Ban on dance and music

The private bill presented in the Frontier assembly by an MMA member a few days back, seeking a ban on music and dancing in public, appears to be of concern to many of us who have close ties to the province. Only recently there was an article in Dawn about two young boys, namely, Tariq Hassan Bacha (12) and Zeeshan (11), who have published an album on Pashto music and singing, titled "Joora Galoona" (a pair of flowers), which has received worldwide acclamation.

In a province which offers very little scope by way of beneficial employment for qualified men and women, it is indeed gratifying to know that these two young lads have made use of Allah's gift of their vocal cords to bring happiness to many.

One would like to know if the few traditional cultural dances like the Khattak and Masud dances which are performed in the public for visiting dignatries and during the Pakistan Day parade will also be subject to this legislation whose violation will be treated as a penal non-bailable offence.

And, will the Kalash people, who have their own cultural dances and festivities, so special to their own way of life, also be liable to this piece of legislation ? To my mind, it would be an infringement of their constitutional rights, as also their human rights. Will the Constitution of Pakistan be superseded by this legislation of the Frontier assembly bill, if passed?

It is possible that at some future date, there will be an addendum to this legislation to ban the playing of hockey, football, tennis, kabaddi, etc., where legs are exposed.

Some time back the tourism minister in the Frontier government was seeking ways and means to encourage tourism in the province. Does the banning of music and dance help? What would visitors/tourists see or learn? If the purpose of tourism is economic upliftment, if there are no tourists, there can be no monetary gain.

For the information of the mover of the bill, the world is open. The internet carries a whole lot of information that a normal individual can access - be it music, dance and "whatever". Banning dance and singing would force people to turn to a "climate" of culture which far exceeds that which the bill seeks to control. Is that what the bill seeks to do? It will push society to seek satisfaction from other cultures.

And, finally, may I invite the mover of the bill to read Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" Act 1, Scene 1?

If music be the food of love, play on!
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
That strain again! It had a dying fall,
O, it came o'er my ears like a sweet sound

That breathes upon a bank of violets....

My dear friends in government, it is given to you by an election mandate to provide good clean water, education, health facilities for the poor in particular (the rich can afford to pay) and to make life easy for those who suffer. Please leave these petty things of dance and music for a later date. Pursue those that are more important.

ALBERT J. GODIN

Etobicoke, Ont., Canada

American prejudice

This is with reference to the letter "American bias" (Feb 6) by Mr Ghulam Muhammad. As long as people like him continue to view the world through the prism of Muslim and non-Muslim countries (the West), they will keep coming up with wrong assertions and conclusions.

The correspondent says that "the ex-USSR did include quite a few Asian countries like Azerbaijan, Kyrghstan and Turkmenistan, forcibly occupied by Russia at different times, but the de facto authority vested exclusively in Russia cannot be deemed as an eastern power by any stretch of the imagination" and that the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was therefore an onslaught from a western power. This is not true. Didn't the former USSR invade Afghanistan in 1979? Didn't the former USSR-China-India bloc represent a significant power from the east?

The United States' ultimate goal was to halt the expansion of communism led by the Soviet Union. This was why the US intervened in Vietnam and later in Afghanistan. The US made a grave mistake by abandoning Afghanistan after the Soviets left, but it is the Soviets who are responsible for the present mess in Afghanistan because they invaded the country in the first place. It is like blaming the insurgents for the present mess in Iraq and not the US invasion.

There is no Iraq-like military intervention in Mexico and Venezuela because these countries are already subservient to the United States, and America has complete control over their oil resources - and not because they are non-Muslim countries, as implied by the correspondent. Also, the US cannot invade North Korea because North Korea is holding Seoul as hostage (a solid deterrence), again not because it is a non-Muslim country. North Korea can destroy Seoul in five to eight minutes, that too without using any nuclear weapon.

The point is that the world is full of catastrophes. And we have to be able to see ourselves in universal and historical contexts, not as exceptional victims of exceptional conspiracies directed uniquely towards us, but as an ancient civilization that once was a powerful force in the world and then lost its ability to think critically as to what went wrong.

KHURRAM HANEEF

New Jersey, USA

What we have done for US

Let us see what Pakistan has done for the United States in the past and what it has got in return.

President John F. Kennedy prevailed upon president Ayub Khan to desist from sending the Pakistan army into Indian-held Kashmir in 1962 when India and China were locked in a border war on the Himalayas. In return, he promised Ayub Khan - the government of Pakistan - that he - the president of the United States - would help settle the Kashmir dispute.

Being one known to honour his pledges, president Kennedy would have fulfilled that promise but for the assassin's bullets which killed him prematurely in September 1963. The political system being what it is in the US, his successors have been happy using Pakistan as a cat's paw to serve American interests but without bothering to help settle the Kashmir dispute.

In 1979, the USSR sent its military into Afghanistan in support of a ruler who had become a communist. In the resulting war, America got involved, using Pakistan as its proxy against the Soviet Union. Thus, Pakistan played a significant role in the defeat of the USSR in Afghanistan and ultimately its downfall, resulting in the US becoming the sole superpower of the world. What greater gift could it have received from Pakistan?

And now, again, with Pakistan's help, America has demolished the Al Qaeda structure in Afghanistan and given that country its first democratic government. There has not been a greater ally of the US, even greater than Britain, if I may say so, and yet what has Pakistan got in return? No help has been forthcoming for a resolution of the Kashmir issue despite the fact that it would bring not only lasting peace to South Asia but also alleviate the poverty in the region.

And, finally, despite Pakistan categorically denying Dr A. Q. Khan's involvement in selling nuclear technology to Libya, Saudi Arabia and Syria, the US still persists in pointing fingers in that direction.

JALAL AHMED

Muscat

Support for rape victims

This is regarding a very supportive letter to the editor by the president of APPNA, Hussain Malik, published on Jan 19 about the alleged rape of a female physician in Sui. Indeed, it was a horrendous crime and needs to be strongly condemned. But one thing bothers me tremendously. Mr Malik's last sentence was quite a downer and very disappointing. He said: "We also urge the government of Pakistan to ensure adequate security to other women physicians serving in the rural areas of Pakistan." This plea excludes all other female staff such as nurses, midwives, lady health visitors, lady health workers and many other female care providers who have been and continue to be victims of rape and violence.

May I extend APPNA's plea to urge everyone - the government, the administrators of organizations and individuals who employ female workers, co-workers and the elders and brothers and sisters of the communities in which women work - to go beyond rhetoric and take tangible measures to ensure a safe work environment for all working women in our country?

Effectively dealing with such endemic societal issues is to everyone's benefit and, therefore, should be everyone's interest and everyone's business.

LAILA GULZAR

Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Minneapolis, MN., USA

Bowlers' batting

Sunday's second final of the best-of-three limited-overs series in Sydney was another weak display of batting by the Pakistanis who now trudge back home after losing three Tests and the VB series. Pakistan made it to the finals by a comeback performance against the West Indies and Australia. In both finals, the bowlers did pretty well in putting up a fight, and doing well also with the bat. They bowled superbly in both matches and batted better than the regular batsmen.

The question is: how can we improve our batting to be able to chase a moderate score of 250, make a match of it and not throw it away by not staying at the wicket and by losing wickets in quick succession?

The regular opening pair is still not established after much testing and switching of players. Salman Butt could not do well although he had made a century and showed some good performance in the Test matches. He was given a number of chances. Kamran Akmal apart from one good innings could not do well either. No opening batsman could provide a launching pad for the middle order and the rest to work upon.

It appears that 50 runs comprise a magical number and Pakistani batsmen are struggling to overcome this barrier. Shahid Afridi tried to make more and more runs in fewer balls, thus having little to contribute to an already battered batting side.

Now the hard tour of India is ahead where players will have to be more efficient in all departments of the game. This tour cannot be taken as another 'experiment'. India playing in India will be stronger and hard to beat. If the Pakistani side can have a strategy well in advance and the agility to switch to on-site plan changes, there will be a good chance of ensuring better results.

Selection should be strictly on merit and the best available side should be sent to India.

ANAS A. KHAN

Edmonton, AB., Canada

The Balochistan situation

A question to be asked concerning the Balochistan situation is: why in general is the common Baloch aligned with the Bugti, Mengal and the Marri chiefs rather than with the federal government? Is he getting more from them than the government? And if so, what can the government do to promote the layman's allegiance to it rather than to the tribal lords?

The Balochistan 'package' and other initiatives which must follow are a step in the right direction.

DR MUBASHIR KHAN

Indianapolis, IN., USA

(II)

This refers to Mr S.M. Kazmi Naqvi's letter (Jan 30) on the Balochistan issue. It is essential that the full might of the state should be utilized for safeguarding our national assets and installations in the province.

I advocate the use of a stick and the carrot policy in dealing with the tribesmen in the NWFP as well as Balochistan and the tribalistic pockets in Sindh. This was the policy the British rulers used for administering and pacifying recalcitrant tribesmen in the difficult terrain of the NWFP and Balochistan.

Our young military commanders whose privilege it is to decide Pakistan's fate should carefully read accounts of British military campaigns available in the achieves of the Army's Command and Staff College in Quetta and similar army records in the old British India Office Library in London to learn a few lessons from British expertise in empire-building and ruling that empire from a locus of power thousands of miles away.

The accounts of how comparatively small British army contingents wiped out thousands of dreaded Pindaris from Central India (1806-1815) and the accursed thugs may furnish a lesson or two to our young army officers deployed in difficult terrain. Establishing firmly the rule of law in the tribal areas is the first and foremost duty of any government claiming to be in command of the North West region.

QUTUBUDDIN AZIZ

Karachi

(III)

The current situation in Balochistan proves that our police have failed to catch the culprits who have been attacking gas and power supply installations in the province, thus making the common people suffer great hardship. Will someone come to the rescue of the people?

MUHAMMAD BILAL NASEER

Quetta

Reversal of roles?

A few days ago while reminding the good citizens of Dadu of dams and the water crisis, the president announced that he would personally monitor the watercourses that formed the irrigation system of Sindh.

For the president to have this free time and energy means that other, more pressing, issues of the state have been well taken care of. At present, there are nearly 1,800 recently retired military officers manning everything that is lucratively mannable in the country. No wonder the president with a straight face tells us that the military has all the answers (not to mention money).

Even as he spoke, a large part of Balochistan went dark as two transmission towers near Sibi were sabotaged. Across much of what is Pakistan today, there is unrest and a palpable sense of insecurity. As the Americans will probably soon make us recognize, it is like "waiting for Armageddon".

Since the military is thinned out in taking care of most civilian functions better than we can, my humble suggestion is that we take over the role of the military to protect our internal and external flanks. Chances are we may do a better job and by excluding a few persons most of us lesser species can easily identify but our uni(n)formed rulers seem oblivious of, we may even make Pakistan what our PM keeps trying to convince a sceptical world we are.

DR MERVYN HOSEIN

Karachi

Political response

The article "Experts see terrorism even 'after' Osama" (Jan 11) carried the opinions of politicians and experts about the so- called war on terrorism.

Various analysts have expressed divergent opinions and observations, but CNRS research fellow Francois Burgat's voice is worth listening to. He says that since the 9/11 episode the US has responded only in security terms. And until it responds in political terms, nothing basic will change.

This is supported by the concluding paragraph of the article "Trapped in the Iraqi quagmire" by Robert Fisk (Dec 28). The writer says: "The American columnist Tom Friedman, in one of his less messianic articles, posed a good question before the 2003 invasion. Who knows, he asked, what bats will fly out of the box when we get to Baghdad? Well, now we know. .... We are today not far from a disaster."

GHEEWALA A.G.M.

Karachi

'My industrial lord'

Tehmina-Shahbaz's marriage has all the making of another best-seller: "My Industrial Lord".

BARRISTER BAACHAA

Peshawar

Karachi Central Prison

The present Karachi Central Prison was commissioned in 1906. The initial sanctioned capacity for prisoners was 999. Karachi, which was a safe abode for a few thousand souls in the early days of the 20th century, was gradually transformed into one of the most violent cities in the world. This metamorphosis contributed to the alarming increase in crime and the fallout is apparent. The prison is now badly overcrowded with over 5,600 prisoners lodged in it.

After independence, nobody in the power corridors ever gave serious thought to jail reforms. Legislators used their own jail terms to enhance their political status and once released never looked back.

We, the under-trial prisoners of the Karachi Central Prison, urge the Sindh home minister to ensure that prisoners are provided with more facilities and the issue of overcrowding is addressed as soon as possible.

MOHAMMAD IQBAL

(UTP), Karachi

University reforms

This is with reference to the two articles by Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy (Jan 3-4) about university reforms in Pakistan. I was really surprised at one of his observations that the "current university reform strategy is compounding the problem by concentrating on glitzy things like internet access, digital libraries, virtual learning, etc., while ignoring basic problems".

One is unable to understand why Dr Hoodbhoy has called the very first step in research as "glitzy things". I sometimes think that if I go back to Pakistan and do my research there, I will do my literature review that is the first step in any research. And I am very happy to know that now Pakistan also has digital libraries, etc.

I don't know what made the writer call these mandatory things "glitzy" which are the backbone of the infrastructure of any good educational system.

WAMIQ B. HAMID

Greensboro, NC., USA

Fiqh in today's context

Recently Dr Mahmood Ahmed Ghazi, president of the International Islamic University, Islamabad, suggested the formulation of a new fiqh based on all traditional fiqh decisions keeping in view the changing global situation. He named his proposed fiqh as "cosmopolitan fiqh.

Dr Ghazi must be appreciated for his forward-looking proposal. Hopefully he will be able to get a positive response to provide a solution to our day-to-day problems. I request him to write a paper on his proposed fiqh which should be circulated among academic circles not only in Pakistan but all over the world.

SYED MUZAMMIL HUSSAIN

Islamabad

Basant

This was my very first exposure to Basant in Lahore. I can say that no other event, including the two Eids, is celebrated with such zeal and enthusiasm in Pakistan as Basant. The fervour is easily comparable to the Christmas season in the West.

I am sure if promoted, this festival can easily become an international event.

AAMIR KHAN

Karachi