| 25 April 2004 | Sunday | 04 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425 |
Curriculum changes
Pakistani troops for Iraq
Waiting for CNIC
Gas cylinder blasts
Catering business
Al-Khwarzami: a great mathematician
Tree-felling
Cricket team's performance
Traffic hazards
Plea bargaining
Date palm trees
Talk shows and discussions
'History under a prism'
Child vendors
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Pakistan and its people are facing an ocean of problems today as the effects of the 56 years of misrule and mismanagement are taking their toll. All the segments of our society seem to have failed the country, with the civil and military bureaucrats and the feudal lords, including the so-called sardars and tribal leaders, taking the major blame as they have exclusively ruled the country since its early days.
All of them have invariably pillaged and wrecked the country. They have experimented with different systems, introduced artificial dispensations and used novel methods to control and subjugate the masses. Obviously, none of them has worked. They have only led from one crisis to another dashing the hopes and aspirations of the people.
The time may finally be upon us to put an end to all that, find a way out of the present impasse and build a better tomorrow. How can that be done?
In the present scenario, the two popular political parties have been sidelined and a military-dominated government is ruling the country. In the last elections these two parties had secured most of the votes. Many people believe that if reasonably free and fair elections are held today, these two will again get the nod from a majority of the electorate.
There lies the dilemma: although these two political parties and the military establishment have worked with each other at different times, they have of late developed diverging self interests and mutual mistrust. The situation has assumed alarming proportions with no meeting point in sight. It underscores an urgent need to find a middle way to steer the country out of the bind.
The main reason for our predicament is that we have not been able to strengthen vital institutions. Instead we have always empowered the ambitious few. That has been our undoing. Even the political parties calling for democracy have shied away from democratizing their own outfits. This trend is self-destructive and should immediately change. The political parties should introduce internal democracy at all levels without any delay.
In order to break the deadlock, all parties should give up the politics of dynastic succession. The leaders of the two major parties who have been prime ministers twice should declare that they wouldn't be candidates for the office of the president or prime minister. They should also categorically announce that none from their immediate families, including a sibling or spouse, would seek any of the two coveted positions. Let's be the first in South Asia to denounce dynastic politics.
On the other hand, the military should give up any intervention in politics. It should dismantle all political wings in its intelligence agencies and other departments. It should discharge its duties only as prescribed in the original 1973 Constitution.
The present dispensation should be allowed to complete its term provided it doesn't indulge in any subversive and divisive tactics and doesn't carry out any controversial mega projects.
A high-level national body should be formed with equal representation from the opposition to reorganize and rebuild important institutions like the judiciary, the executive branch and the election commission.
In the end we should not forget that education, security, justice, fairness, rule of law, respect for the will of the people and equal opportunities for all are the basic principles for the survival of a society.
AZIZ NAREJO
Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Curriculum changes
Making a mountain of a molehill and nitpicking have become a characteristic. This is amply reflected in the correspondence in these columns on the subject of curriculum change.
The issue is really very simple: if we call ourselves Muslim, then we should be aware of what Islam teaches, whether we are told this by our parents or we learn it at school. It is incumbent on us to be able to understand what our religion teaches, whether it is in relation to jihad or to the intellect or to the physical aspects of our lives.
The regret is that some people in their ignorance or by design seek to mould Quranic injunctions to suit their own wishes and purposes and thus confuse the minds of schoolchildren. For example, take the case of jihad. According to one tradition of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), he was returning from a military campaign when he said he was now going for the bigger jihad. When his companions asked what jihad was he referring to since he had just taken part in one, the Prophet said he was talking about the jihad with one's self, which is the biggest jihad of all. How far we are following this example is known to all of us.
Then, in the Holy Quran, it is said that the murder of one person is the murder of humanity. Do those who make random use of bombs know that their bombs will kill children also and do they bother about who will look after the families of those killed? We all know within our hearts what is right and what is wrong, and yet we keep on writing and saying things that we know to be wrong.
NUSRAT ADIL
Karachi
Pakistani troops for Iraq
Initially we were given to understand that the US has repeated its request to Pakistan for contribution of 10,000 troops for a potential UN peacekeeping force in Iraq after transfer of power on June 30. A Foreign Office spokesman now states that Pakistan received a request from the UN for Pakistani troops for the protection of its mission, when it is established in Iraq (Dawn report, April 20).
Whatever be the truth, before committing any of its troops in Iraq in whatever form, Pakistan must recollect the events of 1993 at Mogadishu, when members of the Somalia National Alliance (SNA) ambushed and killed 24 UN (Pakistani) peacekeepers.
Fearing similar acts of vengeance, the US troops stationed in Somalia began an ill-advised hunt for the warlord, General Mohamed Harrah Aideed, and got 22 of their men killed mercilessly. This tragic turn of events caused American public opinion to turn against US involvement in Somalia - the operation "Restore Hope" quickly became operation "Run Home".
We have seen that the use of military force without a clear political objective is ultimately futile and self-defeating. Peacekeeping missions in Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Somalia failed to meet the challenge. Likewise, UN peacekeeping in Iraq is bound to suffer a setback. Peace cannot be kept by force; only understanding can achieve it.
LT-COL (retd) SYED AHMED
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Waiting for CNIC
I submitted an urgent application (bearing old NIC number 516-86-343804) for a computerized national identity card on April 28, 2003, at Awami Markaz in Karachi for my mother, Mrs Hanifa, 75, because I wanted to take her to London for treatment.
I made numerous phone calls to the Nadra staff at Awami Markaz but in vain. In September I was asked to lodge a complaint against the delay. I lodged a complaint on September 9, 2003, and made inquiries on 111 786 100, but every time I was told to be patient.
In March 2004, the Nadra staff informed me that the application had been rejected by the printing department because the address was very lengthy. I met an official at the zonal office in Karachi and narrated my ordeal. She asked me to provide her with the shortest possible address. I did that.
After two weeks when I inquired about the status of the application on the above telephone number, I was told that the it had been again rejected for the same reason.
Then I met the director-general of the zone in his office on April 2. He spoke to somebody in Islamabad and spoke to somebody about my case. He obtained a modified address form from me and assured me that the original application would "now be taken care of". But till today my mother has not received her CNIC.
The high-ups in Nadra are requested to look into the matter and ensure delivery of the CNIC without any further delay.
MUHAMMAD ARIF
9-C, Garden Palace, 145/146 Garden West, PIB Street, Karachi
Gas cylinder blasts
We want to inform the citizens of Karachi that about one in 10 residential/commercial buildings in Saddar contains numerous goldsmith workshops with explosive gas cylinders and furnaces. These buildings have an average population of 500 persons each. Imagine the devastation if there is a repeat of the Rawalpindi tragedy reported in your newspaper of April 22. (About eight persons had died in a goldsmith gas-cylinder explosion in Bohri Bazaar in 1994).
On July 9, 2003, the provincial ombudsman, Justice Haziq-ul-Khairi, directed the CCOB of KBCA to dismantle all hazardous/polluting workshops in Saddar within three months. The Sindh secretary of environment and the director-general of the Sindh EPA were to monitor the dismantling, which was to be done with the assistance of the city nazim and the capital city police officer.
Nothing has been done to date by the government. The citizens (residents of Saddar and visitors/shoppers in the area) must fend for themselves.
ROLAND DESOUZA
Shehri, Karachi
Catering business
This refers to a letter published in these columns on April 13 regarding the need to regulate the catering business.
I fully agree with the writer. I had an opportunity to visit the kitchen of a famous catering company on Kashmir Road. I was dismayed by the environment in which the kitchen was being maintained.
Our government institutions on whose shoulders rest the authority and the responsibility to regulate these services are in deep slumber. They need to be awakened and directed to discharge their functions without further delay.
To say the least, all catering companies, hotels and restaurant need to have HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) certification for which these establishments can be categorized, depending on their facilities pursuant to HACCP requirements. HACCP is a certification that is internationally acceptable in the context of food safety and applicable in most countries.
ZULFIQAR PIRACHA
Karachi
Al-Khwarzami: a great mathematician
It is heartening to read the news "Tribute paid to Al-Khwarzami" (April 16). The Mehran University, Jamshoro, launched a book Digital Electronic and Microprocessor Technology at a hardware and software competition dedicated to the great Muslim mathematician.
Abu Jaffar Muhammad Musa, popularly known as Al-Khwarzami (780-850), was a great mathematician and astronomer whose impact on this discipline is everlasting. He was born in Khwarzam, now part of the present-day Central Asia. In the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Abu al Abbas Abdullah al Mamun al Rashid, he shifted to Baghdad and joined the famous Bait-ul-Hikmat established by the caliph.
He tried to coordinate the newly-acquired Greek knowledge in mathematics with that of Indian learning. Before him Muslim mathematics was in its infancy. His influence on mathematics exceeds that of any other mediaeval scholar as he made known to the Arabs and the Europeans the Hindu system of numerology. His remarkable work of measuring the degree of the arc and working out the circumference of earth under the instructions of the caliph has left a significant impact for further research in the field of geography.
Al-Khwarzami's geography or Kitab Surat at Ard consists of lists of coordinations of the main towns and geographical prints, which are sometimes in harmony with those of Ptolemy. But this depends on the "geography of Ptolemy", some of whose errors he corrected, e.g., the excessive length of the Mediterranean.
Al-Khwarzami's "Shape of the earth" made the science of geography a methodical study. The great scholars of the 10th century, such as Al-Beruni, Abu Nasr Mansoor and Abu Sahl Masihi, also studied Al-Khwarzami's astronomy.
Al-Khwarzami was thus not only a great mathematician and astronomer, but also an excellent writer on history and geography.
MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
Tree-felling
Over the weekend, eight trees, most of them over 80 years old, were cut down on Abdullah Haroon Road in Karachi for no apparent reason. The event passed off without any public protest.
A few days later we were informed that the Sadar Town administration had suspended the officials concerned for this crime. But to what effect? The trees are no more. A law is needed that makes tree-cutting illegal unless there is a good reason for doing so.
NADEEM KHOKAR
Karachi
Cricket team's performance
The Pakistan cricket team let down cricket fans in the recently-concluded series against the Indians who proved their superiority in every department of the game. Our players seemed shattered in the field, suggesting a complete lack of coordination.
The team is the best Pakistan has ever had, but their individual efforts should be translated into collective struggle. For instance, Yousaf Youhana made a century, but it was a vain effort, because he was visibly interested in getting his hundred. A leader can make a difference. Just think of Imran Khan who won the 1992 World Cup when only one genuine fast bowler Wasim was in the side. One remembers Ijaz Ahmed opened the attack for Pakistan, but at the end of the day that team managed to win the prestigious World Cup.
The PCB is requested to do some soul-searching and appoint a captain who has a head over his shoulders and can make aggressive moves just like the great Imran Khan.
GUL GHUTAI
Peshawar
Traffic hazards
This has reference to Mr Nayyar Ali's letter "Road menace" (April 10). He asks: Can the relevant authorities do something?
Need he ask? I sympathize with his naivete (no disrespect meant).
Have the road safety authorities ever done anything about road hazards or traffic violations or causes of accidents? Spoiled children of the rich or officials of the government or even their own servants drive around with blinding lights, with tinted glasses, horns blaring and racing at break-neck speed on the wrong side of the roads, breaking traffic signals.
So, Mr Ali, you got an answer. The relevant authorities who seem to enjoy their deep slumber will not do anything. We, ordinary mortals, are made to suffer.
S.M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
Plea bargaining
The prime minister remarked while speaking at an international conference in Islamabad on the UN Convention against Corruption on Tuesday that plea bargaining was the worst kind of corruption in that the money lost to this arrangement was taxpayers' money, who had the right to know who had looted their money and how the culprits were being taken to task.
Many politicians who are now part of the government or who are favourites of the ruling party have benefited from plea bargaining. The question is: under what law has the government been writing off defaulted loans and why?
ALI ASHRAF KHAN
Karachi
Date palm trees
The governments of Lahore and Karachi have been planting date palm trees in many parts of the cities. Many of these trees have been planted after cutting down the existing (beautiful and fully green) trees, and many of the date palms are dying or are already dead.
One reason cited for planting these trees is that the date palm is an "Islamic tree". I do not know if trees can be categorized in such a way. Why can't the city governments plant trees that are native to these cities, such as "neem" and other more colourful tress like "Flame of the Forest" and "Bougainvillea".
FAWWAD SHAFI
Karachi
Talk shows and discussions
This is with reference to the letter "Discussions and talk shows" (April 21) by Mr A. Shamshad.
To some extent it is true that some experts or participants deliberately try to divert the attention of the viewers from the subject under discussion and also use various tactics such as shouting and not allowing others to speak.
However, it would be incorrect to assume that after watching these programmes viewers remain as ill-informed as before. The fact is these talk shows/discussions are a useful source of information and learning, especially for youngsters.
Although it is true that all is not well and we have to go a long way before we have competitive experts, the talk shows being aired on private TV channels have become a forum where people can debate things which were once considered sacrosanct.
SYED IMRAN ALI
Karachi
'History under a prism'
Mr Amar Jaleel's article"History under a prism" (April 11) has prompted me to write this. Dr Ziauddin, vice-chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, was my uncle and he and Mr G. M. Syed were good friends. My uncle held Mr Syed in high esteem and considered him a loyal Muslim Leaguer and a stalwart of the Pakistan Movement in Sindh.
I had heard him remark that Mr G.M. Syed believed some vested interests were trying to create a wedge between him and the Quaid-i-Azam. He had asked Dr Ziauddin to intervene and arrange a meeting with Mr Jinnah to clear any misunderstandings. My uncle did intervene. He tried to set up a meeting between Mr Jinnah and Mr Syed, but it did not take place. What happened afterwards is common knowledge.
F. U. AHMAD
Karachi
Child vendors
It is a common scene on the crossings of Lahore that children of tender ages of six to 10 years are made to sell various things, including newspapers. What is painful is that during the midday heat these hapless children often bare-footed and bare-headed approach each car to sell their wares while an adult keeps a watch over them sitting in the shade nearby. All this happens before the traffic policemen who turn a blind eye to the sad drama.
The constitution prohibits engaging any child below 14 in any hazardous employment. What could be more hazardous than to make a child stand for hours exposed to the sunshine and summer heat. This could result in a heatstroke. The city fathers ought to curb this cruel practice.
DR. M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
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