| 23 March 2004 | Tuesday | 01 Safar 1425 |
The bank of my choice
A gracious monarch
Nadra guideline
A gun-free society
Pakistan Day: time for reflection
The final ODI
State Bank's clarification
Building parks
Excessive gas billing
Import of cars
Match-fixing?
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I have been following the news about the Wana operation and the commotion caused by it at different levels in Pakistan. It is very unfortunate that the armed forces of Pakistan are conducting an operation within the boundaries of the country and citizens are being directly affected by it.
The question arises: did the government have a choice after repeated requests to hand over the terrorists (including nationals of other countries present in Pakistan without valid travel documents) were ignored by those protecting them?
The reaction of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) is understandable. Most parties in the MMA and the extremist organizations now banned in Pakistan had ties with the Taliban.
The people being pursued by the armed forces are their brethren, their own. What is not understandable is the reaction of the people who are enlightened and have no vested interests.
Why don't we understand that the war against terrorism is not an American war? Imagine how many lives the United States has lost to terrorism on American soil compared to the Pakistani citizen killed in terror attacks over the last 20 years.
I would be grateful if a member of the MMA or those protesting against the Wana operation could tell me what the Saudi, Iraqi, Iranian, Chechen or any government would do to a peaceful foreigner present in their country without a visa.
What would they do if the foreigner was armed, was killing people at random at public places and places of worship? What would they do to the people harbouring and protecting the foreigner?
SYED ALI I. RAZA
Torrington, CT. USA
(2)
The operation in Wana, South Waziristan, has already claimed the lives of several innocent civilians, including 13 members of family. They were fleeing towards a safe place when a shell hit the wagon carrying them.
We must remember the history of this poverty-ridden, backward tribal belt which has been ruled under the oppressive Frontier Crime Regulations since the British era.
It is suggested that the government should immediately bring the operation to an end and ensure that no further harm is done to the people of the region.
MUHAMMAD SALMAN YOUSUF
Karachi
(3)
This refers to Mr Maher H. Alvi's letter "Waziristan, on fire again" (March 19).
I disagree when the writer's claim that the Waziristan operation is not a fight against terrorism but a war on our own people. The ground realities disprove his claim. The scale of the fierce fight in the region shows that these so-called local elements are trained terrorists and using Pakistan's soil as a launching base for their illicit activities.
It is time Pakistan flashed them out and purged the region of these foreign miscreants.
KHALID MAHMUD
Georgia, USA
The bank of my choice
These days every bank is attracting the general public to buy cars through their lucrative car financing schemes. I also decided to get one for myself. During the time when I was searching for the best possible deals in the town, a private bank's representatives visited my house virtually every day to convince me to get the financing through them.
Their rates were a bit high at that time but I decided to go with the bank because I thought that their service would also be good. I got a Suzuki Alto. But to my utter disbelief, the service turned out to be extremely hopeless.
I got this experience when one of my car's number plates was stolen in July 2003 and to get a new one I had to contact the bank for the car's documents. I tried calling the bank countless times on its two help line numbers 111-333-333 and 111-444-444, but there the customer service representatives had no clue what to do and they kept on transferring my calls from one extension to another until the calls dropped. So much for a bank which takes pride in providing excellent customer services as the best foreign bank in Pakistan.
In addition, I wrote a letter to the external agency manager on November 13, 2003, with my car account number 2001120258 and personally delivered it to the official at the I. I. Chundrigar office. He promised to contact me within a week but that promise was never kept.
I again wrote to the customer services manager on February 16, 2004, and delivered it personally at their Sharea Faisal office. There I again got promises from bank's officials that this matter would be resolved but since then I have been waiting for some kind of correspondence from their office.
The bank which at the time of my purchase contacted me over the phone every day now does not even return my phone calls. Anyone who owns a car knows very well that driving a car with unofficial number plates can be such a nuisance when every day your car is being stopped for spot checking and reminders are given to get new number plates.
The "bank of my choice" has left me nowhere and due to this indifferent attitude on the part of the bank, the police have a freehand to harass me whenever they stop my car because I cannot do anything to get my car's documents and new number plates.
I hope that after reading this, some responsible officer from the bank will take notice and help me out.
MUHAMMAD AKRAM CHOWDHRY
Karachi
A gracious monarch
Queen Mother Juliana of the Netherlands who died at The Hague on Saturday (March 20) succeeded her mother Queen Wilhelmina when she abdicated in her favour because of advancing years. Queen Juliana did the same and abdicated in favour of the present monarch, Queen Beatrix, when she felt the royal burden a bit much for her poor health.
Queen Juliana was a very gracious person. Her subjects held her in great esteem and affection. On many occasions, her people could spy her shopping as an ordinary common citizen in the department stores of The Hague.
I remember a touching story concerning her gracious personage, related by Sir Zafrulla Khan to his family and friends. Sir Zafrulla Khan was highly esteemed by the Queen.
He was like a family friend when he was doing his two stints of 16 years on the bench of the International Court of Justice. It is customary that when the president of the International Court of Justice retired, he would host a farewell dinner in honour of the monarch.
When Sir Zafrulla retired as president of the court in 1974, he followed the same tradition and hosted a formal dinner for the Queen. At the end, as was again customary, he toasted the Queen in a short speech.
Yet again, on such formal occasions the monarch never replies to the toast. Nevertheless, in Zafrulla's case the Queen graciously put aside all formal protocol, stood up and gave a eulogistic reply. Those present could not believe their eyes witnessing this extraordinary gesture of signal honour.
As if this was not enough, she broke another protocol for when Zafrulla arrived late in the evening at his new residence in London, there was a huge bouquet of flowers awaiting from the Queen.
Zafrulla was not sure how to respond to this gesture of esteem and affection. Therefore, he called up the Dutch ambassador to St James's to seek advice. The advice was that while the book of protocol is silent on the subject, the royal gesture is a gracious command and accepted quietly, without response.
M.J.AS'AD
Karachi
Nadra guideline
This refers to the letter "A request to Nadra" (March 15) by Mr Ashfaq A. Qureshi showing his concern about the non-delivery of his computerized national identity card.
For tracing any record, correct and complete information from the applicant is required, such as name, token number or receipt number or form number, date of application, exact location of a swift centre and old national identity card number.
Mr Ashfaq A. Qureshi has just given the token number which is 54, and form number 0011267 (which is incomplete), location of the centre receipt as SMHS, which is vague as we have two centres in this area, and the date applied as September 25, 2003.
Our investigations show that Mr Qureshi applied through our swift registration centre located at Awami Markaz in Karachi. He visited the office on September 25, 2003, and was given Form No. EX00271304.
He processed a normal application by paying Rs60. His old national identity card number is 50147289994 and the computerized national identity card number is 4210164810879. His card has been lying in the Central Distribution Centre at Awami Markaz in box No. 437959, pigeon hole GDH and location 229 since November 21, 2003.
Mr Qureshi would have got the above information if he had called our call centre at 111-786-100. Nadra would like to request and assure its valued citizens to use available facilities which are there for their convenience. Secondly, if a complaint is lodged, complete and correct information should be provided.
MALIK SHAHNAWAZ KHAR
Director, Media, Nadra, Islamabad
A gun-free society
This time around Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee has lambasted our legal or courtroom inadequacies in his article "In the name of the law" (March 14).
I had always wanted to write about the inadequacies of our judicial system in dealing with blasphemy cases, but the fear of contempt of court or the fear of contempt of religious fanatics prevented me from doing this.
The writer shows the power of religious bigotry, fundamentalism and intolerance - all against Islam which the perpetrator claim to follow. Such is the power of a twisted, unbending religious mindset that President Pervez Musharraf, the man who has all the powers firmly in his hands, had to back down from modifying the anti-blasphemy laws following threats from religious leaders. They would not tolerate any changes to the blasphemy laws, the Hudood ordinances and the Qisas and Diyat system enacted by General Zia.
The cure for the ills of religious bigotry, extremism, fundamentalism, ignorance, immoderation, intolerance, sectarian jihad, etc., is to stop these groups from using guns. Once the gun is outlawed and removed from their possession, the crime rate can be halved immediately.
So, take away all guns from all and sundry. Guns tend to prod the holder to use it. The best way to thwart an enemy attack is to cut its arms and ammunition supply. No guns and no ammunition - no fight. Let Pakistan be a gun-free society.
S.M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
Pakistan Day: time for reflection
The significance of Pakistan Day demands that we should take stock of our achievements and failures as a nation.
Let us recall what General Pervez Musharraf said as chief executive of the country in his first address to the nation on October 17, 1999, after the military takeover of October 12.
He said: "In sum, we have lost our honour, our dignity, our respect in the comity of nations. Is this the democracy our Quaid-i-Azam had envisaged? Is this the way to enter the new millennium?.... Quite clearly, what Pakistan has experienced in the recent years has been merely a label of democracy, not the essence of it.
Our people were never emancipated from the yoke of despotism. I shall not allow the people to be taken back to the era of sham democracy but to a true one. And I promise you, I will Insha Allah."
However, your editorial "In months, not years" (October 17, 1999) warned the army and the general that "we should not lose sight of the lessons of our own history. Prolonged deviations from the democratic path have invariably led to more problems than have been solved.
Ayub Khan's rule was a long deviation from democracy. Yahya Khan's was shorter but far more destructive. Zia's rule was also justified on the grounds of accountability and Islamization. All these stretches of military rule proved disastrous for Pakistan. The present military rulers must guard against the dangers of moving in the same direction."
General Musharraf could not fulfil the promises he made to the nation from time to time during his three-year direct rule, except holding of general elections under Supreme Court directives, and that too to ensure victory for the king's party, i.e. PML-Q.
Parliament could not start functioning for a whole year owing to the LFO crisis which was eventually solved after a dubious deal was struck between the government and the MMA.
The deal allowed the passage of the 17th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the National Assembly and the Senate, making further amendments in the controversial LFO without allowing proper debate. The government-MMA deal also provided General Musharraf with an opportunity to get himself elected for five years by parliament.
How long is this country, which is a legacy of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a great constitutionalist and a firm believer in the rule of law, going to be ruled by the military? Did the founder of Pakistan ever think that the people for whom he got a separate homeland to live in peace, prosperity and freedom would have to live under such a dispensation?
SYED IQBAL AHMAD
Karachi
The final ODI
Now that the Indians have levelled the five-match series 2-2 by winning the fourth One-Day International in Lahore on Sunday, it is likely that the fifth and final ODI between India and Pakistan will be very exciting as both teams will do their best to win both the match and the series.
The Lahore crowd was as exultant as those in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Peshawar, but the real test of their patience and discipline will be on March 24 when the final match will be played.
Of course, being Pakistanis we all wish to win the finals, but we have to keep in mind that Lahore's Qadhafi Stadium is not at all a battlefield where victory is as important as the existence of the sun, the stars and the moon, but only a ground meant for playing cricket.
Whether we win or loose the tomorrow, we must all show true sportsman spirit proving ourselves as hospitable to the visitors from the other side of the Wagah border as we have been since the series began.
NAZNIN AHMED
Karachi
State Bank's clarification
This is with reference to your editorial "On talking 'garbage'" (March 21). It is regretted that a prestigious newspaper like Dawn has chosen to write an editorial on a speech of the State Bank governor which was not correctly reported.
What the governor had said while delivering a lecture on "Current Economic Developments" at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Islamabad, on March 18, was about "the garbage published in the press by opinionated persons without verifying the facts." He did not utter a word about the "garbage thrown by newspapers."
The governor holds the press in high esteem and welcomes criticism. He endorses the viewpoints expressed in the editorial with regard to poverty in Pakistan.
SYED WASIMUDDIN
Spokesman, SBP, Karachi
Building parks
The proposal to develop parks by the Karachi city district government sounds good. The government has invited the private sector to develop parks while retaining a small percentage for commercial activities. In the backdrop of reports that so many parks have been taken over by unscrupulous elements, this seems a good idea.
However, one should be aware that the other extreme is not reached where the larger portion of a park is turned into shops and a small piece left for trees and grass. Such an eyesore exists in Gulshan-i-Iqbal in the form of a "water park".
NOMAN ALI
Karachi
Excessive gas billing
This has reference to Ibne Hassan's letter (March 18). The Sui Southern Gas Company Limited would like to clarify that all gas bills relate to consumption by customers which they can verify themselves by reading their own meters and comparing meter readings noted on the bills.
Bills, however, do inflate due to seasonal variations because the consumption of gas in winter and summer widely differs. Use of water heaters, particularly if water heaters are of a substandard quality, increases consumption of gas.
Another factor that consumers ignore before making complaints is the leakages in the house lines that increase the volume of gas consumption.
The complaint by Ibne Hassan is not identifiable because he has not provided us with his account number/meter number or his residential address. The SSGC requests him to contact the general manager (billing) on phone No. 9231500-1101 and assures him that his grievance will be redressed on merit.
S. NASREEN HUSSAIN
Chief Manager (ER), Karachi
Import of cars
Pakistan is a debt-ridden country and there is a need to tighten belts by all its citizens in every sphere. Instead of importing costly cars and motorbikes, even for assembly with 50 per cent local components, or reconditioned ones at half the cost, we should postpone this luxury until we are in a position to make 100 per cent of our own cars, motorbikes, etc.
This was precisely done by Israel in 1964, as I happened to see a car fully built in Israel in an exhibition in the UK in 1965. On inquiry I learnt that they had purchased the entire plant, of the older model, when the British firm changed its Ford Prefect model.
Surely, our trade representatives, spread all over the world, could easily help find a similar deal. Once set, we could further improve the same for local use and even for export.
S. M. H. RIZVI
Karachi.
Match-fixing?
Watching the Indian innings in the fourth ODI, many people smelt a rat. With 37 extras, one felt that the Pakistanis let the Indians win the match. Had the home team won, there would have been little interest left in the fifth and final match.
There was so much money at stake; attendance at the stadium and viewership on TV channels would have gone down, and the PCB's earnings would have been affected. Did we hear someone saying 'match-fixing'?
In future, they should decide the series on the basis of the final ODI and the first four matches should be called practice matches.
ASIF NOORANI
Karachi
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