| 12 December 2004 | Sunday | 29 Shawwal 1425 |
'Looking away from the truth'
'Mysterious' agreement
Senior citizens
Sozo Park tragedy
The myth of water going to waste
Distrust in NAB
Time of turmoil
'A realistic approach'
BBC and militants
Girls not women
Official silence
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Some interesting views have been expressed by Mr Kuldip Nayar and Mr M. P. Bhandara in their recent columns and they both see light at the end of the tunnel as President Musharraf now does. The question is whether this light has suddenly appeared or it has been a long process of realization nudged along by a desire for peace by sensible-minded people on both sides of the divide.
India and Pakistan, which had remained boxed in so-called principled positions on the issue of Kashmir, have now realized the need to step out into a fast-changing world where freedom, learning and prosperity are more important and dogmatic views are changing into pragmatic solutions.
Fifty-seven years of hostility and tension, coupled with three wars, have left the subcontinent behind, and having tried and succeeded in following a new policy with China, India is anxious to try the same with Pakistan in its effort to achieve economic prosperity for its people.
With Kashmir as a part of the Indian Union in its constitution and declared as an integral and unalienable part of India by a resolution of parliament, India could not dare dream or think differently until now. On the other hand, Pakistan with its principled position of a plebiscite in Kashmir is also prepared to think differently and give up the UN resolutions if a settlement which meets the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is possible.
It is no longer an issue as to which country can take over all of Kashmir. Both countries have realized that this is simply not possible - and hence the search for an alternative solution which looks near enough but is yet so far. But with the engine of peace driven by corporate America and corporate India, the new found partners in trade and development, the engine can travel where it has never done before.
Public opinion and perception on the Kashmir issue will have to be moulded towards a change in both countries. The Kashmiri people will have to be more constructively engaged in a dialogue, and India must undertake a demilitarization of the Kashmir region under its control in the same manner as troops were pulled back from the borders by both India and Pakistan. Travel should be made easier. Trade and tourism should be encouraged not only between India and Pakistan but more particularly in the entire Kashmir region.
Confidence-building measures, coupled with invisible borders, will go a long way in creating a realization among the people that only peace, harmony, tolerance and mutual respect will lead to sharing of prosperity and a brighter future. Complicated issues like Kashmir cannot be resolved by giving deadlines. A settlement must evolve out of efforts based on mutual discussions and diplomacy motivated with a desire to achieve peace and stability.
Pakistan must build upon an evident inclination of flexibility on the status of Kashmir, an issue which India has refused to re-visit until now, and perhaps a redefining of the border may come up for consideration at a later stage. That would change the existing stalemate in Kashmir and provide an opportunity to bury the dispute for ever but only if this meets with the expectations of the Kashmiris who will have to change their goalposts to development, economic freedom and prosperity in what could initially be an autonomous Kashmir, with political freedom for its people.
A much broader plan dealing with the entire region, including Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas could be left for a later stage.
Throwing up questions for public debate through the media and treating that as public opinion and acting upon it while bypassing parliament cannot take the place of a policy decision on this all-important issue and the government's responsibility to solicit public opinion through debates and discussions in parliament, followed by ultimate ratification by parliament of any decision on Kashmir. Public opinion is slow to come about and diplomatic talks are time-consuming but a solution will ultimately be found through this process. This is the time to start unwinding the hype and hate built up over the years.
LIAQUAT MERCHANT
Karachi
'Looking away from the truth'
This refers to the article "Looking away from the truth" (Dec 2) By Huck Gutman.
As a thinking American, who has always felt that the US should not have gone into Iraq, I am in disagreement with the author of this article.
We are stuck in Iraq. The Europeans and the UN have been caught in their lies over 'oil for food'. The corruption is amazing. If they had not been so corrupt, America would never have invaded. This is a simple fact which no one can disagree with. The UN resolutions would have worked.
With that said, we still should not have gone into Iraq. Millions of people worldwide suffer every day from the effects of poor governments which hide behind the excuse of mistreatment by stronger countries. I suggest you just look at Singapore if you want to see a mouse that roared. Pakistan is doing a very good job. The best resources are people, and education and honesty are what is needed.
I am upset with the US for never spending its aid money on education. If you feed a poor ignorant man, he will have more and more ignorant children. They will starve. It is not culture or religion, it is education. China has proven this simple fact, but it resorted to legal restraints on population control, and did not rely on education alone.
The position the writer took seems to suggest that the American media has something to do with what Americans think. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ninety per cent of the media wanted Bush defeated. The American people voted otherwise, although I feel they voted against Kerry, not so much for Bush.
The world is responsible for what happens in Iraq. The Muslim people need to help stop the violence which is solving nothing. The US wants to leave Iraq. Isn't this clear? Did we act like Russia and stay in North Africa, Germany, France, England, Japan, Italy and others after World War II? No, we left as soon as they could stand on their own, and some don't even appreciate what we did to rebuild their countries. We never asked for repayment.
The important thing is education. The media can solve nothing. Religion will not solve the problems there or anywhere, politics will not, nor will any other idealistic concept. Education is what they need. Religion is a great thing when tempered with logic and honesty. This combination is called truth. When tempered with emotion and politics, it leads nowhere.
The problems of the world are not caused nor can they be solved by the media, religion or politics. They can only be solved when education allows people and their countries to make logical decisions as to what is best for their people.
JIM GAMMON
New Jersey, USA
'Mysterious' agreement
The agreement between the government and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is shrouded in mystery. While the government claims that under this agreement the Sharif family cannot return to Pakistan or take part in politics for 10 years, the Sharif family denies the execution of any such agreement. For the common citizen, irrespective of the terms of agreement, the government needs to clarify certain points.
Under what law did the government execute any agreement with Mr Nawaz Sharif, stipulating his exile and abnegation from politics? Why has an agreement of vital public interest been kept secret? When the Sharif brothers were in judicial custody in major criminal cases, why were they allowed to leave the country without the permission of the court? Under what authority were members of the Sharif family not involved in any criminal case deported?
It is the lawful right of every citizen of Pakistan to reside in the country, to participate in politics or carry out any legitimate vocation. Any agreement to the contrary is, therefore, null and void in the eyes of the law. Why was Mr Shahbaz Sharif not arrested when he landed at Lahore airport and was sent back to Saudi Arabia under the disputed agreement, overriding the court's edict?
When Mr Shahbaz Sharif was exiled by the government itself, why was he declared a proclaimed offender? Have all pending cases against the Sharif brothers been compromised under this agreement or not, and why are they not being processed under the prescribed procedure?
Unequivocal answers to these questions will determine the truth of the claims of the government and the Sharif family.
S.M.F. HASAN
Lahore
Senior citizens
I had heard of a Senior Citizens Club in Karachi. When I asked someone about the criteria for joining the club, I was told to contact it when I turned 60 years old. When I turned 60 I was told to contact it when I turned 65.
At 65, I was asked to contact a certain gentleman. I wrote to him but received no reply. I managed to get his telephone number and after several attempts succeeded in talking to him. In the shortest conversation of my life he advised me to contact another person for an application form. After a number of reminders from my secretary and myself, this person sent me a form.
It was the simplest form that did not ask for any details such as profession, classification or age and only asked for name, address and telephone number. There was no age column, which signals that any adult is eligible.
I filled in the form and sent it on April 6, 2004, with a cheque for Rs500 as the fee. The cheque was taken by the association's account on June 12 from my account.
I tried in vain for many months to persuade them over the telephone to give me a membership number and card. I gave it up finally.
Would any official of this club like to comment upon this?
M. NASIM KHAN
Karachi
Sozo Park tragedy
It is unfortunate that the authorities wake up to their responsibilities only after a tragic incident has taken place. A case in point is the Sozo Water Park tragedy in which three schoolchildren and a teacher lost their lives a few days back in Lahore.
It is disturbing to learn that no one in authority ever feels the need to inspect swings in various parks of the city.
We have to evolve a permanent system of inspecting these fun-machines if we want to avert such tragedies.
ABDUL HAMEED GONDAL
Lahore
(II)
With reference to the tragedy at the Sozo amusement park at Jallo in Lahore, those involved must face the wrath of the law and justice must be done.
Innocent lives were lost because equipment which did not meet specifications was reportedly installed at the park to mint money.
A high-level judicial probe into the incident needs to be launched by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
SYED J. HUSSAIN
Multan
The myth of water going to waste
Thousands of people cross the Thatta-Sujawal Bridge every day. Each time they do it, they see the sand blowing in their faces from the empty bed of the once mighty Indus River. Imagine their reaction if someone told them that it was not sand but water!
However incredulous it may sound but that is exactly what is happening. People are being repeatedly told that they may not see it but 35 MAF water was flowing under that bridge and it was being wasted into the sea.
Thirty-five MAF is a huge quantity of water. It is eight MAF more than the Indus River's annual average flow at Skardu and about one-third of all the water in the irrigation system. How could it escape the eye especially when the provinces are fighting for every drop of water?
If it were true, the delta would not have been ruined and the people in Thatta, Badin and Hyderabad districts would not have faced socio-economic and health problems, including skin and eye diseases, infections, anaemia, abdomen problems, diarrhoea and some other unheard of ailments, which doctors associate with the non-availability of water. Women and children wouldn't be facing malnutrition and a high mortality rate either.
Also, the coastal area may not have been destroyed and none of the fishermen would have been displaced. The sea incursion may not have occurred and the advancing seawaters would not have inundated more than a million acres. If the claim were true, the mangrove forests, the marine and wildlife and the fresh-water fish would not have been affected. The ecosystem would still be intact. People would have been getting fresh drinking water and they would not have died or been taken ill by drinking polluted and poisonous water.
The people in the area know the truth. Making false claims only aids and abets mistrust and suspicion that they already have for the government. But some people in other provinces, not knowing things first-hand, fall for the propaganda. This creates misgivings between the people of Sindh and other provinces.
The 35 MAF figure might include the water 'used' or wasted upstream Guddu Barrage or it may relate to the super floods that are unpredictable and may occur anywhere between five and 25 years. Not all rains occur in the catchment areas of the proposed mega dams. A substantial portion of the catchment area lies beyond Kalabagh where the Indus River is still about halfway from its destination.
There is a saying about the 'reverse flow in the Ganga River' but there is no such saying for the Indus River. And any water flowing downstream Kotri is not a waste. It is actually of more economic and human value than the water diverted for agriculture.
AZIZ NAREJO
Via email
Distrust in NAB
People largely do not trust the NAB and it is high time this powerful institution was overhauled. The first step in this direction could be the appointment of a Supreme Court judge as its chairman.
NAB has unprecedented powers under its ordinance, and can prove to be a productive and positive institution, but only when it divorces itself from the military. This may also reduce the involvement of the ISI and other agencies in party politics.
M. MUMTAZ ALI
London, UK
Time of turmoil
President Gen Pervez Musharraf's recent visit abroad took place at a time when there is political turmoil in Pakistan, the law and order situation has never been as bad and unemployment and poverty are on the rise.
The only investment taking place in the country is in real estate, of which the sole beneficiaries are civil and military bureaucrats, whose appetite and greed for money have no limits. When will some semblance of normality or civil behaviour prevail amongst our rulers? What was the purpose of this visit?
There is an elected prime minister, nominated by the president himself, a parliament which has been downgraded to below the level of a city council, and yet there is this facade of democracy.
Corruption is high, and as long as you can do a deal with NAB, even robbery in broad daylight or a deliberate and planned loan default can be legitimized.
Real estate profits are exempt from taxation so that the drug mafia and criminals can purify their ill-gotten wealth. Yet there has been no investment in industry, which would benefit the poor. This money is transferred to foreign bank accounts by people who are in possession of foreign nationalities or are landed immigrants. Only poor, rural, lower-middle class expatriates repatriate to Pakistan and part of their savings form the bulk of our foreign exchange reserves.
One hopes that some day we will have undiluted parliamentary democracy that the Quaid-i-Azam wanted and dreamt of.
MOHAMMAD YAMEEN
Lancashire, UK
'A realistic approach'
Your editorial "A realistic approach" (Dec 7) mentions that "while Mr Bush's offer [to Pakistan to play a role in settling the Palestinian conflict] deserves to be welcomed, Pakistan has serious limitations on this score".
The editorial did not shed light on far more serious limitations on President George W. Bush's authority, for example, the fact that the Israeli lobby in the US controls the overwhelming majority of Congress members and almost all members of the Senate.
On the other hand, although the Palestinian lobby has no political influence on the Pakistan government, the people show great sympathy for the Palestinian cause. Therefore, Pakistan is in a position to offer a more objective point of view with regard to this conflict than the US government can.
HUMAYUN ZAFAR
Toronto, Canada
BBC and militants
During the BBC news bulletin at 0700 on Dec 7, "Islamic" was added every time the word "militant" was used in the story on the attack on the US consulate in Jeddah. There could be some justification for this, if at all, if Saudi Arabia was a non-Muslim country. But when the entire country is Muslim, why should it be necessary to describe militants as "Islamic"?
The adjective is not confined to militants in Saudi Arabia. Every time a Muslim is involved in militancy, the BBC describes him as "Islamic".
On the other hand, the BBC never says "Catholic IRA terrorists" when this would have been perfectly justified because the Catholic minority in Northern Ireland is fighting against the Protestant majority.
The only explanation for the BBC editors' outrageous use of this word is that they want to create hatred against Muslims.
MUHAMMAD ABD AL-HAMEED
Lahore
Girls not women
This refers to the letter by Prof S. Mazhar Hussain (Dec 8) in which he has pointed out that all government colleges for girls in the country bear one and the same name, i.e., 'Government College for Women'. The learned professor feels that a girl can disagree to be called a woman because the word 'woman' suggests an older person.
The word 'woman' here signifies gender. It has nothing to do with age. What was the point in raising such a senseless issue?
M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA
Karachi
Official silence
This is with reference to Mr Altaf Hussain's unwarranted remarks about the creation of Pakistan. At a recent conference in India, Mr Hussain, an ally of the government, made disparaging remarks about the concept of the creation of a separate homeland for Muslims.
The interesting thing about this whole episode is the establishment's stony silence towards Mr Hussain's remarks.
I wonder what the reaction of our establishment would have been if such comments had been made in India by people like Wali Khan or Nawab Akbar Bugti?
AKBAR JAN KHAN MARWAT
Islamabad
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