| May 7, 2005 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 27, 1426 |
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Corporate army
Cricket welcome
Clifton Cross
Gastroenteritis cases
Postgraduate trainee doctors
DVM — a misnomer?
‘Wages of confusion’
‘Not even Munich’
Radio Pakistan
Clarification
MMA policies
Dog-bite incident
PTCL service
THIS refers to Mr A. Q. Anjum’s letter, “OIC status (Feb 14). The Organization of Islamic Conference has proved to be ineffective since its inception in Morocco in the early 70s. The OIC states represent one-fifth population of the world, i.e., 1.5 billion, but have no voice in the world community.
Why the OIC has failed to play its proper role in obtaining the objectives for which it was formed is a matter that needs to be studied separately. Right now the question is the proposed restructuring of the UN Security Council.
Senator Mushahid Hussain has floated the idea that the OIC should have a seat in the UNSC to protect the rights of Muslims, which apparently would be against the UN charter as well as against the interest of the West (Christian world) and Israel, which dominate the UNSC.
Up to May 10, 1998, it was the nuclear capability of the big five that made them veto powers. But India on May 11 and Pakistan on May 28, 1998, became nuclear powers. It was only natural that they too should have been accommodated in the nuke club and also given permanent seats, with veto power in the Security Council.
Japan and Germany, now proposed for permanent seats, are economic powers. Brazil claims to be the biggest and most developed country in Latin America whereas India claims that status because of its population (over one billion) — which means it is numbers game and has no relevance to poverty levels in India.
Pakistan should claim a seat as a nuclear power and leader of 1.5 billion Muslims in the world.
At present Europe has three seats (Russia is part of Europe), the US one and Asia only one. If Europe is going to have four, then Asia too should have four, Americas two and Africa at least one.
S. M. ZAKERYA KAZMI
Former MNA
Karachi
AFTER reading the news items in Dawn, “Allotment of land to army men debated in Senate” (April 27), “Land in Gwadar and Karachi allotted to army and air force” (April 27), and “40 per cent quota for army personnel in I-15” (April 28), I recalled meeting an old gentleman who was a contractor/supplier to the army in the 1950s.
He narrated that he used to visit various officers in connection with his work. Their offices then were simply furnished with a chair, a table covered with a cloth and a few chairs for visitors. A few months later after the first martial law was imposed in 1958 when he again visited the same offices, they were furnished with expensive carpets, curtains and sofas, etc. The era of a professional army hand in hand with a corporate army had begun.
The late Ayub Khan laid the foundation stone of the first Fauji Foundation but in the process also laid the first separation stone of East Pakistan. When the second martial law was imposed in 1969, the professional and corporate army was at break-even, but it also led to the break-up of Pakistan in 1971.
The third martial law in 1977 accelerated at high speed the corporate image of the army, overtaking professionalism. The stories of individual riches of some of the generals during this period are too well known. These 11 years led us to the Afghan jihad, the Kashmir jihad, Siachen and the Kargil debacle, bigotry and extremism, the consequences of which are still haunting us today.
The fourth martial law (corporate style) is what these Dawn stories describe in a nutshell. The huge under-construction palatial GHQ lording over Islamabad would perhaps decide the destiny of democracy and Pakistan unless some visionary civilian leader has the courage to minimize the luxuries and defence budget of the armed forces and revert them back to the pre-1958 position for the sake of the welfare of 160 million Pakistanis, democracy and the rule of law.
Finally, I end with a few words from Abraham Lincoln: “Sell your brawn to the highest bidder, but never put a price on your heart and soul.”
DAS MALOOKA
Islamabad
IT was quite an official reception for our cricket team in Islamabad. The best part was the modest way in which our players conducted themselves in spite of the flamboyance displayed by the organizers led by none other than the minister of information.
Where was Bob Woolmer during all this? If he was on home leave why was his contribution to our team’s performance not mentioned, and even less recognized, in the verbiage that flowed? What if our team had returned defeated and humiliated as most expected? Would Woolmer still have been ignored? Unlikely. All the blame and all the culpability would have been his.
The official ‘celebration’ of the team’s success bordered on the crude. The parading of the players as ‘bridegrooms’ or ‘wrestlers’, the vociferously led sloganeering by the minister of information even if the response was less — the people were clearly there for the players and not to respond to the minister’s calls, the minister ‘linking’ hands with the players and raising them like the MMA maulanas are so fond of doing.
One cannot avoid the impression the extravaganza was organized more for the benefit of PTV and of the government than for the stated purpose.
The blatant and continuous plugging of PTV during the entire telecast as ‘the’ national channel was a piteous attempt at decoying viewers lost to other channels, except in areas where other channels do not reach. Strange, PTV is the only channel losing money despite TV fees it failed to collect itself and is doing so now through forced measures via KESC bills. Something for the information minister to ponder — if he has time, that is, for such mundane ponderings.
S. KHALID HUSAIN
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee’s columns (April 3 and April 24). If the “reportedly proper three-level design” initially executed by NESPAK was rejected and they were instructed to provide another economical and makeshift design, and that too in a ludicrous period of 15 days, NESPAK should have refused to undertake the project.
I am convinced, and would challenge the readers to prove it otherwise, that in a sea of numerous wrongs in the country since its birth in 1947, the formation, functioning and professional diligence of NESPAK is a definite right.
The likes of us who have been proud to be associated with this organization in the past fail to understand why this premier consulting company of Pakistan which has executed numerous mega-projects in Pakistan and internationally had to associate its name and have its reputation tarnished with a project like the Clifton Cross. Did the top management not realize that the designs would be branded as faulty, make-shift, cheap and careless?
Regarding Mr Cowasjee’s observation of working round-the-clock to minimize disruption to the million of users, who can disagree? But this requires meticulous state-of-the-art planning and the commitment of all parties involved.
If a small country like Bahrain, with less than a million inhabitants, can complete a gigantic project of the Formula-1 racing track, costing over Rs9 billion, from scratch in a very difficult and rocky terrain involving over 700,000 cubic metres of rock-blasting in less than 16 months, why cannot a country of over 150 million inhabitants, where unemployment is so rampant, expeditiously execute a baby project like the Clifton Cross in just six to eight months?
ENGR RIZWAN MUMTAZ
Manama, Bahrain
THE recent outbreak of gastroenteritis in Sindh’s interior, including Thatta, is alarming (“Gastroenteritis claims six lives in Thatta”, April 28).
According to the World Health Organization, around 2.2 million people are globally affected by this disease due to contaminated food and water intake. It is reported that in underdeveloped countries, 1.1 billion people have no access to hygienic sources of water and 2.4 billion people suffer from poor sanitation.
In Southeast Asia alone, 8.5 per cent of deaths occur due to gastroenteritis. Children under five are most vulnerable. Every year four billion people die worldwide due to cholera and diarrhoea. In our country a majority of people living in arid and dry areas have no access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation. The outbreak of gastroenteritis reveals the apathy of the health authorities who have still not chalked out any control plan to face an emergency. Persons affected by gastroenteritis have complained of non-availability of life-saving drugs in government hospitals.
As elsewhere in rural Sindh, the health centres and basic health units of Khairpur district are also short of sufficient stock of antibiotics, intravenous fluids and oral rehydration salt (ORS).
It is advisable to educate the people in how to prepare and use ORS. Chlorine tablets can be provided for purification of water. Mobile teams of health department should be constituted to go to the affected areas. The help of the local administration ought to be sought to ban the sale of rotten fruits, vegetables, and ice balls. If this epidemic is not controlled now, it could have a disastrous effect for people living in the rural areas.
PERVEZ AHMED SHAR
Khairpur
THIS refers to letters published under the caption “Postgraduate trainee doctors” (May 2 and 4).
A CPSP clarification regarding validity of the FCPS-I has already been published in these columns (March 8 and 24).
Regarding the intermediate module (IM) and submission of synopsis and dissertation, it is stated that the IM has been introduced by the CPSP to provide opportunities to both trainees and trainers to get their training and the system formally evaluated about halfway through the training period. The IM examination has not been given retrospective effect and is still required to be passed in some disciplines by candidates who qualified at the FCPS-I in 2001.
In medicine, surgery and other specified disciplines, the IM examination should have been passed by all candidates appearing in FCPS-II in September 2007, which was duly notified on July 21, 2004. This provides a cushion of more than three years which should be more than sufficient to implement the change in the existing system and cannot be called retrospective.
In none of the specialities are candidates required to take the IM examination in some other speciality. In fact, the requirement for doing fellowship in medical/surgical sub-specialities is that the candidate should first pass the IM examination after two years’ training in medicine/surgery and then continue relevant sub-speciality training. This practice is universally followed for specializing in sub-specialities.
The IM examination in medicine and surgery has been held on an optional basis since March 2003. In five IM examinations held up to March 2005, 432 candidates appeared on a voluntary basis. This does not indicate that the IM examination is considered an additional burden by the candidates.
The rules regarding the submission of synopsis and dissertation writing were updated in 2000, provided to every trainee, are being uniformally followed.
It has been said that the CPSP rules about synopsis and dissertation have debarred almost all candidates from the 2005 examinations. The fact is that 1,062 candidates have appeared for the FCPS-II examinations held in March 2005.
Decisions regarding the training programme were taken after convening national conferences throughout the country during 2001, in which deans and members of CPSP specialist faculties, senior examiners, and CPSP-approved supervisors/trainers and trainees participated. The decisions arrived at unanimously regarding the training programmes were published and widely circulated in the form of a booklet titled “Decisions Regarding Postgraduate Training Programme of CPSP”, initially in September 2001.
M. IMTIAZ ALI
Sr. Executive Officer, CPSP
Karachi
THE nomenclature of the Punjab University’s original degree of BVSc has been gradually changed to DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine). The BVSc degree was more in line with the medical degree of MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery), which holds sway even at present.
Similarly, the BDS (Bachelor of Dentistry Science) degree remains unchanged.
However, the veterinary profession has aligned itself with the American degree of DVM, and now gives the impression that it is a doctorate degree, which it is not. DVM, therefore, appears to be a misnomer.
The erstwhile degree of BVSc should be substituted for DVM to express the wide scope of the word “science” instead of “medicine”, which is restrictive in its meaning.
DR YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
MR Ayaz Amir’s column “Wages of confusion” (April 29) traverses the same beaten, hackneyed path — that in the political scene of Pakistan, the army chief of staff is the point of authority. What else is new? Even in 1990, in his film for BBC Channel 4, Zia Mohyeddin had emphasized “Allah, Army and America” as the dominant factors in society.
Whether one defines it as double standards or whatever, civilian prime ministers in office have to function under the tutelage of the military. Why, therefore, is Mr Ayaz Amir accusing Gen Pervez Musharraf of a sellout on Kashmir when people on both sides of border desire greater understanding and when the army also appears reconciled to the fact that they no longer can sustain a vested interest in Kashmir with the changing scenario after 9/11.
Mr Amir is only providing a safe house to the hawks in both the countries that are now on the run. Give peace a chance, all praise to Gen Musharraf for his courageous endeavours to give peace to the coming generation. The Kashmiris can well look after their own affairs and interests instead of bureaucrats and military officers breathing down their neck.
MOHAMMED AZIZ HAJI DOSSA
Karachi
IN his article “Not even Munich, simply a meltdown” (Dawn, April 22), Mr Ayaz Amir bemoans the fact that Gen Pervez Musharraf gave away everything that India wanted and got nothing in return at the Delhi summit. He also recounts “handing over the rights to our three eastern rivers... under military rule; the folly of the ’65 war... military rule; loss of East Pakistan and military defeat in the East... military rule; Kargil... not under military rule but military auspices; the abandonment of Kashmir, for that is what the new diplomacy signals... under ‘enlightened’ military rule”.
If one recalls correctly, it was the same Mr Ayaz Amir who had quite clearly approved of, indeed welcomed, the overthrow of a legitimately elected government by the present military junta five and a half years ago. Memories can be short-lived but principles do not change.
Since it is currently in vogue, using a cricketing metaphor, it does not seem right that Mr Amir should go to bat for both sides — for the military and then against it.
K. HUSSAN ZIA
Mississauga, Canada
THIS is in response to the letter by Mr Aslam Javaid Khan (April 25). I am a casual artist in the Assami service (English) and Bangla service. I agree with Mr Khan that over the past couple of years we have lost a major chunk of listenership. Many reasons can be cited for this situation, ranging from the advent of satellite media to lack of interest by policy-makers. But I am happy to know that at least we got some feedback.
S. M. N. IMTIAZ
Islamabad
IN the supplement on ports and shipping (May 2), a photograph of Captain Anwar Shah describes him as director, Ports and Shipping. There is no such position and Captain Shah’s correct designation is Additional Secretary/ Director-General, Technical Wing of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping.
CAPTAIN M SALEEM BALOCH
Director, Ports & Administration
Karachi
WHILE driving through the busy traffic of Peshawar I stopped at a traffic signal when the light turned red. A wagon stopped alongside our car and next to it was an army truck. A soldier was sitting in the back of the truck. Two elderly men with long beards and sufi caps were sitting in the wagon facing the armyman. They said something and laughed. I could easily make out that they were talking about the armyman. Eventually, one of them pulled his head out and shouted to the soldier: “Hey, army man. It’s your kingdom, isn’t it? We are wandering astray but you are ruling the country.” The soldier answered in a benevolent but valiant tone that touched the bottom of my heart. Speaking in a low voice, smiling, he pointed his finger towards the heavens: “No, Sir, it is Allah’s kingdom”. And the “maulanas” were speechless.
The MMA thinks the general is against Islam. But it is the MMA which is barking by the wrong tree, chanting slogans and shouting against the president for nothing. Whereas Punjab has started an unparalleled and remarkable scheme, “Parha likha Punjab”, these maulanas have not done anything for the welfare of the public in Peshawar, having started on a negative note since the beginning: “Say no to Musharraf.” It’s time they saw the signal with a clear vision.
IBRAHIM NISAR
Peshawar
RECENTLY my grandson had gone to Karachi’s Safari Park where he was bitten by a dog. When the incident was brought to the notice of the staff, they said it was not their duty to keep off stray dogs. Since the park is a public place where children are often taken by schools and educational institutions, it should be the responsibility of the city government to provide safety to the park visitors, specially children.
Further, when I took my grandson to some of the hospitals situated nearby, I was astonished to learn that none of them had any vaccine to treat dog-bite cases. The child was the taken to the Civil Hospital, but here too no vaccine was available. Is this how a large hospital should be run? Finally, I had to buy the vaccine on my own.
I will request the city nazim to inquire into this matter and take appropriate measures.
M.A. ZAHRI
Karachi
IT is now almost a year since the PTCL started its wireless loop service. However, the Internet facility has still not been provided. By contrast, private companies entering this lucrative field in major cities have provided for this right from inception. This service is based on Internet technology and it should be no problem switching on the dial-up Internet facility on it.
MUHAMMAD QASIM
Muzaffargarh
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