| 13 July 2004 | Tuesday | 24 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425 |
'And now women bombers?'
Power consumers' ordeal
Role of the opposition
Traffic mess in Karachi
The Bush 'gospel'
Seeking justice
Revenue collection
Military's role
Writing ACRs
Kashmir: what is needed
Fatima Jinnah Park
University exams
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This is with reference to the editorial "Verdict on the wall" (July 11). The world community watched with helplessness as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rejected the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which was based on justice for the victimized Palestinian people.
Under the pretext of a security wall, the Israelis are building bunkers around Palestinian settlements, thus dividing them into small islands of communities, with little or no communication link between them.
Another important aspect of the ICJ's decision is that on June 30 the Israeli Supreme Court raised similar objections to Sharon's illegal and immoral measures against the vulnerable Palestinian population.
The Israeli court ruled that Israel occupies the Palestinian land "in belligerent occupation", thereby the Israeli government's measures are subject to international law.
It further said that the Israeli government cannot build such a wall if its actions are "motivated by the desire to annex territory." Nor did the court accepted that Israel has the right to "create such barriers to ensure security".
Whatever Israel's political motives are, it becomes mandatory upon them to abide by the decision of the world legal body. Otherwise, they would provide encouragement to other states or non-state actors to achieve their objectives in whatever manner they deem appropriate. That would encourage an erratic world order with no one in command and no rules or law to be abided by.
PROF (DR) S. FAROOQ HASNAT
Columbia, Maryland, USA
(2)
Israel has once again played the victim and thumbed its nose, this time at one of the highest courts in the world. The question is: will they get away with it? The answer is not too difficult to guess.
Initially, I thought that the US was letting Israel get away with murder (no pun intended) because it could, but then it dawned on me that America had no choice but to let Ariel Sharon do whatever he wanted because America was itself afraid of Israel.
That's the only logical reasoning one can deduce after the US has time and time again pretended to be concerned about the Palestinians when in truth it is just plain scared to tell Israel anything.
What is more tragic is the position that Mr Kofi Annan has taken vis-a-vis the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Does he not feel foolish when he politely asks Israel time and time again to follow the law when everybody knows that Israel will not? No offence to him, but he certainly should not waste his breath where Israel is concerned unless he is courageous enough to take a step which forces Israel to abide by the law. Talk is cheap.
SAIMA ABBAS
Karachi
'And now women bombers?'
All civilized societies condemn suicide bombing regardless of the gender and educational levels of the perpetrators ("And now women bombers?", editorial, July 6).
At the same time one must understand the sense of motivation of the brave though misguided young men and women who sacrifice their most prized possession for the sake of their beliefs. In the case of the Palestinians one can even perhaps justify this act of self-destruction.
Decades after dispossessing them of their homeland, the Israeli government, with the full support of the United States and its powerful allies, has continued to persecute the Palestinians.
Their culture and identity are being obliterated by the relentless Judaisation of their land. The Jewish settlements continue to proliferate on the West Bank. The Palestinians are increasingly restricted to their villages.
Movement between villages and to Israeli cities and towns is being obstructed so that people cannot go to work, to study and to till their lands. The Israelis are now building a wall between the West Bank and Israel making Palestinians prisoners in their homes.
Although the International Court of Justice has ruled the wall to be illegal, the Israeli government will carry on regardless. The US will look the other way, especially in this election year.
Like the Red Indians on their reservations, the Palestinians too are in danger of becoming extinct. So the suicide bomber, in utter hopelessness and in acknowledgement, has given to himself the right to extinguish his own life. As Mahmoud Darwish has said in justification of the suicide bomber:
I love life
On earth, among the pines and
the fig trees
But I can't reach it, so I took aim
With the last thing that
belonged to me.
Suicide bombers are motivated by nationalism and the desire to preserve their cultural identity. The suicide bombers in Pakistan, on the other hand, do not appear to have any such noble ideals.
They seem to be regrettably mere instruments in the hands of those promoting sectarian violence. The only way to stop all these young suicide bombers is to root out the causes of the discontent and frustration that compel and drive them to carry out such wanton acts of destruction.
ASAD SIDDIQI
Lahore
Power consumers' ordeal
A transformer went out of order in the Daska area and it took the local Wapda staff many days to replace it. The new transformer is of a far less capacity than the previous one, resulting in many hours of power suspensions daily, causing inconvenience to people and at times destroying electric appliances due to fluctuations.
Life for the residents has become a nightmare in the present hot and humid weather. Patients in hospitals, the old and feeble in houses, and infants, children women, students, etc., have been the worst affected.
Every morning we are given false hopes, but days are passing one after another without any improvement taking place in the situation. People move out of the city to live with their relatives, but for how long can they stay with them? Moreover, all industrial and commercial activities in Daska which happens to be an industrial town have virtually come to a standstill, causing huge financial losses to individuals as well as companies.
In this era of science and technology, can there still be any technical fault which needs weeks to get corrected? Daska is situated just 15 minutes off the GT Road in the vicinity of Sialkot.
One wonders if this is happening in as developed an area as central Punjab under the very nose of the provincial government, how would Wapda be treating consumers in the far-flung areas?
The people of Daska have been protesting and taking out processions against the Gujranwala Electricity Power Company (GEPCO) authorities for last several days but to no avail. The Wapda authorities in Lahore and Islamabad are requested to take notice of the situation and do the needful.
ANWAR EHSANULLAH
Daska
Role of the opposition
In a democracy, before elections are held, every political party announces its political agenda and contests the elections on that platform. Once the voters express their choice through the ballot to the party of their choice, the parties losing the election wholeheartedly congratulate the winners.
Hardly any voice of the opposition leader is heard outside parliament. The opposition parties allow the ruling party to complete its tenure, and extend their helping hand for successful completion of policies, once they are debated in parliament. After all political parties are supposed to work for the common good and welfare of the state and not for anyone's personal gain.
The losing parties during this tenure concentrate on soul- searching (to figure out why they lost and so on), shortcomings of the election campaign, reviewing the party agenda, reorganization and consolidation and devising a strategy to win the next election. As part of all of this, they normally go back to their electorate and their supporters.
In Pakistan, however, political parties have only one agenda and which is to grab power by any means and then to hold on to it as long as possible. Once an election is over, the losers do not graciously accept the results but declare them to be rigged. They then demand a new election and form an opposition whose sole aim seems to be to topple the ruling party.
This negative politics not only creates instability, diverting investment to other more stable countries, it also creates a sense of hopelessness among citizens. Let's hope that this time around the assemblies will complete their tenure.
RAFIUDDIN AHMAD
Karachi
Traffic mess in Karachi
First it was Abdullah Haroon Road that was closed off to traffic because of the US consulate (now open but only to cars) and then Sharah-i-Iran (beyond the Do Talwar roundabout) was closed because of the British Deputy High Commission. Now the road in front of the Saudi Embassy has been closed off with large containers.
All this reminds one of a seems right out of a Terry Gilliam film. Eventually all roads in the city will be cordoned off and the Karachiites will have to sit at home because they wont be allowed to drive on any of them.
The president, who preaches "enlightened moderation" is sanctioning measures that are in no way short of fanaticism. Karachiites are being treated like third-class citizens in their own city. A far more practical measure would be to shift all the consulates to a diplomatic enclave away from the city centre.
In fact, the government seems to think that it is all right to close roads for hours on end when a VIP's motorcade happens to pass by. Contrary to what the government seems to think, the people are not useless bums with nothing better to do than spend an hour standing at the signal as the president or some other VIP passes.
Nor are their lives unaffected if they are forced to change their route to work every other day. And this to appease foreigners who would never do this is in their own country.
ZAIN MANKANI
Karachi
The Bush 'gospel'
When King Louis XIV said, "L'etat c'est moi (I am the state)," it was in a different, much milder context. But President Bush's answer to a reporter's question about the 9/11 inquiry commission's report that it has found no "collaborative relationship" between Iraq and Al Qaeda has far greater implications.
He was quoted as saying, "The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and Al Qaeda" is "because there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda."
Even those commentators who are opposed to his arrogant and reckless unilateralism often take a charitable view of the president. Richard Cohen, for instance, asks: "Is George Bush the Iraq war's "useful idiot?", meaning he is credulous and gullible and believes whatever his aides whisper into his ears, without a question.
Nevertheless, the above statement is immensely portentous when judged in the context of his overall posture on the Iraq invasion. For instance, Maureen Dowd, in her April 15 column "Head spook sputters" in The New York Times recalled that the president in a news conference two days earlier "reiterated that his mission is dictated from above".
Also, according to the same columnist, in their new book "The Bushes," Peter and Rochelle Schweizer, who interviewed many Bushes, including the president's father and his brother Jeb, quote one unnamed relative as saying that 'W' sees the war on terror as a religious war.
"He doesn't have a P.C. view of this war. His view of this is that they are trying to kill the Christians. And we the Christians will strike back with more force and more ferocity than they will ever know," the relative said.
Commenting on the same prime time news conference in The Washington Post, Richard Cohen in his column "America's Ayatollah" writes: "What matters more is the phrase Bush used five times in one way or another: 'We're changing the world.'
He used it always in reference to the war in Iraq 'I also know that there's an historic opportunity here to change the world,' Bush said of the effort in Iraq. The United States, the president said, had been 'called' for that task." And finally, Howard Fineman, in his Newsweek cover story "Bush and God", refers to the former having sort of a tete-a-tete in the "wee" (emphasis added) hours of the morning with God and perceiving Jesus Christ as a "friend".
Bush seems to go even farther than Louis XIV; he claims his statement to be the gospel. How is his blind faith differ from that of a suicide bomber in Iraq, or Palestine, or Sri Lanka?
S.G. JILANEE
Karachi
Seeking justice
On July 3 at 11.30am I was approaching the entrance to the Federal Public Service Commission branch office, Bath Island, Karachi, when I was abused and beaten by the guards. After suffering an initial bout of foul language flung at me, I was directed by these guards to park my car by the roadside.
I then walked into the FPSC compound to get an application form. I was halfway inside the compound when I heard a shout asking me to stop. Two guards in uniform asked me to give them my identity card because they said they had doubts regarding my identity.
As I was about to pull out my wallet to show them my card, they started hitting me. They were joined by two other guards in uniform. Now four of them together kept on beating me up and took me to a small room.
One of the men inside the small room telephoned his boss and asked him to come over. I took out my card from the wallet and put it on the table. Then a man in uniform standing outside shouted at me to get up from the chair and come out of the room and stand in the sun.
After some time, their boss (Laiq or Laeeq, I don't recall his name correctly) came to the scene and asked them what had happened. He listened to my version patiently and behaved politely and asked his men to give my card back and said that he was sorry for the incident. When I left the place I was in a very bad shape. I seek justice.
MAHBOOB ALI
PIA, Karachi
Revenue collection
In his letter on improving revenue collection (July 10), Sahib Khan Bhand has made a number of good suggestions. Instead of providing cars to auditors, the following incentives will help achieve the annual recovery goals fixed by the revenue department. I suggest that the auditors should be paid cash rewards in the following way:
1) Amount recovered up to Rs. 250,000.00 (including interest and penalty) - 7.5 per cent should be handed over as a reward.
2) Amount recovered up to Rs. 750,000.00 - 10 per cent should be set aside as a reward.
3) Amount recovered up to Rs. 2 million, 12.5 per cent should be fixed as a reward.
4) For any recovery over Rs 2 million, the auditor should get a reward of 15 per cent of the recovered amount.
ZAKI MALIK
Carrollton, Texas, USA
Military's role
This is with reference to the article by Muhammad Asghar Khan, "The role of military in national affairs" (July 10). The writer has very rightly suggested that the defence budget should be discussed in parliament. Let's hope this happens the next time the federal budget is presented.
ANWAR JALAL
Peshawar
Writing ACRs
I fully endorse the views expressed in these columns by Mr Muhammad Iqtadar Ali Khan (July 9) regarding promotion and moveover cases. Officers responsible for writing ACRs should be required to explain the reason for delay, and this should be included as a column in their own ACRs.
If a reporting officer or a countersigning officer does not do his job well, he should be penalized accordingly - he may be barred from his own promotion and moreover. Only this action can ensure timely completion of ACRs. Further, promotions on moveovers should be ordered in time. Will the authorities concerned look into this matter?
ARSHED HUSEIN SYED
Faisalabad
Kashmir: what is needed
I am in complete agreement with Mr Ghulam Kibria (July 9) who has suggested a solution to the Kashmir issue, and I think such a solution is both workable and a reasonable compromise.
The dialogue should focus on giving the Kashmiri people their right to manage their own affairs and not getting bogged down by the issue of sovereignty. However, I have always believed that Kashmir is a symptom and not the cause of the terrible relations our two countries have had.
We must go beyond Kashmir if we are to have durable peace in the subcontinent. The core issue is definitely the mutual mistrust between the Hindu and Muslim communities, and this is exploited by politicians on both sides of the border.
There are major differences in the Hindu and the Muslim worldview and we cannot wish them away. But I firmly believe that the common elements of both are sufficient for them to live together harmoniously. I believe an honest inter-faith dialogue will prevent and contain the rise in fundamentalism on both sides of the border.
R. BALASUBRAMANIAN
Cardiff, UK
Fatima Jinnah Park
I have been walking in Fatima Jinnah Park in Islamabad's F-9 sector since its inception, and have seen it develop from an unkept green expanse into a well-maintained walking road, a jogging track and manicured grounds. Where 10 years ago the tree growth was sparse, one can now see an abundant natural growth in addition to the trees and flowering bushes planted by the CDA.
This park is a welcome relief for the surrounding population and the rest of Islamabad as well. Lately, I have been reading in the press about plans for private clubs, culture zones, fast food outlets and other built up facilities at the park. At this rate, the public park will soon be converted into a fair ground.
I hope and I am sure many will agree with me that considering the density of population around the park, it will be developed on the lines of a public park abroad, where green nature rules supreme, and it will not be treated as a vacant lot whose spaces are yet to be allotted for different commercial ventures.
ABIDA RAHMAN
Islamabad
University exams
I would like to draw the attention of readers towards the way examinations are conducted in public universities. When I sat for my master's exam, the centre (Department of Visual Studies at the University of Karachi) had no roof and obviously no fans.
The students sitting right at the back were cheating throughout and were in fact being helped by the invigilators. This is just not fair those who work hard and sit for an exam after thorough revision and studying. I hope someone will do something to put a stop to such things.
ABEER SHAMSI
Karachi
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