| 01 August 2004 | Sunday | 14 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425 |
Women in cultural troupes
War based on lies
Nature of bureaucracy
Trouble in Darfur
'Positive vs the negative'
Negligence in Karachi
Death of two Pakistanis
The good and the bad
New Haj policy
Trade deficit
Saving youth from smoking
Housing scheme lottery
Stolen phones
Parking ban
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An impression was created some time back that the technical issue of water reservoirs had been politicized by some regional groups which do not know the benefits of dams.
Treating it as wisdom, the government constituted two committees, one technical and another political, to "settle" the issue.
However, empirical studies done at the international level have proved that water diversion is neither technical nor political. It is an economic issue.
That is why some 230 rivers worldwide now have some kind of flow restoration scheme in place.
Ironically, dam protagonists in this country are continuing the cacophony of more water reservoirs, ignoring two factors.
First, the cumulative economic as well as environmental effect of commissioned water projects. Second, the availability of water to be stored as dam themselves generate no water.
Those favouring dams also tend to ignore the true cost of dams, barrages and canals.
A colossal two million acres of agricultural land have been swallowed by the sea in Thatta and Badin districts as the non- release of water below Kotri has fragmented the entire Indus delta.
According to the World Commission on Dams "on average, large dams go over budget by 56 per cent".
There is a lot of talk about dams to improve the agricultural economy of the country. WWF's 'Rivers at Risk' report says: "Much of the water provided by dams for agriculture is lost and globally, some 1,500 trillion litres of water are wasted annually."
The waste is "equivalent to 10 times the annual water consumption of the entire African continent," the report said.
Only few people get water after the construction of dams while millions others around the world are displaced and tens of millions of people downstream are deprived of their right of fishing and livelihood.
But still the government is considering to construct more dams and canals, instead of taking effective and lasting measures such as reclamation of two million acre land in Thatta and Badin district to alleviate poverty from Sindh.
At a recent workshop, it was revealed that millions of people have to drink what the river is laden with - the free flow of effluents into the Indus from Punjab and Sindh.
Some 50 people died in Hyderabad because there was less fresh water and more contaminated water in the river.
The WWF estimates that increasing irrigation efficiency on the Indus plains by just 10 per cent would allow two million more hectares of farmland to be irrigated.
It would be best in the people's interest that Wapda's so- called "vision" be abandoned forever and the people should be told to live in the available means.
Eminent water expert Dr M.H. Panhwar believes that water shortage would result in political upheavals, rebellions, and weakening of government and the morals and the morale of society.
Sindh's lifeline - the Indus river - winding its way from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea, according to the WWF, is the third river at risk after the Yangtze of China and the Ganges of India.
MANZOOR CHANDIO
Karachi
Women in cultural troupes
I read an interesting item, 'Immigration officials in a dilemma' (Dawn, Internet version, July 30) about the FIA director-general asking immigration officials to stop young women from proceeding to Middle Eastern countries with cultural troupes.While the whole idea is amusing to say the least, the following excerpt from your article is worth noting: "The FIA assistant-director (legal) said any person leaving the country for abroad to 'entertain' someone could be stopped under the Human Trafficking Ordinance."
This brings to mind a whole heap of questions. So, will all artists including male singers/ artists and others be similarly prevented from travelling, or are we absolutely certain that the behaviour of their male counterparts is totally exemplary? Or, is this be a gender-specific (discriminating?) directive? The answer to both questions I believe is obvious because the directive states clearly its target - young women. So much for anti-discrimination, and gender equality.
Another set of questions relate to the FIA director- general's specific concern about targeting the 'young'. Is the directive applicable to 'young' as opposed to 'old' because of our abhorrence to child exploitation or child labour? That could help to save our young children from rural areas dying in camel races staged to 'entertain' our Middle Eastern friends. Unfortunately, that of course is not the concern of the directive because camel racing involves boys and not girls or young women.
Yet another question comes to mind - why are we so concerned about the appropriateness, or otherwise, of those travelling to the Middle East? If it is not appropriate to have young women travelling to the Middle East, it should not be appropriate for them to travel anywhere, full stop.
Coming back to the young/old issue, how would immigration officials apply the DG FIA's golden rule in a fair and even-handed way? What is the cut-off age between young and old women? Is being a 16-year-old essential to be classified as young or could the cut-off age be stretched to 24 or 30 or 45 .. ? Whatever the answer to that may be, once the directive is enforced, I am sure immigration officials won't have too many women accompanying cultural troupes humming abhi to mein jawaan hoon
SHAHED KHAN,
Sydney, Australia
War based on lies
The US Senate Intelligence Committee which looked into the 9/11 incident, found out that in 2002, two months after Vice-President Richard Cheney claimed Sadam Hussein was pursuing nuclear and smallpox weapons, the CIA pumped up its assessment of both threats based on unsupported or nonexistent intelligence and on analysis that was "at minimum, misleading."
The committee says that it found no evidence of operational ties between Baghdad and Al Qaeda. Jay Rockefeller, a member of the committee, remarked: "Had Congress known what it knows now, it would not have authorized the war on Iraq."
The Senate report introduced a new phrase "group think" - the institutional assumption that something remains true because it was thought to be so in the past.
It refers to Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons against a passive civilian population inside Iraq.
Lord Butler's report, on Britain's prewar intelligence justifying the war on Iraq, says: "Iraq had no significant chemical or biological weapons, (and) if any, and had not developed plans for using them. Most of the major key judgments ...were either overstated or were not supported by the underlying intelligence reporting."
On the basis of a now notorious dossier, released in September 2002, claiming Iraq was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam Hussein could have weapons ready for use in 45 minutes, Mr Blair supported the US invasion, against a majority of public opinion. At the end, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan debunked President George Bush's claim that he had made the world a safer place, asserting that "the world is no safer than it was three years ago."
PROFESSOR (DR) P. NASIR
Gujrat
Nature of bureaucracy
"Bureaucracy does not only hide its true nature from the non- bureaucrats, it hides it from itself. More often the bureaucrat is not aware of the parasitic and oppressive nature of his job. He thinks of his job as indispensable for the general interest." - Nicos Mouzelis, Organization and Bureaucracy: An Analysis of Modern Theories, 1967
I am quoting the above in response to Lt-Gen (retd) S. M. Bokhari's letter (July 28) on the Kargil issue. Straight refusal from the prime minister of the fact-finding commission is again a ritual being carried out time and again. Why not clarify the allegations and counter-allegations? It is the military and civil bureaucracy which brought the debacle of East Pakistan and still refuses to even publish the twisted Hamoodur Rehman Report. It is a different matter altogether that the same report is available over the net.
In today's world of information explosion, it would not be long that every detail of the issue would be all over the media but our leaders would never admit to their follies. National interest, security reasons, 'highly confidential' and other such terms cannot fool us anymore.
I once approached the Survey of Pakistan for the map of a particular area and was told off "for security reasons". The next day, I purchased an Encarta Atlas CD and had much more information than probably the whole department has.
DR OBAIDULLAH
Darlington, UK
Trouble in Darfur
Darfur is a vast region of Sudan where different tribes have been living since ages. The region has been in the limelight for the past few months now.
It is reported by various international agencies that the area is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis. It is also alleged that the so- called Janjaweed militants, backed by the Sudanese government, are the main culprits behind the killing of around 50,000 fellow Muslims in the area.
The US government has also started taking interest in the issue. As we all know, America never comes close to an area where they have no interest and their major interest here is Darfur's mineral wealth.
Secondly, it is surprising that the Sudanese government, which proclaims it is protecting the cause of Islam and human rights, is supporting Janjaweed.
The reason could be to acquire the land from these people so that they could exploit the natural resources.
Whatever the reason, Muslims are killed by Muslims and it is bringing disrepute to our religion and faith. Where is the OIC?
The Sudanese government does not have a good human rights record due to its involvement in Southern Sudan.
Our policymakers must think about this matter seriously and should not jump into deep waters which is obviously not Pakistan's or the USA's job.
N.M. ABBASI
Zambia
'Positive vs the negative'
After he showered a good many well-deserved kudos on President Musharraf on return from the Agra summit, columnist Ayaz Amir was mainly critical of his government until he wrote his July 2, 2001, column, 'Positive vs the negative'.
He wrote: "Pakistan today is more of an open society than ten or fifteen years ago"; "the kind of free comment which is now routine in Pakistan would have sent the press to the cleaners in General Zia's time"; "the openness of these past few years has at least had the startling effect of stripping the army of its holy cow status"; "there are no restrictions on political activity. Politicians are free to talk, issue statements, address rallies, organize their parties, hold as many drawing-room meetings as they please without any Mukhbaraat or secret police knocking at their doors and whisking them away in the middle of the night."
He topped his praises with:"Compared to most Muslim countries Pakistan is a red-hot democracy which is not a bad foundation to build on."
Vis-a-vis the economic theories of Shaukat Aziz, Mr Ayaz Amir said: "It is hard to tell the future but if Turkey's example is any guide (Turgut Ozal, Tamsu Cillar), never underestimate a technocrat with military backing."
The coup of October 12, 1999, wasn't anything like Ayub's, Yahya's or Zia's. It was something which Gen Musharraf got on a platter. If the elected prime minister of the day wasn't trying to become another Adolf Hitler by using his better than two-thirds majority, the corps commanders would not have gone in for the coup. It was readily applauded by all party leaders and the people in general.
It is said that one who wastes his time doing nothing commits no mistakes. President Musharraf has been busy for nearly five years dealing with matters of state.
He must have erred off and on. It is but natural. By and large, he has been doing his job well. Using the excellent freedom of press, print as well as electronic, allowed in Pakistan as a yardstick to judge the Musharraf government's performance, it deserves better than 80 per cent marks.
Let us all extend our unstinted cooperation to him and his government and help it earn even better marks in the future.
JALAL AHMED
Karachi
Negligence in Karachi
The condition of some of the roads underneath the Liaquatabad flyover in Karachi shocking. Heavy vehicular traffic passing under the flyover finds it very difficult to cross to the other side because of the large craters in the road. This causes a traffic jam all the time. Absence of any traffic signal compounds the mess. Moreover, the area under the flyover has been occupied by owners of trucks and dumpsters. Now, an animal market is also held there on Sundays
The Karachi city government should wake up and act to rid this area from all this mess.
M. RAFIQ MERCHANT
Karachi
Death of two Pakistanis
I am deeply distressed to know the death of two Pakistanis in Iraq. Both were innocent and obviously were not responsible for starting the war, nor can they resolve the aftermath. Could these two Pakistanis have been able to affect the decision of Pakistan or any responsible country if asked by the United Nations to send its peace-keeping troops? I believe not.
It's better for the Iraqis to think about maintaining their relationship with the world community so that they can be helped.
They have lost in the battlefield. The current fight results only in the death of unaccounted number of Iraqi and non-Iraqi citizens.
We must not forget the Islamic teaching not to kill non-combatants.
UMAIR WASI HASHMI
Baku, Azerbaijan
The good and the bad
The Defence Housing Authority in Karachi has done a tremendous job by widening and renovating the Korangi Road up to the Hino roundabout. However, there are some problems which need to be rectified.
Zamzama Boulevard, which starts at the Do Talwar roundabout, is a particular example of shortsightedness. The traffic flow on this road is very high but it isn't wide enough. Although a new footpath has been laid in the middle, the road needs carpeting since it has many bumps and manholes. The Zamzama commercial area has a sewerage problem with the result that many lanes are flooded with gutter water.
The residents and shop owners of the Zamzama commercial area are extremely upset with this state of affairs and urge the DHA to use its energies and resources to removing these problems.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
New Haj policy
The policy for the next Haj says that 100,000 pilgrims will be allowed under the government scheme and 50,000 under the private scheme.
It would be very useful if the ministry of religious affairs were to publish a list of registered private organizers before the start of Haj applications under the private scheme.
ZAKARIA KARIM
Karachi
Trade deficit
While announcing the trade policy for 2004-05, Federal Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan has said that if no big disruption occurs, the trade deficit would be around $3 billion.
From where are we going to finance the deficit? By borrowing?
S.M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
Saving youth from smoking
With reference to the letter 'Saving youngsters from smoking' by Ramzan Ali Lazil (July 15), in my opinion, youngsters learn a lot from their elders. They are also influenced by other family members in this regard.
Cigarettes are easily available everywhere. While selling cigarettes, shopkeepers do not check the age of the buyer.
In Pakistan a large number of youngsters who are below 18 smoke because cigarettes are easily available.
Smoking has also become a fashion as most of the youngsters think it makes them look cool and intellectual despite knowing that it is injurious to their health.
The easiest way to save youngsters from smoking is that the guardians first stop smoking themselves and set an example for their children.
IMRAN SIAL
Karachi
Housing scheme lottery
I bought five lottery tickets from the PakLand/Sadi Town lottery scheme. They announced in an advertisement in newspapers that the amount will be refunded after the scheme ended. They were supposed to return Rs. 10,000 in 2003.
I sent my five original receipts to their office in Karachi a while back but have received no response so far. A letter has been sent to the National Accountability Bureau but that has also been in vain. Will the lottery organizers kindly return my hard-earned money?
MAJ. (retd) ZULFIQAR ALI KHAN
Lahore
Stolen phones
Some days back a letter appeared in this paper which talked about how mobile phone theft could be checked if mobile phone companies blocked the phones that were reported stolen.
I am surprised that not even one mobile phone company has responded to this suggestion which is quite valid. Mobile phone theft is one of the most common crimes in Pakistan and this can be eliminated with the use of technology if the government so desires. In this regard, it is hoped that the PTA takes notice of this and asks mobile phone companies to do the needful.
INAM SYED
Islamabad
Parking ban
For over the last one week advocates have been forbidden by the deputy district officer from parking their vehicles in the premises of the former DC Central office, Karachi' where sub-registrars and other offices have been set up for common people.
The DDO's order has made the lives of the advocates miserable. As responsible citizens they should be allowed to take their vehicles inside the premises.
It is hoped the authorities concerned would look into the matter and allow advocates to park their vehicles in the premises of the former DC Central office, where parking has been allowed for years.
ZAKI ALAM
Karachi
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