| 04 March 2004 | Thursday | 12 Muharram 1425 |
Government websites
US human rights record
India-Pakistan cricket series
In defence of Dr Niazi
Murder of minor girlsMurder of minor girls
Why not D.Pharm?
PIA colour scheme
DHA Sunday Bazaar
VVIP visits to Karachi
Religious tolerance
AI: report clarified
Granting visas
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
A news item and an editorial appearing recently in a section of the press have given a wrong impression that the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) has failed to get the Cotton Standardization Ordinance 2002 enforced.
The fact is that as early as the 1980s Minfal, with the technical help from the FOA, UNDP and ADB, had taken a lead in Southeast Asia by introducing cotton standardization and grading.
The positive impact of this endeavour can be gauged by the fact that, in the cotton and textile circles of Pakistan, the most talked about issues these days are production of contamination-free cotton and introduction of a grading system.
A common realization is that future gains in cotton production will be possible through quality improvement. Being alive to future cotton marketing requirements, the government has been laying much emphasis on necessary administrative, operational and marketing arrangements to ensure the implementation of the cotton standardization and grading programme that will also help produce contamination-free cotton.
With this well-defined objective in view, the government has already promulgated the Cotton Standardization Ordinance 2002. Most of the provisions of this ordinance have already been implemented, as enumerated below:
1. The Pakistan Cotton Standards Institute (PCSI) has been established and equipped with men and material capabilities to implement the cotton grading system.
2. The national cotton standards and grades have been developed and duly approved by the government and fully recognized by the national and international agencies concerned.
3. The government has been successful in pursuing and convincing the Karachi Cotton Association to issue the daily raw cotton spot rate on the basis of the officially approved grade and staple rather than the variety or any other subjective parameters.
4. The government has been issuing the support price of seed cotton on the basis of grade and staple.
5. The provincial governments have also made necessary amendments to the Cotton Control Act to provide for the measures required under the Cotton Standardization Ordinance.
6. The PCSI has been instrumental in propagating the skill of cotton grading and classing in the private sector. So far about 1,300 personnel belonging to the private sector, including growers, ginners, spinners and cotton traders, have been trained, thus enabling the private sector to adopt the cotton standardization and grading system.
The government has taken necessary steps matching the spirit of the Cotton Standardization Ordinance. It may not be out of place to mention that Pakistan's image as the supplier of coarse yarn such as 20/1 and 30/1, low quality and low-cost fabrics for underlining, is rapidly changing into a reliable source of top quality textile from home furnishing to garments.
As a matter of fact the production, processing, marketing and trade of cotton lie with the private sector which is also required to meet certain obligations to implement the provisions of the Cotton Standardization Ordinance.
As, for example, the growers are required to ensure clean picking and maintain the moisture contents within permissible limits, the ginners need to purchase seed cotton on the basis of grades and pay a premium price for better grades besides putting a mark of the grade and staple on each bale.
The spinners and the exporters should purchase raw cotton on the basis of grades and staples rather than the variety or station. They should also ensure better prices for better grades and staples.
Minfal is in constant touch with both the provincial agriculture departments and the private sector to implement the system. Besides, efforts are under way to establish fibre-testing laboratories equipped with the high volume instrument throughout the cotton belt to facilitate the private sector in instrumental valuation of cotton.
DR QADIR BUX BALOCH
Cotton Commissioner, Islamabad
Government websites
Various government ministries and departments are present on the net in the form of official websites which they do not maintain properly. Every Pakistani must be able to have easy access to any government department for acquiring information at least if no other services can be made available to him via this highly time-saving facility.
The Punjab government, by launching a website, has showed its determination to provide better services and remove inconveniences frequently encountered by the common people. However, the people can benefit from this website only when it is regularly updated. Otherwise, it will mislead information seekers and create great confusion among them.
I am quoting my personal experience in this regard. For some important purpose I needed to have some information about the police department and contact numbers of a particular office.
I visited the provincial government's website http://www.punjab.gov.pk and browsed the links to particular departments. On the police site, office locations were not mentioned under contacts.
A facility was there in the form of phone numbers which, unfortunately, were not updated. Somewhere on the site the name of the inspector-general of police was given but not that of the officer-in-seat.
To make it sure that phone numbers were correct I tried to tally the number of an AIG, which I had noted the same day by visiting his office myself. It was not that given on the website.
This left the impression that other contacts might also be invalid. After a while I tried another link given on the website of the government of Pakistan, as I wanted to know the exact portfolio of a particular minister.
But to my surprise, the page for the Punjab cabinet did not include all the ministers. Those who were listed didn't carry the right ministries/ departments, as mentioned against their names. What else to say?
The Punjab police website contained a feature giving data of stolen vehicles. If updated regularly, this will enable the intended purchaser of a vehicle to confirm whether it's stolen or not.
Besides the updating, the functioning of the government sites need to be increased in some other aspects, too. I wish the Punjab government addresses the issue.
MOHSIN SAEED MEELU
Lahore
US human rights record
A news item caught my attention in various national dailies on February 26 and 27, saying that the US State Department has in its annual report for 2003 accused Pakistan of gross abuse of human rights. The human rights situation in Pakistan was never commendable.
However, the point here is that the United States has no authority to point out these things when its own human rights record is the worst across the globe.
The yearly report of Amnesty International is proof that the US is the worst abuser of human rights. Despite a major international outcry and expert condemnation of US foreign policies, hundreds of people belonging to about 40 different nationalities remain illegally detained at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without access to any court, legal counsel or family visits.
Denied their rights granted under international law and held in conditions which amounts to cruel, inhuman treatment, the detainees face severe psychological distress. There have been numerous suicide attempts.
The US also tops the list of those countries which execute child offenders. According to the Amnesty International, it accounts for 54 per cent of the world's executions of child offenders known since 1990 (19 of 35) and 65 per cent of those reported since 1998 (13 of 20).
Although sporadic executions of child offenders have occurred in a small number of other countries, the US is now the only country which openly acknowledges executing child offenders and claims for itself the right to do so.
SHOAIB AHMAD
Peshawar
India-Pakistan cricket series
The much-awaited India-Pakistan cricket series is about to start. India is being considered a tough side after playing a recent series against Australia in Australia.
One can underestimate India's bowling line to some extent, but as far as their batting line-up is concerned, they have six specialist batsmen who have the ability to turn around the game at any moment.
Pakistan has a strong bowling line-up with Shoaib Akhter, Muhammad Sami and Shabbir Ahmed in place but they need to maintain consistency. A major weak area of Pakistan is their batting because it has been inconsistent over the last few years. We have good batsmen - Inzamamul Haq and
Yousuf Youhanna - on whom we are relying but the main problem is that these two lack consistency. Our top order slot is inexperienced and now it is the duty of our team management to give them confidence at this level.
As regards our bowling, apart from Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami, we need a combination of Saqlain Mushtaq and Danesh Kaneria as spinners for both Test and one-day matches.
If our players concentrate on fielding, running between the wickets, taking catches and avoiding extras, I am sure they have a strong chance to get an edge over the Indian side. For this they have to sustain pressure on and off the field.
MANSOOR AHMED KHAN
Karachi
In defence of Dr Niazi
Speaking in the BBC World programme Asia Today on February 23, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that Benazir Bhutto's frontman, the late Dr Niazi (a dentist), had been getting money from Libya. However, he did not mention as to why she had been getting money from Dr Niazi.
The fact is that Dr Niazi collected donations worth over Rs32 million from philanthropists living in and outside Pakistan for the educational institutions he founded for the welfare of the people of Mianwali and its adjoining six districts of Punjab and the NWFP. The institutions are working under the aegis of the Mianwali Education Trust.
It is because of his untiring efforts, generously supported by the Government of Punjab, that Tameer-i-Millat School and the Dr A. Q. Khan Institute of Technology (constructed on 24 acres donated by Dr Niazi's cousin) in Mianwali are now imparting quality education to over 1,000 students from as far as D. I. Khan.
In addition, Dr Niazi is fondly remembered by the poor residents of the Shadara village in Islamabad for his welfare services. All these facts are visible and easy to verify.
MUHAMMAD ASLAM KHAN
Mianwali
Murder of minor girlsMurder of minor girls
This is about the growing abuse of human rights in the country. The gruesome murder of two minor girls in the suburbs of Karachi and the judicial report of the Shazia Solangi case expose as hollow the government's claim of providing the people with good governance. The poor and hapless citizens feel insecure from monstrosity and high-handedness of the police.
Continuous political interference in the working of government functionaries has jeopardized the very concept of good governance which seems to have become a mere slogan in the backdrop of the growing number of crimes in our society.
Eight-year-old Hajra and five-year-old Sassi went missing on February 20 in a Karachi suburb. Their parents approached the Gadap police. Instead of helping them, the police told them that their daughters must have eloped.
Hurt and dejected, the parents then contacted public representatives of their area, who, after two days of hectic efforts, got a case registered.
However, the police remained indifferent to the parents' plight. After three days, the bodies of the two girls were found in the bushes of a veterinary hospital, adjacent to the police station. The hospital building had been in the illegal use of the police for quite some time.
In a case of honour killing, a couple, namely Shazia Khashkheli and Mohammed Hassan Solangi, who married of their own free will, were allegedly tortured and executed on the orders of a village jirga on October 16, 2003. The local police were also held responsible for the heinous crime.
In suo motu action, the Chief Justice of Pakistan took notice of the incident and summoned all officers concerned, from the sessions judge to the inspector-general of police, Sindh, to appear in court in person and provide a judicial report.
Although the bench has reserved its judgment, it took strong exception to the reporting of an incorrect FIR by the local police and informing the alleged killers of the whereabouts of the couple.
The bench of the Supreme Court, consisting of Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, Justice Javed Iqbal and Abdul Hameed Dogar, rebuked "the police for not revealing the truth and deliberately delaying investigations. They called it a classic example of incompetence, inefficiency and dishonesty by police," (an English daily report, February 27).
The Human Rights Cell of the Pakistan People's Party expresses grave concern over the growing number of political appointments in the police force and is of the view that such appointments lead to greater neglect of duty and even collusion in crimes.
FAUZIA WAHAB MNA
and Central Coordinator, Human Rights Cell, Pakistan People's Party, Karachi
Why not D.Pharm?
I will not at all agree with Mr Zaheer-ud-din Baber's letter (March 1) suggesting we should continue the B.Pharm programme and should not change it to D.Pharm in Pakistan.
Universities around the world are changing B.pharm to D.pharm which include five years of academic studies and one year of internship. In the United States, the National American Board of Pharmacy is not accepting foreign graduates having a four-year degree in pharmacy dating January 2003.
If a foreign graduate has a four-year degree, he/she has to go back to a pharmacy college for two more years. Countries like Korea, India and Japan are in the process of upgrading B.pharm to D.pharm.
So, to compete in international market, Pakistani pharmacists must have a D.Pharm degree.
AMNA YAMIN AZIZ
Jacksonville, FL., USA
PIA colour scheme
I was recently thrilled to learn that PIA had included a new version of aircraft, Boeing 777, which travelled non-stop from Seattle to Pakistan in about 15 hours' time. Impressive, isn't it?
Green is the time-tested colour of PIA, but what is not impressive is the new colour scheme. When a PIA flight takes off, I have a feeling that it is some other airline.
Once upon a time PIA calendar, its in-flight service, cheese omelette, pears in syrup, etc. used to be simply gorgeous. Can PIA revert to its glorious past? And please reconsider the colour scheme of its new fleet.
SAFIR A. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
DHA Sunday Bazaar
This refers to the letter by Mr Rana Javed Ali Khan of the DHA Sunday Bazaar Management (February 25) in which he has not only denied the incident described in my letter of February 12, but has wrongly attributed it to the Monday Bazaar near PNS Shifa (Gol Market), Karachi.
Without getting into further controversy I feel obliged to clarify that the incident actually occurred in the Sunday Bazaar of DHA Phase VIII, and not in the Monday Bazaar near PNS Shifa.
I hope the management of the DHA Sunday Bazaar will positively consider the suggestions I made in previous letter to better the environment of this wonderful place.
COMMANDER (R) KHALID DURRANI
Karachi
VVIP visits to Karachi
Apropos of the various suggestions being made in these columns to control traffic in Karachi during VVIP visits, I suggest that whenever the president and the prime minister visit the city, they should stay in the Malir cantonment area. They may use a short-cut route located at the aft ends of the airport, thus avoiding Sharae Faisal altogether.
Further, the safety and security of VVIPs can be better ensured there as the garrison areas are safer and easier to be cordoned off.
ASSAD MAZHER KHAN
Islamabad
Religious tolerance
An incident recently reported in the Los Angeles Times attracted my attention and I want to share it with Dawn readers.
When Fajr Burhan, a 19-year-old Muslim student, walked into Robert Daniel's computer information system class of a school, he asked her to either remove her hijab or leave. Burhan refused to leave. The teacher took her to the Dean's office who told him that he had to respect Burhan's right to wear the scarf.
The incident set off an inquiry that resulted in the teacher submitting his resignation. "He will not be rehired or work here again," said the college president. Burhan said, "I have the worst feeling about the teacher losing his job and ruining his career."
This is a good example of religious tolerance and respect for diversity.
TAUQIR GHANI
Irvine, USA
AI: report clarified
A news item from Multan about "the freeing from captivity of two sisters from a house at Adda Pakhi Morr (Vehari)" and a follow-up have been published in some newspapers.
While the rescue of the unfortunate girls is very commendable, this is to clarify that Amnesty International (AI) or any of its members were not part of the rescue mission.
Mirza Afzal Baig, referred to as the person in charge, AI, Vehari, has no representative or any official status with Al, Pakistan. Further, there is no AI, Vehari, as such in existence.
AI, Pakistan, will be happy to see all illegally captive people released and all injustices stopped. However, it is not in Al's mandate to conduct "search and rescue" missions.
Amnesty International is an independent worldwide movement working impartially for the release of all prisoners of conscience, fair and prompt trials for political prisoners and an end to torture and executions.
NAFEES GHAZNAVI
Director, Amnesty International Pakistan, Karachi
Granting visas
I endorse Shahan Khan's suggestion that visas should be given for eight to 10 places/cities in both Pakistan and India (Dawn, February 24).
There are a number of historical and scenic sites in both countries, and restricting the tourists to one or two places will only discourage tourism which is an education by itself.
May I also suggest that the duration of stay may be extended proportionately to the number of places to be visited?
S. UNWAN HASAN
Karachi
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address:
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.