| 11 November 2004 | Thursday | 27 Ramazan 1425 |
Kashmir proposals
Post-Arafat scenario
Delhi sojourn
Flight schedules
'Shallow ostentation'
Erosion of provincial autonomy
Civilian death toll in Iraq
Military spending
Parking fee mafia
Karachi tramway
Access to justice
Snake-bite cases
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A number of protesting fishermen were illegally picked up, beaten and kept in solitary confinement for many days by the Rangers. Their fishing nets and boats have also been confiscated. It is reported that some Thar Rangers personnel in civilian clothes stormed into Bakhsh Ali Malah village in Badin and tortured the villagers, seriously injuring two women, Ms Chagul and Ms Janaat Malah. The villagers caught the trespassers and handed them over to the Kadhan police.
Later the higher authorities of Rangers reached the police station and forcibly got a case registered against the villagers, leading to the arrest of four of them.
These villagers live in extreme poverty. With an agro-economy, the other means of income for the people of Badin is fisheries. For centuries the fishermen have been earning their livelihood through fishing in the surrounding coastal lakes. The Rangers have been given control over these lakes, affecting the fishermen's traditional means of income.
Their miseries started in 1977 when Ziaul Haq took over. Then a border force of the Thar Rangers requested the Sindh government to hand over a coastal lake to them, ostensibly to provide food to the jawans deputed at the border checkposts by catching fish from the lake.
This wrong precedent gave the Thar Rangers a carte blanche to illegally occupy a number of other major and minor lakes. In the name of security they declared it a "restricted area", reasoning that it is on the coastline shared with India. The Rangers awarded exclusive fishing rights of those lakes to their contractors. Only this year the auctioning of these water areas has brought them Rs32.5 million. Out of this they pay 35 per cent to the provincial government, five per cent to the development of the local area, and the remaining 60 per cent they keep for themselves.
Such is the extent of exploitation that big shrimps sold in Karachi at Rs300 per kg are forcibly acquired by contractors at Rs15 to Rs20. Rangers checkposts at the entrance points of the lakes help to prevent fishermen from selling their catch at higher prices to anyone else.
The need of the hour is to hold an immediate judicial inquiry to do justice in the matter while the provincial government must re-establish its writ over the coastal lakes of Badin and provide relief to the poor people by restoring their due fishing rights.
FAUZIA WAHAB
MNA and Central Coordinator, PPP Human Rights Cell, Karachi
Kashmir proposals
This refers to the call by President Musharraf to find possible solutions to the festering Kashmir issue. I wish he had refrained from such requests because nobody can offer any solution to this problem except India. I believe Pakistan will have to show much patience to win over Indian hearts and minds because this is going to be a difficult situation for them. In fact, it will probably be impossible for India to agree to any solution in a short time. India has many internal problems and surrendering any territory to the Kashmiris or Pakistan may cause other states in the Indian federation to ask for self-autonomy or independence. The question is: how can we make India implement UN resolutions on Kashmir?
Over the years Pakistan has agreed to talk about Kashmir as a bilateral issue, and Indians using better diplomatic skills have convinced the international community that Kashmir is a bilateral issue. Simply put, India can keep talking to us for decades without actually agreeing to anything. Even the US pressure recently exerted on both countries does not stipulate a solution; it only facilitates talks. These talks must be result-oriented. When India melts a little, there must be a roadmap for Kashmir.
Pakistan has done much to build good relations with India and has stopped militants from operating from Pakistani territory. The only thing that needs to worked out is how a plebiscite can be held. It is about time both sides showed political maturity. Kashmir will need to be independent if this matter is to be solved politically as giving up territory to Pakistan will not be acceptable to the Indians.
At this stage it may be better for both governments to ease travel requirements of Kashmiris and give them a chance to mix freely whilst both countries hold on to the areas under their occupation. Within five years, as life improves for the Kashmiris and both nations get used to the idea of a free Kashmir, they can implement the UN resolutions.
One way or another this stalemate must end, and India must wake up to the reality that it cannot imprison 12 million Kashmiri Muslims.
ZAFAR RAJA
London, UK
Post-Arafat scenario
For all his faults, Yasser Arafat remains a figure beloved by many Palestinians, even though the institutions he has governed almost single-handedly since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority have fallen into disarray.
The chances of reforming Palestinian decision-making institutions in the immediate aftermath of Arafat's demise are almost nonexistent as is a resumption of meaningful peace talks with Israel.
Arafat, after all, is president of the Palestinian Authority, the head of the Fatah faction and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization - three key institutions. It would be wrong to assume that Arafat will automatically be succeeded by a member of the political elite because there are very real questions as to whether this elite can survive his absence.
Israel's heavy-handed military actions to suppress the four-year-old intifada have left most Palestinian institutions literally in ruins, particularly the security forces which are incapable of imposing any order. The decentralization of authority caused by the loss of Palestinian Authority control and continued Israeli aggression have played into the hands of organized Islamist groups such as Hamas. It has also given rise to local military power brokers whose political ambitions could be unshackled with Arafat's departure.
The new leadership "will be highly challenged all the time and it will be a weak one," predicts Yazid Sayegh, a Palestinian political strategist, based at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
Analysts believe that it may well be the case that Arafat takes the two-state settlement, what is left of it, with him.
PROFESSOR (DR) P. NASIR
Gujrat
Delhi sojourn
People-to-people contact is vital to restoring peace between neighbourly states like India and Pakistan, which have been in a state of war for most of their 57 years of independence.
We have had visits by prominent Indian politicians both from the opposition and the ruling party to Pakistan. While all of them were vocal on the need to restore peace, none of them ventured to deviate from the official Indian stance on Kashmir.
Prior to Mr Altaf Hussain's visit, members of the federal cabinet belonging to the MQM called him a representative and ambassador of the people of Pakistan. But he represents only the MQM and those who support him.
He considered it appropriate to say in India that "the Line of Control could well be used as the basis to begin negotiations by virtue of being a ground reality, which has existed for the past three decades."
He considered it appropriate not to mention the innumerable human rights violations, rape and murder perpetrated upon innocent Kashmiris by the occupying Indian army for over five decades.
I hold Mr Altaf Hussain in esteem, because he enjoys the political support of some of my brethren. But the ground reality is that Pakistan is here to exist. It has been here for the last over 57 years, in spite of the tragedy of 1971, which was because we did not allow the democratic process to proceed.
MALLICK TARIQ
Lahore
Flight schedules
My family travelled from Canada to England where, after a stay of two days, they were booked to travel by PIA from Manchester to Islamabad by PK702. My family was in for a rude shock as PIA had cancelled the flight.
The PIA staff on duty could not offer any sensible explanation. They thought it might have been done for extra Umra flights or the non-availability of aircraft.
I think it is terrible for an airline to pay compensation for denied boarding to passengers holding confirmed seats and cancel a schedule flight to run unscheduled Umra flights. Does the airline understand that once you lose your credibility, you not only lose your passengers but also discourage others who intend to travel?
We have short vacation and every hour is precious for us. These uncalled-for disruptions have a major impact on our planned vacation. Mere payment of compensation does not resolve the issue. We want to spend time with our folks back home, instead of wasting it, waiting to catch the next available flight.
TAHIR H. KHAN
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
'Shallow ostentation'
This is with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court restoring the ban on wedding meals and other wedding extravaganzas. As an ordinary citizen I am glad that such a step has been taken, but as a student of law I am disturbed as laws are being enacted which curtail the freedom of an individual to make decisions for himself.
There are certain sovereign powers of each state, which are vaguely termed as police powers which relate to the safety, health, morals and general welfare of the public. But there is a limit to the valid exercise of the police powers by the state. It needs to be realized that changes in a society should not always be brought through the force of law but through other means such as creating awareness among the people. The reason for this is that there is an apprehension that every government will try to impose its perspective of life on the citizens. For instance, I fear for the day where religious parties are able to acquire majority seats in parliament and start to enact laws to regulate the lives of every individual.
It is hoped that the government will try to convince people rather than compel them to do what they think is the right thing to do.
ANIL KHAN LUNI
Karachi
Erosion of provincial autonomy
The Khan of Kalat is right in complaining about the gradual erosion of provincial autonomy ("Baloch to go to any lengths for rights, Khan of Kalat", Dawn Nov 8).
Instead of transferring the subjects in the concurrent list to the provinces, as was promised at the time of the framing of the 1973 Constitution, successive governments have taken away even constitutionally guaranteed autonomy from the provinces.
The latest assault has come in the shape of the 17th Amendment placing the subjects of local government and police (both provincial subjects under the Constitution) in the sixth schedule, which means that no province can make amendments without prior approval of the president.
Two basic subjects belonging to the provinces have thus been taken away from them and placed in the hands of an individual, i.e., the president.
The cooperative societies are another domain of the provinces under the Constitution. Yet some time back, the Lahore Cantonment Cooperative Housing Society was taken over by the federal government by issuing President's Order 26 of 2002.
To obviate the legal challenge to this unconstitutional take over, this order, too, has been indemnified in the 17th Amendment.
Similarly, under the Constitution, it is the right of the provinces to levy and collect tax on urban immovable property, including in the cantonment areas, a right exercised by them through the Urban Immovable Property Tax Act. This right was also withdrawn when the federal government stopped the provinces from levying property tax in the cantonments, saying that all lands in the cantonments belonged to the federal government and therefore the provinces had no right to levy taxes.
Although the Supreme Court rejected the contention of the federal government, Gen Zia circumvented the judicial order by promulgating Presidential Order 13 of 1979 under which not only property tax but also entertainment duty (another provincial subject) were taken away from the provinces.
At the time of the lifting of martial law in 1985, Presidential Order 13 was indemnified under the seventh schedule, which means that it can be amended only in the manner of a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority.
So, the Khan of Kalat is right in saying that provincial autonomy has been eroded chip by chip.
SENATOR FARHATULLAH BABAR
Islamabad
Civilian death toll in Iraq
The British medical journal Lancet, using credible methodology, has reported that more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians, mostly women and children, have so far been killed since the US-led invasion. Now some references:
- "The Pentagon will not count how many Iraqi civilians were victims of the US war against Iraq" (Dawn, April 17, 2003).
- "A few days after the US had bombarded Afghanistan in which every third house was destroyed, Donald Rumsfeld said: 'It would be a wonderful thing if Iraq were similar to Afghanistan' (Dawn, April 3, 2003)."
- "Just after Gulf War I, Colin Powell, replying to a query by a reporter about the Iraqi civilian death toll, said: 'Such numbers do not interest me' (Dawn, March 15, 2003)."
- "America produces more serial killers and mass murderers than any other nation on earth," so writes Elliot Leyton in his book Hunting Humans.
Z. A. KAZMI
Karachi
Military spending
Further to the article "Rising military spending and its causes" (Economic and Business Review, Nov 8) by Mehmood-ul-Hassan Khan, I would like Dawn readers to note that India spends $16 billion on its one million army, the average per soldier being $16,000 per year. This includes expenditure on war equipment imports. Pakistan spends $2.5 billion on its half a million army. The average comes to $5,000 per soldier per annum.
Comparing the above figures, Pakistan appears to be running one of the lowest-cost army operation in the world. Yet there is so much hue and cry about defence expenditure in the country. There is a worldwide campaign to brainwash Pakistanis into believing that their government is spending too much on the army. They would be well advised to ascertain other countries' defence budgets, and benefits and facilities that other nations are providing to their soldiers and armed forces officers.
HUMAYUN ZAFAR
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Parking fee mafia
The elimination of parking fee by the Karachi city district government was a welcome decision. However, citizens are still harassed at various places by a parking fee mafia in the name of cantonment boards, especially in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
It seems that there are multiple governments in the city: federal, provincial, city and cantonment. The justification for parking charges in downtown areas may be acceptable, but if you have to pay a parking fee even outside grocery stores, dry cleaner shops or hair dressing saloons, it is unacceptable. With more and more people crowding city bazaars for Eid shopping, the mafia has now even started charging parking fees after midnight.
I request the city government and the cantonment authorities to immediately bring this practice to an end.
MOINUDDIN
Karachi
Karachi tramway
Reading Dawn's special feature "Karachi: remembrance of things past" (Oct 9), my eyes went in search of the Karachi tramway.
I arrived in Karachi in October 1947 to join the Press Information Department and had an unforgettable experience of travelling on the tramway from one end to the other of the beloved and fascinating city. The tramway provided access to most parts of the city, namely, Cantonment Station, Soldier Bazaar, Bundar Road, Bolton Marketand Kemari. The one-way fare was five paisa only.
In the 50s, Karachi was a haven of peace and comfort. Cars and buses were few and far between. People of all classes - men, women and children - travelled safely in the tramway up to midnight.
Then descended hordes of looters and plunderers on Karachi. With them came bus owners who bribed the rulers and with the political influence thus acquired prevailed upon them not to renew the licence of the tramway on spurious grounds.
And one day the trams ceased rumbling and Karachi lost the distinction of the only city in Pakistan served by a tramway.
SYED AFZAAL HUSAIN ZAIDI
Islamabad
Access to justice
In your editorial (Nov 2) "Access to justice", no progress is visible at Karachi police stations. The SHO has been renamed TPO but the thana culture is very much there. Third-degree methods are in force without any fear and the accused can only get relief by greasing police palms. Reforms require elimination of the investigating officer who at present prepares the report and submits it to court and again takes remand for further investigation.
The accused should be produced before a court within 24 hours and the judicial officer of the court should directly inquire from the accused about the offence committed and then either enlarge the person on bail or send him to judicial custody. In this way inhuman treatment at the hands of the police can be overcome.
GHEEWALA A.G.M.
Karachi
Snake-bite cases
Every year thousands of people are bitten by snakes in Pakistan and it is sad to watch most of them die because serum against snake poison is not available in hospitals, especially in the interior.
Recently the district and sessions judge, Thatta, held the provincial health secretary and the central government (director of the National Institute of Health, Islamabad) equally responsible for the death of snake-bite victims. He said if antidotes were regularly supplied to the district hospitals, it could save lives (Dawn, Nov 3).
The government should pay heed to this issue and supply serum to hospitals, particularly in the districts of Tharparkar, Badin and Thatta.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
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