| 07 October 2004 | Thursday | 21 Shaban 1425 |
'Hostage-taking crisis'
Self-assessment of Zakat
Army's perks and privileges
The Sialkot carnage
Medical universities
Readers Club
The uniform controversy
Fishy trail
Appeal to PCB
Request to Nadra
Lights out
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It is said that Tel Aviv plans to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station if Russia goes ahead with plans to supply it with fuel. Who can deny that Sharon's iron-fisted policies, particularly that of the Israeli defence forces (IDF) in all its forms and manifestations, represent nothing but neo-fascism and neo-Hitlerism?
For years, Sharon has been a devoted follower of the fascist doctrine of Vladimir Jabotinsky, a Russian-born Zionist who migrated to America and was a self-professed admirer of Mussolini.
Jabotinsky, called "Vlad Hitler" by Israeli founding father David Ben-Gurion, set out a doctrine for relations between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs in a 1923 document "On the Iron Wall". He wrote that the prospect for peace between the Palestinian Arabs and the Jews depended on Arab acceptance of Zionism.
"A voluntary agreement between us and the Arabs of Palestine is inconceivable now or in the foreseeable future," he asserted. Therefore, Jewish settlements could develop only "under the protection of a force that is not dependent on the local population, behind an iron wall which they [the Arabs] will be powerless to break down".
By "iron wall", Jabotinsky meant a Jewish military force strong enough to break Arab resistance to the Zionist presence in Palestine. Once the opposition was broken and acquiescence to Zionism was attained, it would be possible to negotiate with the Arab population.
Israel's decisive victory in the June 1967 war and its seizure of the West Bank and Jerusalem precipitated unhealthy developments reflecting Jabotinsky's "iron wall", which are at the heart of the problems today.
It unleashed a triumphalism with strong messianic overtones, spawned a settlers' movement and an ultra-religious movement, both of which proclaim that the territories seized in that war constitute the "holy soil" of "Greater Israel", which must never be relinquished.
Two miscalculations arose from the victory in that war, both of which come directly from the "iron wall" theory. These became the axioms that have guided Israel's policies toward the Palestinians since 1967.
The first is a political axiom: that the Palestinians in the occupied territories have no choice but to acquiesce in Israeli rule, and to give up any hope of ever achieving statehood, accepting dependence on Israel for their economic well-being.
The second is a military axiom: any Palestinian upsurge must be crushed with an iron fist, and Israeli security forces should impose "collective punishment" to discourage rebellion.
Israel's latest decision of buying up to 5,000 smart bombs from the US reflects Sharon's vindictive future designs against the Arabs. Sharon's actions are leading not to security, but to an ongoing cycle of bloody retribution.
The only end to this cycle is either complete capitulation by a defeated Palestinian population to Israeli military domination, or expulsion of the majority of Palestinians from "Greater Israel". Sharon's preference is to push them into Jordan which he would proclaim the Palestinian state, thus destablizing Jordan.
S. Q. AFZAL RIZVI
Karachi
'Hostage-taking crisis'
Mr Asad Siddiqi of Lahore (letter, Oct 4) criticizes the article I wrote about the Iraq hostage crisis (September 30). He accuses it of being "diffuse and rambling". This could be largely due to the subject: the hostage crisis in Iraq is a mess
. It has multiple causes, multiple players and multiple scenarios. It has no neat beginnings and ends - no one can predict how it will play out. Writing about such a complex issue inevitably becomes "diffuse".
Mr Siddiqi's main criticism was reserved for the article's contention that civilian contractors working in Iraq for money are partly to blame when they end up as hostages. That contention stands: when people knowingly put themselves in a situation of danger because they have been tempted by lucrative pay offers, they can be blamed when things go wrong.
In the ideal world that Mr Siddiqi perhaps envisages, there would be no hostage takers and everyone would be free to work where they want. But that is not the real world. In the real world there are hostage takers, and people who knowingly put themselves in their path must take some of the blame.
However, the article deliberately only targeted contractors motivated by money for this criticism. The same charge was not made against charity workers in Iraq, or against hostages in other contexts like Beslan.
The bulk of Mr Siddiqi's letter, criticizing the article for blaming hostages of all hues for being taken, was thus misguided. All hostages are not to blame: The article did not say all hostages are to blame.
Mr Siddiqi's other point that the demands of hostage takers cannot be given in to was also made in the article. I quote: "National policies can never be made according to the dictates of terrorist executioners.... giving in to their demands might release one hostage but it would cause many more to be taken."
Mr Siddiqi's letter shows that he missed the main point of the article: that the hostage crisis is a mess with no easy solutions, that there is another far bigger tragedy going on in Iraq - the suffering and dying of the Iraqi people, and that everything that is happening in Iraq (hostage-taking, other acts of terrorism, Iraqi deaths) stems ultimately from the decision by George Bush and Tony Blair to wage an illegal war in that country.
IFFAT IDRIS
Via email
Self-assessment of Zakat
It is a pre-requisite for Zakat payment that the amount involved should have been in possession of a person or persons for one full year. This condition is not being fulfilled, rather violated to the extent that even the amount of interest is included in Zakat deductions by the banks. This being violative of Nisab-i-Zakat is not obviously desirable and warrants immediate rectification.
Now when many wrongs of the past are being corrected by the regime of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, an objective review of the existing procedures and practices on this score must be taken in hand to remedy the situation.
In this connection, self-assessment of the Zakat system must be introduced and subscribers made to file their returns to the respective banks on or before the first Ramazan so as to enable them to proceed further for finalization of the process in each case.
I attach herewith Zakat calculation forms appendix "A and B" for items subject to 2.5 per cent on capital and yield and also that of 10 per cent on yield, respectively.
Zakat calculation form appendix "A"
Items subject to 2.5 per cent on capital and yield:
1.Any cash in hand kept for one year Rs......
2.All income before any tax or pension or insurance deduction Rs.....
Total of amount subject to zakat (add 1 & 2) Rs.....
Zakat (total of zakatable amount x 0.025 Rs.....
(-) Less any payments already made toward zakat Rs.....
Net balance due Rs......
Appendix "B" items subject to 10 per cent Zakat on yield:
1.Land produce after deducting agricultural expenses, including irrigation, and before taxes Rs.......
2.The net profit (total revenue-direct expenses) to trade and industry (before deducting any depreciation allowance or reserves or taxes Rs.....
3.The profit of shares or participations in partnership or subordinate capital, before deducting any depreciation or reserve or taxes Rs.....
4.Incomes and rentals from real estate, less expenses of debt and any other direct expenses, but not depreciation or reserves or taxes. Rs.....
5.Realized capital gain on sales of stocks and bonds and the like Rs....
Total of zakatable amount (Add 1 though x 5) Rs..... (-) Less any payments already made toward Zakat Rs.....
Net balance due Rs...... And, finally, it will meet the requirements of both the government and the subscribers and, above all, that of Nisab-i-Zakat as enshrined in our religion.
HAJI HAMID ALI QURESHI
Karachi
Army's perks and privileges
A group of politicians has launched a campaign against the army by negatively projecting issues like the establishment of new cantonments in Balochistan, the perks and privileges of the men in uniform and their re-employment in civilian jobs.
Let us take a realistic view of the problem. Army men are the guardians of our frontiers, a role they perform at the peril of their lives. Like other human beings they have to live somewhere, so cantonments are established to locate military units, men and their armaments with no bar on the entry of civilians. Since the cantonments are better organized and maintained than civil colonies, the civilians feel more comfortable and secure living there.
As for perks and privileges, the pay scales of army men are almost equal to those of civil servants. The nature of their duty is so tough that our civil friends cannot even dream of it.
During my service in the army, I spent around seven years on border duties starting from the snow-clad mountains of Azad Kashmir to the marshy frontiers of East Pakistan, the sand dunes of Sindh and the sensitive borders of Lahore. While the civilians sleep, their brothers in uniform are out either guarding the frontiers or camping for tactical exercises.
No doubt, the army looks after its officers by allotting some of them residential plots on retirement. But these plots are given almost at the market price with the only concession that payment is made in instalments.
The most burning question is about the re-employment of retired officers in the civil. I want to clarify that most army officers retire at the age of 45-50 when their children are of school age. The pension that they receive is not enough to pay even utility bills. Like the civilians, do they not have the right to serve till 60?
RAFI NASIM
Lahore
The Sialkot carnage
The news of a bomb blast at Zainabya Masjid, Sialkot, where over 30 people were killed and numerous others injured, is saddening. Every time there is a bomb blast, suicidal or otherwise, targeting common citizens or VIPs, people at the helm of affairs beef up security.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said security has been tightened all over the country. Should one assume that there will be no more bomb blasts in any part of the country?
Security was also strengthened after an assassination attempt was made on the Commander 5 Corps in Clifton, Karachi, a few months back and again when an assassination attempt was made on prime minister-designate Shaukat Aziz in Attock in August.
Security was also beefed up after car bomb blasts outside the Pakistan-American Cultural Centre, Karachi, and the blasts in two Karachi mosques in May when over 60 people died.
According to the data compiled by Dawn (June 9), as many as 1,110 casualties in about 140 blasts in the Karachi metropolis alone have been reported since 1990. Invariably, after each disaster, the local administration and the police were directed to arrest the culprits in the next 36 hours - these sermons have become a stale joke. Where is the critical morality of government functionaries?
US President Harry S. Truman had a simple message on his desk: "The buck stops here."
LT-COL (retd) SYED AHMED
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Medical universities
This refers to the debate that has been going on in these columns for the past four months about the medical universities in Pakistan. Since I was associated with medical education for more than 25 years, I would like to place the following facts on record:
- The medical universities established in Punjab and Sindh are under provincial legislation for which the provincial governments are competent under the Constitution.
However, professional organizations such as the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) should have been consulted before taking any decision in this regard.
- The authorities in the provincial governments should take extra precautions before affiliating old medical colleges with these new universities. The first few batches of medical graduates of the Nishtar Medical College, Multan, and the Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, were not recognized by the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom after their disaffiliation from the University of Punjab and affiliation with new universities such as the Bahauddin Zakaria University and the Islamia University.
All such graduates suffered an irreparable loss because they could not do specialization abroad. The PMDC had to make strenuous efforts for subsequently getting the qualifications of new universities recognized abroad.
- The PMDC as far back as 1993 unanimously recommended to the federal government to establish a national university of medical sciences as a centre of excellence which would be responsible for postgraduate medical education and research.
- The then federal minister of health also announced upgradation of Karachi's Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre to a university in accordance with the recommendations of the PMDC, but it could not be done due to bureaucratic red tape
In view of the above, I propose that a high-level commission should be set up by the federal government to study the feasibility and working of the medical universities.
A national university of medical sciences should be established for postgraduate medical and dental education and research. All postgraduate medical institutions should be affiliated with the national medical university.
SYED EHTRAM ALI
Former secretary, Pakistan Medical & Dental Council, Karachi
Readers Club
It has come as a shock that the National Book Foundation, a subsidiary of the ministry of education, has decided to close down the Readers Club. Members of this club which is open to all citizens could purchase books of their choice from the approved panel of booksellers by availing themselves of 50 per cent discount. A member could purchase books worth Rs 2,000 during a financial year.
In this age when the cost of books is very high this scheme was having a salutary effect in promoting reading habits. The few libraries that are left are poorly managed and their condition, to say the least, is pathetic.
Poor students were the major beneficiaries of the Readers Club. Now, instead of promoting such a scheme, the government has decided to close it down. This is a retrogressive step, which shows how far people at the helm are interested in developing reading habits among the people.
One would like to know the rationale behind the ministry's decision and at the same time recommend that this scheme should be restored with immediate effect.
ASIF JAMSHAID
Lahore
The uniform controversy
Mr Rafi Adamjee (Oct 1) makes light of the democratic process in parliament. For the democrats, the issue of the uniform is of the utmost importance. One cannot claim our parliament to be democratic if this issue is left alone. However, Mr Adamjee forgets that nobody is stopping the treasury benches to bring forth much needed legislation as well as abolition of the draconian Hudood laws.
Yet they choose to spend treasury time in trying to pass resolutions mandating General Pervez Musharraf to retain the offices of president and military chief.
NASRULLAH KHAN MOGHAL
Manchester, UK
Fishy trail
In response to Mr Mumtaz's letter "Fishy trail" (Sept 25), I should like to put the record straight. It wasn't the Karachi administrator who banned trash fish trucks from Mai Kolachi.
Actually, it was the administration of FCS, while I was chairman, FCS/KFHA, which made it mandatory for all vehicles transporting rotten fish from the Karachi Fish Harbour to carry the material in water tight containers.
I used to personally inspect all such vehicles to ensure that they were complying with our regulations. I had even cancelled licences of transporters who were not complying with our instructions.
COM (retd) S.T. NAQVI
Ex-chairman, KFHA/FCS, Karachi
Appeal to PCB
We are astonished to learn from newspaper reports that the Sui Northern Cricket Club has been stopped from playing in PCB Patron's Trophy Grade-I. The overall performance of the club, however, is outstanding.
In last year's qualifying round, not only did it top the group but it also defeated Habib Bank Limited Cricket Club by an innings and the Allied Bank Limited Cricket team by scoring a first innings lead.
However, in four-day matches, the performance of the Sui Northern Cricket Club was not so good as rain loomed and uncertainty in performance was but natural. In one-day matches, it could achieve the second best position in the group in that rainy season.
The Habib Bank and National Bank cricket teams were dropped by the PCB in the qualifying round of the Patron's Trophy Tournament due to poor performance. They made an appeal on the grounds that if they were not allowed to participate in Grade-I matches by the PCB, their players would become jobless as bank managements would dispense with their services. The board considered their appeals sympathetically and their position to participate in Grade-I was restored.
If the Sui Northern Cricket Club is not allowed to play in PCB Patron's Trophy Grade-I, outstanding players might lose their jobs and those on stipend (expecting career terms) would get nothing but disappointment and frustration.
IQBAL AHMAD
Lahore
Request to Nadra
I join Ms Humaira Zahid (Dawn, Sept 26) in complaining about the non-receipt of National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis. My granddaughter, Zoha Khan Panezai, lives in the Republic of Ireland. An application was submitted on Dec 26 last year at the Nadra office, Sarwar Road, Lahore, and the computer number given was ZR 157231.
I made several visits to this office without any positive results. I request Nadra, Islamabad, to expedite issuance of NICOP to my granddaughter.
MUZAFFAR ALI
Lahore
Lights out
After 57 years of independence, the moment a few drops of rain fall, the business hub of Pakistan - Karachi - plunges into darkness. Thank you, KESC.
M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA
Karachi
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