| 11 August 2004 | Wednesday | 24 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425 |
Crossing over Chenab bridge
Views on torture
CAA tax
Need for a hospital
India visa reporting
Removing encroachments
Conservation of natural gas
Role of medical varsities
Voiceless labourers
The latest WTO accord
'All over the place'
Tree plantation
Contractual system
Karo-kari and MNAs
Small investors versus big
Unlicensed jails
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This has reference to the article "Need for New DFI Model" by Shahid Kardar (August 2). One may cautiously agree with the contentions of the author. My assertion is based on experience and data available due to my association with one of the main DFIs of the country, the Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan (IDBP).
The IDBP has played a major role in the industrialization of the country since its inception in 1948, first as a corporation (PIFCO) and then as a bank in 1961. It encouraged and assisted entrepreneurs and helped promote industry which contributed to socio-economic development of the country's rural and under-developed areas.
It is an open secret that external factors and the overall economic condition have not only affected IDBP but almost all government-controlled DFIs. The employees of IDBP alone cannot be held responsible for the present fragile financial health of the institution.
Besides, the announcement regarding the fate of the bank has also contributed significantly towards souring the situation. The bank's operations have been suspended for quite a few years now and those in charge now seem to be damaging it further.
Why should IDBP employees be made to pay for the misdeeds of others, especially its senior management? Their interests must be safeguarded when taking any decision on the bank's future.
One understands that the government is planning to privatize the IDBP and before that it might inject some funds in it to make it a viable organization. There is a wealth of professional and highly qualified officers in IDBP who are more than willing to make a positive contribution.
Their services should not be dispensed with if and when the IDBP is privatized or restructured. The prime minister and finance minister are both requested to consider this plea favourably.
AKBAR KHAN JAKHRANI
General Secretary, IDBP Officers' Association, Karachi
Crossing over Chenab bridge
A few days back the newly appointed DCO of Muzaffargarh on his way in a car to join his place of duty was crossing the over-a- century-old Chenab bridge when he was suddenly caught in the unruly muddle of hundreds of vehicles trying to cross this dilapidated bridge in both directions.
As hours passed and the jam showed no sign of resolution, a wireless message resulted in his rescue from the jam on a motorcycle. As he proceeded to Muzaffargarh, he witnessed thousands of heavy vehicles lined bumper to bumper along the road extending for miles beyond Muzaffargarh city.
On assumption of his office the next day, the first thing he did was to personally call the higher authorities and requested them for immediate commencement of construction of a new bridge over the Chenab.
This resulted in the Chairman of the National Highway Authority flying over to Muzaffargarh to order construction of the proposed bridge. Without disregarding this great humanitarian gesture of the DCO, the point I want to make is that the people of this area had been clamouring against this daily difficulty for years and nobody ever listened to them but when one high official talked to another high government official, the problem began to be solved immediately.
However, while the construction of this new bridge will facilitate the traffic flow between Multan and Muzaffargarh, the problem of hazardous inter-provincial traffic passing through Muzaffargarh city itself still persists.
This will only go away if a ring road is constructed around this city. But unfortunately, the district nazim who belongs to the north of the district is only interested in getting the northern segment of the ring road built whereas actually the heavy Karachi-Peshawar traffic will still continue to pass through the city.
It is therefore requested that the southern segment of the ring road intersecting Alipur Road at Jagatpur must be constructed if not before then along with the northern part.
MUHAMMAD AZAM
Muzaffargarh
Views on torture
I refer to a report (July 30) which has talked about my alleged approval of torture during interrogation. What happened at the HRCP meeting (on which the report is based) was as follows: Immediately after Ms Hina Jilani's lecture, as reported in the news item, I requested permission to put a question to the participants.
The question was: 'If 200 lives can be saved by extracting vital information from a person by means of torturing him, would its use be justified?' Ms Jilani did not allow the question to be put to the participants. Your correspondent seems to have inferred that the question corresponded exactly to my beliefs. My views were later elaborated in the course of the meeting.
These are: the word 'torture' has ugly connotations. Modern interrogation is mainly psychological in nature and gives the suspect incentives and disincentives in an attempt to gain information. This may include an element of physical violence.
To use physical violence, the law of the land must provide for it, which it does not and its use sanctioned not by a thanedar or inspector of the police station but by a senior official designated by law. Physical violence may be used only as a last resort and must never cause permanent or even temporary damage to a person.
M.P. BHANDARA MNA
Rawalpindi
CAA tax
The crux of the argument by the CAA is that it is taxing passengers because it needs funds to support its on-going development schemes. The CAA also claims that it receives no financial help from the government.
I wonder whether the CAA is a commerical or a public sector organization. If it is a commercial organization, the government needs to give it financial autonomy and allow it to appoint its own management.
If the government is not willing to do this, then the CAA needs to understand that for all practical purposes, it is a public sector organization. And keeping this in mind, the CAA cannot offload its development expenses on the travelling public. Rarely do we see such charges being imposed on the travelling public by an airport authority.
Such a charge will not be paid by airlines but by the poor airline travellers. There is no sense in such a move and it should have been shot down much earlier.
NAIM REHMAT
Faisalabad
Need for a hospital
It is good to see that the land where Karachi's old Sabzi Mandi used to be will house a park. However, the area also has a pressing need for a government hospital.
Residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar and areas surrounding Karachi University have no government hospital nearby. For affordable and subsidized care they have to travel all the way to the JPMC, NICVD, and Civil and Abbasi Shaheed hospitals. Sometimes, patients are not able to reach these medical institutions in emergencies.
It is suggested that a hospital should be built in this part of Karachi. This will also help reduce the rush of patients that is seen at the city's other government hospitals which are overcrowded and their limited resources stretched to the hilt. NGOs and philanthropists can help the government.
Dr. SALEEM ULLAH
Karachi
India visa reporting
Reference a news item (Dawn, August 4) in which it is stated that the government wants to develop better ties with India and solve visa problems also, at present all Pakistanis have to report in the CID Commissioner's office, within 24 hours after arriving in the designated city in India.
One has to spend the whole day for reporting. I paid my last visit to India during May and returned from Mumbai in June. I had to arrange a visa from Islamabad because no Indian facility exists in Karachi.
I request the governments to agree to re-open consulate in Karachi as soon as possible. Besides, the police reporting requirement should be done away with and all formalities hould be completed at time of arrival at the entry point.
ASHFAQ SHARIF
Via email
Removing encroachments
This is in reference to the letter of Mr S. Jameel Hussain (Dawn, August 6). I bring to your kind notice the problem of illegal encroachments in front of Alamgir Masjid, Alamgir Road, at DMCH Society, Bahadurabad, Karachi.
Cabin-holders are occupying a considerable portion of the footpath by raising illegal structures on the road and creating nuisance to the otherwise peaceful residential area.
The shops are causing noise, traffic jams, security problems and pollution. Over a hundred chairs are kept on the road and this creates problems for pedestrians.
I would like to suggest the city government to kindly depute its officials who can visit after 8 pm to see the pavement of Alamgir Road and how its is causing problems for all.
S.M. IDREES ALLAWALA
Karachi
Conservation of natural gas
Your recent front page news item "New gas-run power plants banned" should be an eye-opener to those propagating a "free-for-all" gas policy. It does not take a genius to understand the simple fact that we must conserve our precious gas resources as we just cannot afford to waste it.
But what will it take to ensure high efficiency of utilization and sensible energy conservation? Definitely, serious planning at the highest level. From one extreme of "free-for-all" to another suicidal extreme of banning gas for power plants, without understanding the essential requirements of high efficiency of utilization, is really very unfortunate.
Instead of ensuring only high efficiency power plants, we arrogantly decide to take the position of "no gas for power plants". What we can do is to think of converting low efficiency power plants, at present wasting enormous amounts of gas, to high-efficiency designs.
The secret of sustainable industrial growth is the use of modern technologies with high efficiencies, especially in the case of power generation. Our natural gas supply is precarious to say the least. We certainly do not have gas to waste, but more importantly, we cannot afford the cost of gas being wasted.
Even though our natural gas is priced presently at 50 per cent of the international tariff for industrial users, our gas utilization is so poor that we have no advantage of the huge subsidy being absorbed by the government.
What should we be doing? First of all, we can convert our low efficiency steam power stations to combined cycle and get 50 per cent increase in power generation without any extra gas supply. This way we can prevent a big wastage of gas. The cost of such "re powering" can be recovered quickly by the additional generation.
All captive power plants must get gas only for high efficiency utilization. So called power plants of only 35 per cent efficiency should not be allowed gas even if these are for exports or with foreign investments.
The real cost of low-efficiency power plants, both in terms of gas wastage and huge pollution, is too high. The authorities should not ask where the gas is being used as long as this is for high-efficiency utilization.
Finally, the present policy of allowing gas for central airconditioning, without any question, in equipment with the lowest efficiency of performance but not allowing the same gas to produce power and also meet airconditioning requirements needs to be changed urgently.
AINUL ABEDIN
Karachi
Role of medical varsities
This is with reference to the ongoing debate in these columns on the role of medical universities in Pakistan. I am reminded of my days as a postgraduate student at Queen's University in Belfast.
The aims and objectives of the university were mostly academic. There used to be one professor, one reader, and other senior teachers were consultants. The reader used to supervise PhDs in each ward of the department.
A professor at the University of Glasgow has written a book on surgical administration. He lays stress on medical education and research, training of nursing and para-medical staff, and medical and postgraduate students.
The elevation of Dow Medical College to a university is good in the sense that it should encourage research and improved training methodologies. Unfortunately, most private medical universities in Pakistan fleece their students. Hopefully, over time this too will change.
DR RAFIQUE AHMED MIRZA
Karachi
Voiceless labourers
It is a common practice with the contractors constructing country roads to dump crushed stone along the roads in large heaps. The labourers working for the contractors, mostly women, are required to fill the baskets with their bare hands, carry the load some distance before evenly spreading and leveling manually.
In doing so, the hands of these poor voiceless labourers get severely damaged and they cannot continue their work for more than a few days. It is necessary that these people should be provided with working gloves by the contractors and there should be a clause in the terms of contract that suitable tools and gloves would be provided as is the case in other countries, including those that are poorer than ours, around the world.
C.M. KHALID
Karachi
The latest WTO accord
It is interesting to read that the latest WTO accord commits nations to reduce government involvement in the running of their economies. Before the birth of the WTO in 1995, the Uruguay Round was dominated by powerful American corporations which tended to weaken the influence of governments
Of course the accord is 'important' but important for whom and how? The fact is that the WTO accord will gradually end up paralyzing growth in the local industries of many developing countries, especially in situations where these industries are still at a stage of infancy. I can foresee that it will have severely negative consequences on the local pharmaceutical industry.
PROF. GHAYUR AYUB.
Islamabad
'All over the place'
This refers to Omar Kureshi's column of July 6. He recalled the stirring denunciation by Madame Roland: "O liberty! O liberty! What crimes are committed in thy name!"
In our context of Pakistan, may I humbly state: "O democracy! O democracy! What crimes have been committed and are being committed in thy name!" And: "O religion! O religion! What crimes have been committed and are being committed in thy name!"
M.A. OMARJI
Karachi
Tree plantation
This is with reference to a Dawn report 'Tree plantation on large scale stressed' (July 30). The effect of global warming can be neutralized and weather conditions can be changed if more trees are planted.
Such a plantation campaign should be undertaken in Pakistan and a good time to begin it would be from August 14 this year. Each Pakistani should plant one tree per year.
S.M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
Contractual system
Around 4,500 teachers were recruited in November 2001 on contract basis. Most have a fixed monthly salary, without any allowances or the usual annual increment of Rs3,000.
Salaries of government employees have been increased twice in the annual budgets but since we work on contract we have not had any pay rise. At the same time, we are made to undergo in-service training courses for which we spend Rs30 on average a day out of our own pockets on travelling expenses.
I would request the federal minister of education, the chief minister of Sindh and the Sindh minister of education to regularize the jobs of all teachers hired on contract so that they may receive the same allowances and increments as other permanent government employees.
R. AFTAB BHUTTO
Shikarpur
Karo-kari and MNAs
The character and composition of the so-called National Assembly of graduates stands completely exposed. On the question of karo-kari, may have spoken vehemently in favour of traditions and customs and defended the existing system of jirgas.
It was surprising to see the treasury benches supporting such members on the issue and categorically saying on the floor of the house that they would not tolerate any legislation on the subject which may restrict their power to punish those at their will who opt for the marriage of their choice.
What else can be expected of an assembly dominated by feudals who do not wish to share their power with the downtrodden people of this country?
M.S. UPPAL
Karachi
Small investors versus big
The definition of small and big investors as given by Mr Sadiq Patel (Dawn, August 7) is valid and worth noting by the relevant authorities. If Mr Hafeez Shaikh is really sincere in saying that he wants the benefit of privatization to reach the small investors, the order of preferences, at the time of balloting, should be as suggested by Mr. Patel.
Or at least the applicants for 500 shares should be divided into two equal sections, and separate balloting should be held for those who have applied for paper scrips and those through CDC. This will be more in line with what Mr Hafeez Shaikh professes.
N.A. KHAN
Karachi
Unlicensed jails
This is with reference to your report of July 22: "Three Americans to face Afghan court for running an unlicensed jail". Is it only a case of not obtaining a licence? What about the torture of the prisoners?
Z.A. KAZMI
Karachi
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