| June 3, 2005 | Friday | Rabi-us-Sani 25, 1426 |
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Denationalization of colleges
Remembering Fazal Mahmood
Jockey’s suspension
Reshaping price indices
PPSC exams
School in a shambles
Private universities’ charter
Advani’s visit
THIS has reference to Arsala Khan Niazi’s letter “Ban on fishing” (May 23). The correspondent has made some valid points in that a large quantity of shrimps flow from Indian waters in these two months and that in August the shrimps and fish flow back to Indian waters. He is trying to say that in the summer months because of the water flows towards Pakistan, we get a greater amount of seafood and should be allowed to fish.
In Pakistan, like in the rest of the world, there is a moratorium on fishing in certain months of the year and in Pakistan this happens to be in June and July. Mr Niazi takes exception to this rule. He feels that because foreign trawlers are fishing in these banned months, local trawlers should be allowed to fish as well. In advocating such a request he seems to be missing a few fundamental issues at hand:
a. If one goes to the department of fisheries at the Karachi Fish Harbour and gets the landing reports of seafood for the last 10 years in Pakistan, one notices a disturbing trend. The amount of fish, shrimp and squid that are being landed in Pakistan has been steadily declining over the last 10 years to an all-time low this year. If this trend continues, then we will soon see no seafood being landed here in Karachi.
b. One major reason for this trend is that in Pakistan fishermen do not follow the moratorium period when no one is allowed to fish. Instead, they plunder our local waters, eking out as much seafood as they can. If one was to look at the size of shrimp caught in June and July, one would find that a great number of shrimps are still in their infancy stage and very small, i.e., babies. If these fishermen were to let these shrimps grow till their maturity, not only would one see a greater amount of shrimps landed but one would also see shrimps of greater size.
c. Previously at the Fish Harbour there used to be a maximum of three to four factories, but now there are 15 to 20 factories. So, any seafood landed at the fish harbour now has to be divided among many more factories.
d. In the 70s and 80s, each factory had a freezing capacity of about 30 tonnes, whereas now each factory has storage capacity of 100 tonnes. This means that whenever a great supply of seafood has been landed, it can quickly be gobbled up by the factories and stored in these massive cold storages, to be sold when the international market prices benefit the factory owners. Which is why Pakistan needs a far greater supply of seafood than ever before as the factories are hungry and have a greater storage capacity.
Therefore, when there is a shortage in the supply of seafood being acquired by the Pakistan seafood markets and no one follows the conservation period of two months set by the government, how can we ever compete effectively in foreign markets if the price of our raw material is so high due to shortage of product obtained from the ocean? Which is the reason I find it difficult to comprehend Mr Niazi’s request to allow deep-sea trawlers, whether foreign or local, to be allowed to fish in these waters during June and July. How can one allow that when there is already a shortage of shrimp, fish and squid landed in our local markets due to overfishing? It does not make any sense.
On the contrary, there should be more months set aside for the conservation of fish and shrimp in order that they breed and grow, and Pakistan might then again reach the heights it did in the seafood international markets in the late 80s.
NABIL HOODBHOY
Karachi
THERE is no doubt that providing education is the prime responsibility of the government. However, as in other fields, the government looks for private cooperation in this area also. Looking at the grievances of those who are against denationalization, one can well understand that they have in mind the prevailing system in some educational institutions. For many who are running schools and colleges education is a business.
But why do the opponents of denationalization forget history? According to one estimate, as many as 175 colleges were nationalized in September 1972 under the martial law regime. People of good-will even at that time criticized this move. The rightful owners from that time started their struggle to get their institutions back. One must honestly assess the standard and atmosphere of these nationalized colleges. It is said that in 2001-2002, over 58 applications were received by the Sindh government from various owners for denationalization of their institutions.
It has been a cherished dream and indeed a long journey to get these colleges back. The decision to denationalize St Joseph’s and St Patrick’s has taken 33 years. Now both the colleges have been given back to the Catholic Board of Education in pursuance of the decision of the provincial cabinet made last year. The questions, fears, grievances and misunderstandings of those against the step have been answered and clarified by persons concerned at different levels.
The owners of both colleges have said again and again that students who are already enrolled would continue and complete their studies according to the existing fee structure set by the government. Moreover, in a decision taken by the lecturers of the two colleges, they have opted for getting transferred to other government-run colleges. With regard to a new fee structure, the college administration has repeatedly stated that its aim is to impart quality education and not to make money. Therefore, the fee will be reasonable.
So what is the problem? I think the Sindh Professors and Lectures Association and other groups should now give up their agitation. They should work for the interest of education. I would also like to appeal to the government to hand back all nationalized colleges to their rightful owners who wish to take them back. Let us make education free of politics and business and make quality education our top priority.
DR ALFRED CHARLES
Karachi
THE death of the legendary Fazal Mahmood is a great loss not only for Pakistan but the entire cricketing world. All television channels in India, including Doordarshan, gave wide coverage to his death which shows that he was not only popular in India but that the people revered him.
I had the good fortune of meeting Fazal in 1980 in Lahore when I was there to cover a cricket Test match and I sought an interview with him for The Tribune (Chandigarh). He readily agreed and asked me to meet him in his office. He was then DIG police (traffic).
One thing that Fazal told me was rather interesting. When asked who was his first victim in first class cricket and in Test cricket, he surprised me by saying Lala Amarnath. Fazal had dismissed Lala Amarnath in a Ranji Trophy match in India and when the Pakistan team came to India in the early ’50s, his first victim in Test cricket was again Lala Amarnath in the first Test at Delhi.
When asked as to why he did not represent India in Test cricket, he said he was selected for the Indian team to tour Australia in 1947-48 and when he came back to Lahore to pack his cricket kit, partition took place and he was deprived of the opportunity to play for India and also he missed showing his bowling skills to the great Sir Donald Bradman.
When the interview was over, I told Fazal that I liked one thing in his office — the onyx ashtray. He ordered his staff to clean the ashtray and pack it properly to be carried to India.
I would always treasure that gift of Fazal and the ashtray is indeed a prized collection with me till today. May his soul rest in peace.
VINOD SHARMA
Ludhiana, India
PAKISTAN has lost a hero. It would be meaningless to quote the astounding statistics this charismatic cricketer compiled over his illustrious career. Fazal Mahmood gave Pakistan more than all the statistics one could compile.
He gave us pride — a young nation ravaged by a stormy and tumultuous beginning. From the ashes and the ruins rose a figure that would allow Pakistan a chance to raise their heads in pride in dealing the opposition a meaningful defeat.
RIZVI
USA
NEARLY two weeks ago, on May 22, jockey A. Aziz, a talented young rider from Lahore, was warned off from the Karachi Racecourse, accused of not letting Snake River, a five-year-old bay, run on merit in the sixth event going over five furlongs in a field with 15 runners in contention.
A month earlier, Snake River in her previous outing with the same rider astride had finished second behind Noor-e-Arab by just half a length going over the same distance in a race that was clocked at 1 minute 4 4/5 seconds. Taking this run into consideration, Snake River was indeed a sitter on that Sunday with another 15 runners going over the same distance and was backed for a song by the racing fans for a win, not to mention a place chance.
When the race began, Snake River was a handy second behind the bay horse Jan-e-Arab, but suddenly in the home stretch the bay horse began to fall back. With the result, Snake River finished the race a disappointing fourth behind Jan-e-Arab, Queen of Sanghar and Summer Wine, in a time of one minute 5 4/5 seconds, with Snake River five and half lengths behind the winner.
Naturally the racing fans, thinking that they were cheated, raised a hue and cry and demanded that the race be cancelled. Unfortunately their cries fell on deaf ears. The bell was sounded declaring the race legal, but then again, heads had to roll.
A. Aziz was called up by the administrator, Fakir Syed Aitzaz Uddin, for an explanation but was allowed to ride the last two events on the afternoon’s card.
In the saddle once again in the fourth event, riding Haseena-e-Arab, Aziz finished second behind the winner Silent Angel. In the next race Aziz did one better riding home Arab-Hi-Arab, a four to one chance, to a victory, beating the favourite Leopard by 3 1/2 lengths in a start of finish bid.
After the episode of the sixth race, Aziz was allowed to ride in the seventh race, and finished off the board on Hip Hop Hunk. However, he scored his second success of the afternoon in the last race, piloting the thoroughbred bay colt Sculptor to another victory in a start to finish bid.
Although riding boy Faisal Ali on Donatello took the bay horse wide at the first turn and still wider turning for home, no action was taken against him. Instead the axe fell on Aziz’s neck. He was warned off from riding again in the city. Now, imagine the irony of being warned off a few minutes after winning the race which was legalized.
In case the racing administration argues that Aziz was warned off after his performance on Snake River, one would want to know why he was allowed to ride his last two events on the afternoon’s card when he had already been warned off.
Few people at the Karachi Racecourse can match the integrity and solicitude of Administrator Fakir Syed Aitzaz Uddin, who has earned the respect of all and sundry for his honesty and dedication. On the spur of the moment mistakes can be made, but it will be a great day for horseracing if the case of A. Aziz is revived once again and the young rider is reinstated to ride again. Aziz will not be allowed to ride in Lahore or anywhere in Pakistan, not to mention abroad if he does not get his clearance certificate from the Karachi Race Course. If Aziz has been banned from riding over here at least give him his clearance certificate so that he can earn his living anywhere in Pakistan or in another country.
A RACEGOER
Karachi
THIS refers to the news item, “Government to reshape CPI basket from July 1: IMF services hired” (Dawn, May 19). This, we believe, is the need of the day. Significant anomalies have been brought to the attention of the relevant authorities time and again in the way indices have been structured, be it the KSE-100 or the CPI (consumer price index), and movements in these indicators do not necessarily depict on-ground realities.
As a case in point, the abnormal hike in KSE-100 between January 1 and March 18 2005 may be considered, in which an increase topping 65 per cent was witnessed. Three stocks, namely, OGDCL, PTCL and PSO, contributed nearly 3,700 points to the rise due to their heavy weight in the KSE-100 index, while the remaining 97 stocks cumulatively contributed negatively. The result was greater fanfare on the KSE as a barometer of our economic facelift, while later circumstances caused all of us to contemplate what went wrong.
A look at the the CPI components and their assigned weights indicates a serious need to recompose the basket. House rent has been given a very high weight of 23.43 per cent while the weights of fuel, lighting, education and health are surprisingly very less. In order to ascertain my household’s spending pattern, an exercise was undertaken in which it was noticed that the CPI’s weightages were significantly different than how we were spending. Even though we might be an exception, our household’s spending pattern is as follows: Groceries and food, 18.13 per cent; utilities including electricity, telephone and gas, 15.91 per cent; education (fees of two university-going and one high-school -going child), 17.12 per cent; fuel (petrol and CNG), 10.07 per cent; salaries (house servants), 1.58 per cent; medical, healthcare, 8.06 per cent; apparel, 9.06 per cent; entertainment (regular outings, dining out), 10.07 per cent.
It is pertinent to note that during the last five to seven years, demographic changes have taken place, and a greater percentage of the workforce is attached to the services sector than before. Similarly, the involvement of more and more women in the workforce has allowed for an increase in the disposable income of households. Quality of life has improved as a result while a lower interest rate scenario between 2002 and 2004 allowed people, at least in the urban areas, to spend more on consumer items due to inexpensive financing available. In essence, most of the figures which are quoted by the government seem to be in need of update.
As the CPI is a major tool to measure inflation, the need to update it keeping in mind newer factors, especially the way spending habits have changed during the last few years, is becoming more and more important. It is suggested that while contemplating changes in the CPI for which the services of the IMF are being sought, more indices that are more representative of various income classes be made, and the impact of change in prices be measured for each income group separately.
Through economic history, the phenomenon of inflation has played a pivotal role in assessing the viability of the monetary policy of governments. Highly commendable initiatives, such as low interest rates, a well-managed currency, controlled unemployment and a conducive investment atmosphere, all fall short if their primary impact on inflation is negative. In an economy such as ours, where the existence of a middle-class has yet to manifest itself, the stigma of inflation may spew disastrous consequences. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that we be in a position to accurately gauge the direction inflation takes at every step of the way, for this is a step closer to monitoring, which is a step closer to controlling.
ALI WAHAB
Karachi
THE Punjab Public Service Commission recently conducted the provincial management services (PMS) examination but most of the question papers were leaked before the examination started. These question papers were available in many libraries and were in circulation all over.
I request the relevant authorities to look into this matter as this is gross injustice with competent students.
KASHIF RASHEED
Lahore
MANY candidates from all over Punjab have been taking the PMS exams. It takes a lot of time to prepare for these papers. Imagine the candidates’ disappointment when they come to know that all the PMS question papers were an open secret. Many candidates claimed to be in possession of solved papers at the exam centre and were openly sharing them with everyone. Their claims proved right when we finally saw the papers.
The question is: do only the influential have the right to be selected? Those who work hard are pushed back by these people. The chairman must take notice of these gross anomalies and take to task the people involved. Otherwise the credibility of the PPSC well be damaged beyond repair.
ARIF KHAN
Lahore
THE examination for the post of election officer, BPS-16, was held on May 29 at the NGV Government School on Jinnah Road, Karachi. I was also one of the participating candidates. The dilapidated and shabby condition of such a grand school in a nice vicinity shocked me. There was no provision of electricity though there were ceiling fans. I feel embarrassed to mention that there were washrooms without doors and no water at all. The magnificent triple-storeyed building was decent to look at from the outside.
People at the helm of affairs are requested to direct their attention to such schools which are assets of the state.
ZAHOOR MEMON
Nawabshah
I AM writing this letter with reference to a news item published in a section of the press (May 16) quoting Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad praising the role of private sector universities.
It is encouraging that the governor has shown an interest in encouraging the private sector in education. The decision to set up a monitoring cell in the Governor’s House is amplified by an accompanying decision that all matters pertaining to higher education should be routed through the Governor’s House.
Privatizing of higher education is not a new phenomenon. There has been remarkable growth in privatization during the last two to three decades in several countries. Privatization has assumed greater significance as a policy strategy of the development of education in recent times.
The governor, in this context, would do well to order an inquiry into all cases requesting the government for charters of degree-awarding institutes that have been kept pending for a considerable time due to reasons best known to the authorities. In this connection the governor is requested to decide the cases of those institutes expeditiously which are already rendering services and have stood the test of time.
Simultaneously, investigations should be made and brought to public knowledge as to how under-resourced institutions, whether in skills of teachers or failure to keep pace with technology or the use of obsolete buildings were granted charters in violation of the rules laid down by the Higher Education Commission.
CDR (retd) NAJEEB ANJUM
Karachi
I WAS watching Mr Advani’s interview and one thing which impressed me most about him was that he did not want to criticize the policies of the Indian government while visiting Pakistan. This should be an eye-opener for the politicians of Pakistan, who discuss every aspect of national politics while visiting foreign countries.
TARIQ M. HAIDER
Dammam, Saudi Arabia
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