobacco industry
Dental health issue
College short of teachers
Telephone complaints
Profiteering in Ramazan
Shocking
Cuts in NSS profits
Plantation of date trees
Film on Zia’s Islamization
‘The raging fire that was’
A MEMBER of the treasury benches moved a resolution in the National Assembly against karo-kari (honour killings) on Nov 10, which incidentally happened to be the penultimate day of the parliamentary year. It was placed on number 12 in the list of agenda of the day’s business. Gauging the sensitivity of the issue, the member had personally ensured that his resolution was placed before the house for discussion.
On the given date, items of the house business were called out one after one, but before resolution No. 12 was about to be called, the Speaker suddenly took up some irrelevant call-attention notice. At first, the member thought that this must be an inadvertent mistake and duly reminded the Speaker of the schedule. The Speaker ignored him. He protested, but his pleading fell on deaf ears and his voice was quashed.
After the session was adjourned, the member asked the Speaker as to why his item had been ignored. The Speaker apologized and assured him that the resolution would be taken up on the Private Member’s Day. In the meantime, the member again met the lady members of the Assembly and urged them to participate in the forthcoming debate. They all assured him of their support.
On the Private Member’s Day, the member after waiting for the microphone realized that the Speaker is deliberately overlooking him and that he has no intention of handing over the microphone to him. He announced his boycott and departed from the hall while the lady members rushed to him and brought him back. On the pressure of the lady members, he was finally given the microphone. He made a compassionate speech on honour killings, how this custom is exploited by society, that it is in contradiction with the spirit of Islam and that no leniency be shown in punishing the culprits. In response to his speech, only one woman rose in support of the resolution, while the rest, unfortunately, remained quiet.
After the session, the member was called in the chamber of the Speaker, where he found to his surprise other members of the treasury benches, with whom he had rarely interacted.
Without mincing words, they bluntly told him to take back the resolution and not to take up this issue again. They told him that “they are first a Pathan” than anything else and that they are there to safeguard their traditions and customs and would not allow anybody to disturb “their centuries-old customs”.
The above-mentioned incident exposes the military regime’s claim that they are liberal and in control. In 1997 PPP Senator Iqbal Haider had also tried to move a similar resolution in the house but failed.
FAUZIA WAHAB
PPP MNA,
Karachi
THIS has reference to Mr Arif Ayub’s letter “Software firm in Pakistan” (Nov 9). I would like to emphasize that we should adopt a realistic approach based on our own national resources and regional needs. Unless this is done, no meaningful IT development, including software, can take place.
Despite all the claims by our information technology officials, including the minister, IT in Pakistan has not been able to take off at the grassroots’ level where it is needed most. It has also not been able stop the inevitable widening of the digital divide. Building of a knowledge-based economy, as proclaimed by government officials, seems a far cry unless a miracle happens. Some points that need to be pondered by us are:
— Why is Pakistan at the lowest ebb of the human development index, even below countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and India?
— Why is IT diffusion in the country one of the lowest in the region, if not the world, despite big money being spent in the name of IT? If the government has any study that gives a better picture of its e-readiness, it should be made public and open to debate.
— Why do government organizations still have rules that do not permit private-public partnership despite the announcements being made in the press every day by government functionaries and ministers?
— Why is Pakistan alarmingly unrepresentated at major international information technology forums? The absence of government representatives from all major preparatory events of the World Summit Information Society and their ignorance and inability to hold national consultation is very disappointing. On the contrary, India and Bangladesh have held several such events.
— Eighty per cent people live in villages, where the government is not interested in facilitating projects. Why hasn’t the ministry of science and technology responded to the many proposals that have been sent to it?
— Why has no objective evaluation of the performance of the ministry of science and technology, led by Prof (Dr) Attaur Rahman, been made and its results announced for public use?
Readers who have knowledge about this situation are invited to send their observations, suggestions and criticisms. Government officials, particularly the minister for information technology, is requested to let us have his views.
AFTAB MOHAMMAD KHAN
Karachi
IN HIS article “Poverty and progress” (Nov 6), Mr Sultan Ahmad has made the following points for revival of the economy:
We need a five or seven-year investment policy that should reward big investors in this period. This can be done through tax remissions, wherever possible, and duty remission on machinery to be imported for such investment.
There is much money in the country. Banks are full of it, with few productive and credible borrowers. Home remittances come to about three billion dollars a year while the balance of payments shows a surplus of $4.6 billion. The government should come up with a strategy to use such vast funds, keeping in view that fact that the agriculture, industry and service sectors need such capital investment and the public is also ready to buy shares of credible sponsors in these fields.
The government should immediately announce a strategy to deal with the shortage of cotton production this year and delay in the start of cane crushing by the mill owners.
The government must improve the law and order situation if the country is to grow economically.
The government must utilize the excess money available with the banks and the national savings directorate by borrowing from them and developing infrastructure like dams, canals, roads, rails, power and gas generation.
At present there are more than 50 departments like income tax, sales tax, central excise, provincial excise, labour department and the EOBI dealing with industrial and business houses. They should be reduced to two or three or at the maximum to five.
Prices of major industrial inputs like electricity, gas and furnace oil be reduced to enable industries to compete with the world in lowering manufacturing costs.
As the private sector is reluctant to establish new industries, the government should do this job. The government should specially turn its attention to the industries processing agricultural produce.
LATIF AHMAD QURESHI
Lahore
SITTING in a mosque in Karachi, I happened to meet a student who is studying in the madressah attached to the mosque. When I asked him where he was from, he told me he hailed from Bajaur Agency. I got curious and asked him why he was not studying there as there were hundreds of madressahs in Bajaur Agency. He replied that he was in Karachi because his maternal uncle was teaching in the city.
I soon found out that instead of their own towns, parents get their children enrolled in madressahs in far-flung cities of the country. This is something like a “student exchange” programme. Students from Karachi are sent to Bajaur Agency, Abbottabad, Mansehra, etc. This is going on all over the country.
This practice, however, is harmful to such children as they are mostly taught outdated syllabi at these madressahs which promote religious extremism. If this were not the case, we would not have so many sectarian groups and religious intolerance.
If a law is enacted that students can attend their local madressahs only, the problem of religious extremism will be tackled, and students will be under the watchful eyes of their parents.
Instead of giving Zakat to the madressahs, the parents can be given the money directly, from which they can meet the educational expenses of their children.
I appeal to the people of my country to open their eyes and do something positive so that we could progress and live with honour.
IBRAHIM SUTTAR
Karachi
THIS is with reference to a recent news report on tax evasion in the tobacco industry. Pakistan has always been a haven for tax evaders. And the sad but true fact is that as always nothing much is being done to address this issue.
For once if we start taking the issue of taxation seriously, it will not only support our flagging economy but also help remove illegal products from our markets. It is the responsibility of the government towards its citizens to enforce laws to ensure that legal businesses thrive and provide more taxes to the national exchequer and better employment to the people.
Some time ago there was some action taken against counterfeiters and tax-evading companies in the tobacco industry but soon they were back in the business. I believe the government should ensure that the work carried out by the customs and excise people does not go to waste and the legal system works to effectively shut down these businesses.
The government’s apathy only points towards the fact that maybe corruption is in the movers and shakers’ echelon, and the departments concerned are afraid to put any pressure. If this is the case, all accountability claims made by the government are null and void.
NAJAM-UZ-ZAFAR
Islamabad
THIS refers to the letter by Dr Shariq A. Lashari (Oct 30). He deserves our gratitude for highlighting the hazards of cortisone in a product like toothpaste.
I was expecting that the government departments would take some measures to control this abuse to save the consumers. To my knowledge none has taken any step to save us from these exploitative forces out to destroy our health and well-being. I am equally concerned about the way these toothpaste brands are being advertised on TV.
I would appreciate if you see the values of ethics, morals and morality being torn apart where dentists have been used to betray the innocent population of the country.
It is time the relevant authorities woke up and carried out their duties to ensure better public health.
DR FAROOQ NAWAZ KHAN
Karachi
I WOULD to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to the lack of teachers in the Government College for Women, Pindi Gheb, which is the only college for women in the area.
The college is short of teachers. There are only 15 teachers for about 800 students of the college, who teach subjects related to only social sciences. As no one has been appointed for teaching science subjects, the students suffer greatly.
I have done my intermediate in science from the college by taking tuition for the compulsory subjects. Although I have passed my examinations, I could not qualify for admission to any good college in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The government is requested to appoint more teachers, including science teachers, at the college, so that the students could acquire better education.
TABINDA AFZAL
Pindi Gheb
MY telephone (No. 6698568) has been dead for many days despite several complaints lodged at 0800-44544. The list of the complaint numbers is given below:
Complaint Complaint
numbers dates
602935 29-10-03
610232 30-10-03
611864 31-10-03
612860 01-11-03
406 03-11-03
2033 04-11-03
4218 05-11-03
4950 06-11-03
7539 07-11-03
10253 10-11-03
SHAH REHMAN
Karachi
ALTHOUGH the month of fasting is on way out, there’s no let-up on the part of the profiteers to squeeze out the last penny from the buyers. Fruits, vegetables and other items are out of the reach of the poor.
A few days back I went to market to buy some fruits for Iftar but could buy a melon only. Being a poor government employee I could not afford to buy banana etc. It appears the administration has no control over the prices of Ramazan items. However, I appreciate the initiatives of the city nazim on the issue of meat prices.
GHULAM NABI MAQBOOL
AHMED
Karachi
WHAT I saw on a TV channel based in Gulf on Oct 29 (in the evening), was pathetic and awful. Two political dwarfs, whose names appear in the papers quite often, humiliated Pakistan by their behaviour and diatribe. I wish the moderator, an experienced and mature person, had turned the cameras off.
KHAN A. SHAMSHAD
Karachi
IN his letter (Nov 2), Mr Wajih Usmani has successfully highlighted the agonizing and devastating effects of successive cuts in the rates of profit on the national savings schemes on old and retired people of the middle class. These people have already been hit hard by the alarmingly rising cost of living. It is becoming well-nigh impossible for them to subsist and make both ends meet.
If no relief is given immediately by restoring the previous rates of profit and by removing the hanging sword of the withholding tax, the plight of the elderly from this class will aggravate.
JAMIL RAHMAN
Karachi
THE Karachi nazim has made an experiment by planting mature date trees on Sharea Faisal and around the Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum. It is incomprehensible how this idea of planting date trees without keeping in view its purpose came to the mind of the nazim. The investment has no return in kind.
Karachi’s weather/climate is not suitable for such plantation. It is only the area from Multan to Khairpur that suits date trees. It would have been better if these funds had been used for opening new primary schools in Karachi.
I hope the nizam will judiciously spend public funds on future projects.
TAJ MUHAMMAD
Karachi
WRITING in the Guardian last week about the London Film Festival, David Rose mentions Sabiha Sumar’s film Silent Waters which deals with Gen Zia’s Islamization of her native Pakistan in the late 1970s, and the consequent subjugation of women and culture. “As good Muslims we weren’t supposed to be dancing or singing or drinking alcohol,” says Sumar.
Shall we get to see this film in Pakistan, perhaps in the next Kara Film Festival?
ASAD SIDDIQI
Lahore
THIS refers to the article by Anwar Mooraj, titled “The raging fire that was” (Nov 10).
It was a pleasant surprise to read a Pakistani for once writing candidly and even sympathetically about a great social and political movement in India, i.e. the Naxalites, which took the Nehruvian bureaucracy by storm during the ‘60s and the ‘70s.
Under Charu Mazumdar, the Naxalites grew from a small, mostly peasant-led uprising to a mass movement that even roused students from such prestigious elite institutions like St. Stephen’s and Presidency College to move away from meaningless and impractical bourgeois education to lead the revolution in the villages where peasants had begun seizing lands from landlords who had oppressed them for centuries. For about 20 years the dream that perhaps centuries of caste prejudice and injustice perpetrated by the Congress-Brahmin Raj would forever end in this great country of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh seemed both realistic and possible.
The Naxalites, however, could not hold on to their gains for various reasons — first, they failed to coordinate the peasant-led struggle with that of the industrial worker in Calcutta, Mumbai and Delhi, which led to lack of empathy among the latter with the former; secondly, the CPI and the CPI (M) under Jyoti Basu (in West Bengal) let it down by abandoning the struggle and later joining the government and, lastly, lack of direction after the state-led assassinations of Charu Mazumdar, Jauhar and Ashim Chatterjee. Moreover, the abandonment of socialism in the Soviet Union after Stalin’s death led to the Naxalites splitting up into various factions.
However, the Naxalite movement, led by the CPI (Marxist-Leninist), is still alive in Andhra Pradesh, Naxalbari, West Bengal and Bihar. The Naxalites have also inspired Marxist-Leninist resistance struggles in many parts of the world, including Pakistan where a peasant uprising, led by the Mazdoor Kissan Party, seized land from the feudals of Hashtnagar (in the NWFP) in the 1970s and are still holding firm; in Nepal the CPN (M) is in control of one-third of the countryside; and in Colombia and Peru the FARC-EP and the Communist Party of Peru, respectively, have held their own against corrupt oligarchies.
What students of politics and revolution need to understand most urgently is that the continuing presence of the Naxalites in India and similar Marxist, anti-imperialist organizations elsewhere prove that the tenets of Marxism remain relevant as long as the issues of poverty, exploitation and injustice remain to trouble our consciences in the onward march of history.
RAZA NAEEM
Lahore
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