| 06 March 2004 | Saturday | 14 Muharram 1425 |
'The billboard assault'
Hit-and-run deaths
Emancipation of women
Debating Hudood laws
Anti-smoking campaign
Traffic hazards
Wagah worries
Garbage dump
A request to cricket fans
KWSB chief's interview
To send a letter to the Editor
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Mr Abdul Majeed Jaffrey (March 1) appears to be a member of the younger generation, who lacks full awareness about the role of different leaders and parties during the freedom struggle for Pakistan. I, therefore, feel compelled to put the record straight for the benefit of my countrymen.
Maulana Maudoodi always openly opposed the Quaid-i-Azam and the Muslim League during the freedom struggle, calling the Muslim League leadership lesser Muslims, who did not live up to the Maulana's standards.
He opposed the creation of Pakistan as a separate state for the Muslims of the subcontinent, and when Pakistan was created, he advised his party members in government service not to swear allegiance to the state.
For this he was tried by a competent court, which found him guilty of treason and sentenced him to death. The death sentence was later commuted at the request of the Saudi monarchy.
Anyone interested in reading Maudoodi's statements may refer to the Jamaat-i-Islami's publications Musalman aur Maujoohdah Siyasi Kashmakash (vol. 3), Tehreek-i-Azadi-i-Hind aur Musalman, and the June 1948 and July 1948 issues of Tarjuman-ul-Quran.
I would only like to quote an extract from the April 1954 judicial inquiry tribunal report of the apex court bench consisting of Mr Justice Mohammad Munir and Mr Justice M. R. Kiyani in support of the above:
"Jamaat-i-Islami was a declared opponent of Muslim League's ideology of Pakistan, and ever since Pakistan came into existence, it is referred to as "Na-Pak-istan" by them.
This party is always opposing the present form of government and its functionaries. The literature of Jamaat presented before us does not include a single document which even remotely points towards the support of the demand for Pakistan. On the contrary, these documents, which include many hypothetical situations, totally oppose the manner in which Pakistan came into being, and as it exists today".
I hope this will provide sufficient evidence to Mr Ayaz Amir's claims.
TARIQ NAZIR
Karachi
(2)
It is a saddening fact that most of the letters written to Dawn about the article "Piety and sin, balance destroyed" (February 27) by Mr Ayaz Amir express a complete lack of insight into the issue of tolerance raised by the writer.
Tolerance is the need of the time, especially in a country ridden with as much hate and strife as Pakistan. Many who would rather have a theocratic state must ask themselves the question as to what the limits of their wished Islamization would be and who would set those limits.
There is no end to pinpoint sections of society which can qualify as 'un-Islamic' for one characteristic or another. That would be a recipe for disaster.
Many of our fellow Muslim states practise secularism and tolerance, such as Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt (and till recently Iraq) to name a few. Indian Muslims practise their religion in a secular environment (albeit changing for the worse under the BJP). Yet people of these countries have a sense of morality, right and wrong and lack many of the vices practised by a sizable section of our society.
MUBASHIR KHAN
Indianapolis, IN., USA
'The billboard assault'
The needless controversy created by Karachian about the "excess" of billboards in Karachi deserves to be seen in perspective. Thousands of people's livelihood depends on the income generated by these billboards, directly and indirectly. Furthermore, it is partly these well-lit billboards at night time that continue to give Karachi the much flaunted title of "City of Lights".
To a foreigner visiting Karachi, it is these billboards that belie the bad press the city continues to receive. They are a testimony to the economic dynamism that is a living reality in this city, where the nation's haves and have-nots have been converging for decades to pursue their dreams of a better life.
In the US, too, Washington does not have as many billboards as does New York. But then Washington, like Islamabad, is not known for its economic clout. It is partly the shabby and eye-sore-like streets of New York, distorted by glitzy billboards, that make it America's (and the world's) financial capital.
Karachian needs to loosen up in this day of globalization. Karachi is no more the fishing village it once was. It is Pakistan's most vibrant city as well as the financial capital, and can live with the outward emblems of the economic activity it generates.
NASIR JAFRI
Chicago, USA
(2)
Well done, Karachian, for writing "The billboard assault" (February 23). You deserve high praise for bringing to the notice of all and sundry the menace of billboards.
It is indeed a serious matter and warrants immediate attention and action by the city government and the Clifton/Karachi cantonment boards. This photograph is an example of the nuisance and overcrowding the billboards at the busy Schoen Circle, Clifton, have created.
These boards are an eyesore to road users. They greatly distract motorists' attention on the already crowded roads, at times causing serious accidents. Mega-billboards need to be specially mentioned here as they hide elevations of multi-storeyed buildings and deprive us of the view of the scarce green spots.
One wonders why the controlling authorities are putting up with this nuisance instead of removing it immediately.
It is learnt that the city government has formulated "Advertisement and Signage Laws" which are awaiting approval. The proposed laws are likely to meet some of the major requirements. However, the authorities even now have the powers to immediately remove some of these billboards to provide relief to the general public.
S. SIBTE HASAN
Karachi
Hit-and-run deaths
This refers to the letters "Hit-and-run deaths" by Professor Mujib Ansari (February 13) and Mr Shabbir A. Harianawala (February 15).
The answers given by Mr Harianawala to the questions raised by Professor Ansari that "why drivers hit and run and why anyone who witnesses such incidents does not call the police" are quite convincing. But we should know the root causes of such incidents and how these can be addressed.
It is mostly pedestrians who are knocked down by a speeding vehicle while crossing a road or walking carelessly on it. Roads in our major cities are not safe for pedestrians. Footpaths, if available, are generally encroached upon by shopkeepers or vendors in connivance with the civic authorities and police, forcing the pedestrians to walk on the road.
Also, overhead bridges for pedestrians are generally not used. Most people prefer taking a risk while crossing roads. Since it is quite difficult for elderly and sick/crippled persons to climb up these bridges, they cross the road on foot and are exposed to the danger of being run over/knocked down.
Most people, specially schoolchildren, do not possess adequate road sense and are exposed to dangers. On the other hand, the majority of the drivers, especially drivers of public transport, lack the required knowledge of road traffic rules.
Hence, they pose a threat to others on the road. Lastly, policemen's neglect in checking traffic violations is the chief culprit. They rarely fine violators of traffic rules and mostly like to their palms to be greased.
The following are some suggestions to prevent road accidents and make the roads safer:
1. All busy roads should have footpaths on both sides, free from encroachments/illegal occupation by shopkeepers and vendors.
2. Subways should be made at selected sites to help the pedestrians cross the roads safely and easily.
3. Knowledge of the traffic rules should be made mandatory for every driver before he/she is issued a driving licence.
4. Awareness of road sense and traffic rules should be created among the people through the electronic and print media.
5. Classes on road safety and first-aid methods should be conducted in all educational institutions as part of extra-curricular activities on a regular basis since schoolchildren are most vulnerable to road accidents.
6. The police and other law-enforcement agencies must take to task all traffic violators without any fear, favour or greed. Mere checking is not enough.
SQN-LDR (RETD) AUSAF HUSAIN
Karachi
Emancipation of women
The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) launched its report on January 22. Let us keep our fingers crossed for a positive response from the government to the recommendations of the commission.
Emancipation of women was a project dear to the heart of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him). The Quran gave women rights of inheritance and divorce centuries before western women were accorded such status. The holy Quran makes men and women partners before God with identical duties and responsibilities.
Al-Jahiz (160-255AH) was a moralist who tempered dogmatism with discipline of reason. He resisted the extremists who confronted life by dominating others instead of dominating their own ignorance.
He rejected vulgarity of mind and soul that permits a person to disdain half the human beings in the world, that utilizes the intellect of women in raising children but then sees nothing of use in that intellect once the children are grown up, as well as the morality that secludes women from public life as if women were for the private consumption of men.
Al-Jahiz writes in his essay on women: "We do not say, and any reasonable person cannot say, that women are above men or lower than men by a degree or two or more. But we have seen people who revile (women) the worst of revilement and disdain them and deny them the most of their rights. It is true impotence for a man to be incapable of fulfilling the rights of fathers and uncles unless he disparages the rights of mothers and aunts."
Al-Jahiz sums up the problem in the following statement: "This is a matter where extremists have gone beyond the zeal of honour to the realm of bad manners and lack of intelligence. The honour of men need not be founded upon the degradation of women."
FAQIR AHMED PARACHA
Peshawar
Debating Hudood laws
In the context of General Pervez Musharraf's call to debate the Hudood ordinances, your editorial characterization of them (February 12) as anomalous is self-evident as to the horrors of their after-effects. It is time these laws were scrutinized, debated and improved upon, if not removed altogether from the statute book.
As pointed out in the editorial, the onus to do this squarely rests with the elected federal lawmaking body representing - the ijma of - the electorate. It would be naive, however, to assume that the criterion of being elected alone makes the elected, mostly uninitiated in the knowledge of the Fiqh,, the sole arbiters because those knowing Islamic law are so few and far between and do not constitute a majority in the house.
The perspective of re-enactment has to be widened to include the unelected, by invitation, to participate in debates. Ulema with scholarly repute, lawyers and retired judges should be invited to contribute their mite with a view to drafting a loop-proof draft enactment. The issue should also be thrown open to the columns of newspapers to proffer suggestions and objections to the Hudood ordinances as they are.
The fact remains, however, that none of the interpreters we currently have in the country has the genius and calibre to interpret the holy Quran better than the fuqahaa who died during the early 20th century, not to speak of those venerable ones who preceded them.
They had a fairly good knowledge of and consideration for the exigencies of modern time and the need to practise Ijtihad without compromising literal text of the holy Book.
Islam is not a hidebound Deen. If the intention of interpretation is to bring about a change corresponding to western values, the whole exercise is bound to explode in dissension within the legislature and all over the country and will be exploited by vested interests.
Islam as Deen and Christianity as religion are two different worlds - the former disallowing, for instance, recognition of sanctity to the person of individuals dedicated to practising Islam and preaching, while the latter, founded on the basis of church, with a hierarchy of priests/clerics.
With ideas and examples borrowed from alien cultures, the Muslims are tending to look through borrowed and tainted glasses and for want of knowledge of their own Deen tending to misjudge their own values. Hence the use of the borrowed terms like priests/clerics for our ulema.
AKBAR KHAN
Karachi
Anti-smoking campaign
This has reference to the news item "Anti-smoking campaign launched" (February 27).
Although the Tobacco Control Ordinance is in place and a committee has been formed to monitor the implementation of this ordinance, the use of tobacco at public places, including transport, is gaining ground. Moreover, the sale of cigarettes to underage people and near schools is on the rise.
International chains of restaurants, which do not allow smoking in the developed world, are allowing it here with utter disregard for the health of their customers. Places like airports do not have fully enclosed cabins for smokers to avoid involuntarily passive smoking by the non-smokers. A glaring example is the domestic departure lounge of Islamabad International Airport.
According to a survey done by the Department of Chest Medicine, JPMC, Karachi, 18 per cent of our coach drivers smoke while driving.
It is time this ordinance was duly publicized and implemented if we are serious about checking the growing menace of tobacco use in the country.
DR NADEEM RIZVI
President, Pakistan Chest Society, Karachi
Traffic hazards
This refers to Mr M. Iqbal Abid's letter "Broken road" (February 12). Karachi's Tipu Sultan Road is important because it caters to traffic going to thickly-populated areas like Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Nazimabad. But the road's condition is so bad that at some points motorists have to form a single line to move on, though it is quite wide enough to make allowance for a couple of lanes.
One sees a trail of KESC trucks, cranes and service vehicles parked haphazardly on the road round the clock. The situation is worse during the day because of the movement of these vehicles. The flow of traffic is also hindered by uneven manhole covers and unwise parking outside schools and offices (there are many on this road).
If this road is properly repaired/managed and lanes marked, traffic flow will be much better, if not perfect.
SHAIKH WAQAR AHMAD
Karachi
Wagah worries
I have just returned through the Wagah border crossing using the Samjohta Express. I was appalled to see the extent of corruption that exists on the Pakistan side. I ended up paying about Rs600 to get from Wagah to Lahore as it seems everyone is trying to make some extra money.
Considering the fact that we are expecting hundreds of Indians to cross over for the cricket series, one can request the authorities to take action against the corruption that prevails at Wagah, if nothing else, for the sake of national honour.
NIZAM UDDIN
Hyderabad
Garbage dump
I would like to draw the attention of Karachi Nazim Naimatullah Khan and the KDA chief to an open space in front of House No. F-32/4, KDA Scheme No. 5, Clifton, Karachi -6 (near the end of DHA street No. 26, towards the Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazaar, Neelum Colony), which is filled with rubbish and has been littered for the last several days.
The negligence of the staff concerned is causing health problems, especially for schoolchildren, and the habitation of elderly and sick people and the rest of the community.
The impact of flies, mosquitoes, germs and bacteria being generated in that area is damaging with deadly effects.
I implore the nazim and his associates to help alleviate the suffering of the area people either by making a park or erecting a boundary wall around the area in question.
EHSANUL HAQ
Karachi
A request to cricket fans
In a few days Indian cricket team will come to Pakistan after a gap of 14 or so years. As Pakistan is hosting the coming series and the Pakistan Cricket Board has done everything it could to make this tour happen, it is now upto the public and cricket fans to display maturity. Particularly those who will go to the stadia to watch the two teams play should behave like members of a civilized society.
It is only a game and there is no need to associate national pride or anything with it. After all, cricketers alone cannot be held responsible to hold our national pride. The cricket lovers should, therefore, appreciate good cricket irrespective of which of the two teams play well.
Please remember that good discipline in the stadiums will determine the future of international cricket in Pakistan.
ARIF-UZ-ZAMAN
Karachi
KWSB chief's interview
I was happy to read the interview of the chief of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board which appeared in the magazine section of your newspaper on February 29. Brig Ghazali was quite candid but it seemed that your correspondent had not done his homework. One should have asked the KWSB chief why his organization is unable to collect water dues.
The KWSB chief said at a seminar recently that while there were two million houses in the city that had water connections, the KWSB issued 1.2 million water bills.
Also, why does the KWSB pump over 7 MGD to different hydrants in the city for which it did not charge any money, though this water is sold at commercial rates to consumers by the infamous tanker mafia?
KHALED AMIR
Karachi
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