| 12 January 2004 | Monday | 19 Ziqa'ad 1424 |
National savings schemes
Violation of rules
Wedding functions
Tuition culture
Victim of Saddam's cruelty
Devolution plan's viability
A schoolgirl's distress
Gun direction
Oil export: clarification
National language
Community policing
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This is with reference to Mr I. A. Rehman's comments on the 17th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, in his article "Grand deal 2003" (January 5).
While agreeing with him in totality on his views on the 17th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, I would like to point out some other contradictions in the publicly-stated position of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in this regard.
The MMA has been labelling the Legal Framework Order, 2002 (LFO) as void ab initio act of the then chief executive. It may be recalled that the chief executive had proclaimed the LFO in pursuance of the powers vested in him by and under the judgment of the Supreme Court dated May 12, 2000, which is now commonly known as the Zafar Ali Shah case.
The MMA's main ground for attack on the LFO was that since under the Constitution the Supreme Court itself had no authority to amend the Constitution, it could not have lawfully granted such authority to General Musharraf to bring any amendments to the Constitution through the LFO.
By taking a U-turn in their declared policy on the LFO, the MMA, in fact, has "left aside" their earlier stand that the "LFO cannot be deemed to have been made as part of the Constitution" when they agreed to bring the amendments to the LFO through the 17th Constitutional Amendment Act 2003 on the premise that the LFO was already part of the Constitution.
It was amazing to note that on the one hand the MMA was critical of the judgment handed down by the Supreme Court in the Zafar Ali Shah case for the fact that it had empowered General Pervez Musharraf to amend the Constitution, and on the other, it was the same MMA that was quite instrumental in adding a new clause to Article 58 of the Constitution to empower the Supreme Court to test the validity of the president's action in the case of dissolution of the National Assembly.
The MMA should have not let the power-seekers fight the political battles by using the Supreme Court as the playing field. It is not in the interest of the institution of the judiciary to bring political questions in the court rooms.
The MMA is now a part of yet another conspiracy to further weaken the institution of the judiciary.
M. ASLAM BUTT
Advocate, Supreme Court, Karachi
National savings schemes
During World War II, the British rulers introduced several devices to collect funds to meet the war requirement, and the National Savings Department was one of these devices. After independence, the National Savings Organization, an attached department of the ministry of finance, government of Pakistan, was responsible for the policy matters, publicity and execution of various savings schemes, and the post offices and commercial banks were the operative agents for investment purposes.
Since 1972, the National Savings Organization has also kept itself engaged in the operation of various national savings schemes through its own branches designated as national savings centres. A total of 363 such offices were in operation till 1996 when it was decided to merge several centres to reduce expenditure.
The main features of NSS which attracted investment, besides high profit, were:
(a) GOP guarantee of security of investment and
(b) investors having the facility of making nomination.
Subsequently, on advice of the IMF with a view to reducing heavy outflow on government debts, the GOP started reducing profit on these schemes every half year. The GOP expects that the investors will be investing in shares quoted on stock exchanges.
Perhaps the state functionaries are not aware of the fact that none of the stock exchanges allow transactions by those who are not members of Central Depositing Company (CDC).
Small savers, pensioners and elderly people are reluctant to acquire membership of the CDC as they have to pay an initial membership fee and an annual renewal fee. The option to have CDC sub-account with stock brokers is also not acceptable to these groups as in the event of stock broker firm going in default, the sub-account members investment will be wiped off.
The crisis of 1996 that gripped NIT unit funds still prevents small savers from investing in shares through NIT and many other such funds that have cropped up in the last three years.
It is, therefore, suggested that CDC membership requirements for dealings at stock exchange should be relaxed for small investors for the next the four years or, alternatively, they may be allowed membership at reduced rates without additional yearly fees for a period of two to three years.
SYED KHALIL AHMED
Karachi
Violation of rules
Recently I visited Pakistan after a long time. I was very impressed by almost everything I saw except for a few things. The traffic in most of the country was overwhelming. I was very surprised to see the lack of regulations even in the capital city of Islamabad.
Police were present everywhere but they were busy talking to each other on their radio sets. They were more interested in a minister's travel schedule rather than in the traffic. People were jumping red lights in the presence of these officers who were least bothered.
When asked why the traffic violators were being allowed to get away, the answer was that it was due to a lack of proper equipment and shortage of manpower. I was very disappointed to hear this because great nations always have great law and order enforcers.
The other strange thing that I observed was at the Karachi and Islamabad airports. No one was following the signs for the immigration desks. Pakistanis had queued up where only foreign dignitaries and foreign businessmen and women were supposed to do so. When an American questioned the immigration authority chief, he was told not to worry about the signs; they don't mean anything.
This statement created a terrible impression on everyone. Pakistan is the only country in the world where immigration counters resemble cinema hall ticket counters.
If Pakistan wants to be considered a well- organized nation, its institutions and citizens need to conduct themselves in a responsible and disciplined way, and show respect for one another.
HAIDER
Houston, Texas, USA
Wedding functions
I totally disagree with Rehab Naveed's comments (January 10) on wedding ceremonies in Pakistan. I think the letter points towards a very disturbing trend in the growing ideology of this nation. It is not the wedding functions that are so much my concern as this attitude that people should be left alone to do everything the way they want to - even if they choose what is base and condemnable.
It is true that wedding functions are a happy occasion, but that does not mean that there is no decorum for commemorating happy occasions. There are some serious issues that need to be addressed with regard to weddings that take place in our country, such as extravagance, loud music that disturbs neighbours, immodest dancing, etc.
It is the responsibility of society as a whole to keep such activities in check. If it is merely the organizers and the guests that are to decide, they will obviously decide to persist in their traditions even if these are erroneous.
According to the writer, teenagers "make the most of" these occasions. I have seen the activities that teenagers indulge in at weddings, and if this is the "most" that they can make of their time, then we are certainly in a lot of trouble as a nation.
I agree that no one should be compelled by any group to conform to their moral values, but I believe it is not unacceptable if the government intervenes in order to keep some kind of balance, perhaps by restricting superfluous spending of time and money.
ZAIN MANKANI
Karachi
Tuition culture
Teaching today has created a greater job market than any other business in Pakistan. A vast number of teachers, who are teaching in various institutions, tuition centres and also in some schools, are not even eligible for this profession and are rather interested in making money.
I have found at a website a section where you can locate a tutor for any subject. It was very shocking to know that the total number of registered teachers exceeded that of students.
I believe that the feeling of professionalism is gone amongst most teachers and they are now interested in making money only rather than in teaching the students the true essence and meaning of education.
It is not only the fault of school authorities who in one way or the other may encourage students to take up tuition, but also of those persons, including teachers, who create doubts in the minds of students about the standard of school education.
A tuition nowadays costs about Rs2,000 and most students tend to receive tuition for five to six subjects. Moreover, taking tuition in so many subjects every day causes exhaustion among students and disrupts their social life as most tuition timings start from two in the afternoon and continue till 10 or 11 at night.
It is hoped that the education ministry will take steps to ensure better education in our institutions so that students do not have to spend so much on acquiring education.
SHAHZEEM BHAYANI
Karachi
Victim of Saddam's cruelty
Among the innocent people killed in cold blood by Saddam Hussein during his reign of terror in Iraq was Abdul Hussain Bhai Gokul. He ranked among good men.His illustrious father, Jetha Bhai Gokul, had migrated to Basra from Karachi, in the wake of the Treaty of Mudros of October 30, 1918, when Iraq came under the tutelage of British India. Jetha Bhai Gokul started shipping business in Basra, chartering country crafts from Bombay and Karachi to Iraqi and Gulf ports. Later, his sons also moved into trading.
In the tradition of his illustrious father, Abdul Hussain Bhai helped Khoja pilgrims from the subcontinent and Africa to reach the shrines of Imam Hussain and his faithful brother, Maula Abbas, in Karbala. That was until January 1969 when he was summarily tried and executed.
He was 60 when he was condemned to death in Basra by a kangaroo court, for no crime at all, on a put-up charge of Israeli spy. A confession of sorts was also extorted from him. Fingernails of the diabetic Abdul Hussain Bhai were pulled out one by one in the dungeon where he was incarcerated. He was brought before television cameras, pathetic scenes of which were also relayed on PTV where he repeated, like a trained puppet: "I am an Israeli spy. I am an Israeli spy."
Saddam in the capacity as interior minister ignored the supplication for clemency of our president Ayub Khan, forwarded by the then foreign secretary, S. M. Yousuf, and routed via ambassador to Iraq M. Masood. Abdul Hussain Bhai Gokul was hanged on the scaffold of the jail house of Basra on January 27, 1969.
The body was displayed on the waterfront strung from a lamp-post, through the day, when it was sent for burial in Najaf. In conformity with the draconian orders of the Iraqi Baath government, his grave in Najaf does not bear a tombstone, since he was put to death as a criminal.
The Pakistan embassy in Baghdad, through the aegis of the new Iraqi government, should make an issue of this matter, have the case of Abdul Hussain Gokul reopened and reexamined in the light of evidence that the charges against him were fictitious. Abdul Hussain Bhai must be exonerated and his resting place properly identified.
MOHAMMED AZIZ HAJI DOSSA
Karachi
Devolution plan's viability
In spite of being in place for three years, the system of devolution has been a miserable failure. The government's claims that the system will bring a revolutionary change in the efficiency and working of the government officials, and will bring democracy to the grass roots level, was mere lip service.
The reality is somewhat different; the working of government officials has, if anything, become worse, corruption remains unchecked and the law and order situation remains unchanged. The only thing that has come out of all this is that it has provided an opportunity to nazims, naib nazims and UC nazims to make profits while remaining on the side of the elected government. Nothing has been accomplished otherwise.
I think that the government rushed into the implementation of the devolution plan without examining its impact and outcome. Due to its complicated hierarchical structure, everyone is baffled at their workplace amidst uncertainty and confusion. Such experiments with the state machinery lead to only one thing; the people end up suffering.
Those who entered the bureaucracy after painstaking efforts and passing the difficult examination of the FPSC are now working under an inter-pass, which is not even comparable with the educational standard of the countries abroad. In my opinion, the previous system was better than this one. At least in that system there was no corruption at the grassroots level.
SOHAIL AHMED PATHAN
Hyderabad
A schoolgirl's distress
A six-year-old girl student and her mother are in much distress because the girl is not being transferred from the afternoon shift to the morning shift by the principal of a Karachi school.
The child travels by bus all the way from Gulistan-i-Jauhar to Saddar to reach her school. This consumes more than an hour and she returns home late in the evening. Her mother works from morning till noon to supplement the house budget. The girl thus does not get the care she needs from her mother. Furthermore, her father has no stable income and is not able to provide reasonable subsistence to the family.
Since May 2002, her mother has been approaching the principal about her predicament but to no avail. I have advised her mother to submit an application, seeking an interview with the Sindh chief minister and the education minister to identify the school lest the child should be penalized by the school authorities.
I hope the chief minister will recommend this case to the principal for sympathetic consideration.
SAIFUDDIN E. CONTRACTOR
Karachi
Gun direction
One often comes across Rangers sitting in pickets, whose guns are aimed at the streets and not in the air or at the ground, as one expects. Should such a gun go off accidentally, it may cause loss of life.
The same is the case with the policemen in their mobiles. They carry their guns in such a position that they point at people in vehicles following these mobiles.
This is never the practice in most parts of the world where extra care is taken when pointing a gun at anyone. I suggest that some sort of protocol be established under which strict instructions are given to the law-enforcement personnel on how to carry their weapons when in public.
ASLAM SUHRAWARDY
Karachi
Oil export: clarification
Apropos of the report "Afghans re-export petrol into Pakistan" (January 7),27,000 litres a day were supplied during July-December 2003 against international contracts at Kabul and a very limited quantity to petrol pump operators in Jalalabad.
During December, PSO supplied 47,000 litres a day and that too due to disruption of road communication from Salong Pass (Tajikistan), Friendship Bridge (Uzbekistan) and the Iranian border due to induction of armed forces checkposts by ISAF/US army.
Likewise, from the Sihala installation PSO has supplied 5,600 litres a day and that too exclusively during December 2003. PSO feels that the reporter has ignored the fact that one of the refineries in northern part of the country is exporting 80 RON at one to two lakhs of litres a day to Jalalabad. In fact, as per the directive of government of Pakistan monograde, i.e. 90 RON, is only refined and supplied to oil-marketing companies. Hence, PSO cannot export this grade.
A negligible quantity of petrol is supplied to international organizations, operating within the vicinity of Kabul, in comparison to highspeed diesel.
It may be added that customs authorities at the Torkham checkpost de-seal the tank-trucks for visual inspection to ascertain the correctness of the quantity against our invoices and draw samples for checking the quality of the product. Hence the allegations of plying tank trucks filled with water are wrong.
S. ABRAR HUSSAIN BOKHARI
GM, Legal & Public Affairs, Pakistan State Oil Company Limited, Karachi
National language
When we see at the leaders of France, Germany, China, Russia, Japan, etc., speaking at officials functions/press conferences in their own languages, it simply reflects their nationalistic pride and respect they hold for their national languages. It is wrong to presume that they do not know or cannot speak English.
Most of the high-profile sportsmen from the world of football, tennis and other sport speak in their own languages whenever they are required to speak. An interpreter is made available to them.
At the end of the first cricket Test recently played between Pakistan and New Zealand, Inzamamul Haq was seen speaking to commentator Larsen. He preferred English to answer questions. His confidence was remarkable but he was not able to express and explain his true feelings. Had he chosen Urdu, his own national language, to answer the questions, he would have done better, with the assistance of an interpreter.
It is hoped that our sportsmen/women will follow world leaders and high-profile sportsmen, and speak in their national language on such occasions.
M. ASIF DAR
Karachi
Community policing
Community policing is a collaborative effort between the police and a community, which identifies problems of crime and involves all elements of the community in search for solutions to these problems. It also offers a way for the police to help the community and can reduce crime.
Citizens should actively participate in such programmes whenever they are organized in the city in order to increase awareness in fulfilling their duties, responsibilities and rights. It will also build trust between the area police and the residents and will create a friendly environment and remove any misunderstanding between the citizens and the police.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
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