| December 28, 2003 | Sunday | Ziqa’ad 4, 1424 |
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Shaista Almani’s plight
‘An emerging India’
Postal duty on book parcels
Appreciating talent
Usurpation of library plot
Quality of higher education
Banking status
Need for rapid privatization
A new history for Iraq
The Supreme Court judgment is clear and now no one, including the parents, can force women to marry against their will. Shockingly, Shaista Almani, a girl from Sukkur who married of her own choice and is now fearing she may be killed, advised the girls not to marry against the will and wishes of their parents.
THE latest attempt on President Musharraf’s life should be a matter of grave concern for everyone, especially those responsible for his security. Admittedly, unhindered proliferation of deadly weapons and their delivery systems by gun-runners of differing shades and political inclinations make security management a daunting task.
But two near-successful attempts on the president’s life in quick succession is not a track record to feel satisfied with the performance of the intelligence and security agencies.
What makes the latest attempt extremely disturbing is the fact that it comes at a time when Pakistan is getting ready to host the long-awaited meeting of Saarc heads of government. The summit is no routine event because the world eagerly awaits a Vajpayee- Musharraf meeting on its sidelines. This meeting could have far-reaching consequences for peace in South Asia; its postponement yet again for security reasons would be a disaster for Pakistan in terms of its political and economic fallout.
The lapses in security are indicative of something seriously wrong with the focus of the intelligence and security agencies. The tendency to summarily credit Al Qaeda with such incidents is blurring that focus. It is symptomatic of two possible self-defeating tendencies: over-simplifying the complex security risk scenario, and shifting attention away from powerful groups who are actually behind these acts of terror.
It would be dangerously wrong to overlook the fact that elements, both in India and in Pakistan, who have thrived on tension between the two countries stand to lose out heavily if India and Pakistan adopt peaceful dialogue as the route to resolving their decades-old disputes.
Pakistani fundamentalists fear that a US-brokered detente will eventually be used as a justification by the US to denuclearize Pakistan. Indian fundamentalists fear that a detente may lead to separation of Kashmir, and begin the process of India’s disintegration. These elements have high stakes in keeping India-Pakistan disputes alive, and would do everything to stop India and Pakistan coming closer.
In the present context, it is these elements that should be the focus of intelligence and security agencies, both in India and in Pakistan.
A. B. SHAHID
Karachi
WHAT was mere apprehension has turned into reality. Those at the receiving end of the drive against extremism have struck back in Pakistan and against its president. The recent attacks on President Gen Pervez Musharraf must be condemned.
In a letter published on Nov 24 in Dawn, an apprehension was expressed that the forceful means employed by the government against the suspected extremists could backfire and breed more violence.
The Rawalpindi attacks on the president are not a disease itself but symptoms of a disease which has the potential to infect the entire body politic of Pakistan. What is happening to President Musharraf has happened to many Pakistanis before him, who dared to challenge the ultra-orthodoxy in the religious domain. Such acts are to be expected.
Thus, the pertinent question is: how to ensure safety of the president and, more importantly, how to ensure the continuity of his vision, agenda and the policies? For Pakistan the vision, agenda and policies of President Musharraf are important.
In my view, the president would be safer if his enemies realized that he is not one man, that if he falls there will be others to take his place. In short, he president must have a team ready to succeed him.
The president is trying to change the mindset of a large populace. However, this will take a long time, perhaps longer than one man can govern. It is important that the vision, ideas and the policies of the president be carried forward.
This can be achieved through a number of ways such as (a) by creating a political party that embodies these principles; (b) by having a team of people ready to succeed the president, who are fully trained and adhere to his vision; and (c) by embodying these principles in the Constitution.
ADIL SALEEM KHAN
Gujranwala
The above two news-items caused a lot of confusion and created a big question. Who has the right and reasonable approach? Shaista Almani or the Supreme Court?
No one can dare oppose or challenge the decision of the apex court, but Ms Almani has also reached the conclusion and has a practical experience. She has personally suffered and one can stand in her shoes.
Let one imagine what will be a woman’s condition if her brother and / or sister closes their doors on her? How will she be feeling when she goes to bed or takes food when everyone around her wants to kill her? We can weep on her depressing and piteous condition but we cannot give her the love of her parents, relatives and her village, and the streets where she has played with her friends are no more her own.
Man is superior but not in ruling women, nor is he stronger than woman. He is superior only in responsibilities. But in Shaista Almani’s case the man has disappeared. Only she is suffering. If he has been forced to do so, the law- enforcement agencies are responsible for it as they could not provide him with protection.
Laws are valuable when they are implemented in letter and in spirit. It is suggested that the relevant authorities take Ms Almani’s case as an instance in the light of the Supreme Court decision, so that women in Pakistan take a sigh of relief and feel safe and secure.
In the present situation the women can only accept Ms Almani’s advice.
MOHAMMAD FAIQ
Karachi
BOTH Mr Shahid Javed Burki and Dawn deserve congratulations for writing and publishing perhaps the most knowledgeable, accurate, honest and transparent comments in the Pakistani media on the Indian economy and its growing success in the global economy.
We, the Indians and Pakistanis, are basically the same people and there is no reason why Pakistan cannot succeed like India. As Mr Burki has correctly pointed out that India has focused on high quality education and now the country has seven institutes of technology. The Indian economy and exports are very broadly based and one sees India becoming one of the top four economies of the world in about 30 years.
As India moves up the value chain, Pakistan can certainly benefit from Indian assistance. Pakistan should seek India’s help for establishing a model independent PIT (Pakistan Institute of Technology), a model independent business school based on the Indian Institute of Management and some joint ventures between Indian and Pakistani businesses in Pakistan in IT, pharmaceuticals, automobile manufacturing, etc, to give Pakistan both a technology base and complementary economic development to create employment and export opportunities.
India helps many countries, including China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and some Arab countries. Pakistan can also get help provided there is goodwill between the two countries. India and China have improved business relationships while they are discussing there mutual border problems.
Pakistan must follow this roadmap to concentrate on economic, social and cultural relationships and then by developing a positive outlook, India and Pakistan will stand a better chance to solve more difficult problems, including Kashmir.
VIPUL THAKORE
London, UK
I AM writing to you on a matter of public interest. The problem has, of late, grown into a nuisance. It is the growing tendency of postal customs department of levying ad lib and excessive custom duty on gift book parcels received from abroad.
Exchange of books, journals, magazines, etc., between friends in different countries, purely as gifts, is a universal practice. No such custom duty is levied at all in a number of neighbouring countries (like Sri Lanka, India and Iran) on gift parcels of books etc. sent out from Pakistan. Of this I have precise knowledge.
Whereas in Pakistan, the Karachi postal department especially, as matter of practice, levies as much as Rs140 even on a single book parcel from abroad. The least they charge is Rs35 on small packets.
In the past the most they taxed was up to Rs15 but during the last three years this ad lib practice has became agonizingly vexatious:
1) The staff there, it seems, has no set rules to follow. It is just left to their sweet will and wild whims to levy any amount in custom duty. This they do invariably.
2) Unusual delays take place in the postal customs department to clear these items; not just days but weeks.
Is there any justification in charging custom duty on books coming as personal gift? Of course, this duty is leviable when bulk import of books through parcels is the case.
Also the fact that such high-handed duties apply only in the case of Karachi and not in the case of the neighbouring large province.
SYED IMADUDDIN QADRI
Karachi
THE recent announcement of prize money by the president of Pakistan in the field of sports must have infused a new spirit into the emerging Pakistan sportsmen.
However, I strongly feel the need to extend this offer to many other fields as well. If such efforts are geared towards promoting medical research, it will have some long-lasting effects in Pakistan. Being a doctor, I am referring to extending similar support for Pakistanis in the medical field.
This could either be based on the index points that researchers obtain every year based on their publications in peer reviewed journals or by presentation of medical literature at various conferences held in Pakistan, as well as abroad.
Also, efforts need to be made to improve the quality of medical journals from Pakistan. No doubt, we have some good quality data coming from within the country due mainly to the diversity of patient population and wide spectrum of disease pathology, the outlook of the journals from Pakistan needs to be improved.
This will not only encourage Pakistan authors to come up with some state of the art research work, it will also be an incentive for foreign authors to send their manuscripts for publication in Pakistan journals.
MUSLIM ATIQ
New Jersey, USA
I HAVE read a number of articles, reports and statements in your paper highlighting the importance of libraries and reading rooms. Nobody has, however, bothered to draw the city government’s attention to a big plot in Gulshan-i-Iqbal reserved for the purpose.
A board was affixed on the plot, situated between a railway station and the University Road, announcing the construction of a public library and reading room but the site was occupied by a railway department during construction of an overhead bridge.
The board was removed by the encroaching department and nothing had been heard of the library project since. I request the city nazim to order a probe into the usurpation of the amenity plot, retrieve it from the encroachers, revive the library project and execute it without further delay.
The library and reading room would serve a large number of reading public living in Gulshan and surrounding areas. It would be of particular use to the students of various colleges, universities and institutions located in Gulshan and along the University Road.
Prof ABUL KHAIR ANSARI
Karachi
PRESIDENT Musharraf, recently addressing a special convocation of F. C. College, Lahore, rightly said that Pakistan lagged behind in higher education, if judged by the few PhD degrees awarded each year.
What is even more important, as stressed by the president, is the quality of higher education rather than the quantity of higher degrees.
Recently some high-profile cases of fake degrees have been reported in the press involving not only post-graduate professional degree-holders, but also federal ministers and elected representatives whose cases are in courts of law.
It appears there is an epidemic of fake and bogus degrees that has spread in our sphere of higher education. Some university professors in their obsessive pursuit to qualify for higher grades are encouraging their students and even their wards to present fictitious research to qualify for higher degrees. The vice chancellors are also to blame for not curbing such abominable activities of some teachers. This is the result of a culture of sycophancy, cronyism and meritless promotions that has spawned countless litigation cases in our universities that distract from imparting quality education.
It is proposed that the chancellors should consider forming monitoring cells composed of retired scientists, teachers and technocrats of unimpeachable character, to regularly scan and examine any complaints of fake degrees, and recommend suitable measures to fix responsibility on the erring teachers of higher education and university administrators, so as to curb the menace of fictitious research and plagiarism of theses that has often been reported in the press lately.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
THE authorities in the Central Directorate of National Savings have always been telling the nation they are on top of collecting public deposits; hence they should be treated at par with any banking institution, and its employees should be paid accordingly for their extraordinary efforts in collecting investments.
These investments were due to the higher rates fixed by the welfare-oriented governments of Ayub Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Ziaul Haq, and not because of the personal efforts of any staff.
Since the governments of Nawaz Sharif and Gen Musharraf reduced these rates, I wonder what has happened to the demand by the National Savings authorities to treat the organization as a banking institute.
SHAHNAZ
Karachi
THE overwhelming response to the public offering of OGDC shares highlights the urgency that the government should move fast in offloading its stakes in the public sector organizations. If a public enterprise is making a profit, it does not mean that it should not be privatized.
No doubt, it is the vested interest which has always opposed the privatization process in the country, but it is also a fact that all public institutions are fetching profit substantially below their potential. This erosion of profitability is the outcome of unchecked spending of public money with no qualms of conscience.
Unnecessary built-up of inventories at higher costs, initiation of non-productive works/programmes, overstaffing, misuse of facilities/benefits, gifts/giveaways, extensive travelling, etc, are some of the many factors which are responsible for the low profitability in the state-owned enterprises.
Recommendation not merit, sycophancy not straightforwardness and personal service not service to organization are yet other factors which have caused decay in the overall working of these institutions. So, the earlier these are privatized, the better it would be for the economy.
RASHEED ASGHAR
Lahore
THIS refers to the article by Christina Asquith, titled “A new history for Iraq” (November 30).
I am appalled at the attempts by the occupation regime in Iraq to reinvent Iraq’s history; however in many ways, it was to be expected. Because America’s own history is a sordid and arrogant history of wanton conquest and plunder, of killing, burning and forcible displacement of its own indigenous peoples, with the result that today the American public are the least informed about their history of all the world’s citizens, now they want Iraqis to hate their past as a proud, secular and self-respecting Arab people, and imbibe the imperialist-led mantra. In other words, we are harking back to the age of the ‘white man’s burden’ and ‘la mission civilisatrice’ as propounded by Kipling, Conrad and Naipaul.
It is true that Saddam was a tyrant and ordinary Iraqis suffered horribly under his rule, but in the 1970s he made Iraq the Switzerland of the Arab world — Iraq had the best doctors, the best health facilities, the most literate Arab population, the best record of female emancipation and, yes, a strong army.
Furthermore, Iraqis were taught in universities like Al-Mustansiriyah about their glorious past of unremitting struggle against British colonialism, against the corrupt Hashemite monarchy and then against the cruel decade-long US-UN sanctions regime. This will now be replaced by a new curriculum which supports the Iraqi quislings of the Iraqi Governance Council, supports the American occupation and forcibly coerce religious-minded students to embrace secular values. All this has in it the makings of an intellectual catastrophe, like the one duly mourned in the recent Arab Human Development Report.
Under American occupation, young Iraqi minds will be taught to hate their Arab roots, their glorious Babylonian- Assyrian-Arab heritage, their achievements as a thriving cultural centre in the 1970s under the Baath and of the role of the CIA in destabilizing and ruining Iraq.
In short, the Iraqi youth will be told that theirs is a country without a past by deleting all references to past events, which should then make them ready and willing to imbibe imperialist propaganda — the propaganda of ‘liberation’; occupation regimes have always done that: whether in Japan, India, Latin America or Africa. This is a crude attempt to manufacture history which is likely to have disastrous consequences for the post-occupation Iraqi generation. This follows from similar educational efforts in post-Taliban Afghanistan.
Thus, it is all the more important for future Iraqi historians to document the valiant resistance being waged by Iraqis against the American occupation, because the latter is intent on denying them their legitimate history. Noam Chomsky once said: “The crude way to murder history is to lie about it.” True to form in Iraq.
RAZA NAEEM
Lahore
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