| December 22, 2003 | Monday | Shawwal 27, 1424 |
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Peace-making efforts
Hiring foreign faculty
Karachi’s electricity problems
Shaharyar’s appointment as PCB chief
Islamization of education
Scheduled bank
Pensioners’ appeal
Expatriates’ grievance
Need for park
‘Of trees, ships & other things’
SINCE the cancellation of an exhibit in Hamilton earlier this November, I have had an outpouring of support from people around the world ... everyone expressing disgust at this blatant act of censorship.
The exhibition at the McMaster Museum of Art was cancelled because The Washington Times accused a student at McMaster University in Hamilton of being an Al Qaeda agent. This student was supposedly acquiring radioactive material to build a bomb. Even with the story refuted by perplexed administrators, the museum felt my show would attract unwarranted attention, with the curator also fearing for her job.
The exhibition called “Enduring Operation Freedom” was a selection of 29 cartoons critical of the US “Operation Enduring Freedom”. The work documented American knee-jerk reprisals since Sept 11. It was a surprise when the curator asked me if I was interested in a solo exhibition. I saw this as a bold move. My work is often seen as too critical of US foreign policy. Unlike Europe many North American editors and curators have reservations about using my work — so this opportunity was quite unique.
Censorship is a schoolyard bully. I have faced it many on many occasions. This time it was different. The curator is not directly to blame, it is the Canadian government. Where were they for Maher Arar and Bill Sampson? A principled government protects its citizens and policies. Monia Mazigh, Maher Arar’s wife, said in a recent interview: “A Canadian citizen travelling on a Canadian passport must be treated according to Canadian values.” Have things really changed so much in Canada?
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the sole reason many immigrants chose Canada as a country of preference, forged relationships with foreign countries irrespective of their political leanings. For this he was called “an asshole” by president Nixon. Trudeau responded: “I’ve been called worse things by better people.”
What is so schizophrenic? Most Canadians are extremely critical of Bush’s doctrines. This November Prime Minister Chretien told the Commons that the deportation of a Canadian to Syria was unacceptable. But, then, why does incoming Prime Minister Paul Martin after condemning the deportation of Maher Arar also states he “understands the American position”. Why, then, is Prime Minister Chretien so adamant about not allowing an independent inquiry into the case of Mr Arar. Unfortunately, governments are like parents. Children who do not have good parental role models often have a difficult time differentiating between right and wrong.
I am not trying to equate my show-cancellation with the injustices braved by William Sampson and Maher Arar. What I am saying is that the cancellation and deportation are part and parcel of a larger issue. An issue which needs to be publicly addressed here in Canada. Editorials spark discussions. The press, universities and museums are platforms for these debates. We cannot have censorship.
England, a staunch supporter of America, has many cartoonists who regularly skewer Tony Blair and company in many of the major papers. Norman Solomon, author of Target Iraq, had agreed to write an introduction for my exhibition. He told The Toronto Star referring to the cancelled show: “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
In my case I can thank my lucky stars that he was referring only to a cancelled exhibition.
SHAHID MAHMOOD
Via email
THESE days there is much talk about peace-making between India and Pakistan. The reason for this is simple: it’s the people who want it, and want it eagerly.
Only a few months back it seemed that peace in South Asia was hostage to the intricacies of foreign offices of the two countries. The war-mongering tendency greatly manipulated the public opinion, thus complicating the peace process.
However, saner elements in both Pakistan and India thought that the people should themselves decide their destinies.
In this regard the recent Karachi convention of the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy will prove a milestone. Pacifist groups pledged to strive till peace is achieved because for 56 odd years the establishments of India and Pakistan have made bitter recriminations.
The policies of Islamabad and New Delhi gave birth to fear and suspicions among the people of South Asia. There was no talk for progress in the region, and regressive forces dominated the scenario.
It is a good omen that the people — the worst victims of the conflicts — have taken up the task of peace. Now there is a need to strive first to establish one thing, i.e. the government and the people are two different things.
A pattern was set by both governments that whenever there were peace overtures between the two countries, militant activities would increase in the Indian-controlled Kashmir.
When the Lahore Declaration was signed between Prime Minister Vajpayee and prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the Kargil fighting began and killed the progress made at Lahore.
Another incident which worsened relations between the two countries occurred on Dec 13, 2002, when the Lok Sabha was attacked. Soon after the incident, India moved over half a million troops to its border with Pakistan. But there were a few voices for peace which can rise above the platitudinous briefings of the governments and tell people the other view.
The people of Pakistan and India must join hands with democratic people in South Asia and strive for democratization and regional cooperation to achieve sustainable peace. Because it has been proved by the technological advances that people, nations, and geography cannot be kept divided forever.
MANZOOR CHANDIO
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the letter by Dr N. M. Shaikh (Dec 17) regarding the government’s foreign faculty hiring programme.
The discrepancies highlighted by the honourable professor concerning this programme are indeed noteworthy. However, I would like to give another perspective on the same issue.
As a student of NUST, I have had the privilege of working with two such professors who were hired under the programme in question and I found them both extraordinarily gifted. Their professional competence aside, it was their remarkable attitude towards work, peers and students, which came as a stark contrast to the attitude of our local professors/teachers.
On countless occasions I was left baffled by their devotion and sincerity to work. This obviously does not mean that somehow our local -bred professors/teachers are not competent or hardworking, but it is the attitude towards the whole process of learning/teaching that I found so different and refreshing about these foreign faculty members.
It is not merely intellectual competence which is under scrutiny here but the level of dedication and devotion. To put the record straight, these professors did not volunteer to come to Pakistan for the hefty pays they were offered. The fact of the matter is that they were earning many times in their native lands.
I often found them struggling with the traditional mindset of our local educational administration who are unable to absorb new and more vibrant teaching methodologies.
Such foreign faculty members are, therefore, an exciting prospect for our tradition-stricken academic structure. Do not be misled by their pay structures since they are hardly living off unemployment cheques in their native countries.
KAMRAN HASAN
Rawalpindi
IT is disturbing to see many areas of Karachi facing electricity problems such as power failures and suspensions.
I would like to refer to my experiences with the KESC. I live in a so-called posh area of Karachi, with a continuous electricity problem bothering me and my family.
Almost every day, the supply of electricity is suspended to us. When we make a complaint to KESC staff, they always make two very particular statements that “it is loadshedding” or “it is a technical fault”.
Another very common problem that we have experienced is frequent voltage fluctuations which have blown fuses of our television sets, lights and VCR. besides damaging many other home appliances. It is not easy to get them repaired.
It is because of the poor and pathetic management of the KESC that several people have been forced to adopt alternative ways and methods to generate electricity or just plainly steal it.
I understand that people living in a posh area such as myself can afford to buy a generator, but what about the majority of the people who cannot afford it?
It is suggested the KESC go through some major administrative changes from the top level to the bottom.
The government is urged to change the entire management of the KESC and bring in properly educated and skilled staff who should hired on the basis of merit to turn it into a proper company.
KHURRAM KHAN
Karachi
IT was much to the elation of all compatriots and immigrants residing in Seattle, US, to hear about the resignation of Tauqir Zia as PCB chairman. Although he may have had great hopes and aspirations to help Pakistan sit atop the upper echelon of the cricketing world, the general had failed miserably.
Pakistan cricket was a downward spiral since his inclusion into the board, from the humiliating defeats to Bangladesh and Australia in the World Cup 1999 to the team’s worst ever World Cup showing earlier this year.
The few tournament and series victories that came during his tenure were against mostly weak and injured sides. He made a complete mockery of the coveted honour, that is the Test cap, by handing it to inexperienced player after inexperienced player, and then discarding them like pieces of garbage.
One can only hope that the nomination of Shaharyar Khan will bring a pleasant boost to the PCB’s current state of affairs. Maybe now we won’t need useless positions like director of marketing and team computer analyst. Maybe now the chief selector will announce the national team himself after consulting his committee. Maybe now Pakistan will again begin its ascent towards the top of the cricket world.
S. MOHIB BUKHARI
Seattle, WA, USA
It was interesting to read a news item that appeared in your prestigious paper on Dec 18. I quote the first para: “The NWFP minister for science, technology and IT, Hussain Ahmed Kanju, has said the MMA government is committed to Islamizing and harmonizing the existing education system with the modern-age needs.”
I am surprised what else in education is still there that needs to be Islamized. Gen Zia Islamized education and the result was the introduction of negative remarks about other religions in all books, at all levels — primary, secondary and tertiary.
I myself have studied in Pakistan and feel that Islamization of education has made the country’s education system a lame system, a system without any achievement in any field.
We feel proud that Pakistani students are achieving wonderful grades in O level and A level examinations, but they do not study any Islamized syllabus. The nature of their syllabi is secular and that is purely the goal of an ideal educational system — to maximize the capabilities and decision-making abilities of individuals. But can we achieve this by propagating against other religions and sects in the textbooks taught in our Islamized school system?
I urge the minister to reason and realize that the real goal of education is not what the MMA or its allies think, it is more than that. Please break that shell and come out into the real world that is changing every minute.
Also, I would request the people of the NWFP to leave education as education.
ASHAR J. KHOKHAR
Leeds, UK
THIS is to thank Mr Qutbuddin Aziz, on behalf of those who have invested in the government’s savings schemes, for his wise and well-thought-out suggestion (Dec 9) to the government to set up a scheduled bank, under its control, for national savings.
Thanks are also due to Dawn for publishing Mr Aziz’s letter. Credit goes to Mr Aziz for making a suggestion which should have been made by some senior banker or economist a long time ago.
Incidentally, it may be pointed out to the ministry of finance and the State Bank of Pakistan that it is against the principles of justice and fair play to reduce annual profits on investments that were already lying with the government.
After deciding to reduce the annual profits, the new rates should be applied only to investments made after the government has notified the reduced rates.
JALAL AHMED
Karachi
It had been a practice in the past that all kinds of reliefs or benefits, whenever announced by the government, were implemented in full in all such organizations as had adopted national pay-scales.
But it is sad to note that this time around the PCSIR scientists who belong to the above category are being deprived of the 15 per cent relief announced by the government in the 2003-2004 budget.
Particularly, the elderly PCSIR pensioners have badly been affected by this delay in the implementation of the relief.
We hope the president, the prime minister and the minister in charge of the ministry of science and technology intervene to ensure relief to the hard-hit pensioners of the PCSIR.
AFFECTED PENSIONER
Lahore
WE, the Pakistani expatriates in the US, try to send our savings to Pakistan through banking channels, as desired by the president, the prime minister, the finance minister and the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan.
Here in the US, the National Bank of Pakistan is the main Pakistan bank through which we send our savings, but when one calls to the bank in New York and Washington DC and asks about the exchange rate, the staff at both the branches give a different rate from that of the SBP rate, and the rupees rate mentioned in newspapers.
The SBP rate is Rs57.30 but the NBP is offering Rs56.30. Both these NBP branches are giving one rupee less to their customers, as compared to the Habib Bank, New York, and the United Bank which are giving the rate available on the SBP website.
We request the authorities to look into this matter and ask the NBP authorities in the US as to why they are making the Pakistani expatriates to go to the “hundi” system.
The officials at these two NBP branches say that this is the rate which they have received form the head office/State Bank, and that the rate which is on the SBP website is only for banks, not for customers.
TAQUEER ALI
Via email
SECTOR 5-A/4, North Karachi has no park. The authorities concerned are requested to build a park in the area.
SHAISTA KOSAR
Karachi
IN his weekly column of Dec 14, titled “Of trees, ships & other things”, Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee while criticizing Peshawar University Vice-Chancellor Prof Syed Zulfiqar Gilani and a security officer of the PNSC found it expedient to include me in his response to my letter of Dec 11 which contradicted his incorrect statements.
Astonishingly, Mr Cowasjee did not contradict any of the facts I had stated, but he found it desirable to attack my person as an insignificant junior officer in PIA who, by some ‘tribal’ connection, managed to get himself appointed an ambassador of Pakistan. His source of information, once again, is verbal and casual, from a friend and co-columnist, who was three decades back in PIA, and who, as he stated, was shocked to learn that I had been appointed an ambassador.
The reaction and statement from his friend is rather surprising, but the shock did not surprise me as more were also possibly shocked, for never in the history of PIA was an officer of any rank appointed an ambassador.
Once again the senior columnist has highlighted incorrect facts. His statement that in the mid-’80s I was a junior officer in PIA is absolutely wrong. I had already retired from PIA in the early ‘80s as PIA’s regional general manager over all the European stations, including the UK, based in Geneva. Before that I was a senior general manager in the marketing department and represented the national airlines as its chief delegate at all the International Air Transport Association’s tariff conferences for over a decade.
I was elected chairman of the various IATA committees, and had the honour of being the first unanimously elected member of the prestigious International Airlines’ Traffic Committee, and also represented and defended all PIA’s cases at the IATA Breaches Commission for about 12 years.
As to the statement that my selection as ambassador was due to some ‘tribal connection’, indicating thereby that I was not otherwise qualified for such a high and prestigious position, Mr Cowasjee would probably be surprised to know that having been initially educated at the Aligarh Muslim University I secured the bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Bombay University, a law degree from Sindh University, and a post-graduate diploma in public administration, with honours from Edinburgh University, Scotland, UK.
My selection as ambassador was made by Muhammad Khan Junejo, ex-prime minister, who wanted to appoint an ambassador from Balochistan, because the province then had no representation in the ambassadorial postings. The PM consulted the chief minister who proposed my name. The prime minister then interviewed me and appointed me ambassador to Thailand.
As for as Cowasjee’s statement that after 18 years I decided to offer my own bureaucratic face-saving explanation for the mix-up is concerned, may I add that it was not I but Mr Cowasjee who found it desirable to dig the bones of the dead and criticize them?
My letter was only a response to his article to place facts in their right perspective. Moreover, it is not I but Mr Cowasjee who needs to offer a face-saving explanation for the mix-up he has created by his incorrect accusations.
A. H. ALIANI
Karachi
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