| June 1, 2005 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 23, 1426 |
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PTCL strike
Lack of health facilities
Desecration of Holy Quran
School punishment
‘Kashmir struggle’
PTV news bulletin
Traffic chaos
Karachi’s civic problems
Allotment of Clifton Beach
GSM service
‘Prison houses’
THE people who invested their savings in foreign exchange (forex) companies in Pakistan two or three years ago — especially senior citizens — are seriously affected as their gratuity (ranging from Rs0.2 million to Rs1 million) in these companies were at stake.
These companies demanded investment from the general public offering distinctive and huge profit ratio as compared to government or private banks or national saving centres. A lot of announcements were made through newspapers. As a result, a lot of people rushed to these companies and transferred their savings from other outlets. Some people closed their businesses to invest in forex companies as the profit ratio offered was quite high.
These companies operated freely for a long time. Nobody had any complaints against these companies except one or two people (mainly about routine work). All the companies were doing well when all of a sudden the government took action against these forex houses and stopped them from operating in Pakistan. As a result a lot of people withdrew their money from these companies. But still there are a large number of people who could not withdraw their investment when NAB arrested the owners and directors of many forex companies and seized their assets.
Some 18 months have passed since then. And neither the owners nor the money has gone anywhere. NAB is unnecessarily delaying the cases. Whatever the situation is, a decision has to be taken in this regard. If the owners are found guilty, they should be punished. But in all the cases the people whose money still lies with these companies or with NAB must be compensated and their money returned. Otherwise people will lose confidence in NAB.
AHMED NOMAN SADIQ
Lahore
PTCL workers have been on strike for days and complaints of subscribers are not being attended to. The gates of telephone exchanges are all locked and people cannot lodge their complaints or approach any staff member. The PTCL unions are displaying posters against the privatization of the corporation. Although the government has assured them that all workers will be absorbed in the new set-up, they do not want privatization of their department at all. The strike is indefinite and the general public is suffering as all office work has come to a standstill — no new connections, no shifting of phones and no maintenance of lines. However, I am sure the department is going to charge us the full line rent even for dead phone lines.
When I asked one of the staff members on strike why they were resisting privatization, he told me on condition of anonymity that after privatization they would have to work to earn their pay. At the moment, whether they work or not, they get their salary on the first day of every month along with other perks and privileges.
MUHAMMAD AZHAR KHWAJA
Lahore
(II)
I CONSIDER the current PTCL strike a kind of terrible blackmail in which the employees of a government organization are holding the whole nation hostage for their personal gains. Any such move that is in the interest of the nation, i.e., in the “national interest”, should be welcomed. These people are taking undue advantage of the sensitive nature of their jobs.
Instead of inviting the minister for debate on television, they should have arranged to get the pros and cons of the government’s privatization decision published in major daily newspapers to educate the masses and win their support.
WAQAR H. KHAN
Karachi
WITH a population of 3.5 million people, Orangi Town is one of the most poverty-stricken areas of Karachi. Poor education and health facilities have made the lives of the residents, especially women, miserable.
The Sindh Government’s Qatar Hospital, being the largest healthcare facility in the area, was in a shambles till around five years ago. Maternity services were inadequate as a result of which young mothers were undergoing avoidable morbidity and mortality.
The task of providing basic health facilities to the women of Orangi Town was taken up after Dr Shershah Syed took charge of the unit which was thoroughly reorganized, and subsequently recognized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) for postgraduate training. Not only primary healthcare but routine deliveries, difficult and complicated gynaecological cases and even the costly repair of fistula surgeries were regularly undertaken. Teaching and training were problem-oriented and evidence-based.
Within a short span of time the hospital gained reputation as a centre of excellence for fistula surgeries, providing 24-hour emergency cover to patients with the doctors gaining professional expertise.
Recently, when Dr Shershah Syed was deputed back to the Civil Hospital, Karachi, the trainees were unable to continue without supervision, the midwifery programme was suspended in the middle and operations were postponed with nobody to conduct routine deliveries.
The Qatar Hospital has once again become just a mere referral centre. The consequences of the transfer of the head of the department were not taken into account and there are a lot of pending questions regarding teaching, training and careers of doctors, midwifery training and, above all, those of the life and death of expectant mothers in Orangi Town.
The government should take steps to ensure that healthcare at Qatar Hospital is not disrupted.
DOCTORS, MIDWIVES, POSTGRADUATES
Sindh Government Qatar Hospital
Karachi
THE shameful incidents of the desecration of the Holy Quran in Guantanamo Bay and other jails in which Muslims are kept as prisoners are rightly being condemned as prejudicial. They have injured the sentiments of the entire Muslim community. But isn’t it time Muslims started thinking seriously why such humiliating actions are taken to insult them?
Why has it become so easy to affront those who remained a superpower for more than a 1,000 years? Why is it so easy to humiliate those who are owners of 80 per cent of jute, 70 per cent of oil reserves, 75 per cent of coconut oil, 25 per cent of peanuts, 15 per cent of rice, tea, coffee, 10 per cent of sugar, six per cent of rubber and five per cent of tin of the world?
In my humble opinion, there are two basic reasons for this plight of Muslims: ignorance and lack of unity. Islam pays so much importance to unity. The Holy Quran says: “Hold the rope of Allah firmly and don’t divide yourselves”. Today we have practically forgotten this message.
History tells us that Muslims remained in power when they were united. Now, we are divided into different sects and do not tolerate the ideas of each other.
Even in Pakistan, sectarian killings have become a routine. We should once again unite and help each other in every sphere of life
IMRAN HAMID
Faisalabad
I WANT to bring to your notice the indifferent attitude of an examination superintendent at the Pakistan Embassy School in Jeddah during the intermediate exams.
During the course of the exams, the superintendent caught a boy cheating. He announced in front of all the other students in the room that he would make an example of the boy so that no one dared to cheat in the future. The superintendent forced the boy to take off all his clothes in front of everyone, and then paraded him stark naked in all the rooms where other boys were taking their exams and threatened them that they would also face the same consequences if they cheated.
To add insult to injury, the school management and the education link-officer concerned at the Pakistan consulate in Jeddah came to the support of the superintendent and not only allowed him to continue “supervising” for the next one week but also failed to take any action.
This is a school where more than 8,000 children of the Pakistani community in Jeddah study. The incident has annoyed the community. I request the authorities concerned to take immediate action and give exemplary punishment to those responsible. The disgraceful incident has been reported in the Saudi media.
Please note that the school is being run under the direct control of the Pakistan consulate and is being headed since the last six years by a principal who is a retired air commodore.
KHAWAJA ZUBAIR
Via email
MR M. P. Bhandara has spoken his mind boldly (Dawn April 30 and May 10). One craves for a Pakistani counterpart of the former diplomat and journalist Kuldip Nayyar or an Indian member of parliament who, like Mr Bhandara, could write similarly about the case and stakes of Pakistan and the Kashmiris in the Kashmir issue in any leading Indian daily to make it a two-way flow of ideas. Thanks to Dawn for publishing the views of Mr H. N. Akhtar (May 4) and Mr Khalid Hasan (May 5 and 16) in which they have taken note of and responded to the views of Mr Kuldip Nayyar and Mr Bhandara.
When Congress leaders felt frustrated by Mr Jinnah in their programme of keeping India united without reservations/guarantees about the rights of the Muslim minority, they half-heartedly conceded a truncated Pakistan. Nevertheless, the Congress and Hindu Mahasabha vowed in their resolutions of June 1947 to strive for reunification of India. Besides other measures, they planned to occupy the Jammu and Kashmir state to control their defence parameters and the rivers of Pakistan. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhai Patel played their role in collaboration with Lord Mountbatten to achieve this national goal. These are recorded facts of history.
So, holding on to the J&K state to harm Pakistan is a national policy of India, which has religiously been pursued by all Indian governments. Having used the military option in 1971 to cut Pakistan to its present size, they are now feverishly busy in constructing dams on three rivers of Pakistan in occupied Kashmir to economically strangulate us.
India is exploiting the post 9/11 scenario. Mr Advani, then deputy premier of the BJP government, had dashed to Washington to offer India’s services to strengthen US-Israeli partnership which was happily accepted. This boosted the pride and arrogance of the new Indian nationalists committed to Hindutva. This is evident from India’s attitude and response to Pakistan’s peace overtures and flexibility. The people in Pakistan feel that now the US and India are hand in glove to thrust an Indian solution on Pakistan and the Kashmiris. It seems Pakistan is being intimidated, which is evident from its consistent caving in on the Kashmir issue, which has created doubts and a feeling of concern and disappointment among Kashmiris who have given more sacrifices for freedom from India than Congress workers during the “Quit India movement” against the British.
Like many freedom struggles in the past, the Kashmiris’ resistance movement attracted the bona fide support and sympathy on personal or ideological grounds of some individuals and NGOs. These people numbered in their dozens and mostly belonged to ethnic Kashmiris of Pakistan and AJ&K. Mr Bhandara says Pakistan usurped the Kashmiris’ freedom struggle by “terrorism”, encouraging religious zealots and unemployed Afghans, Arabs and Pakistani “mercenaries” to take over the liberation struggle. Would Mr Bhandara say that some people of other nationalities who joined the Indian National Army (INA) of Subhash Chandra Bose were mercenaries and terrorists and that they took over the INA? Had he visited any graveyard in Srinagar and seen the tomb-stones there, he would have come to know about their identification. Molested and widowed women and orphaned children of occupied Kashmir have not been exported / infiltrated from Pakistan. They are Kashmiris living on the soil of their motherland.
Mr Bhandara is wrong when he says that only Pakistan supported the Taliban. Pakistan recognized and supported them when even the US was going to do the same if they had accepted American conditions. Moreover, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (with which India has vast economic affiliations) also supported the Taliban. They had complete control over Kabul and 90 per cent of Afghan territory. Additionally, there was the Pushtoon factor which Pakistan could not overlook. By the way, were the Taliban worse than the RSS and VHP zealots?
Every state in the world admits Kashmir to be a disputed territory. There is a lot of sympathy and support for the just cause of the Kashmiris in the world as evidenced by the recent EU Commission’s report and statements in many public forums in many countries.
How can the Kashmiris accomplish the mission of their martyrs with scores of parties and groups? Can’t their leaders shed their personal egos and ambitions for the sake of their motherland? It is the clarion call of this critical juncture that all freedom-loving Kashmiri leaders should unite on one platform and struggle for their just cause. No power will be able to overlook or bypass their united demands. There is no substitute to unity. That is the only way to success. Otherwise, they and their people will be doomed and history will not forgive them.
KHAWAJA MUHAMMAD BASHIR BUTT
Muzaffarabad
THE daily PTV news bulletin at 9pm has always been a government mouthpiece. It is only concerned with the daily activities of the president, the prime minister, the information minister, et al.
On May 30, when all private channels were keeping the nation updated without any break about the cowardly act of terrorism at a mosque in Karachi, our so-called national television network was least concerned. It gave a very small news item about the incident and that too after we were informed what our honourable ministers’ activities during the day were.
The authorities at PTV must understand that we Pakistanis are more concerned about the killings of fellow citizens in a city like Karachi, which is the hub of business and social activities, than the activities of our rulers.
AZHAR NADEEM
Hyderabad
WHILE the construction of the underpass is going on between Karachi’s Three Swords roundabout and Schon Circle, the traffic police have become ineffective in controlling the traffic coming from the Clifton Bridge. There is complete chaos and the traffic signals installed at the Three Swords roundabout often do not work. Out of the three quotes of the Quaid-i-Azam, “Unity, faith, discipline” that are written on the three swords it appears people have ignored “discipline” and drive their vehicles in the wrong direction and there is nobody to check and stop them.
The other day I saw a youth drive his car straight in the wrong direction, which resulted in an accident. The boy hit another car which was coming in the right direction from the service lane of Al-Habib Arcade.
Similarly, people who go to the shopping malls, park their cars on the main Clifton Road and on the service lanes. This has become a permanent headache for people who want to follow proper traffic rules.
The DIG traffic should see what has gone wrong with the traffic police posted there.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
THE report by Maheen A. Rashidi in the Karachi Metropolitan section on May 23 depicts the miseries the people of Karachi have been experiencing for nearly two decades.
Electrical breakdowns and load shedding during this unbearable hot season have become a regular feature. This is despite the fact that Federal Minister Liaqat Jatoi boasts in the National Assembly that there is no load shedding anywhere in the country. Damage to electrical appliances and the suffering of patients and students preparing for their examinations are unimaginable.
There is, and it seems will always be, no accountability of those who are responsible for ditching Karachi and creating a mess in the city. Karachi which serves as the milking cow for the economy of the rest of the country has been left alone for decades to serve but not to be served.
S. IQBAL MAHDI
Abu Dhabi, UAE
SOME concerned citizens of Karachi are planning to appeal to the president, the prime minister, the governor and the chief minister to preserve and protect our parks, amenity plots and beaches from being commercialized and turned into shopping malls, high rises, etc. They can do so through an executive order that prohibits provincial and local governments from commercializing such plots and open spaces.
Such laws do exist, but they are being blatantly ignored and the organization Shehri has been fighting against the flouting of these laws for several years. We plan to assist Shehri and collect 1,000 signatures through a signature campaign and forward them, with an appeal, to the above enlightened gentlemen. If not us, then who? If not now, then when?
We are not against progress and development, but this should not be at the expense of depriving the ordinary citizens of their simple and affordable pleasures.
If you endorse our views and would like to assist us in our efforts, please contact us with your suggestions by email to: trust@super.net.pk
HELPLINE TRUST
Karachi
THE quality of the service given by GSM providers is getting worse. A couple of days back I realized that such problems can even result in the loss of human lives. I was driving by a road when I witnessed an accident a few yards ahead of my vehicle. A woman got seriously injured and was lying in the middle of the road with no help at hand. The first thing that came to my mind was to call up Edhi or the police so that the woman could get immediate medical aid. I tried dialling Edhi through my mobile but there was a persistent “error in connection” message. Luckily for the woman, in the meantime, some pedestrians came to her help.
This is indeed a serious matter and it is very obvious what harm can be done in case of emergencies. The GSM service providers really need to look in to this matter seriously.
OMAR JAVAID
Via email
IN his letter ‘Prison houses or money minting dens’ (May 30), Brig (retd) M.A.H. Ayaz Mughni, Inspector-General of Prisons, Sindh, Karachi/Hyderabad, has failed or avoided to answer the real issues.
Are the allegations as levelled by Nafisa Shah, city nazim, Khairpur (Dawn, May 22) correct or otherwise?
MOHAMMAD ASIM
Illinois, USA
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