| 18 November 2004 | Thursday | 05 Shawwal 1425 |
State of real estate
Health insurance for pensioners
Plot balloting
Saving accident victims
NAB and political detainees
Upbringing children
Agriculture in Sindh & Balochistan
Garbage dumping
Bran bread
Islamiyat syllabus
Mukhataran Bibi's courage
'Conduct inhuman'
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This has reference to the article "The war on terror" by Minister of State for Interior Shehzad Waseem (Dawn, Oct 23). Talking about the anti-terror strategy recently elaborated by the president, he says efforts cannot alone meet the challenge of terrorism, and cooperation from the people is necessary.
There is no short-cut. The writer needs to rethink his opinion regarding the tarnishing of the image of Pakistan and Islam. My simple query: are not there many Christians who are modern but does anyone suggest that Christianity made them that way? Why us? Besides, our sectarian violence is not synonymous with the anti-terror war. It is centuries old and need not be associated with the ongoing terrorism. It needs a different approach for a solution.
For this, the US should avoid issuing statements about Muslims by their sectarian names like Saudi Wahabism, Shia majority areas, Sunni triangle and fundamentalist Islamic charities.
The writer has enlightened us with the anti-terror warriors' official and oft-repeated perception of terrorism. But no one should ignore what others are saying. Many western leaders have said the war on terror is meant to be a war on behalf of their civilized values. So, it may appear that western culture is the steam roller of the anti- terror war.
The CIA's senior terrorism analyst Michael Scheuer writes in his book Imperial Hubris: "US leaders refuse to accept the obvious - we are fighting a worldwide Islamic insurgency - not terrorism" and also "Osama is not a terrorist or a mad man but a skilled warrior and man of honour, courage and humility".
A western writer, whose name I don't recollect, writes: "Terrorism is like malaria and you do not get malaria eradicated by killing flying mosquitoes". These are some of the western intellectuals' approaches to the topic under discussion:
Why is war our only choice for dealing with Al Qaeda? Did not Yemen enter into negotiations and dialogue with Al Qaeda this year? In 1996, the US Senate passed a bill that provided funds for anti-terror measures (Dawn, 24.7.96). How come anti-terror became our baby?
9/11 has become the prime movers of all US actions. But why do many other nations appear to have followed in its footsteps? Al Qaeda groups are reportedly scattered in 60 countries but our share of the anti-terror burden appears to be more than their combined efforts, minus America's of course. How has this come about?
The International Institute of Strategic Studies has said: "Al Qaeda is a potent trans-national organization that could take a generation to dismantle" (Dawn, 20.5.03). This needs our rulers' attention.
The so-called terrorists - the Taliban and Al Qaeda - were US allies receiving millions of dollars as grants till May 2001. So, the US reaction to its 9/11 is the result of its policies. Will somebody light a candle rather than curse the darkness as there can be rarely any final solution to human affairs?
Z. A. KAZMI
Karachi
State of real estate
This has reference to Mr Kamal Siddiqi's article (Nov 10). We would like to add a few more reasons why localities like Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Bahadurabad, Society areas, especially PECHS, Sharfabad and Bahadurabad, have seen such a phenomenal rise in the cost of land.
This is because the present practice in the corridors of power is to allow unauthorized construction in every nook and cranny of the city that is under the city district government and other land-owning agencies, except the DHA where, relatively speaking, building laws are enforced.
The lease conditions of all plots in the PECHS, Bahadurabad and Sharfabad are being violated. On residential plots, flats are being built and sold at exorbitant prices.
In Bahadurabad and Sharfabad, illegal buildings of ground plus three extra floors are being built. No one is checking whether this is even safe. From the governor of Sindh down to Brig (retd) A. S. Nasir at the KBCA, everyone is aware of the situation but nothing is being done.
If any officer wishes to do something, he is transferred. If the citizens are willing and able to go to court, they do so or simply suffer and those who can afford it, eventually move away to the DHA.
Non-enforcement of law encourages speculators and builders to play havoc with the city and destroy the existing infrastructure, which is already on its last legs. If implementation of the law was high on the list of the government, builders and developers would be forced to develop new housing schemes. This state of affairs will continue unless the people rise up and demand implementation of rule of law.
Citizens are caught in a catch-22 situation. They are being chased out from the old developed areas of the city to the DHA which, in turn, to meet the demand for land, keeps on expanding through reclamation and more defence housing schemes which, in turn, deprive the 14 million citizens of Karachi of free open recreational spaces.
MRS AMBER ALIBHAI
General-secretary Shehri, Karachi
Health insurance for pensioners
In his article "Inflation and wages" (Dawn, Oct 28), Mr Sultan Ahmad has made certain useful suggestions to the pay and pension committee recently set up by the government to improve the lot of its employees and pensioners.
One of his suggestions relates to the medical treatment of employees through health insurance instead of government hospitals, as at present. Such a measure, according to him, is likely to result in large savings to the government.
The suggestion is worth consideration by the government, keeping in view the fact that the so-called free medical treatment at government hospitals does not suit the pensioners. It is a well-known fact that medicines are not available at government hospitals.
The pensioners are, therefore, obliged to buy medicines from their own pocket. The procedure for getting reimbursement of the expenses incurred by the pensioners on the purchase of medicines is lengthy and cumbersome.
The claim duly certified by the authorized medical attendant (itself a ticklish job) has to be filed by the pensioner with the department from where he had retired. In most cases, the claim is sent to the ministry of health at Islamabad for approval. Settlement takes considerable time.
Besides, in an emergency and at places where there is no government hospital, one has to rush to the nearest private hospital. The expenditure so incurred is not reimbursed by the government. The best course under the circumstances would be to arrange medical treatment of pensioners through a health insurance scheme.
SHAIKH KHURSHID HASAN
Karachi
Plot balloting
We, 5,000 or so victims of the SITE Superhighway Phase-2 plots scam, are still waiting for re-balloting by the chief secretary, government of Sindh, after cancellation of the earlier balloting by SITE officials. It is yet to be known as to what action has been taken against those involved.
It is learnt that previous ballot winners have approached the courts to have the balloting declared legal. Thus, the matter has become sub judice. Moreover, pay orders of our advance money (Rs300,000 each, amounting to about Rs1.5 billion) have been encashed by SITE Ltd, whereas re-balloting is nowhere in sight. It is now more than eight months since our money has been blocked.
It is, therefore, requested that the authorities concerned should request the relevant court to expedite disposal of this matter in public interest. SITE Ltd be directed to refund the earnest/advance money immediately to all applicants, without prejudice to their right to re-balloting in future. SITE Ltd is persuading us to get refunds without assurance of our participation in future balloting.
No new applicants should be entertained in the re-balloting process. If possible those involved (everybody from top to bottom) should be taken to task. The names of those winners who were the main beneficiaries of the earlier balloting should be excluded from the ensuing ballot.
ENGR SHAHID ALI BAIG
Karachi
Saving accident victims
Fatal accidents take place every day. Mostly, the injured die on the road due to loss of blood in the absence of any quick medical aid. People at the accident site, as well as passers by, are quite willing to shift the injured to a hospital but avoid doing so because of complex legal consequences.
The person carrying the injured is detained by the hospital authorities until the arrival of the police for interrogation. The police usually reach the hospital late and till that time no medical treatment is given to the injured person.
Some time the delay in the arrival of the police proves fatal for the injured person. Private hospitals also hesitate to accept such cases and the injured is referred to a government hospital. It is time the law in this regard was reviewed.
A positive step by the authorities can save the lives of many people. A person helping the injured should be given an assurance that no legal action would be taken against him. Moreover, the law in this regard be publicized in leading newspapers and be clearly displayed in all private and government hospitals.
SYED ASLAM MUJEEB
Karachi
NAB and political detainees
Mr Mushahid Hussain, secretary-general of the ruling party, deserves to be praised for telling the truth by publicly declaring Mr Asif Ali Zardari, Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani and Mr Javed Hashmi as political detainees.
It is beyond any iota of doubt that NAB, in addition to many other such organizations, is being used as a political agency by the rulers. It is also used by incompetent and corrupt junior officers against their senior colleagues in government to occupy or be promoted to senior positions which otherwise they could never get.
It is, therefore, the responsibility of the ruling political party, along with the opposition, to look into the NAB ordinance and revamp the organization so that it cannot be exploited by the vested interests for victimizing their opponents, political or otherwise.
ALI MOHAMMAD ANSARI
Karachi
Upbringing children
An irony is that some people who want children cannot have them, while others who have children do not want them. Parents may reject their children in many ways. Sometimes it is done openly and brutally as in case where infants are abandoned or where children are beaten or starved.
Usually the rejecting parents do not deliberately set out to make their children feel unwanted, but the end-result is the same. We see this happening in families where children are sent out on a round of boarding schools, military schools, and summer camps, with only an occasional stay at home, or where the care and training of children is turned over to nurses, servants, or relatives who provide the child with everything except parental love.
Few children are deceived by the form which rejection takes and the explanations offered for it. They sense the emotional undertones, the lack of intimate response, the frustration of their need to be loved and, in one way or another, react to these feelings.
Some children learn that it does no good to fight against feelings of being unwanted and they accept the situation passively, often with deep-seated feelings of worthlessness and defeat.
Most rejected children have been hurt and want to hurt back. Some parents rule their children with an iron hand in the belief that high standards must be set for a child and that he must be disciplined to work for them. Parental domination of this type usually results in child battering.
This is not an uncommon syndrome, but its etiology is quite frequently not appreciated because of the reluctance on the part of medical practitioners to accept assaults by parents on their children.
Such victims, not infrequently, present themselves with ribs and collar bone fractures, skull fractures, brain lacerations and long bone fractures. In some of the reported cases, death occurs due to associated head injuries, with intracranial blood collections.
Hopefully, child bashers can be recognized before a serious injury has taken place, but even with optimum care 15-20 per cent of the victims are beaten again.
There is a sensible way of treating children. Treat them as though they were young adults, let your behaviour always be objective. You must kiss them once on the forehead when they say good night.
Shake hands with them in the morning. Give them a pat on the head if they have made an extraordinary good job of a difficult task. Try it out. In a week's time you will find how easy it is to be perfectly objective with your child and at the same time kindly.
Ultimately, psychiatric, social and medical attention should be rendered to both child and parents.
DR AYAZ AZHAR SIDDIQUI
Karachi
Agriculture in Sindh & Balochistan
Water shortages have affected cultivation and growth of traditional crop plants in Sindh and Balochistan. Of the strategies to cope with the problem, a strategy to bring about a change in the germ plasma of crop plants on a pilot scale is worth considering.
The crop plants cultivated in West Asia and North Africa are acclimatized to dry weather condition. Those plants can be put to test in the ecological niche of south-west Pakistan.
The International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas of developing countries of the world caters to the improvement of crop and forage plants, farm water use efficiency and small ruminant production.
The agriculture research centre, with its secretariat in Washington DC, could sponsor a research programme in evaluating the performance of germ plasma from West Asia and North Africa in the part of Pakistan suffering from a water shortage, which has become an unending crisis.
DR M. JALALUDDIN
Adjunct Professor, B.S. Programme in Agriculture, University of Karachi
Garbage dumping
Karachi's EBM causeway, which was constructed on a self-help basis by the members of our association, has again become a site for the dumping of garbage by KMC trucks of the Jamshed Town committees.
We requested the area nazim on March 24 and June 21 to clear all garbage from both sides of the causeway to some other place, but he did not pay any heed to this. Ultimately we had to clear it ourselves at great cost. Now the dumping has begun again. We request the nazim to select some other point for disposal of waste.
MUHAMMAD SAEED JUMLANA
chairman, Causeway Committee, Korangi Association of Trade & Industry, Karachi
Bran bread
For the last couple of months, I have developed a pain in my stomach. On inquiry from a senior doctor, I told him that I had been using bran bread regularly for 10 years.
He asked me to get these loaves tested in a lab to ascertain whether they contain colour or dyes. I sent two known brands of bran bread for testing in a lab, and to my surprise and utter dismay the man in charge of the lab told me that both the loaves contained colour.
I would request the PCSIR and food department to check all brands of bran bread and take necessary steps in order to see that no colour additives are used in edible items.
S. M. A. RIZVI
Karachi
Islamiyat syllabus
I draw your attention to a gross inadequacy of the syllabus prescribed for Islamiyat of Class IX. The students, having no Arabic language background, are expected to translate some Quranic suras into English or Urdu. This is too much to expect from young minds.
It is also too much to expect that in a short span of 10 or so months a teacher will be able to teach students enough Arabic for them to be able to translate it into English or Urdu. This is only encouraging students to memorize translations and reproduce them by rote.
The Islamiyat syllabus prescribed for the O level is rational and of a high academic quality because a student is required to elaborate and comment on the substance and essence of the suras and the translation of suras both in English and Urdu is given in the question paper. Will the authorities save the students from depending on rote by designing the question paper on the pattern of the O level syllabus?
ARSLAN
Karachi
Mukhataran Bibi's courage
This refers to the article "Jirga injustice" by Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee (Nov 7). It was heartening to read the story of Mukhtaran Bibi's efforts to promote education in her village.
Her act is more commendable in view of the humiliation she had to endure. Instead of moaning and crying for the rest of her life, she took an initiative to make her fellow villagers enlightened.
Ignorance and illiteracy are the root causes of inhumane customs and traditions that are practised in the length and breadth of our land. Most of us, even the elite of our society, pay lip service to these issues. Hardly do we hear anyone questioning the status quo, let alone endeavouring to change it for the better.
Mukhtaran Bibi has shown us that if someone is willing to bring about a change, nothing can hamper it. An unfortunate part of this episode is that people from the US are pouring their hearts out to make her successful, but Pakistanis have not shown as much enthusiasm and support as is warranted by the situation.
MISBAH NOMANI
Karachi
'Conduct inhuman'
Your editorial 'Conduct inhuman' (Oct 21) reveals the basic fact that subordinates simply follow their seniors' commands. Whether it is the East Pakistan debacle, the Ojheri Camp explosion or the rounding up of people for violating the sanctity of Ramazan, it is the officer in charge who is responsible.
I am sure there are laws to deal with such erring officers, at every level, but who will have the guts to touch an officer? Progress demands constant improvement in action, and that is missing.
ALI HAQQANI
Karachi
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