| July 30, 2005 | Saturday | Jumadi-us-Sani 22, 1426 |
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Margin financing
Remarks about rape victims
London blasts
Senior citizens
Sindh Textbook Board
Terror & terrorism
President’s address
Blame game
Local body polls
Child rights
Driving licences
Haj policy
Pensioners’ woes
Utility bills
THE president, the prime minister and the chief justice of the Supreme Court have emphasized the need to reform the judiciary. Governments in the past formed commissions and committees whose recommendations are lying in the archives. Nothing of substance was done to give relief to the common man who has to run from pillar to post in the hope of getting justice. Imagine an old man kept in prison for years without a trial. A quick fix is needed if we want to grant basic rights enshrined in the Constitution.
There is need to increase the number of judges/magistrates to lessen the load on the existing incumbents. A 15 per cent increase based on the present work force is needed. The newly-appointed judges should deal with the backlog. A second increase of 10 per cent should be made after two years and the intake should thereafter be a regular feature.
Delays caused by procedures like adjournments — wilful attempt by lawyers to delay cases — and absence of witnesses should be eliminated. The judiciary can issue instructions to expedite cases and delays should be taken seriously. Judges be made responsible for quick disposal of cases.
A monitoring cell could be created and the public encouraged to complain about delays relating to their cases. This should be at the district/tehsil level. These complaints must be investigated and the complainant satisfied.
High courts must appoint inspection teams to supervise the working of sessions courts. The public must be made aware of the authorities that can be approached for redress of their grievances.
In most courts, litigants are badly treated. There are no seating arrangements, fans, cold drinking water, etc. They squat outside in verandahs in scorching heat where basic amenities are denied to them. Imagine senior citizens sitting in verandahs waiting from 8am to 2pm for their turn to be called. Senior civil judges/sessions judges should pay surprise visits during working hours to oversee the functioning of courts. The media should play its role in projecting the state of affairs prevailing in courts.
LT-COL (RETD) MUHAMMAD AFZAL SADIQ
Attock
THE mode of financing of shares introduced by the State Bank governor and recommended by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan in lieu of ‘badla’ financing through margin financing has become impossible to implement.
Members of the stock exchange have to deposit exposure twice at the rate of a minimum of 35 per cent with both institutions, namely, the KSE and the banks concerned, which they cannot afford in view of a liquidity crunch.
In spite of several verbal requests to both the parties to relax the rules, they flatly refused to do so. Hence, it seems that the efforts so far made by the SBP governor will be jeopardized.
It has been suggested that for the smooth running of margin financing, margin at the rate of 30/40 per cent should be collected by the bank concerned on the date payment is made by it to the KSE and not on the day of transaction. Or, the margin/ exposure collected by the KSE should be released on the day of transaction and transferred to the bank concerned simultaneously and for that particular transaction, the bank should be held responsible in case of non-payment of dues of that clearing by the member.
It is hoped that this will be considered sympathetically by the relevant authorities of the SBP and the Karachi Stock Exchange.
MUHAMMAD SIDDIQUE SULEMAN
Karachi
WHEN Mukhtaran Mai was put on the exit control list, it suddenly attracted the attention of the international and local media. A few weeks ago a discussion was held on a private channel. Ms Neelofer Bakhtiar, Farzana Bari, MNA Fauzia Wahab and a representative from the MMA took part.
One was shocked to hear the remarks made by Ms Wahab. As far as NGOs are concerned, it has become fashionable to bash them for anything which goes wrong in the country. But an MNA on a reserved seat for women should not forget the contribution of women rights NGOs in elevating her to this position. It was a 25-year struggle that led to 33 per cent reserved seats for women, of which Ms Wahab is a beneficiary.
The issue of political participation of women was not picked up by any political party but by the women’s movement in Pakistan, which emerged as a reaction to Zia’s autocratic rule and anti-women laws. It is deplorable to call them a ‘mafia’.
The most shocking thing was Ms Fauzia’s remarks about rape victims.
It shows she has never seen or met a rape victim otherwise she couldn’t have been so insensitive. To assume that women make up rape stories to get entry into foreign lands is disgraceful, especially in a situation when this comes not only from a woman but a political party representative who is in charge of its human rights affairs.
ANIS HAROON
Resident director, Aurat Foundation
Karachi
IN his article “Fallout from London blasts”, Mr Tayyab Siddiqui says that Gen Musharraf has made “Herculean” efforts to stamp out radicalism and militancy.”
Has Gen Musharraf done anything about the blasphemy and Hudood laws?
He has made a mockery of the Constitution by shredding it to pieces and stitching it back together for personal gain at the expense of the country.
Yet he hasn’t shown much zeal to strike off retrogressive laws from the statute book. Now Gen Musharraf harps about the MMA and the Hasba Bill. Who allowed the religious par1ties to come to the scene by sidelining major parties?
We have heard the latest Musharraf speech many times in the past; it does not mean anything. The arbitrary arrests of a few hundred people is simply a knee-jerk reaction to international pressure.
TAIMUR M. KHAN
Chicago, Illinois, USA
A NUMBER of letters have been written on the London blasts, but Mr Blair’s in which he pointed the finger at Al Qaeda even before any investigation by Scotland Yard has been overlooked. This is intriguing.
The world has lost credibility in Mr Blair’s statements after the dodgy dossier on Iraq, which he carried in two red briefcases stuffed with packs of lies.
His audacity in smearing Islam with the term ‘evil ideology’ seems concocted by his mentors.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Mr Qutubuddin Aziz’s letter (July 21). He has conveyed anguish and despair of hundreds of thousands of senior citizens at the peanuts reluctantly given by way of an increase in NSS Behbood certificate profits. People had expected a significant increase, not a one per cent rise.
I was also among hundreds of senior citizens who had gathered at the Convention Centre in Islamabad on Oct 1, 1999 to hear the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif announce a welfare package for senior citizens.
The package included, besides significant concessions in air and railway fares, equalization of pensions in the same pay scales of pensioners above 70 years of age. The old pensioners who were present thanked Mr Sharif profusely for granting their longstanding demand.
However, their happiness was short-lived. Mr Sharif fell victim to his own intrigue before implementation of the package. It went under the military jackboot and with it the hopes and happiness of senior citizens and pensioners.
SYED AFZAAL HUSAIN ZAIDI
Islamabad
THE new academic year in Sindh is about to start within a few days, but the Sindh Textbook Board has not yet been able to make textbooks available in the market. It is feared that like the previous year, the board will not be able to bring out the textbooks in time, making both teachers and students suffer for no fault of theirs.
I fail to understand why the STBB has always been lagging behind the boards in other provinces. The NWFP and Punjab boards have since marketed their textbooks, and as such the teaching and learning process there is going on smoothly.
I request the authorities concerned to take cognizance of the perpetual slackness on the part of the STBB and ensure that textbooks are marketed well in time to enable teachers and students to start and complete the academic process smoothly. The long prevalent inefficiency in the STBB should be rooted out and those responsible for the mess should be proceeded against.
AGHA ALI GOHAR KHAN
Ghotki
THE two words ‘terror’ and ‘terrorism’ are seen as synonymous. But terror may be described as a prerogative of those in power to be exercised over the weak. When the latter have endured terror for long and start to react, their reaction is what is described as terrorism — terrorizing those who had hitherto been a terror for others.
No doubt, terrorism is a menace because it can occur at any place, at any time, by anyone. No one can do anything about it. In fact, we have to live with it because the world remained a silent observer when terror was let loose by the few on the many. So, in the final analysis terrorism should be accepted as one of the evils of life because we can do nothing to remove the other evil, namely, terror.
However, if there a be genuine desire to eradicate terrorism, the world should try to remove the terror of the few over the rest. If terror dies, terrorism will meet its inevitable end.
A.M. SAYIED
Karachi
I CONGRATULATE President Musharraf on his very bold and forthright address to the nation on July 21. He has outlined the present world situation in its true perspective, putting the blame for the current situation exactly where it belongs.
While we all mourn the loss of 56 innocent lives in the condemnable terrorist attacks in London; we equally mourn the loss of hundreds of thousands of equally innocent lives in the savage bombing of Iraq by British B-52 bombers and the cluster bombs rained on Afghanistan by the British and the Americans.
Most of the criticism of the London tragedy is on account of loss of innocent civilians, but it must be remembered that they are nothing but an outcome, by way of vengeance, of the enormous loss of lives and property in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is time the British people realized that if you start interfering in the affairs of other people, you should expect a hit-back.
While we all agree that Saddam Hussein, during his despotic rule of Iraq, had killed many citizens, they are nothing as compared to the thousands of Iraqi civilians killed by the British and the Americans during their invasion of Iraq. If Britain and the US learn a lesson from the London July 7 tragedy, the 56 innocent lives lost will not have been lost in vain.
SILENT OBSERVER
Karachi
WHERE has the social responsibility of our media gone? Why have we become so insensitive to dealing with situations concerning our country and the people? It’s legally and morally wrong to blame the innocent. Perhaps, we feel proud in destroying the already tarnished image of the Pakistani people. Ethical restraint and moral wisdom are what we lack as of now. It’s time we searched our souls and cultivated a sense of justice in our thoughts and actions.
The Egyptian interior ministry has denied the role of any Pakistani mentioned in the recent bomb blasts, while the British police have come out with a statement that two widely hunted suspects, Muktar Said Ibrahim and Yasin Hassan Omar, are Eritrean and Somalian, respectively.
Alas, the pictures of six Pakistani youths were splashed on the front pages of our national dailies. If this is the treatment meted out to Pakistani youth by their own brethren, what can one say of others? When will we grow up to behave in a fair manner?
MAIRAJ FATIMA
Karachi
PREPARATIONS for local body elections are in full swing with candidates thronging the courts to file their nominations papers. The second phase has started. The province of Balochistan is underdeveloped and sparsely populated. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, a union council should have a maximum of 25,000 voters in the area. However, there is a discrepancy in the number of voters in the different union councils in and around Quetta.
For instance, the union council of Killi Alam Khan has 5,000 voters while the union council of Liaquat Bazaar has 2,000 voters. On the other hand, Union Council-58 of Quetta which includes the Satellite Town has 40,000 voters. Similarly, Quetta 60, which comprises the areas of Brewery, Hazara Town and Western Bypass, also has 40,000 voters. Disproportionate divisions of voters in different union councils must be taken note of. MS
NORAIN KHAN
Via email
USING children as camel jockeys, putting them to work in factories in unfavourable conditions and subjecting them to physical and mental torture both at home and at school indicate our apathy towards our children. It seems that parents, teachers and society are not aware of child rights. Our future progress and prosperity depend upon raising our children in a loving and caring environment so that they may grow up as healthy, tolerant and useful adults.
The federal ministry of education should prepare a comprehensive plan for the protection of child rights and include lessons on child rights and child protection in its curriculums at school and college level.
SALEEM JAN
Gilgit
NAZIM Haji, writing on the above subject (July 8), has drawn the attention of the new DIG Traffic to the need for strict enforcement of the law. While endorsing his views, I would like to add that the laws for obtaining a driving licence should also be strictly enforced. Most of the drivers, including those of private cars, buses and minibuses and taxis, obtain driving licences without knowing anything about the proper handling of vehicles and traffic laws.
It is a matter of common knowledge that a driving licence can be bought at a price and this to my mind is a major cause of reckless driving.
MAHER H. ALAVI
Karachi
THE new Haj policy is discouraging as the conditions laid down are very cumbersome for those who intend to avail themselves of services of private group organizers. First, the last date for filing of Haj applications is Aug 15, which is a very short time for those who are living out of the country and want to avail themselves of the facilities through private operators. It would be difficult for them to come to Pakistan within this period.
The religious affairs minister should look into the possibility of extending the date by at least two weeks. Second, last year there was a precondition for verification of an identity card from the Nadra office, whereas the new Haj policy requires the original certificate from the Nadra office.
This is not justified because the data is accessible to the relevant ministries. This clause should be withdrawn from the Haj policy in order to make the procedure easy for a layman.
SARFRAZ ZIA ANSARI
Karachi
IT was heartening to read in Dawn (July 20) that the government has enhanced NSS rates with effect from July 1. As it was not specified that the increase will be applicable only to certificates purchased on or after July 1, it was presumed that it will be applicable to all without retrospective effect. When the NSS office was contacted, it said it would be applicable to certificates purchased on or after July 1.
The government has divided pensioners/senior citizens into two groups, that is, new pensioners/senior citizens and old pensioners/senior citizens, as the increased rate will apply to those who will retire or attain the status of senior citizens after July 1.
It is expected that the government will not differentiate between new pensioners/senior citizens and old ones and treat all equally.
I. AZIZ
Karachi
PEOPLE are getting tired of writing through these columns about the ordeal of paying utility bills in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Karachi, yet there is no relief in sight. In Block-18, there is only one bank branch that receives utility bills from the residents of more than 10 blocks.
It is now being said that this branch is shortly going to stop accepting utility bills on the grounds that the providers of the utility services (PTCL, KESC and SSG) are not paying them the commission they are demanding on each bill.
The State Bank of Pakistan has directed all private banks and their branches to get themselves registered for bill collection.
In this regard, it may noted that there is another bank branch in Block-18 opposite the first one but it is not registered for bill collection. This is despite the SBP directive. The SBP governor is requested to look into the matter.
M. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
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