| 04 January 2004 | Sunday | 11 Ziqa'ad 1424 |
'The geo-strategic samurai'
Stock exchange companies
Wedding ceremonies
A requiem for Nafdec
Had Benazir been in power
Smoking in TV drama serials
A good film
Graveyards
Victory in Wellington
Old prize bonds
Gas accord
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That there is an enormous economic opportunity simply waiting to be discovered across our north-eastern borders has been expressed very forcefully by Mr Shahid Javed Burki in his weekly column in Dawn on December 30.
An exodus of some 500 million people is expected in the next few years from China's rural areas to the cities as a result of the country's booming economy. This will create a need for commodities and food in large quantities, besides other goods. Pakistan could supply many of these items and could also benefit in various other ways from China's economic success, provided we start working at it right now - and with a real sense of urgency.
There should be no cause for Pakistan to fear that as an immediate neighbour its economy will stands to be bulldozed by the emerging economic might of China. As Mr Burki points out, there is the example of Mexico which has discovered that 'living next to a great economic power does not necessarily hurt. It can, instead, be enormously helpful'. A similar potential exists for Pakistan.
Mr Burki has offered a three-pronged approach that can turn this potential into reality. He suggests that we devise a multiyear strategy for developing trade with China. This would involve cultivating our large neighbour as a major market for fruits and vegetables and also negotiating a trading arrangement which could evolve in future into a free trade agreement on the lines of NAFTA.
We could also improve our physical infrastructure such as upgrading road and air links with China, and develop a multi-modal system that would allow easy transfer of containers from trucks to railway wagons.
The fact that China is already involved in developing the Saindak project in Balochistan underscores its growing appetite for resources that it needs to feed its giant and multifarious industrial setup. Similarly, its assistance in the construction of Gwadar Port and associated road links indicates the urgency with which it requires shorter routes to access western markets.
Pakistan can take further advantage of its strategic geographical position and invite China to participate in infrastructure development that would benefit both countries in the long run.
Mr Burki's suggestions deserve serious consideration by our economic managers. As he so rightly says that instead of losing our nerve at the prospect of increasing competition from China, we should begin to develop a strategy to benefit from the presence of this economic colossus next door. Who knows this could be the great shot in the arm our economy has been waiting for.
JAVED ANSARI
Karachi
'The geo-strategic samurai'
The trouble with exuberance is that it prods its subject to charge blindly and, in so doing, overreaches and slips. Emotion robs the faculty of cogitation. The learned Ayaz Amir is an example.
In his "Curse of the geo-strategic samurai", he says:
1. That "any government with its wits about it would have ditched the Taliban and its mediaevalism long before September 11," but instead of "ditching" it was one elected government that was the first in the world to recognize Taliban and the other, which maintained cozy relations with it. Nawaz and Benazir were not "generals".
2. That the jihadists were "used as cannon fodder for the last 15 years". That means since 1988. But the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Muridke Markaz Da'wa had been sending jihadists into Kashmir since much longer than before, of course with the military's active support. And this policy of intrusion had the full backing of Pakistan's champion democrat, Zulfikar Bhutto , when, as foreign minister, he sparked the 1965 war.
3. That the status quo (on Kashmir) could not be altered. "So what was the Pakistan army trying to achieve?" But didn't ZAB know this when he yelled about fighting a "thousand-year war" with India?
4. Ayaz Amir, as a liberal, is understandably sore that Musharraf has come to terms with the mullahs of the MMA. But what was the alternative? Ditch the law of the land to buy favours of the liberati, who demand what nobody high or low in any "modern republic" does, viz. withdrawal of criminal charges against them ab initio. And by the way, isn't the PPP embracing the mullahs in the Sindh Assembly?
5. To his question if Musharraf should be applauded for boldness, Amy Waldman has given the answer (Amy Waldman, "The tightrope is fraying under the president of Pakistan"; NYT, December 30) saying, "After the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, Gen Pervez Musharraf made a bold choice to reverse his country's support for the Taliban government."
6. And, finally, the howler: "If the military had not been in charge this rapprochement would have come sooner." That one really should give everybody a New Year's hearty laugh. Thank you, Mr Amir.
S. G. JILANEE
Karachi
Stock exchange companies
I would like to draw the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan chairman to the fact that the staff of the companies listed on the stock exchange are not performing their duties properly towards share-holders, small ones particularly. A personal experience, with facts and figures, is given as under:
Sh. Fazal Rehman & Sons Ltd is a listed company of Karachi Stock Exchange (G) Ltd, Karachi. About four months ago I sent a few shares for transfer. Because of the delay caused in this matter by the above-mentioned company I lodged a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Karachi Stock Exchange. The company took over three months to send back my shares to me after transferring these shares in my name, though, according to the law, a company should transfer the shares and send these back to the person concerned within 45 days at the most.
After getting the above shares transferred in my name I sent the shares transfer deed for signature verification to the company by a registered post. The company took one month to verify the signature, after which it sent back the transfer deed to me. According to the law, the transfer deed, after verification of the signature, should be sent back to the person concerned within two days.
The staff concerned of the company has put the seal of "Signature Compared" in the place of the transferee's signature. It appears that in the share department of this company the staff do not know where to put the seal or signature properly.
So, small shareholders like me have to spend most of their precious time and money on correspondence etc in such matters.
I request the SECP chairman to make such a law that the listed companies in the stock exchange should appoint such people in their shares department as are proficient, responsible and in the full know of the legal procedure regarding dealings in shares.
M. NAZAKAT ALI KHAN
Karachi
Wedding ceremonies
This is with reference to the numerous letters I have read in Dawn concerning marriage ceremonies in Pakistan.
Marriage functions celebrate the union of two people and it's a time of joy and happiness. In my opinion, it is solely up to the families of the couple concerned where, when and for how long they would like the wedding functions to take place. The people invited should consider it an honour that the families of the bride and the groom have deemed them worthy enough to be a part of the auspicious occasion.
Humans are, by nature, extremely ungrateful. They will go to these ceremonies, all decked up in their finest apparel and accessories. They will get the opportunity of meeting and seeing new people, the chance to eat good, free food and, then, in the first instance they will be complaining about the noise pollution these weddings create, the late hours these nuptial ceremonies keep and the time that is taken to lay out dinner.
A word of advice: let the families celebrate in peace. If one has problems with the manner in which these weddings are conducted, they should just not attend them. It is very difficult for the parents of the bride and the groom to cater to everyone's needs; they have enough problems of their own to deal with at that time.
In these matters, a little tolerance and patience would be truly appreciated. In fact, tolerance is a trait we, as a nation, are in dire need of. Maybe if we try practising it in trivial matters like marriage ceremonies, we might be able to build it up and make use of it in crucial issues like religion and politics.
Let's not harp on petty issues when there are other, far more important concerns.
AMNA RIZVI
Mount Laurel, NJ, USA
A requiem for Nafdec
The bell has tolled for the National Film Development Corporation (Nafdec).
The idea of a state-sponsored authority to guide, finance and regulate Pakistan's nascent film industry was the brainchild of the then (1956) director of film development in the federal ministry of industries, Jahangir A. Khan.
Jahangir Khan was a journalist. He was spotted by Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi for his good looks and was cast in the film "Chan We" opposite melody queen Nur Jehan. The film was a flop and marked the end of Jahangir's film career. Nevertheless, film remained a passion in Jahangir's life.
His opportunity came when Mr Abbas Khaleeli, secretary, ministry of industries, selected him to head the newly-created department of film development in the ministry of industries. On Jahangir Khan's proposal, the government of Pakistan appointed a film inquiry committee under the chairmanship of Mr N. M. Khan, a former director-general of industrial development, with wide ranging terms of reference for development of film as a medium of entertainment, education, information, and social development.
The film inquiry committee's report, written by Jahangir A. Khan, was considered and approved by Ayub Khan's government. The committee recommended creation of a state authority to serve as an agency and catalyst for development of film as an industry and art. Nafdec was established by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government precisely to perform the role envisaged by the film inquiry committee.
Readers are familiar with the rest of the story. Nafdec became a playground for favourites. It is a classical chapter from our culture of favouritism, ineptitude and corruption.
SYED AFZAL HUSAIN ZAIDI
Islamabad
Had Benazir been in power
Mr Hafizur Rahman in his column "OF MICE AND MEN" (December 31) states that he shudders to think what gaffes would have been committed in the dangerous post -9/11 situation if an elected prime minister had been in office in place of a military dictator.
Things would not have reached this dangerous stage if the establishment in late 1996 had not dismissed the elected government of Ms Benazir Bhutto. She had stopped the establishment-backed Taliban takeover of Kabul when they were still in Kandahar. She had also stopped the Kargil adventure when its plan was presented to her.
Those who are giving General Musharraf the credit for the "gallant" U-turn in Afghanistan should also ask the question: why were we there in the first place? Both the Kargil adventure and the hasty retreat therefrom cannot be correct at the same time. One cannot take credit both ways.
The debacle which has permanently jeopardized our principled stand on Kashmir and put us on the defensive before the world community certainly calls for an impartial inquiry.
Individual opinions like that of Mr Rahman's "dear friend" are welcome and respected. However, a self-proclaimed "over-committed" democrat like him should not ignore the opinion of millions of other Pakistanis who cast the highest number of votes in the last election for Ms Benazir Bhutto's PPP.
After all kinds of pre-poll, polling-day and post-poll rigging, the dictatorship had to resort to large-scale horse-trading to be able to make their government by a single vote majority. This purchase of support and confidence continues till today and any democrat should be concerned over this shameful practice even if he was not "overcommitted" like our distinguished columnist.
The attack on General Musharraf has been condemned by the PPP at all forums. The PPP has faced four military dictators, one of whom even assassinated its founder chairman, but it has remained firm in condemning violence and the takeover of the state by the force of arms.
Besides so many other disasters that military dictators bring to a country, a serious one, as pointed out by Mr Rahman, is that what fate would be in store for the country in the event of the military ruler's death. This is an inherent crisis of all dictatorships. Democratic entities do not face this problem. The transition was smooth and legal when the Quaid-i-Azam left us.
The PPP survives as the largest political party of the country even after 25 years of the assassination of its founder chairman and continuous victimization of its leaders and workers. The less said about the supporters of dictatorship, the better.
TAJ HAIDER
Information Secretary, Pakistan People's Party, Islamabad
Smoking in TV drama serials
I would like to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to a new trend in various Pakistani TV channels.
Previously, PTV had a policy of not showing anyone smoking in their drama serials, but for the last few weeks this policy has not been implemented.
Recently, I was shocked to see a famous TV actor and an actress openly smoking in a drama serial. When a youngster sees their stars smoking on TV, they get attracted to this powerful addictive substance.
Smoking is on the rise in the country, so are tobacco-related diseases. Such programmes on TV which encourage youngsters to start smoking should not be allowed.
I urge the TV channels to stop promoting tobacco use through their TV serials. Instead, they should reveal to the public the facts about tobacco by showing patients who are suffering and dying in hospitals because of tobacco-induced diseases.
DR JAVAID A. KHAN
Karachi
A good film
I recently saw the Indian film Tehzeeb starring Shabana Azmi and Urmila, and was amazed to find how faithfully the producers had copied Ingmar Bergman's film Autumn Sonata.
This film, made about 25 years ago, was probably Bergman's first film in colour. It stars Ingrid Bergman, a successful concert pianist who, in the opening scenes, is seen driving through the Swedish countryside as the credits roll by. She has taken some time off from a busy schedule to spend some time with her daughters who live together in a remote area of the country.
One daughter is married while the other is severely handicapped. However, there is no happy ending. Is there ever in a Swedish film and that too one made by Bergman?
Tehzeeb is beautifully acted, scripted, filmed and directed although everyone is made up, needlessly, to look much too glamorous and glossy, presumably in order to satisfy the typical Bollywood film fans. Indian cinema was always highly derivative but no one is complaining when the inspiration comes from legendary filmmakers like Bergman.
ASAD SIDDIQI
Lahore
Graveyards
Last week, when a close family member passed away, we had to rush from one graveyard to another in the hope of finding a grave site. The graveyards at Paposh, Sakhi Hassan, Hasan Square and Yasinabad are all full.
However, only after paying an extra few thousand rupees to the grave-digger, an old disused grave was made available to us. Will the city government tell us what is being done for the dead of the city?
AHSAN AHMAD
Karachi
Victory in Wellington
This refers to the letter "Victory in Wellington" (January 1) by Ayesha Gul.
Ms Gul's assertion that "our batting did not click" is fallacious and is discounted by the fact that the Pakistan team chased a total of 277 runs in the last innings of the second Test for the loss of only three wickets, under immense pressure.
It is imperative to note that matches cannot be won by individuals alone; it is always a team and teamwork that win or lose. The fact that our team is on a winning note augurs well in terms of the high standards embodied by Javed Miandad and Inzamamul Haq and is a sign of the fact that the Pakistan team is on the right track.
It is wrong to criticize the selection of Danish Kaneria or Imran Farhat as they are the future of Pakistan cricket and bringing in old horses for a couple of years would serve no purpose in terms of the rebuilding process.
It is about time credit was given where it was due and thus one must commend the whole hierarchy of the Pakistan cricketing set-up for having done a wonderful job. Kudos to all of them and the team for providing the nation with a great New Year's gift.
TAYYAB BALAGAMWALA
Karachi
Old prize bonds
Last month Mr Siddique in these columns wrote that a large number of people could not encash their prize bonds owing to force majeure.
I am also one of the affected as I live in Germany and visit Pakistan after three years. On my last visit I found old prize bonds worth Rs50,000 in my locker. Obviously, the same cannot be encashed as the government has not extended the date for encashment.
The finance minister and the SBP governor are requested to look into this matter and extend the final date for encashment to January 31.
ZAKIA AFRIDI
Karachi
Gas accord
The Kharohi Shar tribe reached an agreement with the Mari gasfield management in September 2003. This agreement was mediated by the Ghotki district administration.
Although over three months have passed, no provision of the agreement has been implemented so far. This is not proper. The code of gentlemanship demands that each and every article of the agreement be honoured.
Perhaps the company managers think that their entity is beyond the pale of legal and moral laws of the land.
I would like to remind them that no one is above the moral values and laws of our society. Each point of the agreement carries as much weight as the provision of the bylaws of the company itself.
So, it is hoped the company managers will implement the agreement without any further delay.
MANDHAL SHAR
Ghotki
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