| 23 August 2004 | Monday | 06 Rajab 1425 |
Plight of growers
Raid on cinema
National Commission on Health
CNG hazards
Upgrading SMEs
LoC as permanent border
S. Asian economic union
Eliminating corruption
Senior citizens
Polygamy in Islam
High court judges
Support for Iraqi people
Traffic mess
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
After 57 years of independence, the people of Pakistan are living a life of disappointment, hopelessness, fear and misery. In his famous book "The Myth of Independence", Z. A. Bhutto writes: "There is an inevitable adjustment in the transition from colonialism to neo-colonialism, which is why our independence remains a myth." The book was published in 1969, but the above statement still stands true. Our independence remains a myth.
South Asian expert and writer Stephen P. Cohen of the Brookings Institute writes in his latest book "The Idea of Pakistan" that Pakistan's future is very uncertain, but it is too early to write Pakistan's epitaph.
The book, which is to be released soon, is the product of the Brookings South Asia Project established in 1998 which also included our very own General Jehangir Karamat (retd). It's amazing to see how a top military general can join a top think tank in Washington just after four months of his retirement.
While American think-tanks are talking about our failure as a state and a possible extinction of Pakistan's boundaries from the world map, we are celebrating our 58th independence day.
Our rulers have failed to earn respect in the world community because of a chronic lack of democracy in the state, resulting in a constant, yet ad hoc, dependence on the US for taking decisions.
Indians, on the other hand, have earned that respect despite their 50 years of a sour relationship with the US. Strobe Talbot writes in his new book "Engaging India" (to be released in September 2004) about how Jaswant Singh was very forceful in making sure that Indian demands were met while they both had a series of dialogues after India # tested its nuclear bomb in May 1998.
Mr Talbot also writes that he carried out a similar dialogue with Pakistani authorities, but he "won't call them dialogues" to be accurate. This shows how weak our foreign policy is. When democracy is weak in the country and rulers bank on the US for their support, they are bound to bow down and hence lose self-respect.
Our rulers have pushed us to a stage where Pakistanis have lost respect in international circles. The great socialist poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz wrote quite truthfully:
Nisaar teri galion pey ai watan key jahan,
chali hai rasm key koi na sar utha key chaley.
HAMMAD KHAN
Oxford, UK
Plight of growers
Mr shahid Javed Burki, in his article 'Pakistan and MFA's demise' (Aug 17), has rightly said that cotton in the countryside and the textile industry scattered throughout urban Pakistan provide sustenance to millions of people.
He has also aptly discussed the perils of quotas that has severely crippled the textile industry. What he has failed to underscore is the plight of the grower.
It is the grower who tills the land in inclement weather - be it winter or summer - sows the seed and in order to ensure proper supply of water remains vigilant at nights and waits for the full season in the hope that his effort will produce results.
But despite all his endeavours and hopes, the results are still dependant on various external forces such as vagaries of the weather and pest attacks. When after he has gone through all these ordeals and the product is harvested and brought in the market, what he gets is peanuts, hardly enough to meet his bare requirements.
The price is at the mercy of market forces, i.e., cartels of dealers or commission agents and in the case of 'putti' (cottonseed) it is cotton ginners and textile millers (actual beneficiaries).
They are fully aware of the perishability of the product and also know that the grower has no means and capacity to keep the harvest with him for a longer period; besides he needs of money to pay off debts incurred during the growing period. Thus the grower who is the real provider of sustenance to millions of people lives in abject poverty.
May I request Mr Burki to dilate on the subject and enlighten us as to how in the prevalent scenario and in view of the circumstances mentioned, the lot of our grower can be improved.
ALTAMASH MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
Raid on cinema
The treatment meted out by the law-enforcement agencies to men and women at a cinema in Karachi was indeed a shame for the nation. The question is: how can cinemagoers indulge in the alleged immoral activities during a daytime show when usually families prefer to watch movies? Also, how can 34 women entertain up to more than 100 men at a time?
The law provides that unless a person is proved guilty, he cannot be maltreated and is considered innocent. The behaviour and action of the so-called custodians of public morality is again a setback to the already dying cinema industry.
Action is needed to be taken against the raiding party for maltreating and abusing men and women in the cinema.
RIDAH AHMAD
Lahore
(2)
The editorial by Dawn analysing the grand standing raid on a cinema-house in Karachi was an excellent piece of journalism. I wish and hope that the president finds the time to read such balanced views by our leading newspapers.
This becomes all the more significant because the shameful and brutal police behaviour, closely followed exhortations by the president for all of us to show a soft face of Pakistan.
Either the government functionaries did not register the president's advise, or may be business as usual is not meant to be affected by the regular doses of pontification that are dished out in lieu of deeds. Our good president also wants each one of us to stand up and be counted. This is easier said than done.
JAVED KHAN
Haripur, Hazara
National Commission on Health
Most of us in the healthcare profession are pleased to learn that finally the government has decided to address pressing issues and has set up a National Health Commission.
I request the commission to address two issues that are important to patient care: (1) hospital-acquired infections and their effects on hospitalized patients, and (2) medical errors, mistakes committed by healthcare teams and their deadly outcome.
The commission should immediately mandate an infection control programme to ensure (a) a team approach in addressing patient-care issues such as hospital-acquired infections, (b) monitoring and conducting surveillance, (c) provision of service education to healthcare workers, and (d) safe work practices.
Moreover, a national hospital infection prevention and infection committee should be established, which should have access to vital information on the spread of infections. This committee should evolve strategies to prevent infections.
The National Commission on Health should mandate that all healthcare facilities must establish a team of experts to investigate medical errors and study the root cause of events leading to medical errors. Each medical error should be considered a "sentinel" event which requires the participation of senior physicians in the investigation team.
I hope the national commission will bring cultural and ethical changes in our healthcare system, and end-users of this system - the patients - will benefit from organized # medical care. It is time we started thinking out of the box and everyone in the healthcare team and community worked together for a healthier and happier Pakistan.
DR ASHRAF KHAN
Hackensack, NJ., USA
CNG hazards
This has reference to Mr Nadir Mithani's letter (August 8) regarding his observation on his CNG cylinder heating up after every fill. Cylinder heating is a normal process and does not cause any problem.
Everyone has to take some measures for safety of human life and property. The normal life of a CNG cylinder is about 40,000 fills, which can be completed in more than 100 years. When gas is filled, the cylinder expands. This reduces the life of the cylinder. Everyone driving with CNG will have to take the following measures:
- Nobody should be in the car while the gas is being filled.
- Don't refill the car if you have more than 170 bars in the cylinder.
- The cylinder should be re-tested by Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan after every five years.
- It must be ensured that all ignitions are switched off while re-fuelling is on.
- Never ask a CNG operator to fill more than 200 bars.
- After every fill, make sure the dust-plug is in place.
- After every 15 days, check all pipings with soapy water for gas leakage.
- Always get your car converted into CNG from a conversion centre approved by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority.
-If the cylinder is rusted outside, get it repainted because rust reduces a cylinder's life.
SAMIR GULZAR
Karachi
Upgrading SMEs
Various agencies functioning for the upliftment of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) keep asking questions about the needs of the SMEs. I have attended many seminars on SMEs and would like to share my views with stakeholders.
a. Finance at an affordable mark-up without collaterals to be provided by banks, DFIs or SME fund.
b. Land at concessional rate and the facility to pay in easy instalments through simultaneous equitable mortgage of leasehold land.
c. Reduction in cost of production, especially reduction in electricity, gas, telephone, water, diesel and transportation charges.
d. Availability of raw materials and packing materials and reduction in their import duties.
e. Leasing facilities on low mark-up for purchase of machinery and zero duty on import of machinery.
f. Technical education for operators, supervisors and managers.
g. Proper infrastructure.
h. Specific research industries.
i. System of collateral management be introduced.
j. Setting up of export and import houses to export products of SMEs and import raw materials for them.
ZULFIKAR THAVER
President Union of Small & Medium Enterprises Karachi
LoC as permanent border
The director of the International Security Programme at the US think tank Atlantic Council, John H. Sandrock, has said: "The LoC is going to become an international border one day."
He has further said that the two countries are like two irresistible forces trying to remove an irremovable object, causing a permanent stalemate. Mr Sandrock believes that the US should have no role on the LoC issue and that it should be up to India and Pakistan to decide how to move ahead.
This reflects the inner thinking of an important research institute that provides input to the State Department. Its impression is perhaps based on our passive attitude during the period of ceasefire when Indians were feverishly busy in constructing a barrier and we were watching the situation as onlookers.
Our occasional, half-hearted protests were falling on deaf ears and were not strong enough to convey our outright rejection of the barrier. Although a fence cannot permanently divide a people, nor can it suppress a liberation movement, it depicts the future intent of a belligerent.
Washington has rejected Pakistan's stance on fencing and is of the view that this is only to prevent infiltration and does not have any other motive. The State Department does not have any stated policy on the erection of barbed wires.
This US indifference gives a fillip to the Indian designs and is a setback to us. We have staked a lot for the US but in return are receiving only an apathetic response.
The question is: if the US does not have any stated policy on fencing of the LoC, why should its think tanks propound preposterous forecasts of the kind mentioned above? It appears that adequate input from capable Pakistani scholars is not available to them. There is a dire need to fill this gap.
S.M.H. BOKHARI
Rawalpindi
S. Asian economic union
Your editorial 'Linking trade with peace' (Aug 13) rightly points out that there is a great potential for bilateral trade between India and Pakistan and it will be unrealistic to lose sight of the larger picture.
It is also right that we have an offer of a South Asian economic union and joint currency by India. If take a journey through South Asian history, this is the region where men built some of the world's first planned cities along the Indus and Sarasvati rivers, created one of the world's first written languages (the Indus script), grew cotton and made cloth from it.
There was a significant enterprising community that exported Indus-made products the world over. "Just as American culture is currently exported, along with goods and media, so too were the seals, pottery style, script of the Indus valley spread among the local settlements," says Indian historian Shanti Menon.
The problem is that inheritors of this great civilization are now divided on narrow communal lines. South Asia was the first region to win independence from colonial servitude but it still lags behind many others due to a limited vision.
It is time to see why people in Pakistan have lagged behind educationally, culturally and economically when we compare them with others in South Asia. If we look at the turn of events since the decolonization of South Asia, Pakistan mainly under military dictatorships has not developed despite having a lot of resources.
There is no doubt that this country can progress in the larger South Asian family if it takes sincere efforts for a South Asian economic union and settles all issues through a dialogue.
MANZOOR CHANDIO
Karachi
Eliminating corruption
From 1958 onwards, almost all rulers have tried to address the issue of eradicating corruption from the country. Some of them even screened out several hundred government employees.
Of late, our president has made it public that the country is full of corruption. Mr Shaukat Aziz has also claimed that the National Accountability Bureau will wipe out corruption from the country sooner than later. This is a manifestation of putting the cart before the horse.
The country has long been suffering from horse-trading, floor-crossing, smuggling, defaulting on bank loans, performing free Haj/Umrah, and proceeding' on foreign tours.
The overwhelming majority of the country is poor whereas the privileged minority is in power. They abrogate the Constitution whenever they wish, and dissolve the National Assembly within no time, primarily for their self-interest.
This corruption has been encouraged by the actions of the rulers, and they will have to reform themselves if they actually desire to eliminate corruption.
MIRZA GHULAM HAIDER
Multan
Senior citizens
Mr Shaukat Aziz has come from a country and a socio-economic set-up where senior citizens have got lots of facilities, heavy rebates in transportation, free healthcare and others benefits.
First of all, he should look into the meagre pensions which cannot even pay for utility bills. In some countries senior citizens get a handsome amount as stipend. Let's see if Mr Shaukat Aziz wants the fruit of progress in the country to be shared by the builders of this nation.
ZEENAT SIDDIQI
Islamabad
Polygamy in Islam
In the Friday feature on the above subject (August 6), Qazi Isa made a unique and unprecedented claim that the permission to take up to four wives at one time was predicated by the caveat that others, beyond the first, must be from amongst orphans under the protection of the person concerned.
First, this would mean that only those people who had "orphan" girls "under their protection" could avail themselves of the concession. What about those who did not have this opportunity? Second, who would such orphan women comprise? Those under one's protection could be only his family and relatives.
But one couldn't marry those in prohibited degree of relationship. That would leave cousins, or deceased brother's wives and such others. Such cases would be few and far between. Besides, this would drastically restrict the facility permitted.
Jaafar Wafa (Aug 12) seems nearest to the truth. The interpretation that the permission was not restricted to "orphans under one's protection" gels completely with the essence of God's intent, namely, "Allah intends every facility for you: He does not want to put you into difficulties" (II: 186).
In every command relating to a Muslim's conduct, He has laid down certain basic parameters which are inviolable. Within those parameters, there is ample scope. The preconditions for polygamy have been prescribed.
S.G. JILANEE
Karachi
High court judges
Section 122 of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908, states: "The High Courts may from time to time after previous publication make rules regulating their own procedure and the procedure of the Civil Courts subject to their superintendence, and may by such rules annul, alter or add to all or any of the rules in the First Schedule."
High court judges are overburdened with pending cases and to expect them to ponder over the existing rules is not reasonable. What is required is that a permanent body comprising retired judges and prominent lawyers should be set up to review the rules.
It is hoped that such a step is taken in the interest of justice.
ANIL KHAN LUNI
Karachi
Support for Iraqi people
Much of the mainstream western media are ignoring the indisputable truth that occupation by foreign invaders, however noble their rhetoric, is fundamentally incompatible with democracy.
The foremost task of the Iraqi people is to remove the US-led military forces from their land. They deserve international solidarity and support in their valiant efforts to liberate themselves.
ZELJKO CIPRIS
Stockton, California
Traffic mess
I am a student and live near Karachi's Light House area. Every day when I commute to my college I find that most traffic constables deputed on the roads do anything but their job, which is to manage the traffic. Can the DIG traffic ask his staff to at least ensure that motorists, motorcyclists and especially bus and truck drivers follow the rules?
KHADIJA HABIB SHIEKH
BHAI Karachi
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address:
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.