| December 18, 2003 | Thursday | Shawwal 23, 1424 |
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President’s water policy
Condition of cricket stadiums
Saddam’s capture
Minister’s remarks about Benazir
Scarcity of 100-rupee notes
Cut in profit on savings schemes
Dilapidated roads
Strategic imbalance
What people should do
Politics of oil all the way
National game
THIS refers to the news report “PML workers to have quota in govt jobs” (Dec 5).
The unemployed are suggested to immediately join the ruling faction of the Pakistan Muslim League as the Sindh chief minister has announced that the party workers will be given a quota in jobs and remission in school and college fees.
Naturally, the bounty will be passed on all the allies in power with the PML (including those who have been agitating against the Quota system). If quota on the urban-rural basis was wrong, how this new quota system will be justified. Will those parties (opposed to the quota system) show the moral courage to refuse to avail themselves of this opportunity?
It will not be out of place to mention that one of the allegations on which the PPP governments were dissolved was that they gave jobs to their “jiyalas” without merit. I understand that one such reference is pending with NAB or some high court/Supreme Court in respect of jobs in PIA.
As matter of fact, merit has never been recognized in this country. I quote my own experience. In 1963, I was a position holder in BCom, had qualified part one of the banking diploma of the Institute of Bankers in Pakistan, and had an experience of more than three years in a small bank. I ran from pillar to post for a job in the commercial banks but to no avail. Eventually, I was successful in getting a nod from a director of a commercial bank as a probationary officer. My qualifications of banking diploma and experience were not recognized as, when I joined, I saw simple arts/science graduates (who did not know ABC of banking) were taken on the same footing as I, though I could have been useful to the bank earlier than those.
Such has been the plight of every job-seeker since our country came into being. It is not the crime which is condemnable, but the person who commits it. So, while the PPP stands condemned, the PML and it allies stand exonerated for committing the same crime.
ZAFARUL HAQ MEMON
Karachi
PAKISTANIS who believe in a merit-based system were disappointed and shocked when the chief minister of Sindh recently declared that the workers of the PML, the ruling party in the province, would a quota in government jobs.
What has shocked them more is the silence, over this announcement, of President Gen Pervez Musharraf who, while talking to an eight-member parliamentary delegation of the UK chapter representing the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association the other day in Islamabad, claimed that democracy had been restored fully in Pakistan.
The question is: does the president define democracy as a system in which merit is murdered and quotas in government jobs are given to those who belong to the ruling party?
This being the case, one is justified in holding the government responsible for making our most qualified people seek employment abroad.
MUHAMMAD FAROOQ
Karachi
IN his speech in Ghotki (“Dams must to end water shortage: Sindh to benefit most: president”, Dawn, Dec 14), President Musharraf declares that Sindh is getting more than what it “deserves” (“more than its ‘huq’”).
Clearly, Mr President is ignorant of the financial figures of his country’s budget. The figures available for the past five years show that while the province of Sindh contributes 66.3 per cent of the federal receipts, it receives 14 per cent of its contribution in return, thereby sourcing 91.4 per cent of the federal spending money.
On the other hand, Punjab contributes 24.4 per cent to the receipts and collects 94 per cent of it back, thereby sourcing 2.34 per cent to the total federal spending money.
Additionally, the majority of federal employment budget, as well as the defence and power projects budget, is diverted to Punjab.
Based on the above, one wonders if Sindh is really getting more than its “huq”, or someone has a very low opinion of Sindh? One also wonders if President Musharraf is ignorant or he is arrogant or both?
If Kalabagh Dam is to be built from Sindh’s money, the least the president could do is to listen to what the Sindhis are telling him: no dam, since Sindh does not get water past Kotri for nine out of 10 years. The concept of a dam that is supposed to be filled only from the overflow in one year of heavy rains out of 10 years is fallacious, particularly when most of the heavy rains in that one year fall downstream from the site of the dam.
SHAMS NAQVI
Richmond, CA, USA
WITH the amount of money the Pakistan Cricket Board has currently started making, one would expect that most of the stadiums in Pakistan would offer good facilities to the public. But, in fact, only the stadium in Multan is up to standard.
In other stadiums, most of the plastic seats are broken and people become wild, create troubles and damage property. The security guards do nothing to stop them. Also, the ticket says that no water or drinks are allowed to be bought into the stadium, but there is no one selling drinks inside the stadium.
Those aren’t the only problems. The tickets for different stands have different costs. But yet most of the stands that are much more expensive have only little bit better facilities than the ones that are not expensive. The difference in the facilities of different stands should be big especially when one costs much more then another.
The PCB is putting more costs on some stands but they don’t care about making the facilities in these stands better. Where does all the money from the selling of expensive tickets go?
The PCB has to make some drastic changes to its stadiums. They should replace all the old and broken plastic seats. Either they should allow the public to bring in their own water and drinks or sell water and drinks themselves in the stadiums.
Moreover, the PCB should put more facilities in more expensive stands. If the PCB continues to run its stadiums like it is at the moment, soon many people will not turn up to watch matches at the stadium.
SHAYAN ADAMJEE
Karachi
With reference to the letter by Mr Ghulam Muhammed from Mumbi (Dec 16), one could not disagree more when he equates Saddam’s humiliation with the humiliation of Arabs and Muslims. For those who are feeling sorry for Saddam, mention of his many “accomplishments” is in order:
1. In 1978, Saddam, as chief of the internal security/deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, ordered killing of 7,000 Iraqis, almost all Muslims, accusing them of being communists.
2. On July 22, 1979, Saddam starts a “cleansing” process which by Aug 1 rids Iraq of 450 “enemies of the state”, most of whom were union leaders, financiers, army officers, lawyers, judges, journalists, editors, professors, religious leaders and leaders of most of the smaller parties and ethnic groups.
3. His deadliest anti-Muslim accomplishment was to begin in 1980. On Sept 22, 1980, formations of Iraqi MiG-23s and MiG21s attacked 10 Iranian air bases. The eight years war casualty figures range between confirmed 800,000 to a potentially one-and-a-half million Muslims dead.
4. Gulf War I, 1991, 100,000 Iraqis dead. Foreign troops in Saudi Arabia.
5. Gulf War II, 2003, 10,000 Iraqi deaths. A nation destroyed.
These are the undeniable facts about Saddam Hussein. In his arrest if there is any shame for the Muslims, as Mr Ghulam Muhammed laments, it is that it was not the Muslims who put this Muslim killer away.
JAWAID SHAIKH
Chicago, USA
THIS is in response to the remarks of the information minister about Ms Benazir Bhutto’s present Indian visit. The remarks are totally based on malice and jealousy.
It is ironical that the information minister who was representing the elected government of Pakistan got a lukewarm reception in India. His statements there reinforced the already existing environment of mistrust between the two countries.
The warm welcome Indian authorities gave to Ms Bhutto’s visit is a clear indicator that they feel uncomfortable to talk with unelected dictators.
Ms Bhutto is a highly qualified person in the matters of politics and diplomacy. Her credentials are burnished with her association with the late Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the mastermind behind the Simla accord.
Additionally, she has thorough knowledge of political diplomacy, theoretically as a student of political science and practically as prime minister of Pakistan. Thus, there is a clear basis for Indian preferences for negotiations with true political leadership representing the aspirations of Pakistani people.
There is a dire need to have a transparent foreign policy, unscathed by militarism. Foreign policy is the domain of popular political leaders who represent the public opinion. Thus, it can be concluded that the military is not the surety of good and fruitful relationships with India.
ATIQ-UR-REHMAN
Bradford, UK
I REFER to the clarification of Syed Wasimuddin, Public Relations Division, State Bank of Pakistan, published in your issue of Dec 9, and would like to inform him that I have been maintaining a current account with the Clifton branch of Habib Bank for the last nine years and presented the following cash cheques in November 2003:
Date Cheque no. Amount
Nov 03, 2003 5594821 Rs32,000
Nov 04, 2003 5594825 Rs15,000
Nov 06, 2003 5594826 Rs46,000
Nov 18,2003 5594829 Rs10,000
Nov 25, 2003 5594833 Rs23,000
On each occasion I was forced to accept 1,000-rupee and 500-rupee old and soiled notes. In spite of my requests to the manager, he refused to give me even old 100-rupee notes, let alone new notes, saying that he had none.
Mr Wasim may want to investigate the matter.
SYED SAJID ALI
Karachi
SINCE the profit on the national savings schemes was slashed from 16 per cent to six per cent by the “poor-friendly” finance minister in the past two years, my life has become quite miserable.
I have been a CRF (chronic renal failure) patient for one year. Being physically incapacitated due to my age (80 plus), dizziness and lack of necessary arrangements, I am obliged to undergo (self) CAPD (continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis) treatment. This process is carried out four or more times a day, seven days a week. A peritoneal catheter has been inserted into the abdomen to “fill and drain” the dialysis solution into the peritoneal cavity.
The cost of one solution bag is Rs250, which comes to Rs1,000 for four bags a day and Rs30,000 a month. On my monthly pension of Rs7,315 and no other source of income except meagre NSS return, I have reached a stage that unless the profit on the NSS is revised upward to 16 per cent, I shall have to discontinue my self-dialysis treatment and, consequently, die of renal failure as there is no short-cut to this treatment.
Why has the finance minister not catered for such senior citizens/pensioners/widows?
A CRF PATIENT
Karachi
WHILE I sincerely compliment the city government on repairing and re-carpeting the roads in Karachi at a fast pace, there are still certain important roads that need immediate attention. For example, the road leading to the Aziz Bhatti Park from University Road has been in a shambles for quite some time, making it cumbersome to visit the beautiful public recreation place.
Likewise, the road leading to the KESC grid station and complaint centre from University Road, adjacent to the boundary wall of the Urdu Science College in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, is in an even worse condition.
Sehba Akhtar Road was partly repaired and partly reconstructed a few months back. It is now in a terrible state. It is one of the most frequented roads for accessing Gulshan-i-Iqbal from Hassan Square.
I suggest the city government first repair or renovate the most frequently-used main roads before beginning work on the lanes and streets.
MUMTAZ A. PIRACHA
Karachi
THIS has reference to Mr B. R. Pradhan’s letter “Pakistan-India strategic imbalance” (Dec 12).
British author Victoria Sochfield in her book, Kashmir in the cross-fire, writes: “Mountbatten had also heard how, during a meeting with Patel, Nehru broke down and wept, explaining that Kashmir meant more to him at the time than anything else.”
This explains who was obsessed with Kashmir and wanted to grab it at all costs and against all norms of democracy, justice and fair play? This also shows that Nehru was hell bent on holding on to Kashmir and made India and himself hostage to it.
Mr Pradhan should answer a simple question, if the better part of a Hindu majority state, geographically contiguous to India was occupied by Pakistan in violation of the principles of the partition of the subcontinent and if the UN had passed resolutions to hold free and impartial plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of the people of that territory and had Pakistan demonstrated the same intransigence as India has shown in case of Kashmir, besides if Pakistan was doing the same in that state what India is doing in Kashmir today, what would have been the reaction of India and people like Mr Pradhan?
What will he feel if by some chance a great power grabs a chunk of Indian territory and holds on to it by brutal force?
MOHAMMAD BASHIR
Islamabad
I AM an Indian living in the US. I enjoy reading Dawn on line and often find fine, forthright, sensible, forward-looking op-eds by eminent scholars, as well as by ordinary citizens.
I couldn’t resist commending your paper for such articles, specially the two in the Dec 14 edition, written by Prof Anwar Syed (Baggage to shed) and Mr Kunwar Idris (Politics of state and religion). While the former emphasizes importance of moving forward rather than remain buried in the past or continue the acrimony, the later shows inherent danger to any society in seeking religious cover to rule a nation.
Although these are not problems unique to Pakistan, if given a chance the people at large can easily see what is at stake in keeping up belligerency or falling prey to religious bigotry and, in due course, true representatives of people would emerge as leaders.
Unfortunately, dictators impose themselves as saviours of the nation although these dictators, the presidents for life worldwide, are the most ruinous for their nations.
It is hoped that the people of Pakistan march on and send the military rulers to the garrison to which they belong but not to the presidential palaces.
R. S. RAJU
Westmont, IL, USA
AMERICA supported Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, equipped them with modern and heavy weapons and viewed them as freedom fighters as long as they fought the American war against the former Soviet Union. As late as 1998, the US was paying the salary of every single Taliban official in Afghanistan.
There is more oil and gas in the Caspian Sea area than in Saudi Arabia but you need a pipeline through Afghanistan to get the oil out. A giant American oil conglomerate wanted to build a 1000-mile-long pipeline from the Caspian Sea through Afghanistan to Arabian Sea. It spent $10 billion on geological surveys for pipeline construction.
Main Taliban leaders were invited to Texas to negotiate with UNOCAL in 1999. But the Taliban saw through the game and changed their minds, threw UNOCAL out of the country and awarded the pipeline project to a company from Argentina on more lucrative terms, which annoyed the US and UNOCAL people who decided to teach a lesson to the Taliban.
John Maresca, vice-president of UNOCAL, testified before the Congress and claimed that no pipeline could be built until the Taliban were gone and more a friendly government established. In 1999-2000 the Taliban became the most evil people in the world.
Senior American officer told Niaz A. Naik, a former foreign secretary of Pakistan, in mid-July (before the Sept 11 tragedy) that military action against Afghanistan would go ahead by the middle of October. Is that not strange that Bush goes to war against Afghanistan even though none of the hijackers came from Afghanistan? Bush blamed Osama but has never offered any proof, saying it is a secret.
The Taliban offered to negotiate the turnover of Osama if they were shown any proof of his involvement in the Sept 11 disaster but the Americans refused and started heavy, carpet and cluster bombing of the already destroyed Afghanistan.
It is oil and oil alone; no Osama, no Omar, no Saddam and no Al Qaeda network. Saddam was the most obedient and trusted leader of America, had on US instigation invaded Kuwait and, with America’s blessings, launched aggression against Iran. While this bloody war continued, America and Israel sold armaments on a massive scale to Iran and Iraq and thus reaped a rich harvest and earned billions of petro-dollars.
When the US realized that Saddam was a spent force, he met the same fate as Osama — once the moral equivalent of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Thus, America remained true to its traditions of turning a blind eye to its benefactors once the mission is accomplished. The so-called champion of democracy kept silence when Israel occupied Palestinian land and killed dozens of innocent Palestinian youths every day.
MOIN SIDIQI
Karachi
A NEW polygrass turf costing Rs20 million has been laid at the Pakistan Hockey Club Stadium (Dec 4). A very expensive national game for a poor nation, indeed!
TAHIR MAQBUL ZUBARI
Karachi
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