Bird flu: an overview

The recent outbreak of bird flu in Thailand has raised enormous concerns and doubts amongst the consumers of poultry meat. This situation has serious implications on the economy of Pakistan as well.

We clarify that the outbreak of avian influenza in Karachi is not the same disease as reported from Southeast Asian countries like Thailand. The strain of flu virus isolated and characterized from the outbreaks in Thailand, China and neighbouring countries is H5N1. This is a highly pathogenic strain and is of zoonotic importance, i.e. human beings can contract the disease.

However, the avian influenza types H9 and H7 from the recent outbreak in poultry flocks in Karachi are not reported as communicable to humans. A serious outbreak was reported in 1994 when broiler breeder flocks were affected in northern areas of the country, and about a million birds died. Scientists isolated the pure virus and typed it as H7N3. An inactivated vaccine by the isolate was prepared by various laboratories and has been quite effective in controlling the avian influenza problem since 1994.

However, an outbreak of the avian influenza H9N2 continues to occur, particularly in Karachi and its adjoining areas. This virus isolate was also purified likewise and a vaccine was prepared which provided satisfactory protection.

During 2003 another epidemic of avian influenza occurred in March and heavy mortality in commercial layers of Karachi was reported. This virus has been isolated and characterized as H7 at various public and private disease diagnostic laboratories. This outbreak occurred in commercial layer flocks at their peak production.

No human contract has yet been reported from any of the 20,000 poultry farms of the country. But since this virus is a mutagenic one and there is lot of antigenic shift and drift in its type, it is strongly recommended that occurrence of various stereotypes in flocks should be monitored.

Poultry farmers and people associated with the industry in one way or the other should take the following precautions in the face of this outbreak to prevent the spread of disease.

1. A proper vaccination schedule should be observed for all common infectious diseases.

2. Dead birds should be properly disposed of, either by burial or by burning.

3. Dead birds should not be allowed to be eaten by scavenger animals in any case.

4. Strict quarantine measures should be adopted for the import of live birds and also for humans, especially those travelling from the avian flu-affected areas.

5. Biosecurity measures should be strictly implemented.

6. The health department must have adequate resources/ lab equipment to handle the situation in case avian flu cases are suspected in human beings.

PROFESSOR (DR) M.A. MUNEER & DR SHAHAN AZEEM

University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore

Debriefing of nuclear scientists

Legally speaking, the detention of some nuclear scientists is wrongful arrest. No law authorizes the investigation agencies to arrest anyone for the purpose of interrogation. The government has been using the word "debriefing" for interrogation in order to mitigate the severity of the ordeal that the detainees are being subjected to.

The officials owe an explanation to the people as to their authority to detain individuals without telling us who has violated the law. Even a layman knows that no arrest can be made without a warrant issued by a competent authority. There is some provision about making arrest without a warrant but that does not apply to the kind of investigation that is under way.

There have been demonstrations against the wrongful detention of the scientists who have served the country devotedly. Some legislators have condemned the arrests. This is not enough. They should initiate a full-fledged debate on the floor of parliament. There are political ramifications to this matter, and parliament is the right forum to discuss it.

PROFESSOR MUKHTAR ALI NAQVI

Orlando, Fl., USA

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We should be very cautious about handling the issue of transfer of nuclear technology. Our nuclear scientists deserve better than what they are being forced to go through.

The treatment being meted out to nuclear scientists is sending a very intimidating message to all other professionals such as doctors and engineers, let alone professional Pakistani expatriates.

Our nuclear scientists have been serving Pakistan for peanuts. Yesterday's heroes are being portrayed as criminals today. We need to take a pause and an objective look at the situation. In the name of clearing our name, we may hurt Pakistan in the long run. I request the agencies and the departments to put "Pakistan first" while dealing with this situation.

MUZAFFAR GILL

Islamabad

When will Radha dance?

I greatly enjoyed reading the piece about old proverbs contained in the Karachi Notebook (January 26). Incidentally, I wish to correct one proverb which refers to Radha's dancing. As far as I can remember, it should read: Na nau man tael hoga, na Radha naachey gi. Karachian had written Sau man.

I share Karachian's sense of loss over the desuetude into which have fallen the proverbs and phrases widely current about half a century ago. People's daily speech used to be inter-larded with crisp phrases which lent beauty and vigour to the spoken tongue. One now hears so little of these. Not only is the new generation unfamiliar with proverbs which Urdu borrowed from Hindi or other Indian prakrits. The young men and women of today are rarely found using those Persian phrases and witticisms that were so much a part of spoken Urdu.

To mention only a few: chira karey kunad aaqil ke baz ayad pashemani; khana-i-khali ra deo mi girad; margash begir ta ba tap razi shawad; gurba kushtan roz-i-awwal; hanoz khar bashad; sagbash biradar-i-khurd ma baash; man tura haji begoyam, tu mara haji bego; har roz Eid neest ke halwa khurad kasey; der aiyad durust aiyad; jamal-i-humnasheen bar man asar kurd; een khana tamaam aftab ast; dast-i-khud dahan-i-khud; nashta baqadr-i-badaam; een saadat bazoor-i-bazoo neest; soorat bebeen haalam ma purs; cheh Hindu cheh Musalman hama be-emaan ast; supardam be tau maya-i-khesh ra; cheh nisbat khak ra ba alam-i-pak; gahey gahey bazkhwan een qissa-i-pareena ra; and so on.

If against these losses Urdu had acquired more or less an equal number of new phrases from the regional languages of Pakistan, it would have been more than adequate compensation. But I doubt if this has happened on a significant scale. Instead, what one finds is the vulgarization of everyday speech by the deliberate importation of a rapidly growing stock of English words.

M. A. A. KHAN

Karachi

Kundan Lal Saigal

Hats off to Ayaz Amir for reviving deep- seated and dormant memories of thousands of music lovers belonging to my generation by writing his beautiful column (January 16) on the great singer K. L. Saigal.

Khalid Hasan is right in pointing out that Saigal was born in Jammu and not in Jullunder. Belonging to Jammu I remember that while going to school I daily used to pass by the house where Saigal lived.

For people of my generation, the music of Saigal used to be a craze. He was the uncrowned king of the world of music. His golden voice and lilting tunes touched the chords of hearts of millions of music lovers throughout the subcontinent. Ayaz Amir, Khalid Hasan and A.F. Sheikh have done justice to Saigal as a singer.

While acknowledging Saigal's immortal place in the world of music, we should not forget the fact that besides being a great singer Saigal was also an actor of the highest calibre.

I have seen all the three versions of the film Devdas based on Surat Chandar's novel of the same name. I firmly believe that the role of Devdas played by Saigal was simply superb. Even Dalip Kumar could not touch the heights of acting in his portrayal of the character of Devdas. The soul-stirring songs sung by him in this film coupled with his flawless acting made Saigal's Devdas a piece of art.

People of my generation can never forget the great contribution of the New Theatre of Calcutta in presenting some of the memorable movies of all times. A rare combination of film Director Birwa, and actors, actresses and singers like Saigal, K.C. Day, Kanan Devi, Umma Devi, Jamna and Pankaj Mullick gave us some of the most unforgettable films and songs.

PROFESSOR JAMIL MALIK

Gujranwala

HIESS admission policy

This is to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the deteriorating standard of education at the Hamdard Institute of Education and Social Sciences (HIESS).

The admissions made this month to the MEd class are of those students who are still going through the process of examinations of their final semester of BEd at the same institute, but they have also been attending their MEd classes since January 4.

Basically it seems to be an internal matter of the institute, but considering the consequences that lie in store for the students, it is a serious matter. A discrepancy will lie in the "year for the award of a degree of MEd", as it is currently happening.

A similar policy was adopted last year. As a result the candidates enrolled in September 2002 for the MEd programme will not be getting their degrees at the forthcoming convocation in February 2004. Instead they will get their degrees at the 2005 convocation, along with those candidates who were enrolled in February 2003.

This is not only an injustice with those enrolled in September 2002 but also amounts to depriving those who got enrolled in February 2003 of their positions by intervening the positions of the previously enrolled candidates. Both ways the students are the sufferers who pay handsome fees.

The point to ponder is that an educational institute of the Hamdard University is gambling with the education of its candidates. When are our elders going to practise themselves what they are preaching?

AN AFFECTED

Karachi

Provinces or nations?

I am glad to see that my article "A crime against nation" (Dawn Magazine, January 25) has generated a debate on the issue in the form of interviews on the same subject by Makhdoom Amin Faheem and Professor Ghafoor Ahmed. I would like to point out a few weaknesses in their argument.

Makhdoom Sahib insists upon calling the nations comprising Pakistan provinces rather than nations. This amounts to a denial of historical fact. Calling them provinces, or even colonies for that matter, will not alter the fact that these are nations that were once sovereign and independent and have retained their social and cultural identities. It is an insult to these nations to deny them their historic identities.

Makhdoom Amin says nationalism is acceptable if it is "balanced" and within the limits of the Constitution. But the problem lies in the Constitution. If it was well equipped to resolve conflicts between the nations constituting Pakistan, then the issue of nationalism would never have risen. It is due to the inability of the Constitution to solve problems that we now see conflict.

Besides, which constitution is Makhdoom Amin Faheem referring to? The 1973 Constitution? That doesn't exist anymore. It has been amended beyond recognition. He rightly points out that the portfolios in the Concurrent List should have devolved to the provinces but that did not happen. Then came a plethora of amendments during the Zia, Nawaz and now the Musharraf era which have fundamentally altered the nature of the 1973 Constitution. Any leader with a dynamic and progressive vision would realize that this Constitution has become a dead letter and we must move on. But if we had that sort of vision, we would not be in the sort of mess we are in today.

The Makhdoom rejects extreme forms of nationalism. I have done so too in my article. But it must be recognized that frustration finds expression in the form of extremism. When faced with constant stubborn and obstinate denial, it becomes very difficult to remain "balanced". That is what happened in East Pakistan. The Bengalis do not remember Mujibur Rehman as an extremist but rather as a national hero. Similarly, the Indians may have felt that the proposal of partitioning India promoted by the Quaid-i-Azam was an "unbalanced" and extremist proposal, but we see the Quaid as our liberator.

The majority of nationalists in Pakistan today are not demanding independence but are merely asking for their just rights, based on the Pakistan Resolution passed by the Muslim League at Lahore in 1940. If demanding the rights promised to the component nations of Pakistan in the Pakistan Resolution amounts to extremism, then the men who passed the Pakistan Resolution in Lahore, were the biggest extremists of all.

The professor raises the point that the nationalists have no public support and to prove his argument he cites the fact that the nationalists have been unable to win any seats in the Assemblies. Let's not even go into this.

We all know how seats are won in Pakistan and how governments are formed. In 1997 when the powers-that-be wanted Nawaz Sharif in power, he swept into power under the bone-crushing weight of an unimaginable two-thirds majority. But when the winds started blowing in a different direction, Nawaz found himself a virtual prisoner in a foreign land and his party merely managed to scrape the bottom of the barrel in the 2002 polls.

Acquisition of power in Pakistan is not an indicator of popularity, as it should be in democratic systems. Mohammedmian Soomro is today the chairman of the Senate and the second most powerful man in Pakistan. Does that mean he is popular with the masses? The truth is that no one would even be willing to propose or second him for that office if he didn't have the backing of the president. The electoral failures of the nationalists prove not their lack of public support but their inability to make the higher powers up north understand that their intentions are constructive and far from evil.

AMEER BHUTTO

Karachi

Death of a student

This is with reference to your editorial (January 20) on the above subject.This is not the first violent killing of a student in our country. The ruling party never bothers who is being killed. It only makes hollow promises to catch and punish the guilty. The parents of the deceased suffer an irreparable loss for the rest of their lives.

Violence and tussle among student groups has been going on since 1960, in various styles and shapes. Such groups are backed by political parties. The recent unrest was triggered by the re-employment of the Karachi University vice-chancellor.

The Rangers' deployment on the campus does not sound good. We already have around us Rangers patrolling Karachi roads, pointing guns straight at citizens, as if the city were under curfew. There is a need to review the situation, avoid this unusual and unproductive expenditure, and spend the money thus saved on the betterment of the people.

There is also a need to arrest the causes of the growing unrest among the students. Educational institutions do not belong to the ruling party alone which is the custodian of national wealth and resources and responsible for looking after the welfare of the entire nation.

I suggest appropriate steps should be taken to ensure peaceful academic activities, with both teachers and students doing their best to uphold the dignity of education.

It is hoped that political parties also realize their duties and spare the educational institutions the indignity of violence and rowdyism by not supporting any student groups.

TAJ MUHAMMAD

Karachi

Educational dilemma

Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee's article "Intolerance? bigotry?" ignorance?" (January 25) beautifully tackles the old-fashioned education system in Pakistan. Being an engineering student I think this problem is also found in the technical field. Because of an outdated education system we are far behind in every field.

I agree that educational reforms require money, but it is the government's responsibility to provide the necessary funds. Unfortunately our government goes on increasing the salaries of MNAs and ministers who in fact are not deserving of this. If and when fresh minds are imbued with the latest educational material, a healthy and beautiful country will be constructed.

USMAN BHATTI

Lahore

Kashmir Day holiday

Now that we (Pakistan and India) have adopted a path of dialogue to resolve our differences, what is the idea of having a holiday on February 5? As it is, Eid holidays have been standardized to three days (an extra day on this count is totally unnecessary), and added to this we have Kashmir Day, that makes four days off the next week. And being a "hard-working" nation, absence for two more days would complete the week (the government will be shut for 10 days).

Can we afford this kind of a holiday luxury? If our leadership cannot take sensible decisions, they should not talk of alleviating poverty and making Pakistan a modern welfare state.

Apart from many other things, the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah has advised us to do three things for progress - work, work and work.

NAZIM F. HAJI

Karachi

Teaching history

In the January 23 issue of Dawn, a write-up on the teaching of natural history in schools refers to a lecture by Professor Welcomme wherein the professor had mentioned about fossil studies in Bugti Hills, published in 1994-1999. The fossil mammal referred to is identified as Balochitere.

However, in publications of earlier period, another fossil mammal by the name of Baluchitherium is recorded from Balochistan as a gigantic tertiary fossil comparable to rhinoceros. In the light of Professor Welcomme's lecture, Balochitere should be the second example different from Baluchitherium recorded earlier. I would like the director-general of the Museum of Natural History to throw more light on these fossils and their locations.

DR SYED HAMID MAHMOOD

Karachi