| May 25, 2005 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 16, 1426 |
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‘Of mice and men’
Cellphone companies
Wapda engineers
Minimum wage
Changing views?
Medical college seats
Exchange rate
‘Cartoon trouble’
Pension increase
Confusion over coins
PMDC working
Wah Cantt
Encroachments
Power rate for KU
A question to Musharraf
THIS refers to Dr Mehtab Ali Shah’s letter (May 19) in which he has depicted the scenario that prevails in at least in all universities of upper Sindh. No doubt about that teachers in our universities have drifted away from their primary job of teaching and research, and for that I do not blame the teachers but varsity administrations which always try to woo teachers through perks and privileges, especially members of the syndicate, by giving them different types of assignments, with the aim of winning over their support in approving extra-administrative measures.
I shall cite the example of Shah Abdul Latif University where too a culture of perks and privileges prevails. We have an advisory building committee (ABC) which is headed by a member of the syndicate. The function of the ABC is to award contracts and monitor construction work. The honourable member has been nominated on a seat meant for persons of eminence.
According to the university code, the definition of a person of eminence is that he or she should be a person with an outstanding record of social service living in the territorial jurisdiction of the university. The member concerned happens to be a serving government employee.
I would say that an atmosphere prevails in the universities where the vice-chancellors are either from outside or do not have their own constituency of support amongst teachers. Shah Abdul Latif University is badly affected in terms of governance and efficiency, delivery of service and transparency, affecting the morale of the university teachers, many of whom are engaged in non-academic activities such as tabulation and examination duties round the year.
DR KHALID SOOMRO
Shah Abdul Latif University
Khairpur
PROF (Dr) Mehtab Ali Shah’s resentment (May 19) against a non-PhD being dean of three faculties and chairman of two important committees concurrently is not out of place. Even non-PhDs, for that matter, are elevated to the position of vice-chancellor by the authorities and that goes unquestioned.
The rat-race among dons getting additional assignments cannot be checked so long as the formula for appointment of professors in Grades 21 and 22 remains the same. The formula envisages marks assigned for holding administrative posts. The formula is defective at the very outset as Grades 21 and 22 should be offered to professors on the basis of their academic rather than administrative achievements.
Moreover, the credit assigned for various administrative posts like provosts, directors, deans, PVCs, and even VCs is based on considerations other than academic and scholarly achievements. Those who hold additional posts get monetary rewards in terms of allowances.
The formula for appointments from Grades 16 to 20 should prescribe a certain length of service and a required number of standard publications. Since there are only a few posts in Grades 21 and 22, it will be in the fitness of things if a healthy competition is promoted among scholars with a track record of research publications in journals of international repute.
The formula would be in tune with what is done in British and American universities. Those who fail to publish, perish.
PROF (DR) K.M. LARIK
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr Hafizur Rahman’s column “Of mice and men” (May 11). The question raised by him is quite simple to answer. Why nobody is in a position to tell us how many billions the 10 richest men in Pakistan possess is due to the fact that these guys keep their ill-gotten money in foreign banks which makes it impossible to determine their true worth.
That, I believe, is not the situation in the countries referred to by Mr Rehman. Whether their money is earned or unearned, they either invest it in business and industry or keep it in their local banks and no American, British or Australian would like to deposit it in Pakistan at least on a reciprocal basis, if not otherwise.
What actually should make you wonder is why our richest 10 prefer to keep their money in foreign banks. Maybe for fear of accountability, which suggests that despite excelling in money-making to become billionaires, and that too in dollars, they seem to be innocent minded. They should have realized by now that Pakistan is a haven for looters and plunderers. Accountability here is as much a farce as the rule of law and claims of economic prosperity. Imagine the fate of a country, with an agriculture-based economy importing sugar, wheat and even onions and tomatoes.
MURTAZA MALIK
Peshawar
THIS refers to Mr Ahmed D. Bayat’s letter “Cellphone companies” (May 5). The telecom market in Pakistan is in a phase of exponential growth. Despite new and late entrants, the companies are not charging the high amounts they do in the US, Europe or elsewhere. In the US, all cellphone subscribers are charged even when they are receiving incoming calls as they run out of their minutes. That is what is called “ripping and gobbling” the money, because the companies charge the calling party as well as the called party.
By allowing free incoming calls on cellphones the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) really triggered the local market and that is going to pay off in terms of new foreign investment, economic growth, jobs and strong competition. Now if you are expecting to have a mobile phone service so that anyone can reach you anywhere anytime, not make an outgoing call, and hope that the balance remains intact forever, that’s too much to ask. If the companies do so, then they will have to pack up and leave the country soon. There wouldn’t be sufficient revenue generation as the market is 60-80 per cent prepaid. The choice here is really not yours.
SHAKEEL A. RANA
Plano, USA
IT is a matter of grave concern that in the power wing of Wapda junior engineers have been waiting for promotion for the last 19 years and senior engineers with more than 25 years of service are working without any promotion to the next grade.
This state of affairs has created acute frustration. Most power engineers are leaving the department. This brain-drain has been continuing for the last many years but now it has reached a peak. The performance of the engineers and consequently the output of the department are being severely affected, and Wapda has failed to address the disenchantment within the organization.
In the past, time-scale upgradation was allowed to only five per cent of junior/senior engineers, which was absurd. If the present Wapda set-up is loyal to the department and to the nation, they must permit at least time-scale upgradation/ promotion to all junior engineers with service of more than 10 years and to all senior engineers with over 20 years’ service without involving any percentage quota.
BASHIR AHMAD QAZI
Islamabad
THIS is with reference to the news “Increase in minimum wage not implemented (Islamabad Metropolitan, May 15). The staff reporter has not been provided the with correct facts. The position is that after holding a series of meetings between employers and workers’ representatives to arrive at a consensus formula, WEBCOP submitted its recommendations to the relevant authorities in the first week of March.
WEBCOP has recommended an increase in the minimum wage of unskilled workers from the present wage of Rs2,500 to Rs3,000 per month . The matter is under consideration before the authorities and will be finalized soon.
For future, WEBCOP has recommended the establishment of a minimum wage board comprising representatives from the government, workers and employers. The board should review the minimum wage on an annual basis, keeping in view the rise in the cost of living and wages paid in countries in direct competition with Pakistan. There is no difference between employers and workers representatives in WEBCOP over this or any other matter.
SYED NAZAR ALI
Secretary, WEBCOP
Islamabad
APROPOS of Hussain Zia’s letter (May 7), his observations on Mr Ayaz Amir’s Islamabad diary (April 22) are relevant to the current political scene in the country. Most Pakistanis since 1958, when the Pakistan Army staged its first coup, find themselves on the horns of a dilemma. Over the past four decades, we are witness to army rule followed by civilian rule, and this cycle has created a peculiar mindset in the nation.
When we have army rule, we yearn and clamour for a civilian government and when a civilian government is in office, we start looking towards the GHQ. Even leading politicians start making overt and covert contacts with the COAS, urging him to overthrow the government. Going slightly back in history, one is reminded of the famous letter addressed by Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan to the corps commanders of the army in 1977. Similarly, when Gen Musharraf took over in October, 1999, there was rejoicing in the ranks of the opposition, including the PPP, at the ouster of Mr Nawaz Sharif. So, Mr Ayaz Amir is not the only Pakistani who has changed his political views.
MAZHAR FAROOQ SHIRAZI
Lahore
THIS is with reference to the letter by Ms Sufia Nooruddin (May 12) in which she has requested the government to increase the number of seats in medical colleges. When I graduated from the Dow Medical College in 1997 there were about 400 students in each batch and I think the college was overcrowded. Students used to sit on the floor and finally lost interest due to the suffocating atmosphere.
Most medical colleges around the world have up to 150 students, which helps maintain the quality of education. I think rather than increase the number of seats the government should decrease them and concentrate on providing quality education. Because of wrong priorities of the previous administrations, there is a surplus of mediocre doctors, most of them earning a mere five to ten thousand rupees a month.
MAHESH MOOLANI
MD Owensboro, USA
AS an exporter and a citizen, I should like to draw the State Bank governor’s attention to the principle that in a free-floating exchange rate economy, demand and supply forces are meant to determine the exchange rate.
From what I understand, despite a trade deficit of almost $4 billion (30 per cent), our exchange rate has remained artificially stable by meeting the bulk of the deficit payments through direct funding by the State Bank for our oil imports from our exchange reserves.
Meanwhile, exchange reserves themselves have remained stable due to unprecedented inflows of remittances from overseas Pakistanis. However, the exchange rate and reserves are being artificially sustained. Should remittances drop off, we shall find our precious reserves suddenly short by $4 billion within a year. Then this will be followed by a painful, unwanted and dramatic shift in exchange rates.
Meanwhile, exporters are selling their dollars at subsidized rates to importers, encouraging imports at the cost of exports. It should be the other way around.
Finally, I should also like to understand why our precious reserves continue to be held in US dollars despite a massive trade deficit in the US which has led to a decline of over 20 per cent of the US dollar against other international currencies. This means our reserves have been devalued to the equivalent of $2 billion against other international currencies.
ZAHID MAKER
Karachi
THIS refers to your editorial “Cartoon trouble” (May 11). I was amazed to note your attempt at glossing over the ignominy of the cartoon in the Washington Times showing Pakistan as a retriever dog being patted by an American master. I differ with your comment. This is, in a way, minimizing the poignancy of the disgrace felt by our nation as a whole.
A dog may be a symbol of endearment and friendliness in America and Europe. But the case is drastically opposite in the East, particularly among Muslims. If we do not register a protest at this stage, we would be further fomenting their cultural misunderstanding and they would be emboldened in their ribaldry. The US newspaper’s latest expression of regrets over the cartoon is still another attempt at justification.
SH. SAEED IQBAL SHAMI
Lahore
IN the past whenever federal government pensioners were given any raise in pension, similar increases were announced by finance ministers in their budget speeches for all pensioners of autonomous bodies/corporations and banks. But for the last few years such announcements in budget speeches only cover the federal government pensioners, ignoring those belonging to autonomous bodies/corporations and banks. Consequently, the banks do not allow increase in pensions of their retired employees.
While announcing increase in pension, banks, autonomous bodies/corporations should also be included in the budget speech so that parity in pension of superannuated employees of banks and government departments could be achieved.
JALAL-UD-DIN SHAD
Sialkot
WE have had currency notes of Rs2 and Rs5 denominations replaced with coins. Unfortunately, the size of the two coins is nearly the same, with the five-rupee coin less than a millimetre larger than its two-rupee sibling. Their thickness is also nearly the same. Once the shine on the coins wears off, which happens fairly quickly, one has to look up a coin carefully to find out which one it is, which is bad for transactions at this level. It will be better to admit that a design error has occurred and to re-mint one of the coins with sufficient difference in size and shape to make a quick and easy distinction between them.
WAJID NAEEMUDDIN
Karachi
THIS refers to Dr Masuda Khanum’s letter “PMDC affairs” (May 19). While I agree with most of the proposals of the correspondent, it may be mentioned that a medical degree should not be considered a disqualification for the post of PMDC secretary. On the contrary, it should be preferred provided the person possesses the required management skills, experience and age as prescribed for such senior appointments.
In the case of the present secretary, the problem cropped up not because he is a doctor but because he may not have fulfilled the criterion for the post of secretary. The post was advertised on March 13, 2001, prescribing the age to be between 50 and 55 years with administrative experience of 20 years. The person appointed was a Grade 18 officer in the ministry and was appointed as additional secretary on deputation in the council.
It may be mentioned for information of the correspondent that there are hundreds of medical graduates in the civil services and all of them are successful in their respective groups, including the district management, police and foreign service groups. The authorities concerned can consider any of the civil servants having medical qualification for the post of secretary of the PMDC.
DR S.M.H. HODA
Karachi
WAH Cantonment is considered as one of the most secure areas of Pakistan, surrounded by various defence organizations. Lately some six to seven incidents of attacks on girls with sharp blades have been reported.
People of the area are terrified as the authorities have failed to provide security and peace in an administratively small and so called “sensitive area”. There is a major drop in attendance at girls’ schools and colleges and public places are considered as insecure. If the situation is so bad in such a highly-monitored area, what can be said about the other cities of Pakistan?
SANA SHEHZAD
Wah Cantonment
THIS is to draw the attention of the authorities concerned towards the rapidly emerging encroachments in the playground located at the centre of Block ‘L’ (Munawara Masjid), North Nazimabad, Karachi. These take place when the the backyards of the houses located near the boundary of the playground are extended. The encroachers have hired dumpers from road building contractors for dumping loads of waste building materials in the playground. This has made portions of the playground useless for any sporting activity. At a later stage, it is planned to sell the playground for a shanty town.
IFTIKHAR AHMAD
Karachi
ACCORDING to a news item (Dawn Metropolitan, May 17), Karachi University is charged for electricity on commercial rates. This is a painful disclosure in respect of a citadel of learning. The Sindh governor and the chief minister should be asked as to what rate is power supplied to the governor’s house and the chief minister’s house.
GHEEWALA A. G. M.
Karachi
I WANT to ask Gen Musharraf this one question: Just how far away are we from the Taliban trademark, the blue shuttlecock burqa?
ESS AYE
Karachi
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