| 10 January 2004 | Saturday | 17 Ziqa'ad 1424 |
Victory in Wellington
War against terror
KDA housing schemes
Reduced profit rates
'Academic wrangling'
Single currency proposal
Ban on kite flying
Treatment of national heroes
Wedding functions
Disposal of garbage
Leasehold land
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Please refer to the news item "Asthma, allergy on the rise" (January 7). It is true that the number of asthma cases is increasing in the country. A study done in 1996 indicated that the prevalence of asthma in children between the ages of 12 and 14 was around nine per cent. A similar study done in 2001 found that the prevalence of this condition in the same age group had gone up to 19 per cent.
According to a recent report of Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), there are over 300 million asthmatics worldwide and the number is increasing in the developing countries.
In Pakistan, patients with asthma are suffering because of poor knowledge of and many misconceptions about this disease. In a research study conducted in the country last year, it was found that 90 per cent of asthma patients had a firm belief that asthma attacks were precipitated by various dietary items like rice, fish and bananas.
The fact is that asthma occurs as a result of exposure to environmental agents such as dust, tobacco smoke and fumes. Dietary items do not generally precipitate asthma attacks.
The most useful medicines for asthma are available in the form of inhalers or pumps, but patients in Pakistan have safety concerns about such devices. Many patients avoid inhalers because they fear that they may become addicted to them, while others believe that inhalers are given only at a very advanced stage of the disease. Inhalers are, however, the safest way to deliver medicine because through inhalers medicine reaches the air pipes of the lungs directly and the patient starts feeling better within minutes.
Medicines taken orally take a much longer time to provide relief from asthma symptoms. Some parents tend to restrict their children from physical activities, fearing that exercise may worsen their asthma condition. In fact, children should be allowed to take part in all physical activities as there are medicines available to prevent exercise-induced asthma.
To prevent asthma attacks, avoidance of various triggers helps. However, the most effective medicine currently available for this purpose is inhaled steroids. Unfortunately, there is a concern among educated people about the use of steroids. Research has confirmed that inhaled steroids are safe and are currently the drug choice for the prevention of asthma. Through the inhaler, steroids are given in a very tiny quantity and its actions are confined to respiratory mucosa. Hence, systemic side effects are avoided.
Due to lack of proper training, doctors who should be playing an important role in educating the patients and their families about this condition are not doing much in this regard.
I urge the electronic and print media to organize public educational activities on asthma so that unnecessary suffering of asthma patients can be prevented. We need to convey the message to the public that with proper understanding of the disease and by receiving proper treatment, they can live a normal, healthy life.
PROFESSOR JAVAID KHAN
Karachi
Victory in Wellington
This is with the reference to Ayesha Gul's letter "Victory in Wellington" (January 1). Indeed, we were all overwhelmed by pleasure to see our national team ending the year 2003 on a winning note, thus improving both their Test and ODI rankings.
I agree with Ms Gul that the victory in the Wellington Test was a one-man effort of Shoaib Akhtar. As the fourth day commenced, a Pakistan win looked improbable. Something extraordinary was needed which came from one of the world's best fast bowlers
and his partner Shabbir Ahmed who maintained the pressure. But what perplexed all of us back home and elsewhere was to see Inzamamul Haq not asking for the extra 30 minutes he was entitled to, with Pakistan just short of 28 runs for victory at the end of the fourth day. His decision raised the chance of New Zealand snatching a miracle draw if rain had denied Pakistan a win in the match. It would have been one of the biggest blunders in Test history.
The team's coach, Javed Miandad, knew it and heaved a sigh of relief when his team cracked the final 28 runs inside four overs on the final day at the Basin Reserve, inflicting New Zealand's first series loss at home in four years.
I suggest that the PCB should ask the team management to familiarize the players with the rules. Overall, the team's batting, except by a few players, was not up to the mark, keeping in mind the Indian tour early this year. In both the Test matches, we have seen that Pakistan relied too much on unplanned individual brilliance instead of a planned team effort.
In the first Test match, Moin Khan had to play the innings of his life to lead the team out of a tight spot. Similarly, in the second Test match Shoaib made all the difference. For the coming Indian series I would like to make the fowllowing suggestions:
- There should be a team strategy and alternative plans to cover for periods when things stop going according to the main strategy and within that planning every individual must know what he is supposed to do.
- The intention and commitment should be there to execute those plans and there should be an after-the-event accountability.
- The team management should counsel the young openers and make them do what is required rather than to leave it to them to take their own decisions in the middle.
- Misbahul Haq and Saqlain Mushtaq should be included in the team.
NAIMA ASLAM KHAN
Karachi
War against terror
The United States has not won the so-called war on terror, nor have terrorists lost it. If this requires any explanation, please take note of the following incidents that took place in the last fortnight of December:
- President Musharraf escaped terror attacks twice within 11 days.
- The Italian prime minister said terrorists' plan of a hijacked plane attack against Vatican had failed. He spent the day in Rome to tackle the situation, saying "I now feel easier" (a Dawn report).
- Five Paris-US flights were cancelled because of terror fears.
- The airspace over US cities was restricted on the new year's eve.
- A military hospital in Hamburg was closed after indications that terrorists were planning a car-bomb attack.
Doesn't all this mean that the US, even after two years of the beginning of the war on terror, has no grip over the war? When will the sole superpower learn its lessons?
Winston Churchill once said: "Americans will always do the right things after they have exhausted all the alternatives." The US and the United Nations should examine the following points for decision and implementation.
1. President Musharraf's call that causes of terrorism should be ascertained and addressed so as to resolve the problem.
2. Declaring any country, organization or even an individual as terrorist should be the job of the UN.
3. No country should be allowed to attack any other country in the name of waging a war on terrorism, without UN approval.
Z. A. KAZMI
Karachi
KDA housing schemes
KDA Scheme No. 43, comprising nine dehs of Halkani Town in District West of Karachi, measuring 38,467 acres (186 million square yards), was notified by the KDA through the Sindh government gazettes dated October 23, 1986, November 6, 1986, and November 13, 1986, for the development of residential and commercial/industrial plots.
Seventeen years have passed but nothing has been done so far. Large-scale encroachments, including kutchi abadis can be seen in the area. In the same year, Scheme No. 45, i.e. Taisar Town, was notified by the Karachi Development Authority, which has now been taken up for development by the Malir Development Authority as per a public notice issued on December 11, 2003.
The Halkani Town scheme has an enviable location. Adjoining the SITE and Surjani Town, it is served by the Coastal Highway, Hub River Road, the Northern Bypass and Manghopir Road.
As this housing scheme remains ignored, a large number of people are suffering owing to the lack of proper housing facilities and increased prices of land.
The prices of land in the SITE which adjoins the Halkani Town scheme have shot up to Rs20 million per acre. All this has hampered housing and industrial development of the city.
Many ambitious policies offering great incentives are announced from time to time by the federal government in order to encourage the construction industry, boost the economy, and create employment, but they cannot be executed because of such impediments.
It is also feared that even if the Halkani Town scheme is launched, it may meet the fate of Hawksbay Development Scheme No. 42 that was launched in 1984 but is in a shambles now.
I. ZAHEER AHMED
Karachi
Reduced profit rates
Our finance minister has lately announced a further reduction in the rates of profit on the national savings schemes. Such reductions are also being made by all banks in Pakistan. Should the process of the downward revisions in the rates of return continue any longer, one will soon find there being an adverse interest rate. This indeed is a good sign, but who will benefit from such steps? Certainly, not the country.
The natural corollary of reduced rates of interest is a fall in the inflation rate and the cost of living. However, this is not happening in our country, with the result that people from the ixed income group are facing great hardship.
Similarly, institutions which are engaged in social welfare activities find that the rates of return on their investments have gone down by almost 70 per cent, while their expenses have gone up. Institutions which operate themselves with investments in the savings schemes also find it difficult to survive.
The finance minister is urged to consider granting a special profit rate to such institutions as are engaged in social welfare activities and enjoy CBR's income tax exemption.
MAHER H. ALAVI
Karachi
'Academic wrangling'
This refers to your editorial (January 7) regarding the appointment of VCs in Karachi and DMC universities. There are three issues your editorial ignores: the existing system which permits appointing powers for civil and military-appointed governors acting as chancellors, the difference between a chancellor answerable to a military regime and one who belongs to a political party, and the interests of the bureaucracy in controlling out of control situations.
First, the University Ordinance 1974 places extraordinary powers in the hands of chancellors and they literally are allowed to choose amongst any one of their own choices. Thus, we see brigadiers, generals, bureaucrats, technocrats, pilots and even judges becoming vice-chancellors. This politicizes the situation when a military ruler is ruling a country as none of his appointees are democratically elected, nor do they feel answerable to anyone. For depoliticized appointments, academics should elect their own VC as is the case in many advanced universities, but is not prescribed in the Model University Ordinance.
Second, an important function of the Chancellor's office is to oversee the actions taken by the vice-chancellor. The University Ordinance has this provision through the senate which has all professors and people representing society as members. A meeting should be held every six months, but the KU held a senate meeting in December 22, 2003 after three years.
Teachers, students and staff have at times, as in September 2002, been very critical of the former VC and your newspaper has been supportive of that agitation. At the December 22 senate meeting, Dawn reported that even the chancellor "expressed dissatisfaction over the financial affairs of the university and said that the senate meeting should be organized before the start of a new financial year and every matter be discussed at appropriate forums" (Dawn, December 23).
Your paper acknowledged that "the meeting was well attended despite that fact that it was held after a gap of about three years, witnessed some heated arguments and counter-arguments." That meeting lasted over six hours, putting paid all arguments of apathy on part of varsity teachers. It also showed that if properly practised, the University Ordinance 1974 provides for checks and balances against authoritarian rule.
Third, the senate meeting was an eye-opener even for the chancellor that the affairs of the varsity could not be managed further through the same people even though he had supported that administration for over a year. Our rulers may not be worried about the conditions of their subjects but they always are serious about containing anger.
Your editorial has treated the KU change and that in the DMC on the same footing because the chancellor's office is vested with authoritarian powers which indeed should be taken away. However, examining a change, one must look at the political aspects and shouldn't make class interest subservient to politics - it is always the opposite case as long as authoritarianism is not replaced by control from below.
DR RIAZ AHMED
Elected Member, KU Syndicate, University of Karachi, Karachi
Single currency proposal
Though it is beneficial to both Pakistan and India to further their economic ties, having a single currency is an unfeasible idea for Pakistan in the short term.
A single currency unit actually means that South Asia has one monetary policy. Since the Indian economy is stronger than all other economies in region, in the case of a single currency India will be a dominant force as for as devising a single monetary policy for South Asia is concerned.
With outstanding issues like Kashmir, it is, therefore, not in Pakistan's interest to discard its independent monetary policy in favour of a regional one.
DAWOOD MAMOON
Den hague, The Netherlands
Ban on kite flying
This refers to a news item in a recent issue of Dawn regarding the threat of kite manufacturers to go on a hunger strike if the ban on kite flying in Lahore is not lifted.
According to another report, 42 people lost their lives following injuries caused by kite strings and the city experienced frequent power breakdowns resulting in heavy financial losses to Wapda during the festival of Basant in February last year.
The Lahore administration has taken a very bold and wise decision by imposing a complete ban on kite flying and manufacturing and selling of items related to it.
Kite flying has nothing to do with the spring season or the spring festival, from where and it has found way in the culture of Punjab, especially of Lahore. Millions of rupees are wasted during Basant every year. Besides, many precious lives are lost and scores of people hurt themselves because of this activity.
I request the city administration not to lift the ban on kite flying.
AAMIR AQIL
Lahore
Treatment of national heroes
Mr Khalid Latif's letter (January 8) points to an issue we, as a people, really need to take a look at; retiring those who have served our nation in a respectful and fitting way.
The list of victims is very impressive and long. From Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to Hanif Muhammed, we have managed to unceremoniously dethrone the best of our heroes.
It is true that some had overstayed and had slid down the popularity ladder before their forced departures, but we must let individuals decide on their own when to call it a day as long as they are performing well.
JAWAID SHAIKH
Chicago, USA
Wedding functions
I totally agree with Amna Rizvi's comments (January 4) on wedding ceremonies in Pakistan. A wedding function is a very happy occasion when people socialize, exchange pleasantries and have a good time. Teenagers in particular make the most of it.
Nevertheless, many people complain that as wedding functions continue beyond midnight, they are not able to have a proper sleep as they have to wake up early to go to work, school, etc. Such people should realize that no one forces them to attend these ceremonies, nor does anyone ask them to leave only when the bride and the groom are leaving.
The government should not interfere in such social gatherings. It is the organizers and the guests of a function who should decide how they want to spend their time and for how long they want to stay the ceremony. If dinner is served early, say at 9pm or at 10pm, the chances are that most guests will leave early.
REHAB NAVEED
Karachi
Disposal of garbage
I would like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the poor sanitary conditions in Faisalabad's People's Colony. Every day, donkey-cart wallahs pick up all kinds of household and commercial refuse and dump it at a place on a main road of the area. The garbage thus dumped keeps piling up. When no space is left for further dumping, a tehsil municipal administration tractor-trolley is sent to remove the garbage to make room for the next week's dumping. This has been going on for months.
The dump produces unbearable stench that immensely disturbed passers-by and people who work in nearby offices. Apart from giving an ugly look to the area, it is posing a health hazard. The dump has also become a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes.
The authorities concerned are requested take notice of the problem and ensure proper disposal of the refuse.
ASHFAQUE AHMED VARAICH
Faisalabad
Leasehold land
We frequently read articles on cancellation of allotments, the more recent being the cancellation of Gwadar leasehold rights (column by Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee, December 14).
Please take note of the Sindh High Court's following citation: "Leasehold rights cannot be unilaterally cancelled without proper notice to petitioners and this citation is for the remedy, benefit and public interest of all affectees."
PRO BONO PUBLICO
Karachi
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