| November 24, 2003 | Monday | Ramazan 28, 1424 |
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Increasing suicides
First things first, please
Geneva plan for Holy Land
Victims of war on terrorism
Wheat price
Saarc as a new force
Checking pollution
MNAs’ salaries
Debate on honour killings
PIA’s turnaround
THE recent policy of banning three renamed religious organizations, and the underlying rationale behind this step, is wrong or at least more prone to failure in the medium and long run.
President Gen Pervez Musharraf understands and has stated on numerous occasions that the extremist elements are a product of political, social and economic deprivation and alienation. These causes of religious extremism require a policy of inclusion of these groups into the mainstream politics rather than the government’s current policy which has further alienated them.
However, the government, I venture to think, is more concerned about the short-term and “seeing-to-be-doing-something” policy to please America. By doing so, it is not doing any favour to the American and the Pakistani populace. By banning the religious organizations, the government will only be able to push them underground and turn them into criminals who would have no outlet through which to vent their frustrations except, perhaps, through more crimes.
By allowing the religious organizations to freely and legally be a part of our polity and by permitting them to adopt legal means to achieve their objectives, the rationale for the use of violence will be removed or at least will be diminished. The government will have to be more subtle in dealing with this complex problem than it has so far been.
The religious organizations have certain aspirations emanating from their views of the world. Those may be wrong, but in order to change their minds, these groups must be engaged in a dialogue. Crude measures such as banning them would not solve anything. The government’s policy should aim at encouraging a dialogue and the use of legal methods, as well as at discouraging the use of violence.
By using power to silence the religious organizations, the government can indirectly be accused of forcing the religious organizations to resort to violence. This is understood by President Musharraf. The fact that the policy of the state is at a variance with his views is yet another indication of the failure to convert ideas into action.
I may as well cite the example of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The British government had to engage in a dialogue with Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, in order to achieve an accord which has put Northern Ireland on the road to peace. Were the British government to ban Sinn Fein, we could still be seeing the use of violence by the IRA. By agreeing to listen and understand the IRA through its political wing, the British government encouraged the use of political means, while at the same time discouraging the use of violence. The Pakistan government should learn from this.
ADIL SALEEM KHAN
Via email
YOUR editorial “Increasing suicides” (Nov 9) discusses a very important issue but lacks real understanding of the phenomenon of suicide. Your comment that providing jobs will contain suicides is a simplistic view of the problem.
Suicide is a menace that affects the population of the whole world, but more so the industrialized nations. Japan leads the list. In the US there are about 12 suicides per 100,000 people each year. The causes of suicide are complex. More than 50 per cent have major mental illness such as depression and schizophrenia.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the individuals between 18 and 24 years of age. It is almost double in the elderly compared to the 18-24 age group. In the past 20 years, the rate of suicide in the US has remained the same. Though there has been great progress in finding new drugs to treat depression and schizophrenia, there are also more efficient suicide prevention services. In addition, the standard of living has gone up considerably in the past two decades. But all these factors have not changed the rate of suicide.
The population of Pakistan is 1/10 of the total population of South Asia, but it had 3,000 suicides last year, which is only three per cent of the total suicide in South Asia. That means Pakistan has a lower suicide rate among the nations in South Asia. There are more than eight million people in Pakistan that are unemployed. Why only 3,000 out of eight million will choose to commit suicide? Suicide is an irrational act and there could be no rational reason for it.
Individuals that commit suicide are in a state of mind when they are angry, depressed, or severely psychotic. At the time of suicide they somehow believe that by their action they can change the behaviour of others. Some individuals who have somehow miraculously survived a determined suicide attempt are embarrassed by their action and are happy that they are alive. They are not angry with the help giver for saving their lives.
As Pakistan is trying to catch up with the industrialized world, it will bring prosperity and better life for the majority of people, but unfortunately it will also cause stress for some individuals leading to depression and suicide as it is happening in China. The per capita income in China has gone up from $300 two decades ago to over $2,000 now. But the number of suicides continues to be on the rise, particularly in women. This is the price we have to pay for industrialization and prosperity.
SAYED SHAH JEHAN
Wichita, Kansas, USA
WE are constantly caught up in the thick of things. Putting first things first is an enigma and almost all of us feel torn by the things we want to do, by the demands placed on us and by the many responsibilities we have. Our struggle to put the first things first comes when there is a contrast between our commitments, schedules and activities and our mission, values, principles, vision, conscience and direction. The difficulty arises when what we do does not contribute to what is most important.
This has conspicuously been brought out by the three articles appearing in Dawn on the same day (Nov 17), “Balancing peace moves, not arms” by Senator Farhatullah Babar, “Starting with CBMs” by General Talat Masood and “Learning from Korea” by Sirajuddin Aziz pinpoint the areas of our political, strategic and economic priorities and what is amiss.
Anything that is less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant. The real problem is when we sow one thing and expect to reap something entirely different. Many of our fundamental paradigms that grow out of this habit will never produce the results we expect they will.
FAQIR AHMED PARACHA
Peshawar
Millions of copies of Geneva Plan for the Holy Land were mailed to the Israeli and Palestinian public and the entire document was published in the newspapers in the region so as to be available to them on Nov 16. The driving force behind the plan was the combined experience of the former Israeli minister of justice Yossi Beilin and three Palestinian ministers of the present Palestinian cabinet. Its main points were mentioned in the news over the BBC TV. They were also referred to in some earlier discussions on TV. They are:
— Return of Israel to the borders before the six-day war of 1967.
— Vacation by Israel of all Israeli settlements subsequent to the 1967 war in Gaza and West Bank territories and handing them over to the Palestinian Authority for the settlement of returning refugees.
— Jerusalem to be the capital of both neighbouring countries and its division would be in accordance with the position held before the six-day war of 1967 and the control of Holy sites of all three religions would be according to historical agreements in force during the Ottoman Empire.
— Surrender of the right of return to their ancestral homes in Israel of Palestinians driven out by the Zionist occupation force in 1948 and living as refugees in countries all over the world for over half a century.
No Palestinian or Arab leader or anyone in the entire Muslim world can ever dare agree to the last condition of the plan as a basic human right cannot be surrendered collectively, specially when deprived of it by force of war. However, taking into account the site conditions and the half-a-century of bloodshed (as predicted by Pakistan’s representative in the UN at the time of it resolution in 1948), the issue can be settled with the condition that every individual Palestinian refugee with his ancestral home in Israel could give up the right of return in an agreement with Israeli government in exchange of compensation when he would acquire automatic right to settle in Palestine or the US.
In reality, the Holy Land does not need walls but bridges”, history has shown that best security device between nations is peaceable neighbour and not Bar-Lerhine of Israel and Berlin Wall, Maginot and Siegfried lines of Europe which have disappeared from the maps.
Israel must compensate Palestinian people and government for the destruction of lives and property by the Israeli governments after the Oslo accords.
H. A. HAJI Karachi
THE bombings at the Turkish headquarters of London-based bank HSBC and the British consulate in Istanbul has once again wreaked havoc in Turkey. The war against “terrorism” has left several nations in turmoil just because they are siding with the United States and Britain.
It is very sad that innocent people are dying in this war which has failed to achieve its objective, i.e. curbing terrorism. Governments remain unaffected and it is civilians who are paying the price for the policies of the US and its allies.
Since Sept 11, there have been casualties all over the world because of the US-led “war on terror” and its attempts to search for Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. US President George W. Bush is dividing the world by pressuring nations that either they are with the US or against it.
I call upon President Musharraf to think twice before choosing Pakistan’s allies because history has shown us that our western ally is following a policy of double standards and we cannot afford to bring this war on terrorism on our soil. We have faced enough of it in the past.
FRAYAN MAMA
Karachi
THE recent increase in the support price of wheat is a step in the right direction. It is a bold decision, taken at the right time. It will go a long way in increasing the acreage of wheat-sowing and production.
Two more things should now be done. First, the regional variations in the prices of fertilizers should be removed by adopting a system of uniform prices throughout Pakistan. This can easily be done by following the precedent of petroleum products. All that the government has to do is to check the monopoly of the mafia of fertilizer importers.
Secondly, the provincial governments should streamline the system of purchase of wheat by their food departments. This can be done by taking notice of corruption in these provincial departments and by discouraging the purchase of wheat through middlemen.
SYED MOHSIN RIZVI
Lahore
THIS has reference to the op-ed “Saarc as a new force” by Sultan Ahmed.
The article has very accurately analysed the situation in relation to Indo-Pakistan problems. It is important that forward-looking people in Pakistan assert their influence in directing political and economic efforts towards upliftment of the common man in Pakistan (and India).
It has been clearly proved that technology, better human resources and better management are far greater a force in generating wealth and happiness than a large territory. Therefore, it is important to manage the dispute over the territory of Kashmir, without investing huge amounts and efforts in army hardware and personnel. It is better to spend some of those resources on science and technology and education.
For long Pakistan has focused on religion as the sole factor to decide its social, economic and political life. As a result, it allowed religious fanatics to guide its destiny. It deprived the masses of modern education, including science and technology. The military dictatorships and lack of democracy further hurt its progress.
Democracy, howsoever defective, is a guarantee for progress. Indian democracy is a good example. Sure, it has problems but at some stage the common people get a chance to dictate and force politicians to work for their welfare. A democratic country with corrupt politicians is better than a military dictatorship. One can defeat corrupt politicians in election and send a message for future but cannot defeat a military dictatorship.
It is good to learn from history but not get stuck in history. Many in Pakistan are stuck in the mediaeval period when Islam ruled the whole of the Indian subcontinent. They have to accept that India is a big country. It is futile to waste your resources to make it look militarily equal. The key is to manage your resources in a way that you can raise the standard of living of average Pakistani.
RAVI SERU
Vancouver, BC,
Canada
POLLUTION is one of the major problems of Karachi and has been making the city dirtier day by day.
Unfortunately, no one has so far paid attention to this serious problem which is not only affecting the public health but also spoiling the beauty of the city. One can see heaps of garbage on almost every street and road. As if this was not enough, many of the city municipal staff are seen setting heaps of garbage on fire in both residential and commercial areas, instead of removing them to far-flung areas, thus causing air pollution.
I request the city nazim and other relevant authorities to take such steps as will check all kinds of pollution and ensure a clean environment in the city.
ZUBIA USMAN
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr M. S. Shaikh’s letter (Nov 19) regarding the recent increase in the salaries of the MNAs. The question is: why was the increase in the salaries and perks of the lawmakers not discussed in the parliament?
The president and the prime minister have no powers to take unilateral decisions of any financial or administrative nature unless they are debated, discussed and decided in the parliament.
TAJ MUHAMMAD
Karachi
THIS refers to Ms Fauzia Wahab’s letter “Disallowing debate on honour killings” (Nov 17).
The question arises: why do the members of first graduate assemblies (particularly women) are not taking up the issue of honour killings? Are they frightened of influential groups?
The fact is that merely being graduate does not make a lawmaker enlightened, specially in a country where the standard of education is miserably poor and the books that our taught in educational institutions — from a primary school to a university — are by and large outdated and have been distorted to the extent that do not produce intellects that our country needs badly. Most of the MNAs and MPAs are the product of the feudal society that we live in and cannot, therefore, be expected to make laws that may weaken their hold on society.
Women will continue to suffer from menaces such as honour killing unless they strive to make their presence felt in the National and provincial assemblies by making laws to check women’s abuse which is so rampant in our society.
MUKESH KUMAR
Jamshoro
The present management of PIA can take credit for some concrete improvements, but it is an exaggeration to claim that PIA has been turned around. The airline has a loyal clientele of ethnic Pakistanis who desire to travel on PIA, in spite of being mishandled frequently. This group of loyal Pakistani-origin expatriates and workers belong mainly to lower middle class and hail from rural areas or small towns of our country. This is the bulk of PIA’s passenger profile.
Foreigners comprise hardly 0.25 per cent of the PIA’s passenger revenue market. There are no marketing skills involved in retaining this clientele. All that PIA has to do is to provide these loyal passengers, a one-window operation for the purchase of tickets with confirmed seats.
The airline management owes it to passengers travelling to Gulf and Middle East to charge fares comparable to what it charges from passengers travelling to the US, the UK, Canada and other destinations in Europe. However, the fact is that while the Gulf and Middle East sectors are high-yield and comprise over 45 per cent of PIA’s net revenue, the airline operates its most outdated fleet on these sectors and its meal uplift is inferior to that provided to passengers on West-bound flights. The baggage allowance is also less than that given to low-yield trans-Atlantic passengers. With the exception of Manchester, there is hardly a station in Europe or USA/Canada which generates revenues comparable to those generated by the Gulf and Mideast region.
In most cases the PIA passenger is only interested in flight schedules that are more convenient and affordable. He does not bother whether he is travelling in the latest Boeing 777 or Boeing 747-300, nor does it matter to him whether the engines are Pratt and Whitney or Rolls Royce. All he wants is an efficient booking and reservation system, courteous service, clean toilets and seats that recline and have comfortable leg space.
In fact, the more digitalized the seat reclining and passenger entertainment system, the more uncomfortable she/he will feel. PIA has to provide passengers with basic amenities and comforts that suit its passenger profile. The management has to terminate all contracts and travel agencies owned by serving or retired employees and their family members. There should be no exceptions or waivers granted, nor should the chairman or the MD have such wide ranging discretionary powers as to make any exceptions. There is no other cure but to strictly enforce discipline in the management and ensure that nobody has a conflict of interest.
Human resources can only develop if persons with the best of qualifications are hired or promoted to senior management cadre. It is beyond capability of simple graduates or retired officers of our uniformed bureaucracy to deliver. They will only maintain the status quo and make superficial changes that may sound good on paper, but will never bring radical changes. PIA needs honest professionals who can deliver, instead of sycophants who thrive on pledging loyalty to whosoever is in power.
PIA’s liabilities have gone up by over $2 billion with its fleet replacement plan. It has to generate more revenues to pay back instalments and interest on debts acquired. Any further changes in the fleet should be put on hold till such time as all prevailing liabilities are settled.
PERVAIZ SHEIKH
Karachi
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