| 10 February 2005 | Thursday | 30 Zilhaj 1425 |
President Bush's stance
A suggestion for PIA
No written exams for classes I-III
Indus Waters Treaty
Examination board
Saarc under threat
KESC strike
Health for all
HEC's PHD programme
Population growth
Biased umpiring
Ban on dance and music
Rape victims' identity
Shoaib's departure
VB one-day series
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This is with reference to the letter "Democracy: is there an alternative?" by Mr Shabbir Abbas Harianawala (Feb 7).
I consider the confederation model of democracy as the best alternative to the current political system of Pakistan. Since 1947 Pakistan has been working an unstable democratic system. The socio-political and economic fabric of today's Pakistan has been ripped apart by ethnic violence, parochialism, extreme polarization, fast-growing inflation, concentration of wealth in fewer hands and millions pushed down the poverty line under an unjust and un-Islamic feudalistic-cum-capitalistic order.
Nothing has changed ever since the great tragedy of the separation of the eastern wing. This indicates how ignorant we have been all along towards our national affairs. This also shows that we have not learnt any lesson from the blunders we committed in the past.
The country once again stands at the crossroads. There is still time to save Pakistan. A system that has proved disastrous in the past should be replaced with the system for which Pakistan was demanded. And the best alternative for today's Pakistan according to its economic, ethnic and political factors would be a confederation model of democracy where all the provinces can be prosperous, with the power of the central executive limited to certain areas such as foreign affairs, defence, international trade and finance.
The prevailing circumstances call for speedy reconciliation with the regionalists. By accommodating them in a genuine confederate set-up with guarantees for provincial autonomy, the survival of the federal government can be effectively ensured.
GUL ZAMIR SOLANGI
Karachi
(II)
Mr Shabbir Abbas Harianawala in his Feb 7 letter "Democracy: is there an alternative" states: "The western model of democracy, inter alia, assumes that all subjects of a state are homogeneous. Pakistan is made up of roughly four states and several subdivisions, many of which were independent princedoms before the British took over." Therefore, he concludes, the Anglo-American model of democracy is unsuitable for Pakistan.
The United Kingdom is made up of four parts: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales which used to be independent kingdoms. Six years ago, it engaged in a substantial decentralization of power by the establishment of a parliament and executive in Scotland and legislative assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland. Mr Harianawala living in Manchester criticizes Anglo-American democracies, seemingly unaware of the details of the democracy that he has chosen to live in.
PROFESSOR ARUN KHANNA
Indianapolis, IN., USA
(III)
This refers to Mr Shabbir Harianawala's letter.
India with more schisms than Pakistan in respect of language, religion, caste, etc., has a thriving democracy. So can Pakistan if only the military is confined to the barracks and politicians are less corrupt.
VITTAL P. PYATI
Beavercreek, OH., USA
President Bush's stance
US President George Bush after wrapping up a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi warned Iran and Syria against 'meddling' in Iraq after that country's Defence Minister Hazem Shaalan accused them of helping guerrillas and terrorists spread deadly chaos.
No sooner was the election in the US over than UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was targeted because he called the invasion of Iraq "illegal". The US wire-tapped Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, in an operation to discover whether or not he was secretly aiding Iran in hiding its nuclear weapons programme. In fact, ElBaradei was working with the Europeans in negotiating a resolution with the Iranians.
In the first State Union address of his second term, President Bush called Iran "the world's primary sate sponsor of terror" and urged it to give up its nuclear programme. Bush also adopted a harsh tone to warn Syria to stop "sponsoring terrorism" and "open door to freedom". His critics say Bush's hard-line approach toward Iran and Syria is bound to raise anxieties in European capitals concerned that he is too inclined to resolving the dispute by force.
They see a more aggressive foreign policy that could worsen global tensions. China's Communist Party's flagship, the People's Daily , said Bush's speech showed that "being morally conceited and militarily aggressive" were the hallmarks of American nationalism.
PROFESSOR (DR) P. NASIR
Gujrat
A suggestion for PIA
This has reference to Mr Safdar Jah's letter (Dawn, Jan 31) published under the heading "A suggestion for PIA".
The PIA management welcomes suggestions for improvement in performance but in this case the recommendation made by Mr Jah is by no means practical. He suggests that all counters be opened to chance passengers but doesn't seem to realize that for an airline of this size with flights to different destinations with brief intervals, every counter has to cater to the passengers with confirmed seats, who are obviously much more in number than those of unconfirmed status. Also it is in the interest of passengers with chance tickets that a counter should deal exclusively with them and not be interrupted by passengers holding confirmed tickets.
Mr Jah has mentioned that on PK 300 - the Karachi-Islamabad flight - on Dec 31, he found that there were a few empty seats and that some passengers with unconfirmed tickets were denied boarding. The fact of the matter is that as many as 46 passengers who reported at the chance counter on time were accommodated, so much so that the last passenger boarded the aircraft at 0657 hours - merely three minutes before door closing. Even if there had been 10 counters for chance passengers, they would not have been able to cater for those who appeared at the counters well after the reporting time.
SAMINA PARVEZ
GM (Public Affairs), PIA, Karachi
No written exams for classes I-III
Much as I agree with Sindh Education Minister Hamida Khuhro's decision not to hold formal examinations, I fail to understand her criteria for the promotion of children to the next higher classes.
I agree that a child can be promoted on the basis of attendance, class participation and on-going assessment. However, the condition that these assessments must be only of an oral nature will pose complications. Dr Khuhro must make clear that these on-going assessments may be oral as well as written.
Children of classes I, II and III are aged normally 5+, 6+ and 7+ years, and with the change in the academic session students going into Class III may even be 8+ years. My question is: can children of this age be promoted merely on the basis of oral assessment?
I think that this is not a feasible idea. Let Ms Khuhro clarify after consulting teachers and heads of schools that some form of written assessment is a basic criteria for promotion, along of course with attendance, class participation and oral assessment.
CHRISTINE MARTINS
Vice-Principal, St. Patrick's Girls' High School Karachi
Indus Waters Treaty
India's move to build dams on the Jhelum and Chenab rivers in Indian-held Kashmir to the detriment of Pakistan's vital economic interests has brought into sharp focus the inadequacy of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.
International conventions govern the division of waters of rivers which flow into more than one country. And such rivers are many. Parliament should debate on the issue of the Indus Treaty and enlighten the people of Pakistan about the following points:
(a) Why did Pakistan agree to the division of the rivers of Punjab and give exclusive use of the waters of the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej to India instead of invoking its rights to the waters of the rivers as a lower riparian state?
(b) Why did Pakistan choose to build a dam on the River Indus at Tarbela in preference to Kalabagh?
Pakistan pressed its rights to the waters of the Punjab rivers in the United Nations and the World Bank for about a decade. The entire record of the dispute should be made public.
SYED AFZAAL HUSAIN ZAIDI
Islamabad
Examination board
This refers to the controversy going on in these columns on whether or not the government should replace the intermediate education board with the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKUEB) to conduct school examinations to improve the quality of school education.
So far we have the local board or the O and A level examinations conducted by Cambridge University, United Kingdom, with the attendant cost that is beyond the reach of people.
At present the charges are about Rs5,000 per subject and this is outrageous for a country where the average monthly income is almost half that.
Here is an outfit that has given us the Aga Khan Medical University whose graduates are regarded as the best in Asia, and a hospital that provides the best medical care in the country. If an institution has a successful track record in a particular field, it should be given more responsibilities. The Aga Khan University Examination Board cannot change or secularize the syllabus by itself. If anything, it will ensure transparency in education.
ASLAM MINHAS
Karachi
Saarc under threat
The 13th Saarc summit has been postponed for the second time. Due in January in Dhaka, it had to be postponed first due to the tsunami disaster that had hit Sri Lanka, India's Andaman and Nicobar islands, Tamil Nadu state and part of the Maldives. The next date was fixed for early February. But this time it was postponed because India declined to attend.
The reason Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave for his reservation was not the political upheaval in Nepal as political analysts had earlier presumed. Instead, New Delhi has touted the security situation in Bangladesh as the factor that has led to its decision. Bangladesh is understandably miffed because it had made all preparations for the event. It discounts fears about security.
True, Bangladesh is in the grip of almost frequent countrywide hartals and violent political agitation led by the Awami League. Dhaka and Chittagong have been scenes of pitched battles between the police and demonstrators. But that is democracy. And this has been the political tradition in that country.
Now it is the Awami League (AL) agitating against the ruling Bangladesh National Party (BNP). Earlier, the BNP was doing the same when the AL was in power. In any case it is an internal affair of Bangladesh. And the world should by now have learnt to live with this phenomenon.
However, what baffles observers is the timing of the turmoil. There was no particular urgency to hold demonstrations and hartals to coincide with an international event. If it was not only to spite Khaleda Zia, the Awami League could easily have deferred its agitation till after the Saarc event, when it would have had plenty of time for such an exercise.
Moreover, the tempo of the agitation also seemed to be tuned to the summit. It rose as the date approached. The Bangladesh government has therefore accused the Awami League of having influenced India's refusal. Sheikh Hasina and India would deny such an allegation. But facts tell a different story.
Hasina Wajed has a special relationship with India as its "foster child". An invisible umbilical cord binds her to that country. For the same reason Indo-Bangladesh relations get warm while Pakistan-Bangladesh relations cool off when the Awami League is in power.
Saarc is the hope of the subcontinent. India must not be perceived as blocking its progress or, worse, taking sides in Bangladesh politics.
SYED JAWAID IQBAL
Karachi
KESC strike
KESC employees have threatened to go on a strike in protest against the privatization of the utility (Dawn, Feb 4).
This is understandable because it will curtail their earnings from 'kundas (illegal connections)'. They claim that tariffs will go up. But if power theft and line losses through inefficiency are curtailed, which will of course not be allowed under private management, the tariff for honest payers should actually come down.
RAFI AHMED
Karachi
Health for all
Reference to the informative letter "Health for all a national priority" by Dr S. Zafar Abbas (Dawn, Jan 31) about the quality and qualification of medical consultants, he has forgotton to describe the philosphy and plan as envisaged by WHO at the Alma Ata conference 1978.
It was realized that in Third World countries, it was not possible to train a modern doctor for every 1,000 of population. And ever if trained, the problem of application of the knowledge with limited tools available in the rural areas was pointed out. Therefore, it was decided that a cadre should be developed of primary health workers who would be able to treat patients in our of the way places. This cadre would be able to look after 1,000 of the population. It was then visualised that by the year 2000 it would be possible to give healthcare to all.
Unfortunately, this project was mostly torpedoed by lack of political will on the part of governments, but more importantly by the impediments and hurdles created by the medical profession itself.
ZAFAR OMER
Karachi
HEC's PHD programme
This is apropos of the letter by Dr Abbas Haider Khan (Feb 6) in which he points out that the indigenous PhD programme of the Higher Education Commission is aimed at supporting university teachers, especially those who cannot afford to go abroad for higher education.
It is certainly heartening to see the development in the education sector, but the important point is the quality of this PhD programme. Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy (articles Jan 3 and 4) only pointed out the ineptitude of the programme as compared to those conducted by foreign universities.
In my opinion, 50 competitive PhDs are better than 500 incompetent PhDs. The HEC needs to concentrate its efforts on quality rather than on quantity.
SHAHRUKH A.K. ABDALI
Karachi
Population growth
We should adopt a practical and serious approach towards population growth. Like China, we should adopt a "one-child" population policy. Unless we bring down the annual birth rate to one per cent, our survival will become difficult as the population will double in only 30 to 32 years, and we do not have sufficient resources to support such a huge population.
It is time to educate society at large about adopting a "one-child policy" on a war footing. The increasing population is a serious issue. We should chalk out our growth policy according to needs and circumstances.
SAALIM SALAM ANSARI
Karachi
Biased umpiring
The Australian cricket team, it seems, needed help from an umpire to beat a comparatively weak team which is already disorganized, lacking a spirited and effective captain and good coaching.
In spite of these weaknesses in the Pakistan cricket team, it could have beaten Australia in both the finals had not one of the umpires, an Australian, indulged in at least three bad lbw decisions in favour of the home team. This has robbed Australian cricket of much of its credibility.
RAFIQ EBRAHIM
Glen Ellyn, USA
Ban on dance and music
Apropos of the letter "Ban on dance and music" (Feb 8) by Mr Afzal Rahim, I quite agree that the NWFP government should put in efforts to do something concrete for the betterment of the poor of the province instead of wasting its energy on trivial matters such as music and dance.
One proper way to achieve this goal is to win the people over through humbleness, compassion and by setting good examples. This approach is the very essence of our religion and it is amazing that the maulanas in the government just do not get it.
If religion is exploited for political gains, there may be some benefits of a temporary nature. The truth will come out sooner or later. If selfless work is done with religious zeal, then there is no need to give the impression that one is pious or resort to religious rhetoric.
MS KULSUM RAHIM
Troy, Michigan, USA
Rape victims' identity
What I find completely shocking about the Sui rape incident is the fact that the press in Pakistan has chosen to name the rape victim. Here in the US there are rape shield laws that protect the victim from being named in this manner.
I suggest that the National Assembly and/or the provincial assemblies should pass such rape shield laws to protect the identity of rape victims.
OMAR MIRZA
New York, USA
Shoaib's departure
This is in reference to Mr S. M. Ejaz Iqbal's letter "Shoaib's departure" (Feb 5). I strongly agree with his suggestion that Shoaib Akhtar should be kept out of the Pakistan cricket team for good due to the fact that the team seems to be a better knit outfit without him and the PCB cannot afford to have him around and pay him in category "A" mostly for his injuries.
RIZWAN
Ohio, USA
VB one-day series
The Pakistan cricket team's performance was good in the limited-overs VB series in Australia although we lost it. We should boost the team's morale. I am sure people who watched the one-day series and saw our cricketers in action must have noticed that they gave a hard time to the Aussies.
I wish Inzamamul Haq and all other members of the team good luck for the forthcoming tour of India.
ALI HUSSAIN
London, UK
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