| July 23, 2005 | Saturday | Jumadi-us-Sani 15, 1426 |
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Chucking — who is to blame?
The sound of silence
Healthcare system
Kalabagh Dam
Hasba Bill
Car trackers
Bill payment options
Working hours for women
NSS rates
Beggars
Airline evaluation
Airport security
THIS is in response to the letter (June 24) by Dr Asim Hussain, president, Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI). It was a rejoinder to the demand of the PMA wanting to play an effective role in the PMDC for policy-making and medical education (Dawn, June 20). Dr Hussainhas termed this “an alarming situation and a strange request” as, in his opinion, the “PMA has turned into a trade union”. He further says: “PMA and PMDC doctors have joined hands to try and close private educational facilities in Pakistan.”
The PAMI has been demanding their right of representation on the council of the PMDC, which right is guaranteed by the PMDC Ordinance and act. The PAMI professes high standards of medical education in the private universities and colleges and supports an effective and strong PMDC with representation from private sector institutions, so as to enforce criteria for a high standards of medical education, even in public sector colleges.
On the other hand, Dr Shershah Syed, secretary-general PMA (June 27), “appeals to every doctor to fight for an independent, autonomous and honest PMDC for the survival of the profession.” He advocates the maintenance of high standards of medical education. He also advocates representation of private sector institutions in a ‘reorganized’ PMDC. In this aspect the two representative bodies of the medical profession are in agreement. This is a good omen.
As a founder member of the PAMI I wish to say state that the PAMI represents only those private institutions which have been categorized as ‘provisionally’ recognized by the PMDC. It does not hold a brief for any other category of private institution. It supports their closure if found deficient after unbiased, factual and honest reporting. It has developed a system of self-audit and monitoring of its member institutions. The PAMI insists that the same criteria be applied to both public and private sector institutions without discrimination. Fortunately, the PMA, whose support was heavily tilted towards the public sector, has now taken the judicious stand that all substandard institutions deserve to be shut down. According to Dr Shershah, such institutions are six in the public sector and seven or eight in the private sector. On this count as well, the PAMI and the PMA are in agreement.
The question of the sidelined PMDC secretary Dr and the previous secretary needs to be sorted out between the PAMI and the PMA.
Dr Shershah Syed demands that everyone “involved in wheeling and dealing should be punished according to the rules, regulation and the law”. On this issue also, the PAMI could be on common ground with the PMA.
It is pertinent for the PMA and the PAMI to sit together, sort out issues and arrive at a joint solution to overcome the impasse and resolve the present crisis confronting the medical profession.
Collective effort towards the establishment of a democratic, independent, representative, honest and effective PMDC for the enforcement and maintenance of high standards of medical education should be the order of the day.
DR S. BAQAR ASKARY
(Chief executive, Fatima Jinnah Dental College & member PMDC, Sindh)
Karachi
SO the menace of chucking has raised its ugly head again on the international cricket scene. The International Cricket Council has declared the bowling action of Pakistani paceman Shabbir Ahmad as illegal. According to the details conveyed by the ICC to the Pakistan Cricket Board, the paceman bends his arm up to 27 degrees whereas the permissible limit for any bowler is up to 15 degrees.
The lanky Shabbir Ahmad has so far played nine Test matches and has taken 46 Test wickets. In the past too, way back in September 1998 and then in January 2004, he was reported by the ICC for his suspect bowling action. And now during Pakistan’s recent tour to the West Indies in May he was reported for the third time for his suspect bowling action.
Perhaps Pakistan is the only country in the world which has played the highest number of bowlers whose bowling action has been questioned by the ICC. For instance, bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Hafeez, Riaz Afridi, Junaid Zia, Nazir and Shabbir Ahmed have all been reported for their wrong bowling action by ICC umpires and referees.
The question arises that who is to be blamed for generating the throwing controversy and thus bringing a bad name to Pakistan? Of course, the ICC cannot be held responsible as it has its own panel of judges, experts and former Test cricketers who are selected from the permanent members of the ICC and they decide whether a bowler throws or not. As the members of the ICC panel belong to different countries, the question about any discrimination by the ICC does not arise.
The point is that once the bowling action of a bowler has been declared illegal by the ICC, our selectors should not persist with that bowler any more, because there is hardly any likelihood that a bowler at Test level can change his natural bowling action. That is why, after they were reported by the ICC, both Shabbir Ahmed and Shoaib Akhtar tried to correct their defective bowling action under the guidance of Michael Holding but in vain. All efforts proved to be futile as the two have been repeatedly described as chuckers by the ICC. Moreover, by adopting corrective measures a bowler cannot be in his old self again and as effective as before.
In the wake of the Shabbir episode, Captain Inzamamul Haq has also suggested to the PCB to be vigilant and solve this problem at the first class level.
As such the responsibility of preventing chucking in Pakistan’s cricket lies squarely on the PCB. Our selectors can get away with the chucking controversy by not selecting a player who has been previously reported by the ICC for his suspect bowling action.
RAFAT MAHMOOD ANSARI
Islamabad
ON a bright but chilly day in London over two years ago, around two million people united for one reason — peace. The familiar streets were transformed by the river of people flowing through them. The centre of the capital was paralyzed by noisy but peaceful people from all political backgrounds. Young schoolchildren marched for hours shoulder to shoulder with former members of the armed forces, military families and veterans to prevent an attack on a Muslim country.
Demonstrations were taking place all over the world, with over a million people gathered in Rome, half a million in New York and a similar number all over Canada.
The protests may not have stopped the war but they sent out a powerful message — that wars are started by governments, not by ordinary citizens, that an enormous number of people in the western world care about right and wrong. They care about what is happening in the Muslim world. An Iraqi child about to be bombed may have seen the TV coverage and known that someone out there cared.
With the attacks that took place last year in Madrid and the recent bombings in London, I feel like it’s our turn to flood the streets of Islamabad and other major cities with our children and families to show that we too care. We too care about the indiscriminate deaths of innocent people anywhere in the world. We care that the people marching for peace in Iraq may have been killed because no one listened to them
RAMEEZ KALEEM
Via email
Everyone knows the standard of medical care provided in government-run hospitals, but things are not better at private clinics either. A cause of concern is the spread of unregistered medical clinics and quacks in the country.
The so-called clinics are being run by an increasing number of untrained doctors. For instance, dispensers, hospital staff, clinic staff and many unrecognized persons are engaged as doctors at such slaughter houses — everyone is trying to set up a ‘medical centre/clinic’ to earn a quick buck. There is a dire need to scrutinize such clinics and quacks
We need laws to protect patients from unqualified doctors and quacks — a system to monitor the functioning and implementation of these laws. Prompt and stern action against substandard clinics is also essential.
It is the responsibility of citizens to pinpoint unregistered clinics and quacks located in their area. There is need also for the government to implement the existing laws regarding negligence and malpractice to ensure that the doctors are careful and attentive.
Qualified doctors who charge heavy fees from their patients may be one reason why quacks flourish and have a clientele among low-income groups.
M. TARIQ AWAN
Rawalpindi
WITH reference to Mr B. A. Malik’s letter (July 14) and all subsequent letters published in Dawn, it is quite clear that we have an impending water war between the provinces, with Punjab fighting the rest of the country.
To see the current shortages of water in the Indus outflow, all one needs to do is to look at satellite pictures of the Indus delta and compare them with the deltas of the Nile, the Ganges and other major rivers, including some nearby smaller rivers near Gujarat in India.
The simplest way of doing that is to go to http:// map.google.com and type in “Karachi, Pakistan” in its search box. If done during months other than the monsoon flood months, i.e., the current three months, one would see a major influx of seawater into the Indus delta upstream to about 15 to 30 plus miles, depending on the month of the year. All other river deltas show blue water flows into the ocean, whereas saltish/reddish/greenish seawater is seen in the case of Indus.
The foreign consultants Mr Malik has referred to must have seen those pictures, but ecology or protection of the Sindh province is not their prime interest. They are influenced by the interests of companies most likely to win construction contracts.
SHAMS NAQVI
California, USA
THE revered members of the MMA rushed the Hasba Bill through the NWFP assembly without bothering about constitutional provisions or the views of the Council of Islamic Ideology. The haste was ostensibly due to their concern for the morality of the Frontier society which will now be ensured through mohtasib (s) and ‘moral police’.
The federal government has filed a reference in the Supreme Court about the constitutional vires of the legislation and whether the provincial assembly was at all competent to legislate in this field.
While this legal battle will be joined, NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani made an air dash to the US and now gives us the cheerful news that after listening to his explanation, the Americans have no objection to the Hasba Bill.
After this approval by our patrons, need we bother about any further litigation? The chief minister’s act speaks volumes about the MMA’s strident campaign against Americans which they are forever incessantly and noisily waging.
H. N. AKHTAR
Karachi
CARJACKING is common in Karachi. According to reports, Gulshan-i-Iqbal turned out to be a high-risk area among the 18 towns in the metropolis as 791 incidents of carjacking were reported in the town between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2004. A total of 3,803 cases of carjacking were reported during the period.
According to the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), a total of 3,798 cars were taken away, of which 2,300 were recovered in 2004. In 2003, 3,377 cars were taken away and 2,251 were recovered. Astonishingly, white remained the favourite colour of car snatchers as 116 such cars were taken away and as a consequence certain banks have imposed a condition for buyers of white cars to install a car tracker.
In 2005, the number of reported cases of carjacking dropped from 163 in the first quarter of last year to 134 in the first quarter of this year mainly it is said due to the increased number of cars provided with car trackers.
Principally, there are two types of technologies being used by tracker companies. Radio frequency identification (RFID) and satellite tracking system. The former, acknowledged by an electronic key after a time lag of 55 seconds, comprises RFID tags, antenna, coupler and a server.
However, the latter with an implanted device, uses global positioning system technology to signal a vehicle’s location via SMS messages over a mobile phone network. The vehicle activity is recorded by modules attached to each vehicle, and movement is tracked wirelessly nationwide. The data is transmitted to a central, Internet-connected computer where it is stored.
However, all offered systems are quite expensive, ranging from Rs45,000 to Rs60,000. The annual monitoring fees also range from Rs6,000 to Rs16,000. As a result, only owners of expensive cars can afford it. In Karachi, snatching of smaller cars is also on the higher side, but their owners find tracker charges a little too high.
It is suggested that the government should direct car manufacturers to install a tracking mechanism in cars being assemled here. To benefit the end-users, a subsidy in this regard should be given to car manufacturers by the government.
RASHID ASHRAF
Karachi
I RECENTLY visited Sui Southern Gas Company’s (SSGC) customer service centre at Khayaban-i-Ittehad, DHA, Karachi, to get a duplicate gas bill. They have given me a brochure containing details regarding convenient bill payment options that also provide for discounts or incentives in certain cases.
If other utility providers like the PTCL (telephone bill) and KESC (electric bill) incorporate a similar system in their billing, I am sure people will be relieved from many hassles.
Also, if all the three utility corporations issue their bills on the same date and provide the same one-week margin, people will be able to pay all their bills in one go.
JAMIL KHWAJA
Karachi
“CHANGES are being made in the Constitution to make working women stay in private sector offices and workplaces till 10pm to oblige foreign investors who want extension in working hours before making investment in the country,” says a report in a section of the press.
Such proposed changes are going to affect our social system. We do need foreign investment, but at what cost?
As far as amendments to the Constitution are concerned, this is not a big deal. Any political party for its small benefits can oblige the government — 17th Amendment is a recent example.
TABASSUM MAIRAJ
Islamabad
IT is heartening to note that the government of Mr Shaukat Aziz has increased the rates of return on national savings scheme. Though the increase is too small in relation to the prevailing inflation, it is a step in the right direction.
It is suggested that the government/State Bank of Pakistan must allow the scheduled banks to conduct saving schemes business in their zonal offices, as saving centres are not well-equipped to provide efficient service as compared to commercial banks.
Further it is suggested that overseas Pakistanis should be allowed to invest in Behbood and pensioners’ schemes without restriction of age limit as they are regularly sending foreign exchange earnings through the normal banking channels.
M. ANWAR QURESHI
Tripoli, Libya
REFERENCE the letter by Ms Afshan Masood (July 21), I agree that authorities should take action against professional beggars, but the thing is that we have inherited beggary as a nation. For instance, a child even before his birth is under debt to the World Bank, ADB and IMF.
NAVEED
Quetta
Apropos of the letter ‘Airline evaluation’ (July 20), even though the occupancy rate of PIA is higher than the international average, the writer, who claims to be a frequent flyer on international airlines, gives a ‘D’ grade to PIA.
The occupancy rate is high because of dearth of private airlines in the country. The major reason why our major national organizations are inefficient is that improperly qualified people are heading them.
Currently the top man of PIA had his last assignment at PSO. Now both these industries are worlds apart and turning around an oil firm is a totally different ball game from turning around an airline. In profitable organizations the chief is always brought from within, someone who has worked with the organization for a substantial number of years and understands the ins and outs of the organization and the industry.
It is time the government curtailed appointments based on political or other considerations. Wrong appointments result in great loss to institutions and the exchequer. Everywhere, successful organizations always groom a few of their employees who can go ahead and lead the organization in the future.
IMRAN AMIR ALI
Karachi
SECURITY at Pakistani airports is very lax and security personnel do not do their job properly. While entering the airport the undercarriage of one’s car is checked with a mirror but the trunk, engines, the inside of the cars are not checked. Even the undercarriage is checked half-heartedly.
Inside the airport the security gate sounds the alarm almost every time a passenger goes through it, but security personnel just pat you and that’s it. Once a friend took a nail cutter and a knife on board by mistake and no one stopped him.
Our airports need to be made more secure.
FAWWAD SHAFI
Lahore
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