| 06 September 2004 | Monday | 20 Rajab 1425 |
Hindu Gymkhana
Terrorism in colleges
Reforming UN Security Council
Inflated billing by Pesco
Not doing enough?
Local textile machinery
Power cuts in Larkana
Woes of DHA residents
Biology textbook
Democracy
Highway hazards
September 6: a day to remember
Telephone complaint
Making of a PM
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German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel once said: "Man learns nothing from history except that man learns nothing from history." This perhaps has always been true of the establishment in Pakistan. The article "What do the nationalists want?" (Dawn, August 28) all but spells what lies ahead for our country.
The dispute on the Kalabagh dam has been simmering now for several years. No sincere effort has ever been made to evolve a national consensus on this contentious issue.
Instead, the dam's advantages have been persistently underscored without suitably addressing the concerns of smaller provinces. The same is the case with the Greater Thal canal project.
The mega port project of Gwadar, thought to be the harbinger of economic prosperity for the country, is today regarded by local inhabitants as yet another step to exploit their natural endowment to benefit an overfed province.
Add to that the recent military operations in parts of Balochistan and the growing discontent in Sindh which manifests in incidents like the destruction of a mango orchard by its owner.
It is most unwise to think that projects on which the nation is so divided will ever be successful without seriously undermining the country's integrity. During Ayub's so-called era of development, the rich jute fibre of erstwhile East Pakistan was arbitrarily utilized to develop the western wing, ignoring the needs of the people of East Pakistan.
The price was the alienation that ended in the ultimate tragedy in Dhaka on December 16, 1971. Today, Sui gas and Karachi's port potential reflect a somewhat similar story.
Allocation of financial resources to the federating units or states based on relevant revenue generation rather than on population is a time-tested, tried and practised norm the world over.
Furthermore, in any system of governance, centralization has always been a recipe for disaster. But here in Pakistan weird things must happen; we must remain out of synch with the rest of the world. Be it the political system or other issues, universally failed methods must be reinforced.
With the acrimony growing among the smaller provinces, those in authority must pause to think if we are taking the nation on a path to 'enlightened moderation' which requires accommodating the views of others or else rapidly moving on a collision course that may take us back to a tragic past.
It's time for the establishment to ponder what Thomas Jefferson had said at the dawn of American Independence: "I know of no safe depository of the ultimate power of society, but the people themselves."
MUHAMMAD AZAM KHAN
Lahore
Hindu Gymkhana
A report in a Sindhi daily (Aug 30) says some influential people are trying to take over the historical Hindu Gymkhana building in Karachi. According to the report, some people had acquired two rooms in the building some time back for establishing a dance and music centre.
Now they are trying to occupy the whole building and the provincial culture department is said to have sent a summary in this regard to the chief minister for approval.
According to the report, the city landmark spread over 8,400 sq meters was built in 1927. A noted Shikarpur architect Agha Ahmed Hussain had prepared the design and Seth Ram Gopaldas Mehta was the man behind the project.
After independence, the building housed the offices of the Federal Public Service Commission. It was vacated when the capital was moved to Islamabad in the 1960s.
The Sindh culture Department took the building under its control in 1993 and proclaimed it a heritage site. The department planned to establish a College of Art and Design at the site following the example of the Lahore Arts College. A sum of Rs4.05 million was sanctioned. No one knows the fate of the proposal.
It is a matter of great concern that historical and archaeological sites are being ignored. Many a building has deteriorated, been occupied by people, demolished or desecrated one way or the other.
The government had some time back announced plans to vacate the Pucca Qila, Hyderabad, and restore the great archeological site as a befitting national monument with a museum inside. Nobody knows the fate of that announcement either.
One appeals to the governor, the CM, the chief secretary and other concerned people to show some respect to historical buildings and national heritage sites and take measures to protect and preserve them.
AZIZ NAREJO
Via email
Terrorism in colleges
This refers to the letter (Dawn, August 27) regarding terrorist activities taking place on the premises of Karachi's Dow Medical College. I agree with the affected student and his mother.
Forcing students to join student bodies is a case of harassment, and torturing those who refuse to do so is an act of terrorism. Unfortunately this is exactly what is happening at the college, which was upgraded to the level of a medical university a few months back.
As a student of the college I am aware of the prevailing situation on the campus and the problems students are facing, particularly boys. Every year there is a so-called "season" in which new students are beaten up and forced to join one or the other student organization. Some frightened students stop coming to the college altogether, and suffer a lot.
This year the college looks more like a political arena than a medical institution. All the newly-painted walls have names of various student bodies and their mother parties and their slogans written on them with all sorts of colours.
These bodies have held the campus hostage. They do what they like: they have libraries closed, play music at a deafening volume and force bus drivers not to run college buses on the scheduled time, and much more. They also fight with one another, but the college administration is helpless to stop them.
I wonder what kind of doctors these activists will produce. When will we, the students, get rid of these terrorist activities and when will we get an administration that can stop them?
The vice-chancellor of the university is requested to ensure that every student's career, as well as his life, is safe.
AFFECTED STUDENT
Karachi
Reforming UN Security Council
There is a debate going on in diplomatic circles on structural reforms in the United Nations Security Council. India is calling for an immediate expansion of the Security Council to accommodate developing countries as its permanent members, with veto and other powers currently exercised by the US, Britain, France, China and Russia.
Some states are calling for a sweeping reform of the UN, including expulsion of members who violate the fundamental principles of the charter of the world body. These states also want the permanent members of the Security Council to refrain from using their veto to block peacemaking or policing operations in crises if there is a broad international consensus to proceed.
Many reformers like Colombia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Malaysia would like to limit or do away with the veto and even with permanent membership itself. The right to veto undermines the principle of sovereign equality of states as provided in the charter.
I believe the time has come for the UN to be restructured to consolidate international legality, safeguard peace and security and ensure democratization of the organization.
Reform of the council will not be an easy process. The permanent members in general and the United States, Britain and France in particular are opposed to the reform movement.
I cannot see the UNSC or any of the five permanent members voluntarily undertaking structural reforms of the council. However, I believe that veto rights should no longer be the prerogative of given states.
The Security Council should reform itself to remain relevant. There should be a fairer and more democratic process of the veto power instead of the current single-country veto system.
FAISAL JAFREE
Via email
Inflated billing by Pesco
I wish to draw the attention of the Wapda and Pesco high-ups to the plight of villagers who get inflated electricity bills which are not based on actual meter reading. Meter readers do not visit the premises but record fictitious figures.
I live a retired life in Peshawar and occasionally visit my ancestral village, Pirpiai, in Nowshera district. The sitting room of my village house remains locked most of the time and there is no consumption of electricity.
The electricity meter installed is also open for inspection any time of the day. But every month the bill that I receive is not based on the reading on the meter.
Presently the meter shows a reading of 2,005 units, and in the bill for the previous month, 8,200 units are shown to have been consumed. The meter reader does not bother to check the actual meter reading and adds to the bill some imaginary figure every month. Thus, over the years I have been charged for nearly 6,000 units of electricity that have not been consumed by me.
As meter readers are promised additional increments for achieving revenue collection targets, it has become a common practice with them to charge consumers for fictitious consumption of electricity shown in bogus bills.
I urge the chief executive of the Peshawar Electricity Company to look into matter. Instead of rewarding officials who resort to such unethical practice, the authorities should punish them by withholding their increments.
I approached the Pabbi SDO and other local official with my specific complaint, but no one cared. Will some higher-ups address my complaint?
L.B.K BABAR
Peshawar
Not doing enough?
Is someone listening to what India's Natwar Singh, Dixit and the country's COAS are saying? Despite Islamabad's unilateral concession of a ceasefire on the LoC, closing our eyes to the construction of a barrier and the softening of our stand on Kashmir in the UN, there appears to be no progress on Kashmir.
On the other hand there is an accusation that we are not "doing enough" to stop infiltration into the IHK. This allegation is remarkably similar to the "do more" business we are accustomed to hearing from Wolfowitz, Condoleezza Rice and Khalilzad.
Is India already talking like a superpower? This appears to be a counter strategy to divert world attention from Kashmir to infiltration at about the time when the two foreign ministers are scheduled to meet.
Fresh issues like missing boundary pillars from the "Chicken's Neck" area and realignment of the working boundary in that sector are being introduced to dilute the main issue. Emphasis is being increased on improvement of economic ties and people-to-people contact.
The US seems to be indifferent to the whole issue as it has long-term strategic and economic interests in India. Regrettably, they have no stated policy on the LoC.
More than a dozen US multinational firms of Jewish origin are operating in India; hence the joint US-India pressure on Pakistan to improve economic and trade ties on priority basis.
The long-term interest of Washington in Pakistan as stated in the 9/11 report is Al Qaeda. Wolfowitz regrets that the US downplayed relations with Pakistan during the pre-9/11 period. He now realizes that engagement with Pakistan should continue so long as the Al Qaeda threat exists.
It will be naive to ignore this statement and believe that the US has an abiding interest in Pakistan. They are here for Al Qaeda and would like us to fight this menace out here, far away from their homeland.
They will pay us for the services rendered but will not pressure India on Kashmir. This issue can also not be resolved by use of force. A UN role is also not acceptable to India.
The only course open therefore is continuation of a meaningful composite dialogue about which India is no longer that enthusiastic. We have to use the good offices of the US and other leading world powers to counsel India to get down to the talks seriously.
S.M.H.BOKHARI
Rawalpindi
Local textile machinery
With reference to Mr Syed Qamar Zaidi's article "Textile machinery manufacturing" (Dawn Economic and Business Review, August 17-22) calling for establishing textile machinery manufacturing factories in the country, I would like to draw his attention to the fact that the government has already taken steps in this regard and the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory, Karachi, has been working on a project to develop localized textile machinery with the collaboration of the Chinese.
However, I agree with Mr Zaidi that a lot has to be done for developing textile machinery in Pakistan. But before we start doing that, we must first improve our ginning machinery, since ginning is an integral part of the textile industry.
It is a process by which fibre is separated from the seed. Most of the ginning machinery in Pakistan is not good enough to do this completely. This reduces fibre length, thus decreasing the quantity and affecting the quality of fibre manifold.
NOORULLAH SOOMRO
Assistant professor, Department of Textile Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro
Power cuts in Larkana
The people of many areas of Larkana have been hit hard by frequent electricity breakdowns and power fluctuations. But Hesco, the company responsible for ensuring an uninterrupted power supply to our city, has chosen to remain indifferent to the plight of the affected consumers.
Low voltage keeps damaging electricity appliances, and consumers find it difficult to replace them every now and then. Can anyone in authority at Hesco explain to us as to why we are being made to suffer for the inefficiency of its staff?
AMJAD AMAN LAGHARI
Larkana
Woes of DHA residents
Through these columns I invite the attention of Karachi's DHA administrator to the plight of the residents of Phase VII where side lanes are in a pitiable condition. After last year's rains, these lanes have developed potholes and are neither fit for pedestrians nor for motorists.
While tenders have been invited to carpet certain lanes, lanes 20 to 25 have been left out. The DHA administrator is requested to order carpeting of these lanes.
RESIDENT
Karachi
Biology textbook
The Sindh Textbook Board, Jamshoro, decided some time back to change the biology book for Class XII for the academic year 2004-05. It is regretted that the book is still not available at bookshops, though one precious month of the academic year has passed.
I appeal to the Sindh education minister to intervene in the matter and ensure availability of the book without further loss of time.
AGHA ALI GOHAR KHAN
Ghotki
Democracy
Recently there was a big demonstration in New York by millions of Americans. Most of the protesters were carrying placards bearing pictures of George W. Bush. Only one word was written under his picture - 'liar'.
This was enough to make him resign if he really believed in democracy but it seems by 'democracy' Bush means "by the liars, for the liars, of the liars".
INSPECTOR QABACHA
Lahore
Highway hazards
IT IS not unusual seeing trucks laden with hay on the highways. They appear to be twice their height and double in width. This violation occurs before the eyes of the highway police.
On a busy Clifton road, a loaded truck had two cars perched on top of the cargo. The wheels of the cars were tied with ordinary ropes. One shudders to imagine the consequences if the ropes were to snap.
Other violators are trucks carrying construction material such as iron rods with small red rags tied to the rear. With bumper-to-bumper traffic on city roads they pose a serious threat. Why, we may ask, are goods' transporters exempted from observing traffic rules and highway codes?
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
September 6: a day to remember
September 6 is of special significance to Pakistan. The surprise attack that India launched under the cloak of darkness was aimed to catch us unprepared. This did give Indian forces some land, but in its wake they were cautious when they did not find any opposition.
By first sunlight, our troops had taken positions and from then onward till the end of the war, the Indians could not move an inch forward, despite their enormous numerical superiority.
Our soldiers defended their motherland. They fought fearlessly and ferociously. Gracefully, they sacrificed their lives so that Pakistan could survive. The enemy was at our door to take over all major cities of Pakistan. Our army frustrated its designs.
We celebrate September 6 to reaffirm our dedication to the sacred cause - defending our motherland. We shower flowers of deep appreciation for the blood the martyrs of 1965 shed so that we could live in peace. Their families too sacrificed for the country: mothers lost their sons, sisters lost their brothers, and wives their husbands.
Great have been the tragedies of war, but only a few have endured them. It seems most of us have forgotten the deeds and sufferings of soldiers who laid down their lives for saving the sanctity of our country's borders. This is a great tragedy.
BRIG (RETD) A. Q. ANJUM
Rawalpindi
Telephone complaint
Our telephone 071-690107 in Pano Aqil developed a technical fault two months back. Whenever we are on the line, a continuous, shrill noise disrupts the conversation. Moreover, sometimes the line is crossed and we don't get the numbers we dial, or when someone rings up our number, he is connected to someone else's number.
I am posted at Tando Jam but members of my family live in Pano Aqil. To me this telephone is the only source of communication with my family and friends. I regret that despite many complaints lodged with the telephone authority concerned, no relief has been provided to us so far.
MUKESH KUMAR MANDHAN
Tando Jam
Making of a PM
Just feed in all the ruling party MNAs, sprinkle a couple of prime ministers, press the button, out comes from the other side a brand new made-to-order prime minister.
Let us wish him and his mentor smooth sailing in running the affairs of Pakistan. As a matter of fact, that is what we should be interested in.
H.A. KHWAJA
Islamabad
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