| March, 31 2005 | Thursday | 20 Safar 1426 |
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‘Transparency in master plan’
‘The Black Book’
‘PTA and PTCL’
Healthcare problems
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Waiting for NICOP
Quaid’s birthplace
MMA’s goal?
Flyovers
Bangalore victory
Religion column
This is with reference to Mr F. H. Mughal’s article “Towards a climate-friendly global economy: Kyoto Protocol enforcement” (Dawn, March 12). I appreciate Mr Mughal’s effort to raise awareness on a very important issue.
Having comprehensively studied the Kyoto Protocol, I disagree with the speculation in the article about the role of “emissions trading” which the author calls “carbon trading”. The author says: “Carbon trading will badly affect the credential of the Kyoto Treaty as it aims to promote renewable energies. But the treaty will become helpless if countries simply buy rights to pollute the environment.”
Firstly, the protocol was formulated under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1997. It is aimed at controlling climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. Promoting renewable energies to abate pollution is one of the many factors outlined in the protocol, which the parties can use to respect their quantified emission limitations (Article 2).
Secondly, the amount of emission units allotted to a country is fixed and depends on the aggregate anthropogenic carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions of greenhouse gases in 1990 (Article 3). This makes it clear that a finite number of units can be sold by a party and similarly a finite number can be bought. This brings us to the classical supply-demand theory, well studied in economics. It should be noted that emission units can only be bought from parties that have unused or surplus units.
As the demand for the emission units increases, which experts speculate will be near the end of the first commitment period (2005-2008), the supply inevitably decreases driving the per unit price up. This would make “simply buying of rights to pollute” costly.
Integration of this cost, as an expense the party has to bear in the production process, will naturally raise the price of the product that we pay to acquire it. The increased price makes the product less competitive on the international market and the company has to re-evaluate its cost structure and try to cut costs. In such a scenario the party will be forced to adopt other abatement strategies which could be achieved by more research, development and implementation of renewable energies amongst numerous other ways. This would have short-term expenses, but once developed will contribute to zero emissions in the future and save the party the hassle of buying high-priced units, giving it a competitive advantage.
Considering an unrealistic scenario, if a certain party does buy all the units available in the world and still fails to satisfy its emissions needs, what does it do? It is left with no other option than to adopt alternate abatement techniques.
In both cases it can be seen that emissions trading is a tool that gives an incentive to the emitter of greenhouse gases to research ways to reduce emissions, saving it from the penalty of buying units.
The concept behind emissions trading is that when the cost of buying emission units is higher than adopting abatement techniques, the parties will intuitively tend to adapt the less costly methods and will be naturally inclined towards researching ways to abate pollution.
S. ABID RIZAVI
Milan, Italy
This refer to the news item “Transparency in master plan ordered” (Dawn, March 23). It mentions that while presiding over a meeting about Karachi’s master plan, 2020, the Karachi city Nazim asked city government officials to make impartial and transparent the process of tendering, pre-qualification and award of work regarding the new master plan for Karachi. He also stressed the need for a long-term master plan.
Sir, professionals feel that a coordinated approach towards all social, economic and physical factors should be made simultaneously to make Karachi a model city.
According to the city nazim, the new master plan will have a legal cover through enactment of a comprehensive and coordinated town-planning law, both at the federal and provincial levels.
Tackling this problem at Karachi’s level does not work. We have to take up simultaneously the physical development plan of the country as a whole. The town planners consider this crucial and believe that plans will be worked out within the framework of the PCATP Ordinance and Pakistan Engineering Council laws and will have a binding force of the new town planning law proposed to be enacted soon.
The nazim also spoke of ensuring transparency of tender documents. I would like to say that transparency will have to be enforced from the start to ensure uninterrupted progress in all activities for the town planning and development of the city. This can only be done by a professional town planner.
What is important at this level is not tendering but the pre-qualification of all the documents received. A proposal was submitted by a senior town planning professional but unfortunately it was not considered. We suggest that all town planners who apply should be included in the scrutiny and decision-making processing.
According to PCATP laws, only town planners are eligible to work on professional town planning jobs, including preparation of the city’s master plan. No one else should be allowed to head the multi-disciplinary organization, pre-qualified to work on the greater Karachi master plan.
AFTAB MUHAMMAD KHAN
Karachi
Commenting on the proposed “Black Book”, Mr Malik Mubashir A. Majoka in his letter (March 21) says that those “who compromised on principles to accept power…” or approached foreign powers “to intervene in their country’s affairs…” or “spoke against their country’s interests and Kashmir policy” in India should first be included in it, and then asks whether I still want to pursue the idea. Yes, I do.
The proposed “Black Book” actually called the “National Register of Shame and Horror” is contained in a private member’s bill in the Senate. It seeks to inflict punishment on the perpetrators of “the most heinous crimes against the state”. The abrogation or suspension of the Constitution will be declared as treason and the most heinous crime.
Any member of parliament shall have the right to move the Supreme Court against perpetrators of this crime. The Supreme Court shall have no powers to condone or justify the crime under the “doctrine of necessity” or “successful revolution” or for any other reason.
The punishment for high treason shall be imprisonment for life and dispossession from all official titles, honours and awards, etc.
The names of criminals found guilty of high treason by the Supreme Court shall be mentioned in all state documents, records and textbooks in academic institutions as “traitors of Pakistan” and the title of “traitor” shall invariably be prefixed with their names.
Clearly, the most horrifying in the long list of crimes against the state and society is the subversion of the Constitution that must be first addressed. For this reason, I still want to press the bill.
All of Mr Majoka’s reasoning is a perfect recipe for saving the perpetrators of the most heinous crime from being punished.
SENATOR FARHATULLAH BABAR
Islamabad
Apropos of the letter “PTA and PTCL” (March 30), it is clarified that the PTA is a regulatory body entrusted to award licences for various telecom services and to implement policies on telecommunications formulated by the government of Pakistan. It neither provides any telecom service nor offers links and circuits to the PTCL or any other cellular phone companies as quoted in the letter.
The PTA always remained vigilant about any problem faced by cellular phone subscribers and took appropriate action. This claim can be substantiated by the elaborate efforts made by the authority which include heavy fines on telecom operators, regular surveys to gather opinion on quality of service, equipment inspections and tariff regulations. The PTA has recently conducted a countrywide survey to determine the quality of service being offered by cellular operators and suitable action will be taken against those whose quality does not meet the required standard.
Telecom services are provided by different operators, not by the PTA and if their system does not work properly, consumers can contact the complaint cell established in the PTA on toll-free number 0800 55055, and complaints are resolved within 24 hours.
There are no bottlenecks existing between the PTA, PTCL and cellular phone companies. Cellular operators have recently negotiated an interconnection agreement with the PTCL in which the PTA played the role of a facilitator. As regards benefits to consumers, it is pertinent to mention here that it is the consumer who has benefited most with the recent telecom boom in Pakistan. Customers are now enjoying telecom services of their choice at reduced rates.
The PTA as a custodian of the telecom sector in Pakistan is working hard to create a healthy competition between different telecom companies and to provide consumers with efficient and uninterrupted services.
KHURRAM ALI MEHRAN
Deputy Director (PR)
Islamabad
A few days back I happened to read the UNDP’s human development report for the year 2004, which places Pakistan among the world’s 10 countries with the lowest level of development. The living standard of the poor has steadily declined over the years.
According to the report, community-based studies suggest that in Pakistan maternal mortality rate ranges between 300 and 700 per 100,000 live births. UNDP further states that these figures are due partially to 80 per cent home deliveries of the total of 4.5 million annual births. Another report suggests that infant mortality rate has reached 82 per 1,000 live births, which is the second highest rate in South Asia. The growth of more than 50 per cent of Pakistani children is mentally or physically stunted. Considering such alarming figures, all our slogans of quality health seem hollow.
In Pakistan, infectious diseases remain insurmountable. Heart diseases eliminate the most productive segment of the population in its prime. We still have escalating epidemics of tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis. A study shows that more than 12 million people are infected with hepatitis C, meaning eight to 10 per cent of our total population. Around five million Pakistanis are carriers of hepatitis B. There are surprisingly more than 100,000 patients of AIDS in the country. About 250,000 new cases of tuberculosis are found every year in Pakistan and more than 60,000 die annually.
Who reports that Pakistan is the sixth top country among 22 countries in the world, having the highest number of tuberculosis patients. These figures may be only the tip of the iceberg. Due to poor epidemiological studies, we have very limited data of incidence and prevalence of diseases.
Almost all the infectious disease control programmes aided by WHO like polio, tuberculosis and malaria have failed to deliver due to many factors. Absence of close vigilance on the use of funds, scarcity of skilled manpower and difficulty in accessibility to far-flung areas are a few of reasons. Technical hindrances in supplying medicines are also important. According to a report, polio cases are still found in the country in spite of multiple campaigns. We are running a tuberculosis control programme for the last one-and-a-half decades without achieving any significant outcome. One could fear that WHO might stop funding if these diseases if not eradicated by the end of 2005.
The state-run hospitals are overstretched and their working standard is getting worse with each passing day. To provide primary healthcare, we have basic health units and rural health centres. These hospitals are thoroughly neglected.
Despite the recent proliferation of medical colleges, we are still short of doctors, compared to our growing population. There is a huge imbalance in the doctor-patient ratio. Doctors are reluctant to serve in remote areas, owing mainly to insecurity and lack of professional amenities. This has only benefited quacks. Many suffer from the slow poisoning of polluted water and contaminated food.
The situation is very complex, and demands new planning to tide over. Of crucial importance is to develop an innovative approach by approaching philanthropists. This is an area where we should also involve experts in different specialties like health planners and epidemiologists. Only then we might be able to provide at least basic healthcare to our people.
DR A. HAMEED JAMALI
Islamabad
As usual the death anniversary (27 March) of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan passed off silently. It is unfortunate that we have failed to recognize his services. Syed Ahmad Khan represented a moderate policy and struggled against fundamentalist thinking. It was the graduates of the Aligarh College who constituted the Muslim League and defended the rights of the Muslims and whose struggle led to the creation of Pakistan
The major service Sir Syed rendered to his nation was the interpretation of Islam on a rational basis. He did not bother about fatwas and completed his task. His great work, Khutabat-i-Ahmadia, is really admirable. Today when our nation is host to bigotry, there is need to revive Sir Syed’s policy of moderation. The government should observe this year as the year of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to acknowledge his services.
MUHAMMAD AAMIR RAZA
Via email
I have been waiting for my wife’s national identity card for overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) since almost a year now. I’ve sent numerous e-mails, called the Pakistan embassies in Los Angeles and Houston, but nobody seems to be responsible enough to get this matter resolved once and for all.
The only responses I’ve received so far are in the form of old excuses, such as: “We are trying our best....” or “you may now check the status on our website” or “a complaint has been filed…”, etc., but no concrete explanation as to why this particular application is taking so long has been offered by Nadra officially.
I always thought the whole purpose of the NICOP was to computerize the database of Pakistanis living abroad, and initiate speedy and efficient delivery of cards. The old national ID cards used to be issued a lot faster than what this NICOP has taken in our case.
No matter what modern technology is being used, unfortunately the people behind the scene are still the same, and just not productive.
The Nadra website has not even been proofread and the message of the chairman on their home page (www.nadra.gov.pk/nicop/ cmshome.html) is riddled with grammatical mistakes, which shows no one ever bothered to check things in the first place.
The chairman’s picture right next to the message is needless, as it only exposes the person responsible for providing a lousy service.
If he were determined and organized, he would have made sure it reflected down the hierarchy.
FARID MITHANI
Houston,
USA
I have been reading with amusement the unnecessary discussions about the Quaid-i-Azam’s birthplace in your newspaper (a news item on March 19 and a letter by Mr Qutubuddin Aziz on March 26).
Does it matter whether he was born in Karachi or Jheruk, both being parts of the same province, Sindh, and before partition, Jheruk being a part of Karachi? The argument given in favour of Karachi is that in the Quaid’s passport his birthplace was mentioned as Karachi.
I was born in the village Goth Jam Khan Chandio, district Larkana, and every time I fill an application for a passport, I write Goth Jam Khan Chandio as my place of birth. To my surprise in all the three passports that I have been issued so far, Larkana is mentioned as my birthplace.
Secondly, in the history books published by the Sindh Textbook Board that we studied in the fourth class, Jheruk was mentioned as the place of birth of Mr Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Thousands of Sindhi primary teachers and students are witness to that.
Let us not play with history.
ABD SATTAR CHANDIO
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
I was very surprised to see the MMA leaders hand-in-hand with Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan because there was a time when these mullahs were against Imran and had called him a representative of the Zionist lobby.
My question to the MMA leadership is: what is their real goal? Do they want to bring in an Islamic state or just want Gen Pervez Musharraf to go? And for that, are they willing to go any lengths, forgetting their real goal and disappointing their supporters?
My request to the MMA leadership is not to forget their manifesto which won them the elections and to change their present line of action.
SYED FAISAL KAZMI
Karachi
The construction of flyovers near FTC and Nursery, Karachi, was a wise idea to reduce traffic congestion on the Sharea Faisal but it has become a nuisance for the people residing in the nearby areas.
The noise pollution has increased significantly especially since construction began on the Nursery flyover, due to which traffic is diverted to the area around the Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society, thus increasing traffic jams and eventually noise pollution.
The authorities concerned need to realize that this may be a commercial area, but at the same time peace is the right of the residents too.
The pronouncement of the government to remove silencers from rickshaws is also nowhere close to being implemented. They are the main source of noise pollution; not to forget the huge new public buses that have recently come on the streets, whose horns are really loud and annoying.
AROOSA MANSOOR
Karachi
The performance of the Pakistan cricket team in Bangalore was tremendous. The team played with Great Spirit and diligence. This victory was the consequence of team work.
The batting of Younus Khan and Inzamam was excellent. The bowling of M. Sami, Shahid Afridi and Danish Kaneri was devastating. All the departments of the team worked hard and dominated the field.
Our players proved that they can win against the best. The need is that a chance be given to those who have performed well in this Test series, particularly the new cricketers.
MUHAMMAD YASIR
Karachi
Hats off to the MMA for successfully resolving another non-issue. Finally, the religion column will be included in our passports. Perhaps if the MMA put the same amount of energy in eradicating illiteracy, ending corruption and other social evils plaguing our society, Pakistan would be a much better place to live.
ABUBAKR ASIF
California, USA
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