| July 25, 2005 | Monday | Jumadi-us-Sani 17, 1426 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
‘Islamic terrorism?’
Homoeopathy vs allopathy
Port Qasim scheme
Senior citizens
London blasts
‘Madness, not salvation’
Computer teachers
Cabinet size
Water & power promises
Cricket boards
Flood water
FORESTRY, after agriculture, is the most important sector for a country’s economic development. Advanced countries pay due attention to the discipline, but in Pakistan it is one of the most neglected sectors. One hardly finds any mention of it in government policies.
A 25 per cent forest cover is considered essential for any country’s economy, but Pakistan has failed miserably in this context. Not only have we have failed to improve our forest cover but we have been unable to manage the forests we have inherited from British India. The following are some of the major causes that have contributed to the deterioration of our forests:
Forest policies are written to provide guidelines in which certain objectives are set. For example, in the Forest Policy of 1991 one objective was to increase forest cover up to 20 per cent by 2010. But improvement has been negligible (from 4.8 per cent to 6.4 per cent). Many policies have been framed, but hardly any have been implemented due to lack of support from government.
Another grave problem is encroachment of forest lands by local people who consider them as their personal property and don’t hesitate to take up arms against forest officers who resist the encroachment. Finding himself helpless due to non-cooperation from police and judiciary, the forest officer withdraws to save his own life. As a result, the forest department remains deprived of large chunks of land, a factor which plays havoc with forest improvement policies.
Then again, the timber mafia is active in Pakistan. Even though the forest department has been declared as a “force”, it survives without arms and ammunition. A forest guard or a forest officer is helpless against the land mafia, equipped with modern weaponry. Therefore, they deem it better to avoid confrontation with the mafia.
Lack of irrigation water is another major cause of forest degradation. Although in the previous forest policy it was laid down that 10 per cent water will be reserved for forest development, no effective measures were taken and due to drought many important plantations died.
Lack of awareness among the people has also been a major factor in forest degradation.
Thus, most of the causes of the decrease in the forest cover are manmade. It is suggested that forest policies should not be devised in isolation, sitting in Islamabad, but provincial forest departments and especially local communities directly affected by these policies should be involved in the policy-making process. Besides, President Pervez Musharraf, known for his keen interest in other fields of economic development, should personally look into the problems of this sector.
Provincial forest departments should be strengthened so that they can effectively check the timber mafia and land encroachers. And above all, the mass media should be mobilized to create awareness among people of the importance of forests.
ARSHAD HYDER KAMARIO
Peshawar
THIS is with reference to the letter by Mr Farrukh (July 15) wherein the correspondent discusses western atrocities on the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds.
There is no question about the wrongdoings of some western regimes — what they did and are doing is absolutely against any human moral laws. However, Mr Farrukh’s complaint would be justified only if there was any evidence where it could be proven that the western perpetrators of these atrocities committed their sins in the name of Jesus or the Bible. The tragedy of the Islamic resistance movement is its use of the Islamic religion to justify its acts of terror. Why did no one scream “Christian terrorism” when Milosevic was slaughtering thousands of Muslims every day? The answer: Because his soldiers were not doing it over the slogans of “Jesus is great” and “we will achieve heaven for killing innocent people” or “this is a holy struggle ordained by the Bible”.
The images coming out of the Muslim world showing people with the Holy Quran in one hand and a gun in the other have tarnished the reputation of the Muslim world. The final blow is provided by young Muslim men, born and bred in western societies who are perfectly normal human beings but who, after attending Islamic schools, blow themselves up in crowded trains.
It is time for all of us Muslims to look inwards and see what the problem is rather than blame the West for everything.
DR ANZAR Arlington,
VA, USA
MR Tony Blair has blamed ‘Islamic extremists’ for the London bombings. Are these extremists following Islam? Certainly not. Just because they were born to Pakistani origin parents, have Muslim names and dark skins, they cannot be called Muslims.
Terrorism of any kind has no place in religion. Islam is no exception. The Holy Quran likens anyone who takes the life of innocent people as one who has committed a crime against all of humanity.
Pakistani ulema issued an edict against suicide bombing in May 2005 but limited its scope geographically. The ‘fatwa’, Mufti Muneeb said, would apply only in Pakistan, while people waging freedom movements against alien occupation as in Palestine and Kashmir would be exempted from its scope (Dawn, May 18). The edict further stated: “Islam forbids suicide attacks on Muslims and those committing such acts at places of worship and public congregations cease to be Muslims.” This statement further limited the scope of the edict to attacks only on Muslims. Islam is a universal religion for all mankind and applying such homespun, self-created and shortsighted limitations only serves to distort the peaceful message of Islam and malign its name.
FASEEHA ARJUMAND
Via email
WITH reference to letters published on homoeopathy (July 5, 8, 21), homoeopathy is not just about giving “sweet microballs” which work as a palatable medium.
One partially agrees with Dr Haseeb Alam’s point of view (July 5) that every homoeopath should do his/her (MBBS) before becoming a homoeopathic practitioner. The reason clearly lies in rationalization of the claim that homoeopathy “cures patients and not diseases” — to fulfil such a strong claim it really needs a high level of expertise. The basis of homoeopathy treatment is “symptoms of patients”, which is why we call it the “science of symptomatology”; the more your level of understanding of symptoms, the more precise remedy you can provide. Therefore, the main reason for failure amongst more homoeopathic practitioners is that they are not able to treat their patients properly because of lack of understanding of symptoms. In short it is not a failure of the method but the people who are using it. Hence the NWFP government’s decision to open homoeopathic dispensaries is good provided those running this show have sufficient understanding of the subject.
The homoeopathic council should regularize the education of its practitioners and also its implementation. Last week when I visited a local college, out of 120 enrolled students only 10 were present in the class. No one should be allowed to practise without a professional degree.
For some diseases where the boundaries of allopathy end, those of homoeopathy begin and vice versa. Allopathy has shown excellent results in some acute diseases. If someone adheres to homoeopathy in the case of snake-poisoning, he will only be playing with human life.
Both are knowledge and experience-based systems made for the benefit of humanity and in line with Allah’s decree that “every disease has a cure”. We as humans should find where the cure lies.
DR MOHAMMAD AHMAD
Karachi
THE attention of the relevant high ups of the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) and President Pervez Musharraf is drawn towards the ordeal overseas Pakistanis are facing as applicants of Al-Watan Industrial Estate Scheme of the PQA announced exactly a year back (“Industrial scheme for expats opened” — Dawn, July 18, 2004).
Obtaining the forms after facing untold difficulties and completing all required formalities, I sent my application — attested by a public notary in Hamburg, Germany — for a plot in the scheme along with a bank draft No. FRA160641 for Rs62,500 issued by the National Bank of Pakistan in Frankfurt, Germany, in favour of the PQA.
After several months of waiting, the ballot result was announced in February this year and posted on the website of the PQA. My name was not in the list. On February 3, the PQA posted a note on their website www.portqasim.org.pk that “demand drafts of unsuccessful applicants will be returned to their mailing address as given in their application form”.
According to a news item in March, “unsuccessful applicants would be considered for further balloting in this scheme”, so all such applications were kept pending for further action.
I sent a fax from Germany to ask about progress in the matter but didn’t get any reply. I visited the PQA’s website but didn’t find anything new in this connection. After contacting them repeatedly and waiting for almost one year, I used the opportunity during my visit to Karachi in late June to contact the PQA office personally but the staff was helpless saying bank drafts had already been sent back to unsuccessful applicants and nothing more could be done in this regard. Back in Germany, I’m still waiting for a confirmation in writing that the draft was sent to me here, which I need to submit to the National Bank in Frankfurt in case the draft was lost in mail.
Is there any authority that can look into this problem and save applicants from this ordeal and wastage of precious time? In order to restore the confidence of overseas Pakistanis and attract major foreign businesses, there is need to control fraudulent activities in the country. The government is also requested to ensure transparency at all levels and find ways and means to deal with such complaints.
AZIZ REHMAN
Hamburg, Germany
THIS refers to Mr Qutubuddin Aziz’s letter ‘Senior citizens’ (July 21). I fully endorse his view that the federal government has failed to implement the UN General Assembly recommendations for the benefit of the elderly. I am 71 years old, a retired judge of the Sindh High Court and a senior citizen but I am deprived of my health and medical benefits, let alone concessions in rail or air fares for senior citizens.
I have written to the president and the prime minister, about it but in vain. When a retired high court judge and a senior citizen’s request cannot reach the president or the prime minister, God knows what will happen to the problems of ordinary citizens.
The government is requested to revive the charter of benefits for senior citizens.
JUSTICE (retd) AGHA SAIFUDDIN KHAN
Karachi
HAVING just returned from holidays in Pakistan, I was feeling quite apprehensive going back to work. I feared some hostile or sarcastic remarks might be directed towards me, either on the basis of my religion or my Pakistani background. On the contrary I was deeply surprised when several of my colleagues actually initiated a serious conversation, trying to ascertain what could have prompted young British Muslim boys to get involved in this month’s terror attacks.
To my relief the underlying tone of the discussions was not of ridicule or contempt, but to gain a better understanding of reasons that led to such events especially in the context of the Middle East, the birth of Israel and other ongoing conflicts in the world. Somehow I just felt even more proud to be a part of British society which has maintained a rational approach to dealing with such horrible events and made Muslims like myself feel trusted and loved.
After this and several other discussions I realized that actually the 7/7 atrocities and related terrorist events happening now on a regular basis have provided British society with an excellent opportunity to initiate a meaningful interfaith dialogue, which can result in developing an even better understanding of different faiths and also increased tolerance of each others’ customs and beliefs.
It may be noted that in addition to the 56 victims of 7/7, four young misguided Muslim youths also lost their lives, leaving their families to grieve and face both their own community and other communities, being branded as families of “traitors” who blew themselves up and others in the name of Islam. Should other parents wish that they do not, God forbid, face a similar fate, it’s time they started keeping a tab on what is being preached in their local mosques and Sunday schools and monitor the activities of their children during visits overseas.
Instead of just exposing their youngsters to Asian culture and religion, British Muslim parents need to start opening up to non-Muslim communities so that a deeper element of social, religious and cultural tolerance is instilled in these young minds. Only this approach would protect the future generations against any attempts to radicalize them and turn them into mindless pawns at the hands of wicked hate preachers.
DR SHAAZ MAHBOOB
London, UK
WITHIN a fortnight the capital of a superpower has been attacked again. While sympathizing with the citizens of London I would like to request the British prime minister to try to find the cause “inside” before looking “outside. It appears to be a case of “internal bleeding”.
TABASSUM MAIRAJ
Islamabad
ONE fully agrees with Mr Ayaz Amir when he writes (July 15): “Lacking the power to correct our own weaknesses we tend to blame outsiders for our misfortunes... America has a vested interest in Muslim dictatorships because dictatorships are easier to handle... Muslim dictatorship is not an American invention, merely an American convenience.”
Living here in Brossard near Montreal, Quebec, Canada, for the more than 29 years, I must vouch for the fact that, thanks to the multicultural and tolerant society in Canada, things are quite peaceful here for the Muslims, in spite of the tragic happenings of the World Trade Centre (Sept 11, 2001) and lately of London (July 7).
A greater number of Muslims have protested on the freezing cold streets of Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton than Muslims in many Islamic countries, against both the desperate “Muslim” terrorists and the power-intoxicated governments of the USA, the UK and Russia.
Canada has built through the years strong political, judicial and bureaucratic institutions, and all Canadians, irrespective of their colour and income groups, are benefiting from these institutions. What we need in Pakistan, as Mr Amir correctly points out, is “more honesty and less dictatorship....”
JALALUDDIN SYED HUSSAIN Quebec,
Canada
COMPUTER science as a subject was introduced at the intermediate and BSc levels almost in all government colleges. Yet there are institutions where computer teachers are not available.
The students have been left at the mercy of private computer centres while girls and boys with post-graduate qualifications in computer science are sitting idle.
I appeal to the Punjab government to appoint post-graduate girls and boys in colleges without computer teachers.
In this way, not only the poor students will be freed of rapacious private computer centres, but the unemployment problem of computer post-graduates will also be solved.
PROF. S. MAZHAR HUSSAIN RIZVI
Lahore
AS reported, Chaudhry Shujaat and President Musharraf have rejected the prime minister’s proposed reduction in the number of federal cabinet ministers through dropping the non- performing ones (if this exercise was diligently done, the cabinet would look like a leafy tree in autumn).
If the remedy for poor democracy is more democracy, what is the remedy for poor performance of cabinet ministers — more cabinet ministers?
The PM is fortunate his proposal to shed non- performing ministers out of his team of 59 worthies was merely rejected and he was not told to take on more.
S. KHALID HUSAIN
Karachi
THIS has reference to Mr Sultan Ahmed’s article ‘Promise of water’ (July 14). It has become a practice with our ministers that whenever they visit a place, they conveniently make an announcement about some big project(s).
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz did the same thing when he visited Thatta recently. Without considering the socio-economic condition of the people of the area, he promised two things — one, every household in the country would shortly get electricity and, second, that there would be a water purification plant in each union council.
If our prime minister wants to have a clear picture of poverty and water shortage people face, he ought to visit ‘Kachho’, a remote area of Dadu district. Because of water shortage, people are living in poverty. Many depend on agriculture, and their immediate need is water. If the PM can provide water to them, he will do a great service. Other things for the people of the area can wait.
WAHEED AHMED KOUREJO
Dadu
IT was interesting to read a number of letters pointing out how England and Australia were still playing their current cricket series after the London bomb blasts while England were refusing to play in Karachi because of the “volatile” nature of the city. In fact, the last two one-day matches of the Natwest Challenge were held in London immediately after the blasts. And now the first Test is again being played in the same city.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has learnt nothing at all from these events and still tends to remain on the “backfoot” when dealing with these issues. If the England Cricket Board is so concerned about the security of their players, why not cancel the Ashes straightaway? More strange was the Australian team’s response. Australia did not come to Pakistan during their 2002 tour because of “fear” of terrorist attacks and matches had to be played in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Sharjah. Now they are playing in London even after the terrorists attacks. Why these double standards?
Can the PCB even think of stopping the Pakistan team from playing at Lord’s next summer?
ASAD SULEMAN
Via email
SOME people have expressed the apprehension that with the construction of the Kalabagh Dam, there would be danger of floods in Nowshera. But the recent flood in the Frontier has proved that there could be natural causes for floods such as the early melting of snow.
Therefore, there is strong justification for construction of the Kalabagh Dam to utilize the extra water flowing into the sea for irrigation and electricity generation.
AGHA SHAMSUDDIN
Lahore
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address: letters@dawn.com
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.