| 26 November 2004 | Friday | 13 Shawwal 1425 |
Two-nation theory
Is Benazir an exile?
Asian MPs, Pakistan and Fiji
HEC's campaign
Change in political scenario
Definition of used car
Condoleezza Rice
Murder on the highways
Child rights: lip service
'The Divided States of America'
Mortgage housing
Misuse of cell phone cameras
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This is with reference to Mr Aslam Minhas's letter "Letting Musharraf do his job" (Nov 13) in response to my letter of Nov 12. I respect the opinion of the writer and at the outset affirm that ordinarily a military government is no substitute for a civilian government and that the ultimate salvation of the country lies in developed political institutions.
Further, no one is indispensable and change is vital for the balanced growth of a society. However, these are not ordinary times and some dispensation is required to meet the extraordinary demands of the times.
I regret to say that the writer has hastened to slam Gen Musharraf and criticized me without reading the full text of the letter that in major part dealt with restoration of the political system and attainment of national cohesion.
Since the publication of the letter, action on two of its recommendations has been initiated. These related to release of Asif Zardari and contact with Nawaz Sharif. Hopefully, the remaining suggestions pertaining to reaching out to Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain, a review of their cases, conversion of imprisonment into fine and holding of early elections will also be considered dispassionately.
As to the rationale for my recommendation that Gen Musharraf should be supported, the following facts may be examined. Investment growth in 2003-4 exceeded 22 per cent. Large-scale manufacture growth has registered a new 25-year record.
Foreign exchange reserves stand at $12 billion. The Karachi Stock Exchange has become the best performing exchange in the world. Domestic demand is growing constantly and markup rates are falling. More houses are being constructed and more cars, motorcycles and tractors are being purchased.
More machines are coming in and more products going out. These are not chance happenings but are indicators of growth for which credit must go to Gen Musharraf. Admitted that the trickle down effect of this growth is not yet visible at the grassroots level, but it will happen in due course.
As regards the army's support to Gen Musharraf, if he doffs his uniform, it will support him in his capacity as president of the country, the difference being that he will no longer remain a member of the decision-making body of the army which may introduce some time delay at the operational level. Civil authority can always requisition troops "in aid of civil power" if the situation so warrants.
To dispel some fears regarding dissension within the ranks, it is clarified that though the army outwardly is an autocratic institution, it is highly democratic within.
All issues are debated objectively by the formation commanders and the principal staff officers and dissenting opinions are accommodated wherever necessary. These decisions are accepted by all as army decisions and implemented without reservation. The COAS thus enjoys unstinted support of the army and presents its viewpoint before the government.
We should learn to draw a line between good and bad. If something good is happening to the country through whatever system, it must be applauded. A good political system after all must produce good results and if it does not, it must be replaced: it is a means to an end and not the end in itself. Empty slogans leading to bankruptcy and disintegration must be avoided.
LT-GEN (retd) S.M.H.BOKHARI
Rawalpindi
Two-nation theory
With reference to the correspondence on Mr Altaf Hussain's remarks on the two-nation theory, an occurrence stands imprinted in my memory. The year was 1982; it was only a decade after Bangladesh became an independent country.
In a stadium in Dhaka, a crowd of more than 50,000, most of them Bangladeshis, was watching a hockey match between India and Pakistan in the finals of the Asian Championships.
It was a match between the 'liberators' and the 'oppressors'. Nobody in India or Pakistan who saw that match on television will ever forget it. The crowd was raving mad for Pakistan.
I have never seen a more charged crowd. An advance towards the Pakistani goalposts by an Indian player was greeted with deathly silence. When a Pakistani player would advance towards the Indian goal, the excited crowd, all of it, would be yelling and supporting Pakistan.
At three goals each in the last stages of the match, Pakistan scored to take the winning lead. The goal was controversial and the Indians challenged it. The match was stopped temporarily and the matter taken up by the jury outside the field.
Everybody was waiting. I told my children that there was no chance of the goal being disallowed. They asked why. I said can't the jury see the blood in the eyes of the crowd? Can't they see that if this goal is disallowed, all hell will break loose?
After a short while the goal was allowed and Pakistan won. I hope Mr Altaf Hussain would get a videotape of the match and have a brief glimpse. During the 90s, I as the Pakistani member of the South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation set up by the Saarc heads of state visited Bangladesh on a number of occasions.
Once I went to a big mosque in Dhaka for offering Juma prayers. The crowd spotted me, guessed from my dress that I was from Pakistan and after confirming this started embracing me one after the other. The entire crowd wanted to embrace me. They had no information about my station in life.
I can only submit with the highest respect for Mr Altaf Hussain that whatever the circumstances, the two-nation theory was a fact of life. Blood is thicker than water.
SAFDAR HUSSAIN KAZMI
Islamabad
Is Benazir an exile?
Immediately after her husband was bailed out by the Supreme Court, Ms Benazir Bhutto repeated her demand that her exile come to an end and that she be permitted to come back to Pakistan. She is supposedly a national leader and it is only fair to expect her to be truthful and reasonable.
The lady and her supporters have been distorting facts that are based on a plethora of evidence about the charges she faces in several cases. It is a gross misstatement that she is living abroad as an exile; no one has banished her from the country and she has been staying abroad to avoid facing charges in law courts.
Ms Bhutto may be reminded that she was allowed to go abroad by a court of law on her undertaking that she would be back to answer the charges pending for violation of several laws.
She chose not to come back in breach of the undertaking that is on record of the trial court. Following this breach she was declared an absconder and non-bailable warrants for her arrest were issued. An absconder is not an exile.
Dawn readers must be aware of the PPP leader's repeated demands to be permitted to come back. There is no restriction on that imposed by any government agency. On the contrary, the trial court wants her to return and face prosecution and it is for this purpose that it issued warrants for her arrest.
All citizens are equal before the law and every transgressor has to face the process of law. To claim immunity on status, unfairly acquired wealth or fame is unacceptable. There cannot be two laws - one for the rich and famous and the other for the economically depressed, groaning under exploitation, oppression and deprivation.
Complaints that the courts are prejudiced against a particular individual cannot convince anyone. If there is prejudice, it is against the powerless whose agonized voices are not heard. Living abroad in luxury is not exile.
PROF MUKHTAR ALI NAQVI
Orlando, Fl., USA
Asian MPs, Pakistan and Fiji
In his letter "Asian MPs, Pakistan and Fiji" (Nov 21), Senator Farhatullah Babar contrasts the repeated success in Pakistan (to the dismay of pro-democracy elements) of the so-called doctrine of necessity in achieving judicial legitimacy for army takeovers with its failure in Fiji to secure the same results after a coup there in 2000.
The ruling by Justice Gates of the Fijian High Court ordering the army to relinquish illegally seized power was impressive as was subsequent confirmation by an appellate bench of the Fijian Supreme Court.
Obviously, the commitment to supremacy of the constitution exists at all levels of the Fijian judiciary, and this saved the day for the lucky people of Fiji, whose right to be governed by their elected representatives was temporarily taken away by a power-hungry military junta.
Having said the above, let me pause and ask the learned senator a question: in his opinion, what role did Pakistan's political parties play in the failure of the rule of law to take root in the country?
Hypothetically speaking, if tomorrow the PPP receives a phone call from Gen Musharraf offering the prime ministership to Ms Benazir Bhutto and consequently a cushy cabinet position to Mr Babar, I seriously doubt that they will decline the offer.
I am sure that the legal merit of this hypothetical move will not cross anyone's mind and will not be an issue (under the doctrine of necessity, any thing goes), and neither Ms Bhutto nor the senator will bring up Fiji until they are both out of power again.
SIDDIQUE MALIK
Louisville, KY, USA
HEC's campaign
The campaign by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) against the so-called illegal private educational institutions is hitting small stakeholders, investors and self-employed educationists, who are not only trying to make a decent livelihood but also sharing the burden of promoting education in the country.
These people, encouraged by the pro-education policies the government has introduced in recent years, have painstakingly arranged funding through family sources, financial institutions, leasing companies, etc., and started educational institutions of their own, but these have been now termed illegal by the HEC whose officials did not even bother to visit them before declaring them as illegal or sub-standard.
Many of these private institutions were set up even before the HEC was established in 2002. They all should have been given sufficient time to come up to the standards desired by the HEC.
Many big names in private educational institutions had started out as simple, humble set-ups which through the hard work and efficiency of the owners and their employees managed to become the degree-awarding institutions that they are today.
CONCERNED CITIZEN
Islamabad
Change in political scenario
The release of Mr Asif Zardari has given rise to speculation that a covert deal has finally been struck between the military and the PPP. Mr Zardari was no more than a bargaining chip.
The government was careful not to convict him and only wanted him confined in jail by delaying the cases pending against him. According to popular belief, the facilities provided to Mr Zardari in jail were every prisoner's dream.
The political deal between the PPP and the military (if it indeed exists) will be good for the country in the long run. The intelligence agencies ensured that the PPP and the PML-N were not able to form a majority in parliament. This was done through a carrot and stick approach.
Thus yesterday's accused became today's respectable politicians. It is an open secret that corruption cases against politicians were not proceeded with nor decisions awarded against them once they chose to be on the side of Gen Musharraf.
When he took over the country, he made an attempt to portray himself as a secular leader. But he realized that he had underestimated the power of religious parties and decided to change from a secular leader to an 'enlightened moderate' leader.
Religious parties gained a lot by the military takeover. They saw that as in the past the military would again need their support. They carefully played their cards, realizing that they could not openly endorse the military as they had come to power by delivering speeches against the military for its support to the US.
Gen Musharraf was also careful as he wanted to keep his distance from religious parties, especially after 9/11, but at the same time needed their support. Thus emerged a covert mullah-military alliance.
The religious parties gave their support to let Gen Musharraf wear his uniform till December in return for assurances that the general would take no steps to repeal laws such as the Hudood ordinances.
The 'compromise' between the PPP and the military has come as bad news for the religious parties as well as for the MQM. The latter also took advantage of the political vacuum created by the absence of the PPP and the PML-N and settled old scores.
What is unfortunate is that political developments in the country have no effect on the life of the common man. No matter which political party wins, he is always the loser. No wonder he has lost interest in politics. What is required is a revolution lead by ordinary citizens.
ANIL KHAN LUNI
Karachi
Definition of used car
Since the elected National Assembly passed the budget in June this year, no fewer than four SROs regarding duties on imported cars have come out from the Central Board of Revenue.
It seems that the gang of civil servants is stronger than our parliament. A relationship that is supposed to be complementary is instead antagonistic and in the process people are suffering.
Consider the SRO issued on Nov 20. There is no definition of a "used car" under this document. Hence even a month-old car can be called a "used car". Is this merely the incompetence of the Central Board of Revenue or, worse, some lobby is busy in Islamabad trying to run our automobile industry to the ground? In a country where land prices are soaring unnaturally, investment in the automobile sector should have been seen as a good sign, but for some weird reason the government does not agree.
Maybe the premium that our big shots and land magnets have to pay on their brand new cars, which isn't even a small fraction of their enormous wealth, has really offended the prime minister. After all, increasingly this government is of the rich, by the rich and for the rich.
YASSER LATIF HAMDANI
Lahore
Condoleezza Rice
How an exceptionally gifted black woman, growing up in Alabama in the defining period of the civil rights movement spearheaded by Martin Luther King during the 60s, can ally herself with the most right-wing junta on the planet - Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld - defies comprehension.
Ms Condoleezza Rice was a child prodigy. She could play the piano at the age of four. By the age of 26 she had secured her doctorate, and at the age of 39 became the provost of the elitist Stanford University.
Is this a background that leads one to wage war on poor nations and annihilate their innocent peoples? Is she repaying a debt of misplaced gratitude to the white benefactors who made it possible for her to transcend her humble origins and attain the loftiest heights of academic excellence?
ASAD SIDDIQI
Lahore
Murder on the highways
This is apropos of your editorial "Murder on the highways" (Nov 22). During my recent visit to Canada I learnt that the maximum speed limit on the highways in Toronto was 60km per hour and goes down to 50km per hour on city roads. This limit has not affected the economic life of the city.
Such a rule on speed limit, if strictly implemented in Karachi, will save many lives.
SALIM AKBAR
Karachi
Child rights: lip service
Senator Farhatullah Babar's letter (Nov 24) stating that children of two and three years are in jail must have come as a shock to many. I feel a squad should be created whose objective should be to thoroughly investigate the circumstances and situations in which juveniles commit crimes.
The squad must include psychologists and social environment experts. The psychology and circumstances of adults around juvenile prisoners should also be taken into account.
HUMAYUN ZAFAR
Toronto, Canada
'The Divided States of America'
In his letter (Nov 25), Mr S.G Jilanee has implied that I have borrowed ideas from Mr Simon Schama's article that appeared in The Guardian on Nov 5. I have neither seen nor read Mr Schama's article.
Most of my observations were fairly obvious to any analyst, and it is therefore not surprising that two writers in different parts of the world should draw the same conclusions from the recent US presidential election.
The relevance to Pakistan is equally clear. President Musharraf will be making a technical stopover in Washington on Dec 4 to congratulate President Bush on his success. Once upon a time, a simple letter would have sufficed.
F.S. AIJAZUDDIN
Via email
Mortgage housing
It is good news that finally several new sectors in Islamabad are being opened up. It is also good news that the quota system is being done away with in the balloting and allotment of plots and that plots as small as of three marlas are being offered.
The best news of all is that the government is introducing a mortgage housing system for the first time, which hopefully (like the car loan facility) will enable many people to buy their own homes.
However, I hope that the CDA will ensure that only those who are in need of housing will get plots in the new sectors rather than real estate speculators and investors both within and outside the capital.
It is only fair that those who have been living and working in Islamabad for years but who have been living in rented accommodation all along simply because of the sheer cost of buying a house should now finally be given the chance to get a humble abode of their own.
UMAR EJAZ
Islamabad
Misuse of cell phone cameras
Mobile phones with cameras are mainly used by unscrupulous elements to photograph women at public places. This act can be described as immoral, uncivilized and illegal, hence punishable under the law.
This type of secret photography carried out without the consent of a person may lead to serious consequences and, therefore, should not go unchecked. Will the authorities concerned act immediately to ban the import, sale and use of phone-cum-cameras in Pakistan before society is plagued with crime against women?
NASEER A. MALIK
Karachi
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