Military and politics

The reaction of our military establishment, triggered by the recent demands for an inquiry into the Kargil debacle, makes one wonder how strongly convinced is our military establishment of its own infallibility, on the one hand, and the inability and insincerity of our politicians to the country, on the other.

The military establishment is so rigid in its conviction that it attributes all the ills of Pakistan to the inability or corruption of our politicians. It is no wonder that a general in his letter, published in these columns, describes the Kargil misadventure as a "political failure at the highest level".

I am not an admirer of our political leadership and one can find hundreds of defects, in it, but our history tells us that the damage done to Pakistan by our generals is far greater than that inflicted by the politicians.

It is common knowledge that Pakistan's military enjoys a decisive say in the country's politics and the major cause of our failure to institutionalize democracy is due to the overt or covert role of the military in the political arena.

Foreign policy is considered to be an exclusive domain of the military. It was when General Ayub Khan was defence minister that Pakistan joined US-sponsored defence pacts which cost Pakistan dearly when the Soviet Union penalized Pakistan and supported India in the East Pakistan crisis of 1971, ultimately resulting in the dismemberment of Pakistan.

General Zia fought a proxy war for America in Afghanistan which proved more beneficial to his personal rule but damaging to the interests of Pakistan. By joining the war on the American side, he acquired international legitimacy for his dictatorship but at the same time Pakistan had to pay heavily in the form of religious extremism, sectarianism and the Kalashnikov culture.

The rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan was the handiwork of the ISI. Pakistan invested in the Taliban regime, both economically and politically. By supporting them, Pakistan incurred the displeasure of Iran and the hostility of the Northern Alliance.

Time has proven that the infallible custodians of our foreign policy had put their money on the wrong horse and now we are faced with the Northern Alliance-dominated Afghan government in Kabul.

One may point out that the decision to support the Taliban was a political one as Naseerullah Babar was in charge of the Afghan policy during the PPP government. But the fact is that the PPP government could never have supported the Taliban without GHQ's approval.

Now coming back to the question of Kargil, President Musharraf maintains that the Kargil operation was launched with the approval of the then prime minister. But Mr Nawaz Sharif denies this and asserts that it was a GHQ decision. So, an impartial inquiry is needed to end the controversy.

Mr Sharif had started a dialogue with India to solve the problems between the two countries and it is claimed that considerable success was achieved in this regard, so logically there was no need for his government to jeopardize the talks with India and undo its own efforts to normalize relations with it.

One may ask why if the military establishment was hostile to negotiations with India and a solution to the Kashmir dispute in 1999, it is not hostile now? There are two reasons for this change of attitude.

First, the institution of the National Security Council will now protect against any arbitrary assault on the institutional interests of the military by the civil government.

Secondly, since the military takeover in 1999, a large number of generals and officers have been posted to civil institutions. The strategy seems to be that of compensating the military by giving it a share in civilian institutions in case of normalization with India.

ARSHAD BURKI

Islamabad

Politics of dams

It is said by pro-dam lobbies in this country that dams are necessary to control floods. Those who advocate dams should know that simply erecting structures on rivers does not automatically help stop floods.

At present half of Dhaka and one-third of Bangladesh are under floodwater. Reports suggest that artificial structures on rivers, including dams, are the real reason for this massive flooding.

Time magazine in its issue of August 9 had a cover story on South Asia's water woes which said that "unlike many other catastrophes, most water crises are man-made."

Quoting Sumita Dasgupta of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, the magazine said dams and embankments often block rather than facilitate drainage.

Even if we look at the this country's existing dams, they have caused chaotic agriculture conditions and destroyed millions of acres of land. When there were no dams, there was strong sustainable agriculture.

Once one of Europe's most polluted rivers, the Elbe is now among the cleanest, thanks to a 3.5 billion-dollar clean-up project. But what has the government done here? It has constructed a nuclear power plant along the Indus river and is planning another. Even the United States, the pioneer of dam construction, is decommissioning its dams one by one because they are draining its economy.

Here in this country dams have rendered two million acres of land barren, millions of people have been dispossessed and coastal Sindh has been brought to the brink of collapse.

Keti Bandar and Shah Bandar no longer have any estuaries. And despite this, the government still wants to build more dams, instead of taking measures to reclaim the two million acres lost in Thatta and Badin districts.

MANZOOR CHANDIO

Karachi

Can America become popular again?

In the UK, within one year, 71,100 people were searched, of which the vast majority were Muslims. This is being done in the same manner as in the United States, to justify the actions in Iraq.

In a 2002 poll, three quarters of the 200 million Muslims of Indonesia had a favourable opinion of the US. After the response to September 11 by the US government, only 15 per cent still do.

The same is true in the case of all Muslim countries. Chalabi made a promise to the Bush administration to abolish the Arab identity of Iraq, in line with neo- conservative thinking and to ensure that the seeds of "pan- Arabism" in the Middle East were eradicated. He promised to normalize relations with Israel and open the pipeline that would transport oil from Kirkuk to Haifa.

After Iraq, the idea was to move to Syria to implement the same plan there, by whatever means deemed necessary, and from there move to occupy Iran. One can say that the USA is fast losing the opportunity to leave an imprint on the world as an enlightened, just, civilized and concerned power.

The present trend - where hatred for America is fast multiplying (most seriously in the Muslim world) - can be reversed only by a visionary leadership in the US, that can see beyond the immediate, which believes in partnership rather than unilateralism and one that believes in sharing knowledge and means to build a better world than to use force to subjugate people.

M. ZAMAN MALIK

Abbottabad

Freedom fighters or terrorists?

The problem of defining international terrorism continues to be the subject of intensive debate. The main problem in defining terrorism is not that of an overlap with other crimes, but the paradox inherent in the meaning.

Former US president Ronald Reagan had coined the paradox when he said: "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." Where a state supports the political objectives of an aggrieved group, it uses positive labels to describe its radical members and their acts of violence. However where a state views dis favourbaly the political demands of an aggrieved group, it employs negative labels to condemn both the actors and acts of violence.

The discrepancy in defining terrorism results from the fact that states wish to provide protection for the right to political self-determination. It should not be defensible to argue that terrorism needs to be viewed from a political context and that the motivation of the actor and the sociological context in which the acts occur must be taken into consideration. Such an approach would legitimise terrorist acts by claiming that the ends justify the means.

SYED RIAZ HAIDER

The Netherlands

Using unfair means

It is with great worry that I write about the issue of fake admit cards that are being used by medical students at the SMC (Sindh Medical College) with great impunity in sitting for examinations.

This practice has been going on for some time now as some students, usually affiliated to some group or the other, have a different set of pictures affixed to the admit cards for examinations by using their contacts at the Karachi University.

In this manner, a number of proxy students are able to give examinations in place of their friends or others. What is at stake here is the lives of millions of people that these so-called doctors would be treating once they graduate.

Another irregularity is having examination papers, particularly multiple choice questions (MCQs), leaked out from the university. Last year, some unscrupulous students paid Rs30,000 per question paper and then resold the key of this paper to other students, making a lot of money in the process.

These are issues that have been swept under the carpet for too long. It is time that the government faced up to this problem and looked for ways in which to tackle it.

SYED AZIZ AHMAD

Karachi

Neglected pensioners

How the government of Sindh treats its pensioners-cum-senior citizens is evident from the fact that while regular government employees have been allowed a 15 per cent increase in their salaries, pensioners-cum-senior citizens are still on the waiting list.

A visit to the treasury office shows how anxiously retired men and women are asking about the reason for this exclusion. On inquiry, it was learnt from the Sindh finance department that a summary in this regard was put up to the chief minister for his orders on July 26, and that necessary notification would be issued on return of the summary.

Pensioners-cum-senior citizens wonder why the provincial government did not move the summary earlier when orders were sought for the active-service employees and why was approval not obtained then. It is hoped that the Sindh government would soon release funds for pensioners-cum-senior citizens.

MOHAMMAD ALEEM SHAIKH

Karachi

A bad day at the passport office

I would like to highlight the problems faced by thousands of people who visit Karachi's main passport office every day. Only recently I had applied for renewal of my passport.

Just to be on the safe side, I went to the passport office two days after it was due. I asked around four different employees of the office as to which was the appropriate section to go to for receipt of my passport. I was initially misled several times and then told that the 'so-called' ladies line was inside a room in one of the numerous building blocks.

I went inside, assuming that I would finally get what I had come for. There was a man in his early 50s sitting in a room with no fan (it was a very hot day). He was supposed to attend to the 'so-called' ladies line ('so-called' because there were men in the line too) but was also dealing with the men standing outside, through a small window. Around a hundred or more people were there to collect their passports.

When I asked if there was anyone else who could help the one official speed up the process, I was told it was not possible. Then, all of a sudden, the poor man who had been attending to all the people just fell out of his chair, on to the floor, unconscious.

He was carried out of the room by a few people - we then heard that he was a diabetic and a heart patient. We all stood there waiting for another person to attend to us but no one came.

When a few of us went to the assistant director to tell him about the situation, he said there was nothing he could do as there was no one to replace the person who had just been driven to hospital. He actually asked us to leave and return the next day. (We had been waiting for two hours by that time.)

I would like to ask the authorities concerned two questions. First, when there are so many people working in the passport office, why is it that there is only one person - and one with health problems - meant to attend to the thousands who come to collect their passports everyday?

Second, when the passport office must be earning millions per month, why is it that the office is not even equipped with fans let alone airconditioners for its employees and citizens who visit it? Are fans and ACs only for senior officials? Don't the lower staff deserve at least a decent work environment?

MAHEEN GHAURI

Karachi

Karachi's beggars

Karachi is literally awash with beggars, many of whom seem to be professionals. Women and children are frequently used. Some professional beggars are very cruel because they inflict injuries on children to cripple them and then use them as beggars.

The professionals seem to work in shifts and are managed by organized gangs who have carved out the city's major thoroughfares between themselves. Some have even been spotted with mobile phones.

People should avoid encouraging begging by not paying them any money. No doubt, some beggars are actually too poor to earn a living and must live on alms. They are also human beings and have a right to live as useful citizen in mainstream society.

For this, the government should set up rehabilitation centres. However, those working as professionals and those organizing such rackets should be arrested and punished

IMRAN KHAN SIAL

Karachi

Traffic jam

I want to draw the attention of the Karachi nazim and the DIG Traffic to problems faced at the old Drive-In cinema and Askari 4 roundabout in Karachi.

There is a high flow of traffic from all sides at the roundabout - from Sharea Faisal, from Gulistan-i-Jauhar and from Dalmia Cement. The problem at this intersection is that the unusually large roundabout needs to be scaled down.

Moreover, vehicles coming out from the Askari IV area adopt a short cut (which is unlawful) through the service station and join the main thoroughfare at this roundabout. It is hoped that action will be taken soon and people will get some relief.

ANEES AHMED

Karachi

Premium on cars

It is unfortunate that premiums are still being charged for deliveries of new vehicles. The government should allow the import of second-hand reconditioned vehicles. Manufacturers should not be allowed to sell vehicles directly to dealers because this is where the problem occurs. Moreover, car prices need to reduced further.

LT-COL (RETD) IRFAN HAIDER

Karachi

World cup

The cricket World Cup is held once every four years which seems a bit too long. Wouldn't it be better if it were held every two years?

It is hoped that the Pakistan Cricket Board will consider this and forward the proposal to the ICC.

A.M. SAYIED

Karachi

Saving Sukkur's library

The general library in Sukkur is an old library serving the needs of the city's not so well-off people. A large number of citizens and students benefit from its presence. Currently it has 30,000 books and subscribes to 70 journals and newspapers. In addition, it has a large collection of old and invaluable rare books.

The library was established in 1835 which makes it one of upper Sindh's oldest centres of learning. In the past, philanthropists or organizations have patronized this library, but now it is facing acute financial problems because of increasing costs and depleting resources. A programme for its improvement is in hand but what is badly needed is money, to buy furniture and new books.

Sukkur's district government, elected representatives and concerned citizens are requested to come forward and help the library from vanishing.

JALIL AHMED KHAWAJA

Sukkur

Free U-fone offer

All leading newspapers carried full-page U-fone advertisements on August 14 offering free pre-paid connections from August 14 to August 17, saying that no 'up front' payment was required.

In Karachi alone long queues were seen on the first day. There was no proper planning made by the company's management to deal with the large crowds that showed up for the free connections.

Scenes of panedmonium and gross mismanagement were seen at two centres in Karachi's Clifton area and one on the main University Road. The policemen called to control the crowds ended up obtaining the free connections themselves.

At the centre in Boating Basin, police used batons to disperse the people, many of whom had been waiting for several hours. There is a need for proper planning to avoid similar incidents in the future.

SYED A. MATEEN

Karachi

Unfair advantage

Muttiah Murlitharan's bowling action seems questionable at best notwithstanding the fact that he has taken the highest number of wickets in Test cricket. In the good old days bowling with a bent arm was a rare thing. Players like Lance Gibbs, Bishen Bedi, Chandrashehkar or our own Intikhab Alam were great bowlers in their own right. None of the bowlers in those days was ever accused of "chukking".

SAEED WAZEER BUTT

Lahore