| 12 June 2004 | Saturday | 23 Rabi-us-Saani 1425 |
Test case for parliamentarians
CDA: a DMG constituency
'No-Smoking Day'
Computer colleges
Delayed response
Security of mosque
PIA's fare hike
Plight of Baloch students
Cheers for Iraqis
'Sorry'
Electric poles
President's article
Immigration queues
New phone connections
KEMC's new hostel
Facing reality
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Multinational pharmaceutical companies have for long held sway over the medicine market in Pakistan. The government, somehow, has not been effective in regulating their operations, perhaps due to the fear of losing foreign investment.
The net result has been ever-increasing prices of medicines. A state has now been reached where even the middle class is unable to bear the financial burden of even primary medical care. Domestic manufacturers also do not provide any relief. Instead they, too, prefer to follow the market trend and charge high prices.
The menace of spurious medicines has also to be countered by the consumer, throwing him once again in the lap of multinationals in quest of quality medicine. The net effect is that to treat something as simple as sore throat one is required to spend about Rs200 a day.
Yet another problem is that since the manufactures can earn huge profits by selling high-priced medicines, they are hesitant to market cheap life-saving drugs, exclusively manufactured by them.
For example, a well-known drug for thyroid and a respirator solution for asthma are always in short supply. According to a chemist, he is supplied one of each of these medicines weekly and that, too, only if he purchases other medicines worth Rs5,000 from the distributor.
These being life-saving medicines, patients are forced to purchase smuggled medicines at unimaginably high prices. These days there is a lot of talk of trade with India. We also know that medicine prices there are substantially lower.
Why not import medicines from India? I am sure this would force the multinationals to lower their prices. Remember what happened to motorcycle prices when imports were allowed from China.
If some difficulties are envisaged in trade with India in the short term, we could always look toward our neighbour in the north as a source of cheap and quality medicines.
As an aside, I do not think the Sensitive Price Index takes into account the escalating cost of healthcare or medicines.
AIR CDRE (retd) A. WAJID SALOM
Lahore
Test case for parliamentarians
Our parliamentarians have yet to prove their worth as elected representatives of the people. I list only four problems of national interest as a test case with an appeal for immediate attention and action.
One, under instructions from the IMF our imported bankers have enforced various rules to discourage inflows of forex, through the banking system, and also amended the Protection of Economic Reforms Act 1992 larger for this purpose whereas trillions of dollars, including our billions, laundered from developing countries to western banks are acceptable to the IMF.
Two, the CDA chairman has incorporated a major change in the Islamabad Master Plan, a prerogative of parliament, to allocate 20 per cent of 700 acres in the F-9 public park green belt for a private club.
If not stopped immediately, the entire public park will gradually disappear like several other green belts already annexed by the rich for their private houses with fencing, permanent structures and approach roads.
Three, taxpayers' money in terms of billions of rupees is being spent on Islamabad on various luxuries, including a monument without approval of parliament, whereas funds are not available even to provide clean drinking water to most people, not to speak of the plight of over 40 per cent population living below the poverty line.
Four, MNA Sardar Tufail, chairman of the standing committee of the National Assembly, is annoyed with the chairman of the Agricultural Development Bank for providing the NA with fake figures of public money spent on personal luxuries.
Public money embezzled in unjustified written-off bank loans worth billions of rupees can be well imagined.
GHULAM MUHAMMAD
Rawalpindi
CDA: a DMG constituency
The District Management Group seems to have invaded the Capital Development Authority much like the US forces who invaded Afghanistan. At present there are 10 or more DMG officers working in the CDA, and all have been given a free hand. The officers, originally working in the CDA are helpless now, except a few who are on good terms with the DMG officers.
Consequently, a cold war between DMG officers and CDA officers has started and differences are developing with the passage of time. A recent example is the arrangements and beautification of Islamabad on the occasion of the Sultan of Brunei's visit to Pakistan. President Gen Pervez Musharraf also expressed his concern over the issue.
Instead of taking action against the CDA boss, the interior ministry took action against the director-general (environment) and a couple of deputy directors of the municipal directorate of the CDA. The DMG officers were spared.
As far as the interior minister is concerned, he is busy in recruitment's in the CDA while, on the other hand, the law and order situation in the country is getting worse.
I would like to request the president to intervene in the matter and prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
SHER BAHADUR CHAUDHRY
Rawalpindi
'No-Smoking Day'
Apropos of your editorial "No-Smoking Day" (May 29), an impression has been created as if the anti-tobacco lobby has not been strong enough to put up resistance against the big tobacco companies.
There is an anti-tobacco lobby which operates in Pakistan but it is the jack facing the giant of the tobacco industry. This lobby, operating on meagre resources, is fighting companies with revenues of more than $120 billion, almost double the GDP of Pakistan.
Why can't the print media in Pakistan decide, as a policy, not to accept tobacco advertisements from now onwards? On one hand, you recognize the fact that tobacco is harmful for a person's health and, on the other, are quiet on what the print media should do to curb this epidemic.
On another note, the day we celebrated was not a 'No-Smoking Day' but the 'World No Tobacco Day' and there is a difference between the two. Perhaps an update of knowledge is required as the whole tobacco issue has more than smoking involved in it. For all of us to achieve effective tobacco control and especially the media, we need to learn what the issue is all about.
DR EHSAN LATIF
Islamabad
Computer colleges
Computer colleges have mushroomed in Lahore, especially in the New Garden Town area. Some of them got themselves recognized under different names by the University Grants Commission which enabled them to award degrees. Such colleges, in a bid to increase their profit, have started retrenching their staff, most of whom had qualified from these very institutions.
This is being done on the pretext of recruiting foreign-qualified staff in their place. Even government-run universities engage their old students as lecturers, although the professor-level posts do go to Ph.D. holders, and many such lecturers are eventually sent abroad for doctoral studies.
The government is requested to prevent these computer colleges from firing their locally-qualified teachers and instead ask them to create opportunities for them to go abroad for higher education.
This is how these private colleges can be turned into institutions of higher learning. Laying off teachers with four or five years of teaching experience is not only unjust but also against the academic spirit of such institutions.
GAUHAR ALI
Lahore
Delayed response
I have completed my education with a master's degree in computer science and intended to do a second master's from the University of Plymouth in the UK. For this I applied, along with all requisite papers, for a visa through Fedex on Dec 30, 2003.
I was asked to visit Islamabad for an interview on Feb 11, 2004 but was refused a visa. However, I was told that I could appeal against the decision. I filed an appeal on March 3, 2004 (my case reference number is 745161). I received an acknowledgement from the high commission on March 24, 2004, saying that my appeal had been forwarded to the appellate authorities in the UK.
Now, more than two months have passed but there's no word yet from the appellate authorities on the fate of my case. The delay is causing severe mental strain because I find my future at stake.
SYED IRFAN AHMED HASHMI
Karachi
Security of mosque
Despite a spate of killings and violence at religious places, adequate measures for the safety and protection of worshippers have yet to be seen. During the Juma congregation on May 28 in the Sheikh Ayaz Mehmood Mosque, located on 14th Commercial Street, DHA Phase-II Extension, Karachi, the following was observed:
1. Two/three police constables were designated for the four or five gates of the mosque where 600-800 worshippers offered their prayers.
2. Police constables were seen casually loitering in the area without communication facilities.
3. There was no SP/DSP/SHO to monitor the alertness of the constables on duty.
I suggest that all suspicious persons or vehicles loitering in the area around a mosque at prayer time should be spot-checked for any explosive material/weapons.
Some local mosque committees can also help in the patrolling. Proper watch towers can be set up to keep terrorists at bay.
LT. COL. (RETD) IRFAN HAIDER
Karachi
PIA's fare hike
PIA's recent fare hike is out of proportion to the rise in international oil prices and not in conformity to the air fares charged by other airlines. It is only the working lower middle class expatriates, who are its loyal clients, who will ultimately be forced to switch over to other airlines.
If PIA's management continues to persist with its customer-unfriendly policies and attitudes, we will be forced to patronize other airlines. PIA's brand new B-777's have been nicknamed as Trouble 7s, because of frequent delays, uncomfortable economy class seats and a reservation system which is very time-consuming.
Most of the low-fare airlines in Europe offer E-Ticketing through the Internet. There has been almost a negligible fare increase, in spite of the heavy taxation, yet these low fare airline are earning profits.
The customer just has to go online, buy a ticket with his credit card, get a seat reserved and in one go he is through with all formalities, without leaving the comfort of his house or his workplace.
PIA continues to exploit its loyal clientele by persisting with an outdated reservation and ticketing system. It is alleged that some influential PIA officials, whose families run cargo/travel agencies, are minting money through commissions. Reservation of seats is a major problem, especially when you get stuck in Pakistan and are desperate to return to the UK.
It is incomprehensible why PIA or the government is hesitant to appoint an independent committee, as demanded by the opposition PPP/PML-N and some PML parliamentarians, to investigate the various alleged irregularities if their hands are clean.
R. HAIDER ANSAR KHAN
Manchester, UK
Plight of Baloch students
The majority of the population in Lasbela, Awaran, Kech and Gwadar districts of Balochistan depend on Karachi, from education to health services and other socio-economic needs.
At least 40 Baloch students from these districts are at present enrolled in the University of Karachi. However, because of university policy they are denied hostel facilities unlike students from Punjab or the Northern Areas.
Not all of them are financially sound enough to arrange private accommodation, especially in the localities close to the university.
Another factor that requires urgent attention on the part of the ministry of education and the Balochistan government is that a full-fledged department of marine biology should exist in the university where the Baloch students, especially those hailing from the coastal belt of the province, should have a reserved quota.
The chief minister of Balochistan, Jam Muhammad Yousuf, and the federal minister of education, Zubaida Jalal, being elected representatives of the coastal areas are requested to personally intervene and address the problem facing the Baloch students.
MUNIR AHMAD JAN
Quetta
Cheers for Iraqis
Two articles ('The Bush orthodoxy is in shreds' by Sidney Blumenthal and 'The fall of the vulcans' by Timothy Garton Ash) (Dawn, May 28) contain insightful analyses of the Iraq situation, especially with reference to the American and British attack on that country and its occupation by coalition forces.
The authors correctly predict the coalition's defeat, both moral and military. No doubt the coalition forces are looking for a way out. Cheers for the Iraqis who have resisted the occupation, belying the coalition's expectations that the Iraqi people would welcome them with open arms.
It is hoped that after the exit of the occupation forces the Shia south, the Sunni north and the Kurdish west would form a federation and work for rebuilding of their country.
LATIF QURESHI
Lahore
'Sorry'
The president of America has apologized to the Iraqi people in an interesting way. He said to the Danish minister that he was sorry for what happened at Abu Ghraib and again at a press conference with King Abdullah he said the same thing.
But, he has yet to apologize to the victims directly. It's like a man who slaps his neighbour's son and says sorry to the gardener. Later Mr Bush said that the prison should be demolished as if by doing that everything would be forgotten.
The world is stunned by the juvenile comments from the president of the sole superpower.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
Electric poles
It has been noted that when roads are widened, electric poles are not relocated and hinder traffic. There is a need for better coordination between various departments for public safety.
SALEEM ATHAR
Karachi
President's article
I think President Musharraf's article was well written. He clearly highlighted our point of view on the topic of religious fanaticism and our own interest in getting rid of it.
The fact that anyone can miss the point and focus on his writing skill, as Ayaz Amir did in his column recently makes little sense. Would they prefer a head of state who can write and speak well in English yet fail in leadership!?
DR OWAIS ALI FAROOQI
Buffalo, New York
Immigration queues
While recently catching a flight abroad from Karachi airport, I found that almost everything worked well. The only problem was the long immigration lines where one spent over an hour to have one's passport stamped.
All the booths were staffed, but there was still such a rush that the whole process was quite bothersome. I asked the traffic assistant of a foreign airline, who was actually helping the immigration staff by directing the flow of passengers, whether it was unusual to have so many people at the immigration counter.
He replied that this was a daily occurrence and that part of the problem was that the staff were not properly trained to check the passports they were processing.
He said that his airline, which runs daily flights, had permanently deputed him at the immigration desk so that passengers were not unduly delayed on account of which the flight would be delayed as well. This is a most unsatisfactory situation.
KALEEM AHMAD
Hyderabad
New phone connections
The PTCL Muzaffargarh authorities seem to look the other way while their employees run PCOs in the city in collaboration with their relatives. There are always some vacant points in the exchanges that can be used to run these PCOs without registering any consumption.
It seems to be the effort of the PTCL staff not to let any expansion take place in the local telephone network so that more and more people are forced to use these PCOs.
It is no wonder, therefore, that even developed colonies like Khwaja Farid Colony do not have distribution points available for new telephone connections. Add to this the PTCL staff's alleged complicity with the mobile phone companies, the prospects for the local people getting fixed phone connections have been reduced to almost nil.
The government is requested to do something about it and order the local PTCL officials not to thwart the plans to expand the local telephone network and to give connections to the applicants without any delay.
MUHAMMAD YAQUB
Muzaffargarh
KEMC's new hostel
The King Edward's Medical College (KEMC) new hostel for boys is poorly managed by the administration. The toilets are in bad condition. The taps are out of order and locks on toilets broken. Clean water is wasted and nobody cares.
Several complaints have been lodged but no one is ready to take the responsibility. I want to ask the authorities concerned whether they would ever use such dirty toilets. If not then how can they expect the students to use them? Is there any person (chief warden, chief executive of KEMC and Mayo Hospital) to take notice of the situation?
N.S. QURESHI
Lahore
Facing reality
How many more lives must be lost for our government to realize that trite statements and cosmetic changes are not going to solve the problems of the city of Karachi?
Could the butterflies come out of their protective cocoons and face reality?
SAIRA HOTI
Karachi
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