| 10 February 2004 | Tuesday | 18 Zilhaj 1424 |
Government's water policy
The role of ISI
Wedding ceremonies
Failed housing society
Importance of social sciences
Grant of pardon to Dr Khan
Civic problems
Indian visa
Roots of terrorism
'Sub kuchh luta ke ...'
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Tel Aviv has currently rejected the IAEA request to inspect its nuclear installations, thereby taking the stand that it is not a member of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel is generally believed to have covertly become a nuclear power in 1969. Two facilities in Israel are now well known to the world - a nuclear reactor at Dimona in the Negev Desert, and a smaller nuclear research facility at Nahal Sorek, South of Tel Aviv.
Dimona is believed to house Israel's military nuclear capability. The US has been training Israeli nuclear scientists since the 1950s, and providing nuclear-related technology, including a small research reactor in 1955 under the so-called Atoms for Peace programme. Israel's programme was tacitly endorsed by US President Richard Nixon and his chief foreign- policy advisor, Henry Kissinger.
US president Lyndon Johnson had shown an overriding indifference to the prospect of Israel becoming a nuclear power by rejecting calls that one of the early major weapons sales to the Zionist state be conditioned on its signing the NPT, while the Nixon administration deliberately avoided having any ramifications over the nuclear issues of the Middle East. Information on Israeli nuclear capabilities was routinely suppressed, and instead the US supplied Israel with krytrons and supercomputers that were bound for the Israeli nuclear programme.
Even under the Carter administration, which took the nuclear proliferation issue somewhat more seriously than other administrations, the issue of Israel's development of nuclear weaponry was not raised publicly. According to Joseph Nye, deputy undersecretary of state, the Carter administration considered the Israeli bomb a low priority.
The Reagan administration made an effort to keep information on Israel's nuclear capability from the State Department or others that might have concerns over the nuclear proliferation issues. The administrations of both former US president Bush Sr and presently Bush Jr have remained propitious towards Tel Aviv's nuclear missions. Meanwhile, for many years Congress made it clear to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other responsible parties that they did not want anything revealed in an open hearing related to Israel's nuclear capability.
Top Israeli nuclear scientists had open access to American institutions and many top American nuclear scientists had extended visits with their counterparts in Israel, in what has been called "informational promiscuity" in the seepage of nuclear intelligence. Israel's military capabilities - expansionism, aggressive designs and occupation of Arab lands in clear violation of UN resolutions - are enough evidence to prove it a threat to Arab and other Muslim countries.
Given the enormous cost of any nuclear programme of the magnitude of Israel's, it would have been rendered impossible to develop such a large and advanced arsenal (now estimated at over 200 weapons with sophisticated medium-range missiles) without the support of the tens of billions of dollars by the US government, as well as an unqualified support by the underworld. In effect, the United States has subsidized nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
S.Q. AFZAL RIZVI
Karachi
Government's water policy
How will our posterity remember the present regime? As a government that messed up everything that it touched, restated its positions on different issues more than once and made the most U-turns in its national and international policies? Or the one that fumbled from one mishap to the other and from one crisis to the next one?
Yet another way it might be remembered is that it scratched open some painful wounds that needed to heal and wrote new chapters in repression and subjugation of the less favoured people. One case in point is its resolve to build Greater Thal Canal and some unwanted dams that are destined to destroy the agriculture and economy of a province, damage the eco system, kill the delta life and uproot and annihilate hundreds of thousands of people by taking away means of their livelihood.
The present regime may not give much consideration to the high cost of these mega projects in national and human terms. But how about their cost - and viability in financial terms?
Pakistan is already under a mountain of external and internal debts. After servicing the debts and allocating funds for the defence, we hardly have anything left for other urgent requirements. Can we afford to incur more debts to undertake the proposed mega water projects?
According to the national budget for the year 2003-2004, the federal government's total net receipts, including the net capital receipts, are estimated at Rs550 billion. The total current expenditure stands at Rs645 billion. It includes debt-servicing (Rs256 billion) and defence and other items (Rs389 billion). It means we are already in deficit of Rs95 billion before any allocation of funds for development projects and disbursement to the provinces. We have to depend on external and internal debts to pay for part of our current expenditures, undertaking any development projects and to meet other monetary needs.
If we go ahead with the construction of highly controversial mega projects that include at least four major dams and some canals, we will have to incur another external and internal debts to the tune of $30-35 billion. That will cause the debt-servicing jump by at least 50 per cent. It may require an additional amount of up to Rs128 billion or may be more. Where will the money come from to pay back that huge debt when there is no benefit in sight from these whimsical projects? Won't it cause the ultimate collapse of our economy?
What does common sense say? Doesn't it call for having another look at the government's water policy and listening to what the "other" stakeholders say? Shouldn't we also look into the available alternates that are better suited to the conditions in our country, will be more beneficial to all the people and could be undertaken at a fraction of the cost of the proposed mega water projects?
AZIZ NAREJO
Corpus Christi, TX., USA
The role of ISI
This is with reference to the letter (February 6) by Mr Kunwar Khalid Yunus. While holding the Benazir government responsible for the creation of the Taliban and all that followed in Afghanistan, Mr Yunus went to the extent of exonerating the ISI's role in this entire drama. I wish the situation had been so simple, but it wasn't.
Since General Ziaul Haq's period, the ISI has been behind every major move in the country's foreign policy, internal affairs and even in the media policy of the government of Pakistan. The Kargil incident, disclosure of the ISI's role in the creation of the IJI, and a recent interview of its former chief (Gen Durrani) in the collection and distribution of donations for some political parties provide ample proof of the involvement of ISI in our national affairs.
After President Musharraf's recent press briefing on the nuclear scientists' issue, there should be no doubt about the effectiveness of political regimes since 1988. He categorically made it clear that none of these regimes and their prime ministers were even allowed to get involved in the nuclear issue. How could such impotent regimes dare to take the risk of creating the Taliban and help them in their invasion of Afghanistan?
Mr Yunus also mentioned the killings in Karachi during the Benazir regime. Perhaps, he forgot the Jam Sadiq period when, despite the joint MQM-Jam provincial regime, such incidents were going on.
As far as the writer's reference to the "missing" buses of friendship with India is concerned, I fail to understand his real objective. If he wants to accuse Pakistani politicians of non-cooperation in the face of Indian efforts to establish peace in the South Asian region, he is totally mistaken. Whether it was Tashkent or Shimla, Pakistani leaders, including leaders of opposition parties, always extended full and wholehearted cooperation in peace efforts. The Indians kept changing their stances.
By blaming politicians, including Benazir, Mr Yunus is not doing any service to this country. For the failure of Mr Vajpayee's Lahore yatra, he should question his new "friends" who refused to salute the elected representative of more than one billion people of India.
A brief study of the Kargil incident can also help him know the real causes of the end of that peace initiative by the elected regime of that time.
MOHAMMAD KHALID
Ottawa, Canada
Wedding ceremonies
It is disconcerting to read articles and letters written in favour of the extravagance and ostentation that have crept into marriage ceremonies. To discourage this trend, the previous regime, through an edict, banned the serving of food in marriages, and the step was welcomed by a cross section of society.
However, the monster of ostentation has not only reappeared but the number of pre-nuptial ceremonies has increased from three or five to seven, depending on the so-called 'social status' of the parties involved, with a generous menu for each function.
Next in line is the abuse of time at all marriage functions. As a general practice, the time given in the invitations is normally 8pm sharp. But even the hosts do not appear at the venue until after 11pm. Thereafter, food is served usually the next day, i.e. after midnight.
History is witness to the fact that developed nations have achieved levels of progress and prosperity mainly by respecting and managing time properly. We, despite being one of the poorest nations on earth with the highest rate of illiteracy and 40 per cent of the population living below the poverty line, are idling away our time in wasteful ceremonies.
It is high time we realized the harm we are inflicting on ourselves. If not, we will never be able to compete with the modern world in the 21st century.
MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
Failed housing society
Some time back the Punjab chief minister announced a housing scheme for government employees, and now one of the big issues in Rawalpindi is the absence of an active body in the Punjab Revenue Officers Cooperative Society. Due to lack of proper checks and balances, the society has failed to hand over developed plots despite a lapse of 15 years.
I request the cooperatives department to come forward and redress the grievances of the members of this society. Whenever the society needed money, we were told to deposit the instalments, but then nothing happened.
I and other affected members do not know who to blame for it or ask to make this society accountable to us, in accordance to the Cooperatives Societies Act. The Punjab government should seriously consider taking over this society if the existing executive committee is not willing to work.
AFFECTED
Islamabad
Importance of social sciences
In his letter "Educational reforms" (February 8), Mr Z. H. Baber has tried to emphasize the need for both teaching and learning social sciences in our educational institutions. In this respect, let me clarify a few things.
Firstly, Pakistani society cannot be declared as "technocratized". Our society lags far behind even some of the Asian countries in the field of science and technology. Technology has yet to penetrate and influence our society, and whatever technology is visible it is limited to urban areas only.
The phenomenon of IT institutes should not be taken as a step towards technocratization. It is simply because of the possible job opportunities that younger people are drawn to IT. In fact, with the opening of private channels, the trend has started to shift towards media-related education. Students are still studying many social sciences such as economics and hope that they will get a decent job by studying this discipline.
Secondly, humanities has little relationship with humanistic point of view. Studying social sciences does not automatically make a person peace-loving. Most of the political scientists, historians and experts on international relations can be seen talking in favour of war. Similarly, all technology-oriented people are not involved in making weapons of mass destruction, nor does such an education automatically motivate one to indulge in destruction. In fact, science education helps in overcoming dogmatic views, promotes rational thinking and develops understanding of nature and natural phenomena.
Finally, the internet did not start off as a US army project. The whole concept was evolved at CERN labs and later adopted by DARPA which obviously provided funds. However, it remains an 'public unlimited' entity.
SOPHIA HASNAIN
Karachi
(2)
The article The teaching of political science in Pakistan by Mansoor Akbar Kundi, which appeared on the Education page on February 8, should serve as an eye-opener for the authorities concerned about the miserable condition of social sciences in our universities.
No one can downplay the importance of basic and natural sciences, but it does not mean that social sciences are negligible or have no role in the betterment and development of the nation, as well as in safeguarding national interests. Every knowledgeable person knows that developed countries have given due attention and place to social sciences in their education systems.
I want to draw the attention of the ministry of education and the higher education commission to take all possible steps to remove the shortcomings in the departments of social sciences in the public-sector universities. There is a dire need to expand the facilities for MPhil and PhD in social sciences, specially in the fields of International Relations and Political Science, because there is a dearth of scholars in the country in these fields.
After becoming a recognized nuclear state, Pakistan needs more political scientists and scholars of International Relations to safeguard national interests in a befitting manner. As a degree-holder of political science and now a student of PhD in International Relations at the International Islamic University, Islamabad, I feel that Pakistan lags far behind in these fields, having less than a couple of dozen PhD scholars in these two important disciplines.
M. AZAM
Islamabad
Grant of pardon to Dr Khan
Following the generous acceptance of responsibility by Dr A. Q. Khan, the president rightly granted pardon to him. There will be hardly anyone in the country who would not appreciate his decision.
We do not have the text of the presidential order, nor has it been released to the press. It is, however, obvious that he granted pardon in exercise of the power vested in him under Article 45 of the Constitution. In view of the contents of this constitutional provision, the order of pardon has a serious lacuna. This article says that "the president shall have power to grant pardon, reprieve and respite, and to remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal of other authority". There has not been any decision by any court of law against Dr Khan. He was not even charged for violation of law.
In the absence of a judicial decision against him, the order of pardon is inoperative. We fear that Dr A. Q. Khan, our benefactor, is legally vulnerable. To safeguard the honour and liberty of Dr Khan, I suggest parliament should resolve that no government agency and no court of law will proceed against him and that he will enjoy permanent immunity from legal action for charges in question. The matter of granting immunity should be kept above party politics.
PROFESSOR MUKHTAR ALI NAQVI
Orlando, Fl., USA
Civic problems
We, the residents of Block-I, KDA Scheme No.5, Kehkashan, Clifton, Karachi, greatly suffer owing to bad roads and the absence of streetlights at various places in the area.
Some of the roads leading to the Clifton beach are not motorable and cause beachgoers great hardship. It appears nobody is interested in developing the most visited beach of the country.
Moreover, poor sanitation and the absence of streetlights, specially on a main road leading to the Sea View area, has made life miserable for people.
We hope the relevant authorities will attend to this problem.
AFFECTED RESIDENTS
Karachi
Indian visa
It is heartening to note that Pakistan-India relations are gradually improving. It will be good to visit each other's country, revive old memories and visit places of interest.
The opening of a camp office for Indian visas in Karachi is a welcome step. It is requested that a separate counter should be opened at the camp office to ensure that the elderly are spared the usual hassles.
S. B. ALI
Karachi
Roots of terrorism
The concept of terrorism differs from one country to another. America and European countries think that Muslims are terrorists. But the fact is there is no room for terrorism in Islam which teaches equality. Muslims put up resistance only when their liberty and independence are put at stake, such as in Palestine.
The West plays a partisan role by supporting Israel's highhandedness. Thus, it is in revenge and retaliation that the Palestinians are fighting against Israeli forces. If America and Europe discard partisanship and adopt just and fair policies for all - Muslims and non-Muslims alike - the world will become a peaceful place.
Similarly, violence caused as a result of resistance put up against usurpation of rights of a people to rule themselves, for example in occupied Kashmir, can be brought to a halt if justice is ensured. People who are fighting for their just cause are freedom fighters, and not terrorists.
The international community, specially the UN, should actively play its role to resolve conflicts so that our world can become peaceful. The UN should rule the roost in all such matters, and no country however strong should bypass it. Otherwise, death and destruction will continue as it is the case in Afghanistan and Iraq where the UN is not playing any positive role.
SYED SADAQAT ALI
Kotly, AJK
'Sub kuchh luta ke ...'
This refers to the article "Sub kuchh luta ke ..." (January 26) by Mr M. J. Akbar. He has beautifully connected the theme of Talat Mahmood's famous song with India's political state of affairs. Shouldn't he have referred to some of India's neighbouring countries, too?
Z. A. KAZMI
Karachi
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