| 28 November 2004 | Sunday | 15 Shawwal 1425 |
Is Benazir an exile?
US and ME peace process
Women in Muslim society
Emulate Turkey, Mr President
Ban on wedding meals
Rawal Lake development
'Peace and the bottom line'
Faraz family's eviction
Pay & pension
Rawalpindi Ring Road
Senior citizens
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The ideas on Kashmir mooted by President Musharraf relating to identification of demographic regions, joint Indo-Pakistan control, UN role and other options appear to have been motivated by the need to demonstrate flexibility in Pakistan's thinking and to assuage Indian resistance to division on religious grounds.
The debate proposed by the president could have served a useful purpose had India been receptive to any of these options. In the face, however, of the unaltered Indian stance, which remains as unrelenting as before, the proposed debate would in fact lead to more division and confusion in Pakistani ranks.
Pakistan had gone more than halfway in helping to launch the peace process, by abandoning in effect, though not formally, its traditional stand of linking any meaningful normalization of Indo-Pakistan relations with discernible progress on Kashmir. In spite of the exchange visits of hundreds of groups from all spheres of society, numerous CMBs and the completion of the first full round of the composite dialogue, the Indian response at the highest level reflects their traditional refusal to countenance any meaningful change in the status quo on Kashmir.
It is important to understand that the manifestations of friendship and goodwill by Indian civil society, generated by the peace process, are based, inter alia, on the Indian assumption that Pakistan has, in effect, reconciled itself to the status quo on Kashmir with marginal, face-saving changes. As India sees it (and as many in Pakistan do), the extent of fraternization and normalization now under way with Pakistan's acquiescence would in due course irresistibly push the Kashmir issue to the back-burner of public consciousness in Pakistan and elsewhere.
In the face of an unbroken succession of visits by cultural groups, businessmen, sports teams, youths of impressionable age and groups from other strata of society and the resulting creation of vested interests and changes in the atmospherics of popular relationships, how do the Pakistan authorities plan to handle the aftermath of a breakdown in negotiations over Kashmir? Human beings are not automatons; emotional responses and psychological adjustments cannot be manipulated and transformed at government will.
Lack of sensitivity to the priorities and responses, fears and concerns of others has been a sad feature of our thought process generally and of our policymaking record particularly. Elements in our public life who were brainwashed into believing that the opening of all doors by Pakistan would favourably influence India's stance on Kashmir should have been disillusioned by India's continuing inflexibility.
Fears in Pakistan for the outcome of the current process on Kashmir are not assuaged by the repeated assurances of Pakistan authorities that only a settlement which met the wishes of the Kashmiri people would be acceptable to Pakistan. For once the Kashmiris are convinced that the rapid ongoing process of normalization between India and Pakistan is irreversible; irrespective of what transpired on Kashmir, the Kashmiris may be left with no other option but to acquiesce in a deal which they would not have accepted otherwise.
Nothing written above is meant to detract from the importance of the peace process, for nothing is more important for India and Pakistan than economic and social development for which durable peace is indispensable. However in relations with India and on the issue of Kashmir, there is only one way that Pakistan can reconcile the dictates of realism with the demands of popular will and historical obligations.
This is by treating peace with India as indispensable but linking full normalization with India with discernible progress on Kashmir. It is by reaching a just settlement on the core issue that India can best protect the positive yield of the ongoing normalization process, set in motion with the courageous help of President Musharraf's government.
MAHDI MASUD
Karachi
Is Benazir an exile?
Accusing Ms Benazir Bhutto of "distorting facts based on a plethora of evidence against her", Professor Mukhtar Ali Naqvi (Nov 26) says that Ms Bhutto was not an exile but a fugitive from law. Neither the "plethora of evidence" nor the backdated Bhutto-specific laws, nor the handpicked accountability courts, however, could convict her in any case in the last eight years.
A high court judge trying Ms Bhutto sentenced her to five years in jail. But when the matter went up in appeal, the Supreme Court found that the "plethora of evidence" was not against Ms Bhutto but against the government. Remember the tape of secret nightly conversations between the judge and the then accountability czar, Saifur Rehman?
When the Supreme Court found that "bias of the trial judge floated on the surface of the record" and refused to uphold conviction, both the trial judge and his chief justice quit the bench,
Fugitive from law?
The Orlando professor admits that Ms Bhutto left the country with the permission of the court. But contrary to what he says, she was given permission on the condition that she would be duly represented in the courts. That condition has been honoured in letter in spirit. She has been present in court through her counsel on every hearing. She decided to stay abroad when it became clear that her tormentors were bent upon manipulating the judiciary and judicial processes to load the dice against her.
The legal process was perverted when a Bhutto-specific law was made to convict a person for not appearing in person before a court. To make it applicable to her the law was back-dated.
Ms Bhutto is not a fugitive from law. Instead the law has been perverted to chase, hound and torture her and force her to seek refuge from it in exile. She has not claimed "immunity (from facing judicial process) on the basis of status or fame". She is suffering because prosecutors and her tormentors envy her "status and fame".
SENATOR FARHATULLAH BABAR
Islamabad
US and ME peace process
The time has come for the United States to get serious about resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. The reason I emphasize the United States is very obvious. It is still the only country that could produce peace in the region.
Peace must take place now or "soon there will be no option of a two-state solution". This view was expressed by none other than Zbigniew Brzezinski, former US national security adviser, in a recent lecture on America's role in the world. It has nothing to do with Yasser Arafat being alive or dead, but based on what should be American strategy for peace and security.
When Mr Brzezinski says something, one ought to listen: "We will not turn the Middle East into a zone of peace instead of a zone of violence unless we more clearly identify the United States with the pursuit of peace in the Israeli/Palestinian relationship. Palestinian terrorism has to be rejected and condemned, yes. But it should not be translated de facto into a policy of support for a really increasingly brutal repression, colonial settlements and a new wall.
Let us not kid ourselves. Soon there will be no option of a two-state solution. Soon the reality of the settlements which are colonial fortifications on the hill with swimming pools next to favelas below where there's no drinking water and where the population is 50 per cent unemployed, there will be no opportunity for a two-state solution with a wall that cuts up the West Bank even more and creates more human suffering.
Indeed as some Israelis have lately pointed out, and I emphasize some Israelis have lately pointed out, the only prospect if this continues is Israel becoming increasingly like apartheid South Africa - the minority dominating the majority, locked in a conflict from which there is no extraction. If we want to prevent this the United States above all else must identify itself with peace and help those who are the majority in Israel/Palestine, who want peace and are prepared to accept peace."
KHURRAM HANEEF
New Jersey, USA
Women in Muslim society
The article "Women in Muslim society" (Nov 21) by Prof Anwar Syed regarding the history of woman's status in different societies and in Islam was a thought-provoking read.
Many religious concepts have been distorted and amended by people who consider themselves the sole authority to do so. Society being dynamic, many accepted concepts were to be reinterpreted in the light of new knowledge. Unfortunately, this did not happen owing to some reasons. One of the reasons is that the Muslims left ijtihaad and took to taqleed.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a scholar of Islam, has called taqleed an epidemic that caught Islamic society after three-and-a-half centuries of the death of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
The founders of the so-called schools of Islamic thought themselves said that their interpretation of things was simply dependent on the existing conditions and if those conditions changed, their judgments would no longer remain valid.
Chauvinist men have interpreted many Quranic concepts with regard to women in a cultural context and, unfortunately, this continues to date. Islamic schools are still dominated by scholars who lack modern knowledge and base their judgment on outdated concepts and consider themselves the sole authority in this regard.
There is need of a body of Islamic scholars equipped with modern knowledge to guide the Ummah out of this predicament and confusion.
SHAKEEL NIZAMANI
Toronto, Canada
Emulate Turkey, Mr President
President Musharraf, having spent his early childhood in Turkey, talks about emulating that country whenever he is asked about his vision for the future of Pakistan. Some changes have recently taken place in Turkey. Secular feminists groups and the religious affairs directorate of the country have begun a joint education project that involves training 3,000 state employed female preachers to propagate women's education and also publicizing recent changes in Turkey's penal code.
The Turkish parliament reformed the country's penal code. Changes include stiffer penalties for assaults on women, rape in marriage recognized as a crime, life term for perpetrators of "honour killings", jail term for sexual molestation of children, trafficking in human organs and pollution of the environment, tougher measures against perpetrators of torture, corruption in government to be tackled and dropping of the proposal to criminalize adultery.
Gen Musharraf should make Pakistan a secular state where all citizens enjoy the same rights. After all, that is what Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan wanted. Hopefully their message still carries weight in today's Pakistan.
FARANGMEHER GHADIALI
Dallas, Texas, USA
Ban on wedding meals
I have been following the comments made by readers on the ban on wedding meals by the Supreme Court. It is interesting to note that in keeping with tradition and a herd mentality, some people have expressed their support for the ban. Only a few have expressed their concern over this ban.
How do we define what is wasteful? Some consider importing expensive bullet-proof cars, state functionaries taking planeloads of relatives and friends for Umrah and foreign junkets and huge perks and privileges for bureaucrats, MNAs and MPAs - all with the taxpayer's money - as wasteful.
Is celebration of a wedding at your own cost wasteful? It can be when those who endorse the ban are the very ones who break it, and when in the privacy of their large homes they call hundreds of people for dinner.
As a nation we do not have much to celebrate, so don't take away our small pleasures. There are far more important matters to be considered. For instance, a multiplying population, the poor state of education, drought conditions, a sense of frustration among those who seek justice and get none and this despite access-to-justice promises, and rising inflation (at the rate poultry prices and those of onions/potatoes and tomatoes are rising, we automatically will cut down on food at our tables, leave alone at weddings).
What of the citizen's rights and civil liberties? Should legislation be put in place for the sake of legislation?
What did the legislation on the graduation condition for MNAs/MPAs achieve except more people buying degrees, or the sidelining of those who wanted to serve the people and who had better rapport with them but no degrees? And too bad that we are a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Rights, including the right to political participation.
Imagine what the poor whom we are so concerned about would feel when watching a wedding function on a 4,000-yard plot, with food served to hundreds of people. Won't this spread hatred for a system that allows the rich to get away with what they like? Bribery will increase as persons charged with enforcing this law will have their palms greased by those who will have wedding feasts despite the law.
I completely endorse the views expressed by Mr Shabbir Hussain (letter, Nov 24) and would also request a review of the decision.
NUR ALA NUR
Karachi
Rawal Lake development
I am surprised to read in Dawn (Nov 25) how indifferent the CDA appears to be regarding the environmental impact of proposed development projects in the capital in general and around Rawal Lake in particular.
No city and no country can progress without development, but this does not mean that the CDA should bulldoze all sorts of development projects through, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas like lakes, hills and national parks, without seriously considering the environmental impact of these projects.
In fact, the CDA should consult environmental agencies and consider their advice on the proposed projects before inviting investors in. All should be agreed on whether a project is environmentally feasible at all or whether the environmental impact of it can be reduced through the adoption of various measures. Thereafter, the CDA, environmental agencies and foreign investors should work in cooperation to ensure that the impact of completed projects on the environment is minimal.
AISHA RIAZ
Islamabad
'Peace and the bottom line'
This refers to Col Safir's response t(Nov 25) to Mr Irfan Husain's article "Peace and the bottom line" (Nov 13).
The question is: why should plots be dished out to army officers in the first place? Provincial governments are crying foul that large tracts of land are forcibly bought by armed forces at throwaway prices and allotted to our officers.
How come no such plots are allotted to civilian government? How come the cushiest civilian jobs are occupied by armed forces personnel? Col Safir and our other valiant officers joined the army out of patriotism, for which they are paid handsomely, and they should strive to defend the sacred homeland.
DR JAMAAL NASIR MEMON
Karachi
Faraz family's eviction
This refers to the news items "Ahmad Faraz forcibly evicted" and "Eviction of poet's family condemned" (Nov 24).
Ahmad Faraz is regarded as a living legend and one of the most admired literary persons and poets of our times. It is sad that this type of treatment was meted out to his family while he was not even present in the country.
There are ways and means to tackle situations like this and one should have exercised caution before going to the extent of forcing the poet's family out of the house, with their belongings thrown out. Those responsible should apologize to Mr Faraz for this unwarranted action.
ANAS A. KHAN
Edmonton, AB., Canada
Pay & pension
On account of the ever-increasing cost of living, as well as due to Ramazan and Eidul Fitr spending, government servants and pensioners are facing hardship in making ends meet.
The prime minister has already set up a pay and pension commission and agreed to granting interim relief. I request that government servants and pensioners who are in need of financial support will be provided with some relief by the commission.
G. RAZA
Karachi
Rawalpindi Ring Road
A survey for the 28-km-long Rawalpindi Ring Road has been completed. The city government is planning to seek proposals for its construction on a BOT basis (Dawn, Nov 19)
Ring roads are urban roads meant for collecting and distributing intra-city traffic to relieve city roads from unnecessary congestion. They should not be confused with bypass roads, which are inter-city roads meant to bypass a city. Access to the ring road should be allowed only at junctions. To serve the adjoining properties, two-lane service roads would be required on either side of the ring road.
It is also necessary to determine and notify a building line for permitting the future construction at a certain distance from the right of way. A minimum of 20 feet is suggested so as to allow parking of vehicles and other commercial activities inside the individuals' properties.
It is possible to construct a ring road on a BOT basis, but it would be too cumbersome to make it a toll road because of heavy city traffic. It may be more advisable to acquire additional areas at junctions, which the developers should develop as opportunity areas (gas and petrol stations, departmental stores, offices and shops, fruit and vegetable markets, workshops, etc).
The developers should retain their income for 20-25 years and return the property to the city government after the lapse of the lease period. This would be a permanent asset that would enable the city government to maintain the ring road and meet other municipal obligations.
FAQIR AHMED PARACHA
Peshawar
Senior citizens
Senior citizens were disappointed that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in his broadcast to the nation had no words of cheer or hope for them. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, during his last days in office as prime minister, was reported to have passed some orders, giving some benefits and concessions to Pakistan's senior citizens. But so far nothing about these beneficial measures for senior citizens has surfaced in the press.
Senior citizens expect that the prime minister will not forget them as they comprise more than seven per cent of the country's population. Their number is increasing every year. Even the president and the prime minister may join the ranks of senior citizens in the not-too-distant future. No human being can escape the ageing process.
QUTUBUDDIN AZIZ
Karachi
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