| August 4, 2005 | Thursday | Jumadi-us-Sani 27, 1426 |
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British police
‘A Pakistani manifesto’
Pedestrians in trouble
Gross domestic product
HEC standards
Kalabagh Dam
Indian visa
New Murree
Driving licences
Wheelchairs and PIA
Pakistanis in Israel
Prayers
THIS refers to the news item (Dawn, August 1) regarding the remains of the late Chaudhry Rehmat Ali reaching Lahore on August 14, and saying that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain would personally travel to England to bring the remains back to Pakistan.
It’s shocking that a person who criticized the Father of the Nation and his idea of Pakistan is now being reburied in Pakistan on the “birthday of Pakistan”, whereas he himself preferred to live and die in a country of his former masters. A lot has been written on the subject of bringing back the mortal remains of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali by learned scholars of history opposing this idea.
The controversial question of bringing back Chaudhry Sahib’s remains to Pakistan was first raised by General Ziaul Haq. This is an attempt to “create” a leader and “thrust greatness” on a person who has not played any role in the independence movement of Pakistan, who had left no stone unturned to criticize Mr Jinnah and his philosophy, and who wrote regarding the acceptance of the Pakistan Plan: “It has been completely betrayed, bartered and dismembered by Mr Jinnah, whose act of accepting the British Plan shatters the foundations of all its nations and countries and sabotages the future of all its 100 million members living in the continent... We will carry on to the end, we will never quit or capitulate. It shall never be said of us that, when the time came to choose between the great battle for the Millat and the great betrayal, we followed the quisling and chose the betrayal.”
Chaudhry Rehmat Ali died in England and was buried there. He had all the choice to wish in his “wasiat” (will) for his body to be taken to and buried in Pakistan which he considered the “greatest betrayal”. We have the example of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar who died in England but preferred to be buried in Al Quds as he wanted to be buried in an independent country.
Stanley Wolpert, the most impartial and authentic writer on the Quaid says that Mr Jinnah ignored Rehmat Ali and his angry attacks “which were to become even more personal and virulent by the eve of Pakistan’s birth”. Again, quoting the National Archives of Pakistan, Wolpert writes: “If Jinnah knew about the Pakistan scheme at this date, there was no indication in his papers of such knowledge, or any personal interest expressed in it. Nor would he agree to meet with Rehmat Ali the following year, despite several attempts by the latter to discuss his idea with Mr Jinnah in London.”
Ayesha Jalal in her book “The Sole Spokesman” refers to the idea of Rehmet Ali as “notorious Pakistan scheme of the irrepressible Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, an even more fantastical variant of his earlier dreams.”
The pamphlet “Now or Never” was published in 1933, while much before that Allama Iqbal in his famous Allahabad address in 1930 had put forward suggestions on the same lines. Much before that, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in 1883 in a wider perspective had talked about two different nations which became the basis of the “Two Nation Theory”. “Now or Never” included the provinces of Punjab, NWFP, Kashmir, Sindh, and Balochistan, forgetting or intentionally ignoring Muslim Bengal.
In 1944, Chaudhry Rehmat Ali published another pamphlet tiled “The Millat and Her Ten Nations”, in which in which he advocated 10 separate nations. It was only and only the vision and farsightedness of the great Quaid that today we are one nation, Pakistan. Had it been people like Chaudhry Rehmat Ali , we would have been divided into nations and not a single nation.
The question of bringing the remains of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali must be left for the impartial historians to decide and not to individuals to create “leaders” of their own choice and will. The history of the Pakistan movement has already been badly distorted. The real soldiers of the Pakistan movement are being denied their due status in the history books.
Why not honour people like Allama Inayatullah Mashraqi, Sardar Abdul Rab Nishter, Qazi Essa, Sir Salimullah, Moulvi Fazle Haq and many more who are vanishing from our history books?
AAMIR AQIL
Lahore
OVER and over we are willing to blame British law-enforcement agencies for their incorrect judgment in pumping seven bullets into the head of Jean Charles de Menezes in a tube station in north London. By the same token, we criticize the ‘shoot to kill’ policy adopted by many western governments in the wake of increasing terror attacks against their civilians.
Perhaps, our disapproval is justified in both cases. My question, however, is: is this the first time that state agents have wrongly killed a person due to failed intelligence or hasty judgment or racial discrimination? Is this the first time that a state’s law-enforcement agency has denied innocent persons their basic right, i.e., the right to life? Whether we live in some of the most ‘civilized’ societies of the world or the most ‘barbaric’ we must admit that state agencies commit atrocities every day against civilians. These atrocities are almost always covered up and rarely ever reported.
What I argue today is for us to give the British police (endorsed by their state, of course) a pat on the back. Not for killing of an innocent man when they could have paralyzed him just as easily, nor for a disputed shoot to kill policy, and not even for waging a war in Iraq, but for having the integrity to admit a mistake, for having the courage to jeopardize their credibility so that their citizens, and indeed the citizens of the world, know the truth — for displaying enough character to clear an innocent man’s name.
Where other states may have fabricated a long story on part to justify their actions, Britain stood tall and came out with the truth, a quality that is often missing in their ‘allies’ in the war against ‘terror’.
AMNA JATOI
Islamabad
This is with reference to Mr Ayaz Amir’s article ‘A Pakistani manifesto’ (July 30).
The article was quite a welcome change from his usual sarcastic, bitter tone.
Mr Amir points to the areas that need immediate attention. One such sphere is that of education. He quite rightly calls for the elimination of the Cambridge system.
It is astounding to read that India did away with the O & A levels way back in the 1960s. That it is way ahead of us when it comes to education is no hidden secret; one example being that it produces 5,000 PhDs annually. The Cambridge system has only succeeded in deepening the schism between the elite and the rest in our country, with middle class households forever in a dilemma over which system to choose. (O & A level students also complain of being sidelined when it comes to getting entry to professional colleges.) This is not to say that the current matriculation standard adequately caters to the need of all. In fact far from it. It urgently needs to be revised and given a new life to suit the challenges of today.
The ailments afflicting our society are visible to all and the solutions too are obvious. The question that one would like to ask then is why is nothing being done to actually implement these solutions? Why indeed can’t we have a better standard of life when the means to get there are well within our grasp?
SADIA SIDDIQUE PECHUHO
Karachi
THE flyover on the crossing of Sharea Faisal and Shahrah-i-Quaideen was opened by the Sindh adviser to the local government on July 19.
The project has been completed at a cost of Rs11 billion under the guise of the so-called Public Development Programme, while the general public benefits least from it.
The main object of the flyover appears to be to make the crossing signal-free, perhaps to facilitate the caravan of high dignitaries coming and going to the airport through the Sharea Faisal. Traffic coming from the west en route to Shahrah-i-Quaideen is diverted through the flyover and drops near Allahwali Chowrangi at Tariq Road. Similarly, traffic coming from Shahrah-i-Quaideen en route to the eastern side of Sharea Faisal, after taking a right turn, is diverted through the flyover by a snake-curve below the bridge to drop at the Shell petrol station on the left.
This flyover is one of its kind as it does not bypass any locality or area to shorten the distance in order to save time and fuel, nor does it divide the traffic load of Sharea Faisal. Diversion of traffic from Sharea Faisal to Shahrah-i-Quaideen and vice-versa is nothing but extravagance and misuse of public money. The rare diversion problems could very easily be managed without this flyover, when required.
Unfortunately, the planners of the costly project did not consider the fate of pedestrians who would have to cross the road at a crossing that has been made signal-free. These poor folks have been left at the mercy of fast-moving traffic, which does not stop or even slow down to give a chance to the people waiting at the zebra crossing for their turn to cross.
Will the traffic bureau of the city pay attention to this problem and solve it before it is too late?
A SUFFERER
Karachi
WE request the officials of the ministry of finance to clarify the growth of gross national domestic product at the rate of 8.4 per cent as it cannot be authenticated.
When the import and export trade balance is negative to the tune of $6 billion approximately, it means that the purchasing power of the people has been transferred to the people of the exporting countries, reducing the incomes of the people of Pakistan. Our people became poorer, increasing the percentage of those below the poverty line. So how can a claim be made that our per-capita income has increased for the year ended June 30?
Other factors also speak of a negative balance of payments for this year of about $3 billion, amounting to Rs1,800 billion, which is no more in the country but has been paid to the exporting countries.
It is, therefore, requested that the finance people should spare some time to clarify the two percent increase in the gross national product.
MUHAMMAD SIDDIQUE SULEMAN
Karachi
Almost 53 universities, both in public and private sectors, are chartered by the government through the HEC. The sole objective of “creating” more universities is to promote higher education and not “creating” classes according to income-level or the financial background of a student.
If one compares the standard of education in these universities with that of other universities abroad, one finds a big difference. The fee structure of the programmes offered by these universities is so prohibitive that an average middle class student is constrained to believe that the grapes are sour.
A survey of some universities abroad should be carried out and a programme-wise, fee-wise and standard-of-education-wise comparison chart made to guide innocent Pakistani students.
NOUMAN ABID CHUHAN
Lahore
THIS refers to Mr B. A. Malik’s letter ‘Kalabagh dam’ (July 14). The existing dams have lost a good part of their storage capacity due to silting. The Kalabagh Dam might face a similar situation. Therefore, the experts must find some solution to this problem by way of provision of silt ejectors even in the existing dams, if technically possible.
It is necessary to mention that the old irrigation headworks, built in 1920s without control gates, have choked up a huge storage capacity of Punjab’s rivers, totalling that of a large dam, besides aggravating periodical flood damage. This can be easily rectified by providing such gates in these headworks at a fraction of the cost of a new dam.
The Kalabagh Dam might be useful for Sindh if Indus water is not siphoned off through canals, in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty, which allocated all the Indus water below Tarbela to the lower riparians of Sindh and Balochistan, whose confidence in equitable distribution has already been badly shaken by the construction of the Chashma-Jhelum link canal and other projects.
Another vital objection raised by the NWFP is that the raising of afflux of the Indus at Kalabagh by over 250 feet will submerge vast areas of the province. Recent flash floods have further increased the fears of a deluge in the NWFP, in a situation when all rivers are in high flood.
Divergent views have been expressed by various people, for and against Kalabagh. It is, essential to find some scientific explanation to satisfy the real concerns of all the provinces.
The president is requested to consider preparation of a computerized model of the area and the rivers by some newtral agency to satisfy the concerns of all the parties, and to end this controversy once and for all instead of allowing it to run on indefinitely on mere conjectures.
S.M.H. RIZVI
Karachi
I ENDORSE the views expressed in the two letters (July 10 and 13) about the difficulty of obtaining an Indian visa by American citizens of Pakistani origin. I had applied for a visa on Nov 30, 2004 at the Indian consulate-general in New York, and was charged a fee of $80. I was asked to wait for at least three months as they had to refer it to the Indian government for clearance. The clearance never came and it was time for me to leave for Pakistan. After arriving in Pakistan and reading that the Indian high commission in Pakistan was generously issuing visas to senior citizens, I thought of trying my luck and went to the Indian high commission in Islamabad on June 24 to apply afresh for a visa.
The high commission accepted the application (receipt no. F00483) and asked payment of Rs1,000 as charges for the fax to be sent to the Indian government. The high commission asked me to check after a week. It is more than a month and I have not received any response to my application despite several queries.
SAJJAD NAZIM ZAIDI
Rawalpindi
THIS is with reference to the report in Dawn, (July 25) which says that, under a special directive of the Punjab chief minister, a feasibility report for the New Murree project is being prepared by the Punjab government in collaboration with a Thai company.
The question which I have for the chief minister is: has he seen the present condition of Murree lately? The high, ugly old buildings there are going to cause landslides in the next few years. Its dilapidated roads, full of debris, mud and slush, are a source of inconvenience to commuters and transport. The gutters overflow. Over-congested main roads lined with auto-workshops and auto-sparepart shops result in perpetual traffic jams. The streetlights are non-functional. Heavy transport vehicles with loud musical horns emit black smoke, causing environmental hazards and noise pollution.
Murree, once a beautiful resort, is fast turning into a death trap. My humble request to the chief minister is to order immediate steps to restore Murree to its original beauty, cleanliness and calm.
LT-COL (retd) SHAHID JAN
Peshawar
THIS has reference to the Karachi Notebook piece on driving licences (July 25).
The picture painted by the writer of the state of affairs at the Driving Licence Branch, Karachi, is not a true reflection of the situation.
The allegation levelled against the Driving Licence Office staff of being involved in corruption is incorrect. The traffic police have adopted a number of measures to eradicate the menace of corruption.
The remark about the presence of agents in and around the office is also not correct as citizens are getting driving licences on a first-come-first-served basis without any problems. The writer has referred to long queues, the absence of stationery/staples, etc., which is not the responsibility of the licence branch. The long queues only show the large number of applicants being entertained on a daily basis.
TAHIR ZAIDI
DSP, Licence Branch,
Karachi
THE letters on ‘PIA and wheelchairs’ (July 14) and ‘PIA website’ (July 19) are fully endorsed. It is not only Amsterdam airport but Jeddah airport as well where PIA is the only airline charging Saudi riyals 300, equivalent approximately to Rs4,500 per passenger, for provision of wheelchair assistance. Jeddah airport is the only gateway to Makkah and Madinah where movement of old and disabled passengers, because of Umrah and the Haj pilgrimage, requiring wheelchair assistance, is a frequent and regular feature in comparison to other world airport.
No airline of the world except PIA takes undue advantage of helpless aged pilgrims to charge SR300 for wheelchair assistance at Jeddah airport. Travelling back from Jeddah to Karachi by PK732, recently, I noticed a PIA passenger carrying a disabled lady on a baggage trolley from the PIA check-in area to the departure lounge, which was disgraceful.
According to IATA regulations, the cost of air ticket includes ground transportation for disembarkation and embarkation of passengers between terminal and aircraft at airports inclusive of assistance for disabled passengers.
ZAFAR AHMED KHAN
Karachi
IN the aftermath of the Sharm el-Sheikh blast it was reported that the Egyptian police were looking for five “Pakistani suspects” involved in the explosion. Later they clarified that the Pakistanis were illegal immigrants who had fled to Israel after leaving their passports behind.
How strange that we haven’t heard from Israel about this. Israel’s security establishment is the best in the world, and it is impossible that Pakistanis crossing over into Israel will not be caught on the border or later not be identified in the villages and cities of Israel’s closed society.
Could the Egyptian embassy in Pakistan tell us where they are — if at all?
JAMEEL ZAHID
Karachi
APROPOS of the photograph published on the front page of Dawn, August 3, the caption says: “Saudi King Abdullah (C) and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz (R) offering funeral prayers for King Fahd at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque.”
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there are no Rukoos in funeral prayers, which are offered at an open place.
GUL MUHAMMAD
Peshawar
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