| 17 September 2004 | Friday | 01 Shaban 1425 |
Investigating the 1965 war
Military interventions
'B-grade qawwals'
Public health sector
Checking environmental pollution
Status of Sindhi language
A delayed project
Telephone complaint
'Jokers in the pack'
Operation in Wana
President's uniform
DHA schools
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Mangoes continue to enjoy a high demand within and outside Pakistan. Since the fruit has great potential for export, it is imperative that the federal and provincial ministries of agriculture, related departments, the Mango Growers Association and individuals involved in its export make a worthwhile contribution to increasing its production and standardizing quality control. Besides water, the fruit contains a high percentage of sugar, vitamins A, B and C, proteins, fats, iron, and fruit fibre.
About 100 varieties of mango are grown in Pakistan, of which the prominent (qalmi) are Anwar ratool, chausa, fajri, dasehri, samar behist, saroli, sindhri and langra,. The qalmi varieties could be easily recognized on the basis of their external features such as size, shape and colour. Their pulp characters which include colour, flavour, texture and taste are also different.
Once Pakistan was the second biggest exporter of mango, but due to a number of reasons it has come down to forth position, and now it badly requires to regain its status. At present, Pakistan is exporting the fruit to a number of countries, including the US, Britain, China, the UAE, the Netherlands and Central Asia.
Although mango production comes to about 20 per cent of all types of fruits produced in Pakistan, there is still great potential to increase production. To achieve this objective, the following measures should be taken:
1. The federal ministry of agriculture, all agriculture research institutes and others concerned with the cultivation and export of mango must play their role more effectively.
2. Mango deserves recognition as the "national fruit" of Pakistan before this is done by any other country, since its exporters are increasing every year.
3. To centralize all research activities, a mango research institute should be formed on the pattern of the mango research centre in the Uttar Pradesh, India.
4. The old varieties, grown in Pakistan for a very long time, have become susceptible to a number of local diseases and pests, so there is need for new and resistant varieties.
5. The quality of fruit must be standardized and maintained. Propagation of qalmi varieties by seed, instead of the standard grafting procedures, spoils the quality of fruit and must be avoided.
6. Modern technology for harvesting, selection, treatment, packing and export of mango must be followed.
DR S. IFTIKHAR AHMED
Chief Scientific Officer (retd), PCSIR, Karachi
Investigating the 1965 war
This is with reference to the lecture by Dr Lubna Abid Ali on the 1965 war (Dawn, August 29). This research is essential and welcome, because many aspects of this important event in our history are still shrouded in mystery.
First of all, one is confronted with the question: why did Pakistan go to war? President Ayub Khan, when once asked this question, reportedly said: "Please do not touch me on the fatal point."
This was an admission of the mistake his regime had committed. A person who realizes an error of judgment like this should have immediately resigned and offered himself for accountability.
Z. A. Bhutto, the then foreign minister, was reported to have said: "The best way to get rid of a general is to take him to war and make him lose it" (according a column by Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee).
Strange as it may appear, this scheme was conceived and planned without the blessings of the GHQ by a coterie consisting of foreign minister Bhutto, Gen Akhtar Hussain Malik and others.
When Gen Musa, the then C-in-C, got a wind of it, he immediately brought it to the notice of president Ayub. The president, however, assured Gen Musa that the GHQ would definitely be taken into confidence in such an eventuality (Gen Musa: My Version).
No less ignorant of the coming war was the then air force chief, Nur Khan, who later admitted in an interview that no preparations had been made for the 1965 war (Brig A.R. Siddiqi: Defence Journal).
Operation Gibraltar failed miserably. The 'guerillas' were in fact from the regular army and not sufficiently trained for the job. Secondly, the leadership inside Kashmir had not been taken into confidence.
When apprehended, the 'guerillas' spilled the beans. Mr Bhutto later put the blame on the army for bungling the scheme (Salman Taseer: Bhutto: A Political Biography).
The question as to why Pakistan had decided to take on an enemy which was many times superior in terms of size, population, armament and resources remains unanswered. Why was it assumed that India would not cross the international border?
When the foreign office tried to wriggle out of the situation and Mr Aziz Ahmad sent a note to the president, he rebutted Aziz Ahmad in these words: "Your foreign minister gave this advice on September 4, 1965, in the control room" (Gen Rao Farman Ali: Urdu Digest).
One hopes that some day some historian will be able to unravel the truth about the war.
MUHAMMAD NAWAZ QASMI
Multan
Military interventions
Three years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in America, the world is faced with a big moral question: are the superpower or other major powers morally entitled to militarily intervene in the affairs of sovereign states? After what has taken place in Afghanistan and Iraq, the answer is a big "no".
The forces of the "coalition against terror" have not been able to establish rule of law in Afghanistan in spite of about three years of occupation. In Iraq, more death and destruction have been suffered by the Iraqis during the year and a half of coalition occupation than during the 23 years of Saddam Hussein's rule. Allegations of Osama bin Laden's involvement in the 9/11 attacks or Iraq having weapons of mass destruction have not been proved.
Nevertheless, the question remains whether the international community is entitled to intervene militarily in the affairs of so-called "failed states" where human rights' violations are being committed.
Considering the inviolability of fundamental rights, such intervention seems to be morally valid. But for this the world community has to turn itself into a sort of a "world government" where big and small states carry equal weight.
The UN offers a semblance of this but still has to go a long way in achieving the role of a world government. The UN Charter comes up to the level of a "government of the elders" who decide the fate of community members.
The Security Council needs to be turned into a council of representatives of members of the UN in which no member should have veto power. The decisions of this world government must be taken by majority (for important matters it may be fixed at a two-thirds majority) and all members - big and small - must submit to such decisions.
LATIF QURESHI
Lahore
'B-grade qawwals'
Sometimes one reads an article that makes you angry. You feel you too must write to express your frustrations. Recently I had a chance to read Mr Ayaz Amir's article concerning the issue of President Musharraf's uniform (Dawn, Sept 10). Bewildering is all that one can say about it.
The work of a journalist is to write, but he does not just have to fill in space without any concern for ethics. A responsible journalist and citizen should be dealing with a subject in a political way, based on arguments, instead of crudely spilling out one's thoughts.
I have no admiration for martial law, dictators or army rule or the way people have been treated in Pakistan for so long by the arms of the generals. I too believe in and cherish the idea of people's sovereignty. But at the same time I also feel that the army, politicians, bureaucrats, civil servants, even we, the common people, are equally responsible for bringing the country to the threshold of the present situation.
So, who is one going to single out? Who can deny that the president's uniform is an issue and must be written about and discussed? But calling whoever is in favour of the uniform 'qawwal' and 'naqqal' is in poor taste.
Another point is that we are going through a period in which education is getting scarce and deteriorating by the day. Many are dying because of lack of medicines and medical facilities.
Women and the weak are being exploited by the so-called powerful, the law has been hijacked by the lawless so that people kill human beings in the name of 'iman' and daily detonate bombs and fire volleys from their rifles.
In such times those who claim to be the elite and people of words should prove more responsible. Why bring in words like 'qawwals', 'naqaals' and 'bhaands' when one can do without them?
Another sad factor is that after reading what many are writing and the message that is being conveyed, one wonders what to believe in a country where people change colour like a chameleon, where there are so many masks on everyone's face and where people change their views quicker than the batting of an eyelid.
In such times, change of uniform seems irrelevant. We will consider ourselves lucky if we begin to realize the importance and necessity of a change of heart.
NUSRAT ADIL
Karachi
Public health sector
The government health sector caters for only 20 per cent of our population. Its work force is competent and well-qualified, but its resources are scant and insufficient. The private health sector caters for about 80 per cent of the population, both in the rural and urban areas.
There are many types of health centres - from a small dispensary to a large well-equipped hospital - but unfortunately few people can afford treatment. Although philanthropists and social workers have come forward and are running charitable hospitals, they cannot provide free treatment to a large number of poor patients.
The health ministry is requested to establish more hospitals and rural health centres, keeping in view the population ratio of every town/tehsil and city. For this, the prime minister should allocate more funds for the health sector.
DR RAFIQUE AHMED MIRZA
Karachi
Checking environmental pollution
This refers to a news item (August 30) regarding violations of environmental rules. According to the report, the district officer environment, Sheikhupura, has said that out of 482 industrial units only seven were observing NEQS requirements.
This means that only 1.5 per cent of the industrial units are complying with the NEQS parameters in Sheikhupura district. If we take into account the extent of compliance with the NEQS parameters by all industries in Pakistan, the situation may be more or less the same.
In this context, environmental pollution control measures need to be taken at the national level with clear-cut and defined objectives. An environment management board may be constituted by the government, which should represent experts from the industrial sector, environmentalists, environment lawyers, experts from the Environment Protection Agency as well as from other relevant sectors. This board should look into the following aspects:
a. There is need to ensure provision of necessary technical knowhow and guidance to industries for setting up effluent treatment plants. Such plants can be established by a single industry or a common treatment plant by a group of industries.
b. The environment management board should assist industries in acquiring long-term soft loans for setting up treatment plants. It should monitor proper utilization of such loans and ensure strict compliance with the procedure.
c. NEQS parameters regarding liquid effluents and gaseous emissions should be reviewed thoroughly and the possibility of revision of stringent NEQS parameters may also be considered.
The board may recommend revision of more stringent parameters after studying all related factors. The higher limits of these NEQS parameters can be gradually reduced over a period of time, subject to the consideration of all constraints associated with different parameters.
d. Disposal of solid waste is another important task. For this, the environment management board should do the following:
1. Coordinate with the government agencies concerned at all levels for creating solid waste dumping sites which must be away from residential areas.
2. Ensure proper identification, segregation/recycling at the site of generation and treatment of solid waste.
3. Define NEQS parameters for solid waste, setting standards for hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste.
4. Hospital waste is a separate issue and is to be dealt with independently.
The environment management board should also examine the availability of surplus by-product of various industries and in particular the chemical industry.
e. The board should guide these industries and other interested parties regarding use/conversion of surplus byproducts to useful end products. This particular step will not only help develop the industrial sector and reduce pollution, but also create thousands of job opportunities.
It is suggested that a central environment management board be set up initially, followed by provincial environment management boards and district environment management boards.
SHAHID AKHTAR BAIG
Sheikhupura
Status of Sindhi language
Sindhi is one of the oldest languages of the world. Even people who lived in the Indus Valley during the Moenjodaro civilization spoke it, though its precise vocabulary, phonetics, etc., are not yet determined.
The British rulers tried to promote the language. During the Raj, the existing 52 Sindhi alphabets were adopted. The British also prepared a Sindhi grammar and adopted the language not only in government offices but also as the court language.
After the creation of Pakistan, the status of Sindhi as an official language remained intact, but in October 1955 One Unit was arbitrarily formed by merging the provinces into one larger province named West Pakistan (now Pakistan), with its capital in Lahore. This affected the growth of Sindhi. After the dissolution of One Unit, Sindhi as a provincial language was restored.
It is regrettable that this language does not yet enjoy the specified status as envisaged in the Constitution. Recently, the Sindh Assembly passed a unanimous resolution calling upon both private and public institutions to make arrangements for teaching Sindhi as a compulsory subject.
To create harmony among the people, it is necessary that Sindhi is introduced as the medium of instruction in all public and private educational institutions as well as in all government, autonomous and semi- autonomous bodies of the province.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
A delayed project
I booked a flat (A-207) in a project in North Karachi on August 28, 2003, and made a down payment of Rs8,000. I also paid Rs25,000 on the promise that the company would give me a 10 per cent discount on the total price of the flat and that the project was to start within three months.
Now about one year has passed, but the project has not started while project developers are seeking a further payment of Rs25,000, without which the Rs25,000 I had paid them earlier will be forfeited. Will somebody in authority take notice of this and come to my rescue?
NOOR ALAM
C/o NIB Bank Ltd., Karachi
Telephone complaint
My telephone (666 0122), Orangi Town telephone exchange, has been out of order since January 13. I have lodged many complaints on telephone Nos. 0800-44544, 106 and 18, as well as in writing, but no action has been taken by the PTCL authorities so far.
Written complaints submitted to the complaint centre at Awami Markaz have not produced any results, either. I request the PTCL high-ups to look into this matter.
MUHAMMAD ALAM
Karachi
'Jokers in the pack'
Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee in his column "Jokers in the pack" (Sept 5) has cited one wrong, that is, the kidnapping of Jan Mohammad Abbasi by Z. A. Bhutto, to justify another wrong, that is, the rigging at polling stations by Shaukat Aziz.
Do two wrongs make a right?
IFTIKHAR SOOMRO
Karachi
Operation in Wana
The latest incident in Wana in which nearly 80 people were killed in air strikes was a most tragic occurrence. Independent news sources, including the BBC and Voice of Germany, claimed that not all persons killed by the security forces of Pakistan were terrorists.
Many of them were innocent people, old men, women and children. Also some had gathered for prayers. A foreign news agency also said that before the bombardment, American spy planes had been hovering over Wana.
It is a pity that we are killing our own brothers and also our army men are being killed. So Muslims are killing Muslims. This is being done at the behest of America to show that we are killing terrorists.
Also, the western border of Pakistan has become vulnerable. This is a critical situation. I request the government to stop the Wana operation.
SAIYED AHMAD NOUMAN
Lahore
President's uniform
I thought my country had a list of issues to deal with. These are basic issues such as health, education, poverty, economic uplift and things such as building of dams, roads and bridges.
But the provincial assemblies are now debating whether President Musharraf should retain his army uniform or not. The Punjab and Frontier assemblies have passed resolutions in this regard. I believe the assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan will follow suit.
Wake up people. Whether President Musharraf wears his uniform or not after December 31, what difference will it make? He will still be the president of Pakistan. If a country (or maybe its politicians) cannot mature after more than 50 years of its existence, what can we expect of it?
SHIREEN AZFAR
Karachi
DHA schools
Reference is made to the letter "DHA schools" (September 11) by Pro Bono Publico. The matter needs clarification and elaboration. The DHA attaches the highest importance to the provision of quality education to students studying in its institutions.
The teachers in the DHA schools get together in their institutions on Saturdays (except the last Saturday of the month) to review the timetable for the following week and evolve a strategy for effectively teaching various subjects. These informal discussions are valuable and help to improve the quality of education.
The school hours on Fridays are up to 12 noon and not 1pm as stated. The DHA education directorate is well aware of the religious sensitivities and the time needed for preparation for Friday prayers and gives the matter due importance.
PRO DHA,
Karachi
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