| 03 June 2004 | Thursday | 14 Rabi-us-Saani 1425 |
Terror attacks in Karachi
Underground trains for Karachi
Declining crops
National monument
Cost of disregarding social customs
Why sales tax refund?
Local call duration
Cafeteria
Pensioners' appeal
Power outage
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Ms Sonia Gandhi has packed her Congress-led government with retired civil servants, including Dr Manmohan Singh, K. Natwar Singh, J.N. Dixit and the like. Bureaucrats, especially retired ones, thrive on maintenance of the status quo and are set to blight the hopes of the people of India and Pakistan on every front.
By doggedly pursuing anti-people policies, sweeping all critical problems confronting India and Pakistan under the rug of the so-called 'national interest', and by strengthening the stranglehold of imperialist powers, they will inevitably undermine the vital interests of the voiceless poor of India.
India at this juncture needs a statesman who may use his charisma and vision to pull the Indian masses out of the morass of grinding poverty, and take courageous decisions in the interest of lasting peace in South Asia.
After reassuring Pakistan that the peace process initiated by Vajpayee would be carried forward, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has deemed it fit to reveal his inner mindset and his limitations as a leader.
By declaring that for Kashmir, no changes in boundaries and no plebiscite are envisaged, he has given a muted call for 'atoot angh', a shibboleth coined by the Congress government.
It appears that the financial wizard of India, groomed by the World Bank, has Sawarn Singh-Bhutto-like long-drawn out negotiations between India and Pakistan in mind - in this day and age. He may not like to pick up the threads which the late Rajiv Ghandi had woven for a breakthrough in Kashmir, with Ms Benazir Bhutto's concerted efforts.
President Pervez Musharraf showed courage in Agra to denounce the Indian refrain of 'atoot angh' when he, like Tennyson's Lady of Shallot, exclaimed: "I am half-sick of shadows."
He stunned the Indian government and its people when he declared, without mincing words, that Kashmir was a disputed territory and Kashmir was the core, the most explosive and long-festering problem bedevilling India-Pakistan relations, and that India could not hush up the voice and monumental sacrifices of the people of Kashmir by ostrich-like burying its head under the brutalities of its occupation army in Kashmir.
Pakistanis and Kashmiris feel sure that the new Indian PM knows well enough that Pundit Nehru had promised to the whole world, many times after December 1947, that the final decision of the future of the Jammu and Kashmir state would be made by the Kashmiris through an internationally supervised plebiscite.
For the Islamic world and the world community, an international commitment made to a people is sacrosanct. India's greatness as a nation will be measured by the international commitments and obligations honoured and executed by it, and not by the per capita income it generates.
If the people of Junagarh and Hyderabad states decided in favour of accession to India, why have the people of Jammu and Kashmir not been allowed to exercise the same right for accession of their state to India or Pakistan?
How can the UN resolutions accepted by India and Pakistan for a UN-supervised plebiscite be unilaterally rejected by India? Religion is every Kashmiri's article of faith but it cannot be the sole determinant of the choice which a Kashmiri may be called upon to make in a plebiscite regarding the future dispensation of the Jammu and Kashmir state.
By ruling out a plebiscite and readjustment in the boundaries of the disputed state, we will be back to square one: the 'atoot angh'. Is that where Pakistan is headed in its talks with the Manmohan government?
PROF M. IKRAMUL HAQ
Lahore
Terror attacks in Karachi
Recent weeks have seen an escalation in the acts of terrorism in Karachi. Within a month, five incidents of terrorism - the Hyderi Mosque tragedy, the KPT blast, the PACC car-bomb blasts, the assassination of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai and the Imambargah Ali Raza suicide attack - have left over 50 people dead and countless others injured.
Investigations are continuing, but none of the culprits has been apprehended so far. All that the relevant authorities do is to issue statements and give assurances that the culprits will be arrested soon and that no one will be allowed to disturb peace in the city.
The law-enforcement agencies have failed to perform their most important duty, i.e. to protect the lives and property of the people. The police are unable to protect themselves and their police stations, let alone citizens.
They appear after acts of terrorism have taken place and do nothing but add to the suffering of people by blocking roads and diverting traffic. Since the PACC blasts, both Fatima Jinnah Road and Abdullah Haroon Road have been closed for traffic.
Now there is a great traffic congestion on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, and motorists and commuters are stuck in traffic jams from 20 to 30 minutes. Will any police official explain how this system can prevent terrorist attacks?
OMAR KHALID
Karachi
(2)
The situation in Karachi is devastating, to say the least. What is astonishing is that a whole series of violent incidents have taken place in quick successions and yet it seems that the law-enforcement agencies have no clue as to who was behind such deadly acts.
It is time our politicians left aside petty differences on furthering their benefits and haggling about various posts and positions both in government and in their political parties and instead came up with a long-term, sustainable solution to curb this menace once and for all if they truly wish to see Pakistan progress and prosper.
Violence in Karachi will always remain a stain on whatever achievements the government boasts of. It remains to be seen what measures President Musharraf takes to bring the situation back to normal. We can only hope that the president takes some bold decisions in this respect.
TARIQ ALAM
Chicago, Illinois, USA
(3)
Your editorial (June 1) starts off with the question: "Where and when will it all end?" The answer is short and simple: as soon as good governance starts.
NAZIM F. HAJI
Karachi
Underground trains for Karachi
After a long time, a scheme for underground trains for Karachi has found a place in the headlines of Karachi newspapers. It is hoped that this time it will see the light of the day.
I remember having presented a similar scheme before a CCI meeting in 1976 to have it reviewed by foreign experts. But it could not see the light of day due to the regime change in 1977.
Though indigenous, the scheme was prepared benefiting from the experience of tunnel construction in the Victoria Line in London, besides other projects in Paris, Brussels and techniques learnt from German experts.
This was a basement-level, cut and cover tunnel proposed to be built under a 50-foot-wide rail-mounted movable ramp-bridge, with temporary sheet piles on both sides, over which light vehicular traffic could continue to operate.
The entire construction activity could continue, totally unseen from the road surface. Fifty used UG cars were also offered from Montreal at throwaway prices to reduce the cost.
The excavation debris was planned to be taken away by rail through the completed tunnel to be filled in the proposed additional berths in West Wharf, then called the backwater complex, to cross-subsidize the construction cost.
Similar non-rail revenue was proposed to be generated through huge rail-cum-commercial complexes in the large spaces available at the Tower and Jahangir Quarters areas, etc., to make the rail fare affordable for low-income commuters.
From Tower to Liaquatabad/ Karimabad, it was underground and beyond on surface in the wide median. A branch line was also proposed from Liaquatabad via B-Road - Nazimabad to N-Karachi, also partly underground and partly on surface along the wide median. This formed the spine of the city's mass transit system supported by two-car electric trolley buses on other routes.
It is hoped that this experience will also be considered, while implementing the current scheme, to achieve the envisaged advantages.
S.M.H. RIZVI
Former chief engineer, Rapid Transit Cell, Karachi
Declining crops
A Recent publication "Crops Area Production" of the ministry of food and agriculture and livestock has revealed that during the past four years from 1999 and 2003, wheat, cotton and rice production has decreased and the area in which they are cultivated has been reduced.
The crops showed a decrease in production by 8.9 per cent, 9.1 per cent and 13.1 per cent, respectively, and a reduction in the cultivation area by five per cent, 6.3 per cent and 11.5 per cent, respectively.
This shows that the per acre yield also went down as the decrease in production was more than the reduction in the cultivated area. Only sugarcane production increased by 7.6 per cent against an increase in the area by 8.9 per cent.
The steady decline in the production of food and fibre crops is a bad omen, especially at a time when the population is fast increasing, forcing the government to import one million tons of wheat this year.
Also, the irrigation water shortage is not being addressed by the relevant authorities and no decision is forthcoming for the construction of the only feasible storage dam, i.e., Kalabagh dam at this stage. All other options are only a gleam in the eye, with no immediate prospects of materializing.
It is about time President General Pervez Musharraf took a decision in the national interest if Pakistan is to survive economically.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
National monument
The idea of building a national monument mooted by President Gen Pervez Musharraf is laudable. The president is requested to direct the architect concerned to modify the design so that instead of the four proposed segments of leafs representing the four provinces, a fifth segment of leaf for Kashmir should be included in it as Kashmir will become a part of Pakistan sooner or later.
The location of the proposed monument should also be reconsidered. The Shakarparian hill being more outstanding and elevated will be suitable and enable visitors to have a panoramic view of Islamabad. The name of the proposed structure should be similar to Minar-i-Pakistan in Lahore.
M. AKHTAR SHAH
Peshawar
Cost of disregarding social customs
I am writing this in response to Mr Mueed Peerbhoy's letter "Cost of disregarding social customs" (May 29). I never suggested in my article (February 9) or in my letter to the editor (May 27) that the writ of law should leave the rural areas to catch up in their own time.
I rather emphasized that education and enlightenment were needed to transform the tribal psyche. Laws can be implemented much more effectively when people understand and accept them.
You cannot coerce someone into accepting a law. That, as I said in my article, will only give rise to a fresh set of problems. Does Mr Peerbhoy feel that the writ of law can be effective only if it flows from the barrel of a gun rather than through education and enlightenment?
People get impatient when they see the world galloping ahead while the majority of our society remains embroiled in issues like blood feuds and honour killings.
But what have we done to bring development and progress to the rural areas that we can now allow ourselves the luxury of impatience? In Sindh we currently spend Rs13 billion annually on the police alone, while we spend Rs3 billion on education. This being the case, it should come as no surprise to anyone that we lag far behind our perception of where we should be.
Mr Peerbhoy questions the dual participation of sardars and feudals in the political and tribal systems, which he feels are antithetical to each other. The tribal system exists by default to fill a vacuum.
If it did not exist, there would be chaos and anarchy as state institutions are not up to the task of effectively fulfilling their responsibilities. Once the organs of state are revitalized and begin functioning as they should, then resorting to ancient ways and institutions will automatically become redundant.
Mr Peerbhoy asks why the sardars do not use their influence to convince tribesmen to accept change. He also wants to know why the tribal chiefs in Ghotki do not intervene to restore peace.
You cannot have it both ways: on the one hand, you want the writ of law to prevail exclusively and at all costs, and on the other hand, you want tribal chiefs to come to your rescue every time a situation comes up which the state cannot get a grip on.
If Mr Peerbhoy were in Ghotki, instead of Ontario, Canada, he would know that the tribal chiefs in Ghotki are playing an instrumental role in restoring peace to the area and in settling the dispute, while all state agencies stand on the sidelines without a clue.
He would also know that many educated and enlightened tribal chiefs have instituted fundamental changes about how disputes are settled in their tribes. They have banned the use of women as currency to be paid in disputes as fines.
The killing of men and women in karo-kari cases as redemption of honour is a practice that has been discontinued in most tribes for a long time. Virtually all karo-kari killings that still occur do so only when the matter is not brought to the attention of the tribal chief.
Forced marriages and forced divorces in most tribes are things of the past. But one does not hear about these positive changes since the press and the electronic media prefer to concentrate on isolated incidents that provide fodder for the Clifton cavalry. Educated tribal chiefs are indeed playing their role in bringing about a real change and the change is palpable.
But I cannot, in all fairness, expect Mr Peerbhoy to know any of this while sitting in Ontario when even most of the Clifton cavalry sitting on our own shores know nothing about the tribal system or how it is changing and evolving. I wonder how many of them have actually seen a tribal chief settle an important tribal matter.
How many of those who are calling for the banning of the jirga system have actually attended a jirga and seen what happens in it? It's like calling for the abrogation of the Constitution without having a clue about what is in it.
In any case, I would advise all those opposed to the jirga system to ask President Musharraf to settle the Wana issue without the aid of a tribal jirga. Let's see what happens then.
AMEER BHUTTO
Larkana
Why sales tax refund?
In the current scheme of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, every sales tax assessee (registered person) has to submit monthly returns of his sales adjusting tax paid on purchases (input tax) out of tax to be paid on sales/ supplies (output tax) and paying the excess, if any, or claiming refund if the input tax somehow exceeds output tax.
Large refunds are paid where input tax has been paid by the assessees whose sales/supplies are exempt from sales tax under the law or are chargeable at lower rates. Such refunds have caused large-scale corruption, and many scandals of fake input tax invoices have been unearthed during the past few years.
Can't the procedure be made simple by reducing sales tax rates and making sales tax chargeable at one stage only, i.e. on production/manufacturing of final product? If one final product is used/consumed in the production/ manufacture of another final product, no adjustment for input tax paid at purchase stage may be allowed out of sales tax on the final product. That would eliminate the refund scams and benefit the national exchequer as well.
LATIF QURESHI
Lahore
Local call duration
This is apropos of the letter by Mrs Shaista Ali (May 31). The PTCL welcomes the suggestion from its valued customer but would like to clarify that in the past there was no duration for local calls. Later, the PTCL introduced time-metering on local calls for the convenience of its customers, as well as to encourage judicious use of telephones.
The PTCL under its special package has already increased the duration for local calls from five minutes to 10 minutes from 9.30pm to 7am. As regards the suggestion to make local calls free, it should be noted that in countries where local calls are free, the line rent is high.
ATHER JAVED SUFI
Media Coordinator, PTCL HQ., Karachi
Cafeteria
Recently I happened to visit the cafeteria at Karachi's Jinnah Terminal after a couple of years. I was shocked to see its condition; windowpanes were dirty, seat cushions were both dirty and torn at places and waiters were shabbily dressed. The standard of food was also poor. Will the airport authorities ensure cleanliness and better service at the cafeteria?
SYED MASOOD HAIDER
Karachi
Pensioners' appeal
Every government retiree receives a pension regularly on or about the first of every month without fail. But there are unfortunate pensioners of local council service, commonly known as Sindh councils, unified grades' service, who do not get their pensions for months together for reasons best known to the relevant authorities.
The sufferers go on inquiring repeatedly but receive no response on one or the other pretext. It is a pretty miserable condition that orphans, widows and senior citizens face who solely depend on this source of income.
The authorities at the helm of affairs should realize that a day will come when they have to retire and face the same situation. Will the Sindh chief secretary and the local government department secretary take up this matter and solve this longstanding problem at the earliest?
SAYED NASEER MUHAMMAD SHAH
Dadu
Power outage
I am a resident of Phase 6, DHA, Karachi. The locality suffered a power outage at 1100 hours on May 24 and power was finally restored after a delay of 31 hours on May 25 at 1830 ours.
Meanwhile, repeated calls to the managing director, KESC, and the executive engineer concerned were not answered. This only goes to show the insensitivity of the relevant staff towards the plight of electricity consumers.
SHEHRYAR KHALID RAO
Karachi
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