| 07 September 2004 | Tuesday | 21 Rajab 1425 |
Khwaja Nazimuddin
Partitioning music?
Pakistan-India talks
Defence housing schemes
Madressah syndrome
Citizens Traffic Committee
Socialism and grass blades
Decline in PIA revenues
Anti-TB vaccines
Iraq resolution
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This is apropos of the article "Denationalization controversy" (Sept 1) by Ms Zubeida Mustafa. The biggest misfortune of our country is that if ever a courageous soul comes forward to reform our social institutions, the reactionaries and the vested interests prop up to oppose it - at times tooth and nail. The recent upsurge in the education sector is a glaring example of this misfortune of our province - indeed of our country.
The new education minister of Sindh has taken some commendable steps in the right direction. It's a pity that teachers (professors and lecturers included) are demanding that the authorities should reverse these decisions.
A sizable number of nationalized institutes have been handed over to the managements of the pre-nationalized period (a recent example is the Karachi Academy School in Azizabad).
The de-nationalization of St. Joseph's and St. Patrick's colleges has stirred up an agitation - ironically the agitators are claiming that it is no "agitation". If students in their school uniforms stand on the roads, holding banners with anti-reform slogans and it is not an agitation, then what is?
Who in his senses would deny the importance of the role of the private sector in education as an indispensable factor for the progress of our society? The innumerable institutes and universities are pertinent instances, their money minting not withstanding.
When the Rev. Sister Mary Emily finally retired from government service (after enjoying three terms of extensions), the then director of colleges, Prof. Iftikhar Ahmed Ansari, called me up and asked me to take over the principalship of St. Joseph's College.
I turned to my worthy teacher of philosophy, Cardinal Rev. Dr Joseph Cordeiro, for advice and he told me that the Catholic Board and the Church in Rome had been assured by the government of Pakistan that St. Joseph's College was going to be denationalized in "a couple of months" and that it would be unwise for me to give up my grade 20 post at the Sindh government.
I accordingly conveyed my regret to Professor Ansari. This was way back in 1980. This is what is called justice delayed is justice denied.
PROF. RAZIA YAQUB
Karachi
(2)
We have been witnessing students coming out on the streets to protest against the denationalization/return of colleges on the pretext that education would become unaffordable.
I would like to draw attention to the huge amounts that students spend on tuition. Some teachers who belong to the government college sector are of the view that they do not wish to give tuitions, but for some reason students seem to flock them.
This is one thing that does not make sense. Why would students need tuition if they understood everything in class? And how come they understand everything at tuition centres whereas they are unable to follow the same lectures by the same teachers in their classrooms?
The fee structure of private colleges would no doubt be more but I'm sure that the quality of education would improve a great deal so that students would no longer be compelled to spend money on tuition.
Another problem that needs to be highlighted is that government teachers are being urged to go under private management. This they feel is not justified. It would be a good idea if the government took notice of this grievance and just returned the college buildings to their rightful owners, thereby shifting the college staff and students to another location.
This I personally feel would be a great service as, if this happened, we will have two colleges where we now have one, thereby imparting quality education to more students.
GLORIA CALEB
Karachi
Khwaja Nazimuddin
Dawn did our anniversary justice by their special section on August 14, particularly the very novel idea of having our leaders remembered by their children.
Being a niece of Khwaja Nazimuddin, I salute his son Khwaja Mohiuddin for his piece on his father - an epitome of courage and honesty. I can add a few more instances relating to the stature of the man and the difference in the leaders of yesteryear and today - their honesty, faith and discipline.
Once an official car was going to receive a foreign dignitary and as they were late the government official's car was going at break-neck speed. They were stopped by a policeman and fined five rupees.
As protests by the official did not make the policeman change his stance, the fine was duly paid. The next morning the policeman was called by governor-general Khwaja Nazimuddin. Fearing the inevitable, the policeman reported shakily at the governor-general's house.
Much to his surprise, he was congratulated by the GG and promoted for diligence in duty. We can see the difference today. Two letters were received by me from Khwaja Nazimuddin, once when we refused to attend a match played when the MCC had toured Pakistan, because they had refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players as there was an epidemic, perhaps of cholera, in Pakistan. He admonished us that we would have done the same in similar circumstances and not to spoil the hospitable image of our country.
Another time when calling the Pakistan cricket team 'schoolboys' we were reprimanded again for having such little faith in our players. Pakistan mattered first to him.
Then again I received a letter from Khwaja Nazimuddin in 1963, asking me if my family and I were collecting funds for the victims of the cyclone in East Pakistan. His love for the country did not diminish when he was not in office.
If our present leaders keep Pakistan first and last, then Pakistan would not be in the state it finds itself today.
S. BABAR
Karachi
Partitioning music?
Ptv's musical programme Dunya Meri Jawan Hai: Timeless Film Songs, though quite informative, struck a discordant note when it confined itself to Muslim singers.
In fact, its sub-title A tribute to the legendary female Muslim singers of the subcontinent, which appeared on the screen and the ads in newspapers, made this odd claim quite clear. Now the question: are we witnessing a partition of music as well?
It's about time PTV realized that Urdu/Hindi film music, like Hindustani classical music, which stretches from Kashmir to Maharashtra and Bengal, has thrived on the talents of singers from not just Muslims and Hindus but also others such as lyricist Gulzar, composer Robin Ghosh and singer Salim Raza.
Gulzar is a Sikh while the last two are Christian. Does it mean that the sequel to this programme - the one on male singers - will not include Salim Raza, whose contribution to Pakistani film music in the '50s and early '60s was highly commendable?
Music lovers in Pakistan enjoy the songs of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle as much as their counterparts in India love Noor Jahan and Mehdi Hasan, which is why one can say that music like literature and other art forms cuts across all communal and geographical boundaries.
The minister for information ought to stop this programme because it is going to run for weeks and will continue to give a communal colouring to film music.
ASIF NOORANI
Karachi
Pakistan-India talks
It is heartening that talks between India and Pakistan have progressed well. There seems to be hope for the future of our people. Here's my translation of Sardar Jafri's poem in which he has spoken of people's unity:
Not so long ago you were in shackles,
And we were in shackles,
The jail-keeper was the British white man, the tyrant,
But we shared the burden, the torture, the humiliation,
And we planned and struggled together,
To overwhelm, to expel the white tyrant,
From our land, our motherland.
We shared our sorrows, and our joint struggle,
Succeeded.
We expelled the white intruder, we restored the freedom of our land,
The dignity of our motherland.
But, now, we seem to be at odds,
We seem to be adrift in uncertainty,
Why, oh why, must we cross swords?
Ours is the Land of Kabir, Sufis, the Upanishads,
Let us tread with respect, for Ghalib rests here;
Let us revive the jewels of our civilization, our culture,
Let us re-kindle the glories of Lahore,
Let us illuminate the knowledge and learning of Agra and Nalanda;
And with the glories of Lahore and the sunshine of Banaras,
We'll look into each other's eyes, sense the beat of our hearts,
We will search our souls,
And ask, together, in one voice,
Who, where, indeed who and where is the enemy?
M.J. SAYEED
Karachi
Defence housing schemes
This is with reference to Mr Nisar Khan's letter "Defence housing schemes" (August 26) in which he takes a dim view of President's Musharraf's words of appreciation for the role defence housing schemes are playing in systematically and efficiently managing residential estates in the country.
Mr Khan's contention that the DHA, Karachi, has been developed at the expense of the rest of the city is not correct. The DHA got marshy and barren coastal land whose development was an uphill task.
It was through diligence, hard work and professional town planning that this land, mostly reclaimed, has been turned into a well-designed housing enterprise of the metropolis.
The DHA utilizes its own integral funds for carrying out all state-of-the-art development since it receives no funds whatsoever from any government or non-governmental agencies.
The DHA also does not levy any taxes on residents for providing civic services. The integral profit earned through various DHA projects and efficiently-managed institutions is directly funnelled into development works and improvement of civic infrastructure and services in the area.
The criticism regarding some main roads in the DHA being narrow and poorly planned is partially correct. In the initial formative years of the DHA when it used to be a housing society, there were some shortcomings in planning and management. However, the DHA has developed into one of the finest and most prestigious housing enterprises of the country.
As regards different standards seen in the development of the DHA and the Clifton Cantonment Board (CCB), it is because the DHA augments civic services by investing in development and maintenance work in Defence. On the other hand, all taxes are collected by the CCB and it is solely their responsibility to provide services in the area.
LT-COL (retd) RAFAT HUSSAIN NAQVI
PRO, DHA, Karachi
Madressah syndrome
In 1998 I had single-handedly opposed the CDA move to legitimize establishment of madressahs in the capital territory. The CDA proposal was in the form of a bill through which the authority was being permitted to establish madressahs in the capital.
This also led to legalization of previously constructed structures, which was beyond the mandate of the CDA. My opposition was based on the grounds that Islamabad should be free of religious seminaries. It was rejected through the brute majority of the treasury benches.
This led some religious parties and clerics to acquire land and consolidate their foothold in Islamabad. And now Islamabad has witnessed a series of terrorist activities.
At first it was wrongly propagated that madressahs had for centuries served as seminaries for imparting education and, secondly, poor economic conditions justified their existence.
If this is true, madressahs should not have mushroomed in upper middle class areas like Islamabad where residents are least interested in sending their children to such seminaries. The same is the case with Karachi.
The bottom line is that 95 per cent of students and 100 per cent of the faculty of madressahs in the two important cities are not locals. Food served in these madressahs is five times better than what 80 per cent of ordinary Pakistani students get.
Also, since most of the madressahs are physically linked with the mosques, utility bills, including electricity, are not paid. In contrast, many government schools in Karachi have neither electric fans nor drinking water.
Also, in the neighbourhood of the Quaid's mausoleum in Karachi, one can see seminary after seminary built in violation of the restriction that no building structure is allowed after one ground and one first floor. Another cluster of seminaries is found in Karachi's cantonment areas and in the various phases of the DHA.
Have we ever thought why this madressah syndrome is not found in other Muslim countries, though some are poorer than us? The fact is that many madressahs are a by product of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. They were used for purposes other than education.
Madressah students were used as cannon fodder. Most of the religious parties now in parliament have reaped a harvest in US dollars and arms and ammunition in the name of jihad by employing madressah students first in Afghanistan and then elsewhere.
Before the early 1980s, madressahs were largely non-existent in Pakistan, except in their logical strength. We were also poor in the 1970s, '60s and '50s but did not suffer from the madressah syndrome.
The USSR-Afghanistan conflict is long over and so are other factors, after our change of policies following 9/11. I hope Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will be bold enough to restore peace and prosperity to Islamabad and Karachi - one the country's capital and the other the country's financial capital. The quarter- century legacy of Zia's political Islam must end now.
KUNWAR KHALID YUNUS
Islamabad
Citizens Traffic Committee
The Citizens Traffic Committee was founded in 1994 under the chairmanship of Mr Sadiq Swati of the National Transport Research Centre, Islamabad. Our committee consisted of retired government and civil service people from abroad and the army. Along with police officials, we took positions at different road intersections, and our members had to be active participants as neutral observers.
We did this regularly for 10 years and observed that people followed the rules under compulsion and when the police were not present with a challan book, breaking the rules, jumping the red signal, etc., became very marked. We came to the conclusion that there was need for new methods and tactics. With this realization, our roadside activities became less frequent.
Now rumours are going around that the CTC is no longer functioning or the police have stopped their co-operation. The CTC is a registered NGO and cannot be banned. People may not co-operate but cannot interfere in its functioning.
We are now in the process of finding other methods to make the public law-abiding. We are discussing these with the police high-ups. We are also thinking of approaching mosques, churches and other institutions to spread the message among people about the need to observe traffic rules without fail.
DR MUHAMMAD RAFIQ MIRZA
President, Citizens Traffic Committee, Islamabad
Socialism and grass blades
This is with reference to Mr Asad Lodhi's letter "O and A levels" (Sept3). He mentions an analogy which his professor of economics in the US used for Soviet socialism.
The professor compared it to a plot of land with grass on it, with blades of different lengths (social inequalities). Socialism tried not to help the short blades grow longer but to cut short the longer ones.
I don't think socialism can be explained through this analogy. Socialism narrows the gap between the rich and the poor. This is not done by making the rich poor but by ensuring equal distribution of wealth.
Such a system may decrease the wealth of a few individuals but it increases the status of the proletariat, unlike blades of grass which do not grow longer. Such examples are put forward merely to deflect people from the true principles of socialism.
ANIL KHAN LUNI
Karachi
Decline in PIA revenues
The recent decline in PIA revenues, especially during the last quarter of the previous financial year which includes the peak summer period, should have raised eyebrows in Islamabad, and the ministry of finance should also have shown concern over this shortfall despite a huge cash injection administered by the federal government.
Perhaps the immense capital investment made in the procurement of expensive aircraft and the expansion of capacity were a miscalculation. The decline in passenger load is also due to strict visa restrictions imposed by European countries and America.
One factor was an increase in the number of passengers with invalid/fake travel documents, who were allowed to travel to the UK by FIA officials. This, coupled with the discrimination against Muslims, has made matters worse. The other factor is payment of lease instalments due to the decline in revenues.
NAZEER ABRO
Hyderabad
Anti-TB vaccines
Considering the rising prevalence of tuberculosis in our society, it is alarming to know that the BCG vaccine which is so far the most effective preventive method to fight this infection is not available in the market and even most hospitals do not have it.
I urge the authorities of the ministry of health and the provincial governments to take immediate steps to ensure availability of the drug in the market.
PROF SHOAIB TAUHEED
Department of Physiology, Dow Medical College, DUHS, Karachi
Iraq resolution
The National Assembly adopted a very weak resolution on the situation in Najaf. The elected representatives should express the will of the nation boldly and demand an early date for complete withdrawal of the occupation forces, without which there can be no peace in the Middle East.
In the name of peace and democracy, the occupation forces intend to linger on and divide Iraq into three weak ethnic states and divert the flow of Iraqi oil and that of other Central Asian countries direct to the Mediterranean and thus save freight charges incurred on the long voyage through the straits of Kuwait, the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea and the Suez.
Our Gwadar project may also lose much of its commercial value if the occupation forces gain time to link Iraq with the Mediterranean.
ABDUR RASHID
Lahore
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