| 26 January 2004 | Monday | 03 Zilhaj 1424 |
'What women MPs can do'
Corporal punishment
DHA's education system
Appeal to prime minister
'Out on a limb'
Fixed milk price
Muslims in the West
PTV coverage
Unattended problem
Interrogation of scientists
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This refers to the letters "Stock exchange companies" by Mr M. Nazakat Ali Khan (January 4) and Mr R. R. Alvi (January 11). With regard to the requirements under Listing Regulations 13(1) and 13(2), as pointed out by Mr Alvi, there is no doubt that under these regulations the listed companies are required to verify the signatures on transfer deeds within 48 hours and transfer the shares within 45 days of the application received for such transfer and registration, respectively.
The investors' complaint department of the exchange always takes cognizance of the complaints received from shareholders/investors. However, it is very unfortunate that some of the listed companies, despite persistent efforts of the exchange, failed to comply with the requirements of the Companies Ordinance and the Listing Regulations.
As regards the concern of Mr Nazakat Ali Khan over the qualification of the company secretary, it is pointed out that in the Code of Corporate Governance, recently incorporated in the Listing Regulations, the qualification of company secretary and CFO has been defined, and it has been made compulsory that the person should have the requisite qualification and experience in handling the corporate affairs of the company.
To avoid physical handling of shares, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has already directed those listed companies that have not joined the central depository system (CDS) to join the system. However, it is very unfortunate that a number of companies have not yet joined the CDS. With the induction of securities into the CDS, the delay in transfer of shares, verification of signatures on transfer deeds and the chances of forgery and fraud have been eliminated. More than 400 companies have so far joined the CDS, and 97 per cent of the settlement is routed through the it. On the part of the exchange, approval of further issuance of capital is not allowed until the companies join the CDS.
On perusal of the records of the exchange, it has been noted that neither Mr Alvi nor Mr Khan forwarded any complaint to the exchange. The only letter received was from Mr Khan, dated December 31, 2003, addressed to the SECP chairman and copy endorsed to this exchange about the delay in transfer of shares and verification of signatures on transfer deeds by Sh. Fazal Rehman & Sons Ltd. On receipt of a copy of the letter, the exchange has already taken up the issue with the company concerned.
The exchange endorses the suggestion of Mr Alvi that there is need for strict enforcement of the provisions of the corporate laws to ensure good governance, so that the shareholders/investors should not suffer for the negligence on the part of the listed companies.
MANAGER
Company Affairs Department, Karachi Stock Exchange, Karachi
'What women MPs can do'
Ms Zubeida Mustafa, in her article "What women MPs can do" (January 21), has raised an important issue regarding the need for establishment of public libraries and enactment of a library law.
Acquisition of knowledge is central to the teachings of the holy Quran. Knowledge is compared to light and ignorance to darkness. The Quran poses the question: can you equate light with darkness? In this regard, the only prayer specifically described in the Quran is "Rabb-i- zidni ilma". The holy prophet (May Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) emphasized that quest of knowledge is obligatory upon men and women.
At its peak, Islamic civilization was second to none in the level, quality and variety of its achievements. For centuries the world view of Muslims was well grounded. They were the greatest and foremost military and economic power on earth, having achieved the highest level so far in human history in the art and sciences of civilization. They inherited the knowledge and skills of the ancient Middle East, Greece and Persia, and added to them several innovations from outside.
And then suddenly the relationship changed. With the advent of "new learning", the Europeans made significant progress, leaving the Islamic world behind them. The Renaissance, the Reformation and the technological revolution passed virtually unnoticed in the lands of Islam. Muslims were uprooted from their inherited traditions, with the result that they lost the ethos of knowledge as well as the moral and intellectual grounding.
How did a civilization founded on reading forget the art of reading? Why is it that the people of the Book came to disdain books? The only reason is their aversion to books in the thousand years of constancy.
By setting up public libraries in all the towns and tehsil headquarters, the district governments would be doing a national service of utmost importance. Let the people have access to books. Let them find their last ground of knowledge. Mistakes of the past are lessons of today, and let us learn from our past neglect and revive our association with the books.
FAQIR AHMED PARACHA
Peshawar
Corporal punishment
News items appear in the national press from time to time regarding corporal punishments to students, leading to registration of FIRs against guilty teachers in Pakistan. This indicates that our schoolteachers are ignorant of classroom dynamics.
This situation is both alarming and lamentable because this attitude of teachers not only drives out students from schools and ruins their careers, but also evokes fear, hesitation, loss of self- confidence and initiative, making them not-so-useful citizens later on in life. Indeed, this is a national loss due to bad manners and a bad attitude towards students on the part of teachers in our educational institutions.
Besides being proficient in their subjects, our teachers must possess the qualities of patience, tolerance, kindness, honesty, sincerity, sympathy, commitment, devotion and the ability to arouse inspiration, curiosity and creativity among their students by making their lessons activity-based and interesting.
They must know how to act and react to establish a harmonious relationship with their students. They must also be able to evoke and command respect of their students, and not create fear, resentment, frustration and aggression among them as effective teaching and learning takes place in an atmosphere of good relationship and understanding of each other.
It seems most of our teachers do not have the qualities mentioned above. They believe in teaching through torturing and rote learning and spoon-feeding instead of creating curiosity, interest and inquisitiveness among their students.
Our teachers must update themselves with the latest techniques of classroom dynamics and change their attitude and manners towards their students to establish a good rapport for effective teaching and learning. In the meantime, the government should make laws to ban all kinds of corporal punishment in our educational institutions.
SALEEM JAN
Hunza
DHA's education system
The Defence Housing Authority, Karachi, can rightly boast of establishing a prestigious educational network within its jurisdiction and is making efforts to set up a university.
Nonetheless, there are some awkward disparities in the system which need to be remedied early. For instance, the English-medium schools and colleges function under the administrative control of one director of education while a few Urdu medium schools, established for the children of low-income groups, are placed under the purview of the director of religious affairs, also designated as adviser on education.
This separation of the two categories, it is understood, took place a year ago for reasons unknown to parents. Previously, from the beginning, one director of education looked after both the Urdu- and English-medium institutions in the DHA.
Parents grumble that this unjust arrangement has been causing not only inferiority complex to their wards, but also making their schools look like seminaries when a stamp of religious affairs is affixed on their certificates, though these Urdu-medium institutions are duly affiliated with the Board of Secondary Education, Karachi.
It is learnt that heads of the institutions are often seen requesting for the seal of the adviser on education on certificates rather than that of religious affairs.
The DHA administrative complex is already encumbered with duplication and overlapping of offices, resulting in unnecessary expenditure and tax burden on residents. Will the new corps commander, who is also president of the executive board of the DHA, look into the matter and rectify this aberration?
MOHAMMAD ALEEM SHAIKH
Karachi
Appeal to prime minister
The prime minister's secretariat, Islamabad, endorsed a U.O. letter, No. 5(8)/M-1/2003, dated 28-7-2003, to the chief secretary, Punjab, for evacuation of the qabza group from our inherited agricultural property situated in Multan,
The reply was sought by August 26,2003. The Punjab chief secretary further endorsed it to the Punjab revenue department. But let alone implementation, no reply has so far been given by the revenue department despite reminders from the chief secretary.
The number of such letters from the prime minister's secretariat, the chief secretary and the S&GAD to the Punjab revenue department is at least one dozen. But most of the times, either no reply is given or a misleading one is sent.
Similarly, the problem has not been addressed by the circles concerned despite written endorsements and a telephonic call from the special monitoring cell of the chief minister.
Furthermore, reports were sent from the district administration of Multan calling for redressal of our grievances way back in June 2000, but so far nothing has come of it.
It is astonishing to note that a hand-written order of the ex-chief secretary, Punjab, Mr Hafeez Akhtar Randhawa, dated 01-08-2000, regarding the above has not been implemented yet. Endorsements from the Army GHQ of the years from 1998 and 1999 were also not implemented.
Moreover, about 18 court orders in our favour have not yet been implemented. Our grievances, therefore, have been more than seven years' old during which we have lost about 15 crops. In the circumstances I appeal to the prime minister to visit our land and see for himself the worsening of the situation because of the Punjab revenue department and depth of the roots of the land mafia in Multan.
DR QAMBER ABBAS
Multan
'Out on a limb'
I was browsing through Mr Irfan Husain's article "Out on a limb" (January 10). There he wrote: "Whether we like it or not, the world has changed since 9/11. Both terrorism and nuclear proliferation (as well as chemical and biological weapons) are now very high on the American agenda of evils to stamp out."
No doubt the flute of George Bush, playing the tune of the 9/11 incident, had an initial melody similar to what the Pied Piper of Hamelin once played in Aesop's Fables. Obviously, no country had even a chance to take a pause and think - all of them were in a hurry to line up and fight the terrorists in Afghanistan.
Then when the "Sharonist mole" in the White House and the Pentagon veered their war euphoria from Afghanistan to Iraq, many countries were struck with "shock and awe" (to speak in Rumsfeld's language).
Just about two weeks before George Bush unilaterally labelled the UN as "irrelevant" and invaded Iraq, a documentary was being televised in the West. It owes its credence to a team of seasoned journalists, including Neil MacDonald, the renowned reporter of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The documentary focused on Paul Wolfowitz, the architect of the American foreign policy of the Bush administration. In fact, he exploited September 11 as a a stepping-stone towards fulfilling his wish-list and was looking forward.
The exact wordings of the document, aimed at an all-out war against Islamic countries, read: "Such aspirations are unlikely to be realized without a catastrophic and catalysing event - like a new Pearl Harbour."
Immediately after the document got leaked to a limited diplomatic circle, a number of powerful countries could see that 9/11 was just a delusion towards fulfilling the "wish list" of the Sharonists in the Bush administration. And, so, they vehemently opposed the war against Iraq. Even Canada, the closest neighbour of the US, opposed it. American arm-twisting to line up France, Germany, Russia, and China failed miserably.
Why did these powers oppose Bush this time? Obviously, the perception that "the world has changed since 9/11" got faded away in their belief after the brainwashing trap of the US got leaked out. By this time, they knew the architect of the 9/11 incident by the name.
Year after year the anniversary of 9/11 will remain in perpetuity on US soil. No doubt, the Republicans will take advantage of it to remind the Americans to spend more and more on the arms industries. But the rest of the world, after reading the lips of Wolfowitz, would not have any reason to believe that the "world has changed since 9/11".
MESBAH UDDIN
Via email
Fixed milk price
The Karachi government and the price control department held a meeting at the Civic Centre a few days ago, under the chairmanship of the price control officer, and fixed the milk price at Rs22 per litre with immediate effect. It was decided that those who violated the rule would be fined and punished.
Moreover, the public was informed not to pay more than the fixed price. Anyone selling the commodity at a premium should be brought to the notice of the authorities concerned.
Indubitable it is that at present milk has been selling at between Rs23 and Rs24 for the last couple of months in the city, in total disregard of the government-fixed price. When milk-sellers' attention is drawn to the fact, they straightaway say: "Buy it from the place where it is available at Rs22 a litre". Perhaps the authorities concerned do not know this fact.
Nonetheless, if by chance the commodity is available at the fixed price, it is of inferior quality because the sellers are sure that no relevant officials will pay a surprise visit to their shops for quality checking. It is hoped the department concerned will depute staff for surprise inspections and take on-the-spot action against profiteers.
RIZWAN SULTAN ALI
Karachi
Muslims in the West
There is a significant segment of Muslims living of their own free will in the West, who are of the view that the country of their adoption should conform to their way of life, and the laws of the land should not apply to them, as indicated in the letter "Pitfalls of imposed secularism" (Jan 20) by Abid Mustafa.
It is ironic that Mr Mustafa demands the right for Muslim women to wear hijab, whereas the theocratic system that he touts forbids the establishment of places of worship by non-Muslims and routinely tramples upon the rights of women and minorities.
Finally, the example of 'Khilafat' as a source of peace among various religions in the Middle East is particularly unmindful of the brutal treatment of Arabs by decadent and corrupt Ottomans which forced the unravelling of that region into different countries and started a bloody fratricide that endures even to this day, with peace nowhere in sight.
M.HAIDER
New Jersey, USA
PTV coverage
On January 15 I listened to the 6pm news on PTV World and had the shock of my life. I had earlier heard the news of the bomb explosion in Karachi that day on other channels. Each one of them gave the required importance to it.
Only our worthy PTV treated the tragedy as a routine occurrence. News about the blast and injuries caused to people was covered for hardly a few seconds.
ASHFAQUE NAQVI
Lahore
Unattended problem
In the year 1944, as a young boy, I often used to visit Karachi Airport on my bicycle to see aeroplanes (now known as Terminal 1) from my residence in Karachi's Soldier Bazaar through PIB Colony and Stadium Road. Until 1993 the road leading from Dalmia Cement Factory, connecting the Drigh Road Railway Station (now amalgamated with Rashid Minhas Road) had been in a dilapidated condition, without lights and proper maintenance.
The road is now properly maintained and has been made a dual-carriage way of international standard. I am, like other Karachiites, much grateful to the city nazim, Niamatullah Khan, and other relevant authorities for this good job.
However, there is another unfinished and unattended job of a similar nature. A highly -populated area, adjacent to Jinnah Terminal, known as Model Colony, is without a sewerage system. Every house owner is to dig a big well adjacent to his house to manage his household waste. This system has now almost collapsed, with the result that sewage has started mixing with drinking water through leakages in a water main which is near the well.
The matter was brought to the notice of the relevant authorities, but they are reluctant to proceed in the matter. Last year the laying of a sewerage line was started, but the work was suddenly stopped for reasons known only to the authorities.
As a resident of Model Colony I request the city nazim to end the suffering of the residents of Model Colony by laying a sewerage line, and to replace the sewerage-mixed drinking water pipeline.
M. ABDUL REHMAN
Karachi
Interrogation of scientists
The reported debriefing of nuclear scientists during a rather prolonged period of detention has sent a shockwave among the educated elite of our country. It reminds one of the decline of science in the Muslim world which started after the 11th century defined as the golden period of Islam. Ibn-i-Sina then was shining as a star on the horizon of science.
According to a historian of science, Dr George Sarton, the seeds of decay had already set in when Ibn-i-Sina was obliged to write his encyclopaedic work "Al Qanoon" in hiding in a friend's house, as the ruler of the time was after his blood. The men of science were considered upsetters of the status quo or stability as defined in our times.
The final nail in the coffin of Muslim science was driven in the 14th century when Ibn-i-Rushd was arrested by the Spanish ruler and released only before his death a month later. His books were burnt in Spain while thy were smuggled into Italy.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
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