| August 6, 2005 | Saturday | Jumadi-us-Sani 29, 1426 |
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Defining ‘ummah’
Arrest of journalists
Valuing life
Foreign students in madressahs
Highway accidents
PCB rejoinder
Shifting of US consulate
Bill payment options
PTCL
Senior citizens
Peace process
‘Four stooges’
Clarification
OUR politico-religious leaders feel they are living in an isolated world. They spew fire against western civilization and the behaviour of western countries and, on the other hand, are eager to visit western countries and expect normal courtesies.
Within this year almost all heads of religio-political parties who endeavoured to enter western countries have faced mistreatment. A few months ago, the Amir of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, who wanted to address a gathering in the UK, was refused entry by the British government. Then, after the secretary-general of the JUI-F and leader of the opposition in Pakistan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, had left Paris some time back, his host was grilled by the French police.
The head of the JUI-S, Senator Maulana Samiul Haq, who last April was part of an official delegation, was first detained at and deported from Brussels airport, then denied entry into London. He is on record as having boasted that he trained all the prominent leaders of the Taliban, including Mullah Omar.
The latest ignoble episode took place when Maulana Fazlur Rahman was detained in Dubai, which is not even western.
A stalwart of the MMA, NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani, has just returned from a 10-day visit to the US to seek funds for the NWFP.
In the US not only every billboard has women at their most glamorous, the streets and shopping centres are also full of women in scant dresses. How much anger must the pious MMA leader have gone through during his US visit.
The MMA leaders who suffer mistreatment from the immigration authorities of foreign governments would blame President Musharraf for a bad foreign policy, little realizing that their own deeds are responsible for the rough welcome abroad.
G.B. SHAH BOKHARI
Peshawar
THE current misinterpreted usage of ‘ummah’ was introduced in General Zia’s era. The correct meaning is “a community of free men under God who have the same ethnic, linguistic, religious affiliation. The distinctively Muslim ‘ummah’ comprising the adherents of Islam came into being with the migration of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to Madinah when the Islamic community was formed and demanded loyalties previously given to tribe or clan.
In Pakistan, most Muslims (85% and more) are neither from one ethnic stock nor do they speak one language. Religion also cannot cement one Muslim with the other, because in between is culture, which is a stronger adhesive than religion.
Today, socially, ethnically and temperately there is a wide difference between a North African Muslim and a West African or a Mid-Eastern or an Afghan or an Indian Muslim. We Pakistanis are different in our thoughts even as compared to Indian Muslims.
Second, are we the Muslims of Pakistan really implementing the basic rules of an ‘ummah’? We are divided into Punjabi, Pakhtoon, Balochi, Seraiki, Sindhi and Urdu-speaking groups. There are sub-divisions in these sub-nationalities, based on language, dialect, and caste with allegiance to ‘biradris’, clans and tribes. How can we be an ‘ummah’ when we don’t even have our house in order? Today we have more prejudice amongst us than exists between an Arab and a Bedouin — whether it is in education or sports or job.
Even in the subcontinent, a Muslim or a Hindu or a Sikh can be more comfortable with a counterpart from his own culture, irrespective of religion.
Similarly, ‘jihad’ has only one meaning. The shortest definition of it is to wage war against infidels and to spread Islam through war. Although modern Islam is replacing this philosophy with war against one’s inner self, another view permits war as a defensive or pre-emptive measure against other countries which is also controversial. It should be replaced with the dialogue and negotiations.
The nation needs a debriefing. It must be taken into confidence about the other side of the picture, the real picture or ‘jihad’, ‘ummah’ and ‘madressah’. Madressahs have ceased to exist in most Muslim countries. Their revival in Pakistan is only because of constant institutional support. The hard fact is that these are millstones around our necks, but unwisely, and with pride, we have been dragging it along with us.
Political Islam was injected in 1977 into our veins. Zia’s successors in different manifestations continued with this policy till 2001, until 9/11.
It has turned our society into an Orwellian nightmare. The only option we have left is to repeal all religiously oriented policies, politics and ordinances (like Hudood, etc.) formulated after 1977. When 55 Islamic countries out of 57 have no such laws, then why should we punish our Muslim community? They should go in one go.
The truth is that we have not made our policies take a 180-degree turn after 9/11 — a 10 or 15-degree turn may be a more realistic assessment. The question is whether we have room for another 10 to 15-degree turn after 7/7, or we will be forced this time to take the entire 180-degree turn?
KUNWAR KHALID YUNUS MNA
Islamabad
THIS is with reference to a report about the arrest of journalists, editors and hawkers (Dawn, July 27). This is very disturbing.
Before the emergence of Pakistan, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar’s Comrade and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan’s Zamindar were forced to close down and the press confiscated. After independence, Nawa-i-Waqt, The Pakistan Times and Imroze had difficult times.
Not in the too distant past, the editors of Friday Times were harassed.
But during the last 60 years that I have been a reader of newspapers, I had never before heard of hawkers being arrested.
A hawker is usually a poor man who sells his paper by shouting the headlines on the road side or dropping the paper at home in the early morning hours. He does not necessarily subscribe to the views of the newspaper he sells.
One great advantage of a free press is that one gets to know what is happening all around. By suppression and trying to prove that all is fine, wrong signals are sent. In those countries where the press has not been free, explosive situations have arisen.
As a senior citizen of the state I appeal to the government of Pakistan to sympathetically review the cases of journalists and hawkers who were arrested or charged.
KHALID HASSAN MAHMOOD
Karachi
AS a Muslim, I believe in Satan and the evil that emanates from his wrongdoing.
But the sickening degree to which human beings can degrade themselves and fall into Satan’s trap was made apparent to me just recently when I read in an inconspicuous-looking article in Arab News (Aug 2) that in Germany late July they had discovered corpses of nine newborn babies in a back-garden, a dead baby girl in a public-toilet, an infant boy on a recycling company’s conveyer belt, and a baby in a plastic bag with its throat slit.
This was after the similarly gruesome news I had seen recently on CNN and the BBC of four infants, whose bodies were found in a freezer and concrete-filled buckets in Austria. When I read this article, I was so traumatized with thoughts of those so very innocent, and so very helpless babies whose souls had been taken away so callously by their depraved murderers that I immediately felt sick to the stomach.
I have recently been blessed with motherhood and I find it unimaginable how anyone could hurt an infant, who knows nothing of what is happening around him or her, and is completely and utterly vulnerable in every sense of the word.
I seek consolation through my prayer.
SHAMA IMRAN
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
PRESIDENT Gen Pervez Musharraf at a recent press conference made it clear that foreign students in our madressahs would have to go back to their homes.
But all students coming from the Muslim countries are not extremists and terrorists.
They come to Pakistan for religious education that should make us feel proud, besides bringing us some foreign exchange.
If these students are ousted all of a sudden, it may boomerang and Pakistani students in educational institutions in Muslim countries may be sent home.
The position on refusing to admit foreign students to our religious institutions needs reconsideration. Registration of ‘deeni’ schools is the right decision. It must be carried out and completed without further waste of time.
Let students from Muslim or non-Muslim states come to our ‘deeni’ schools via the foreign office of their countries after ascertaining their bona fides.
M. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
MORE and more people die daily on the highway that links Turbat with Karachi. In the past couple of months almost 10 coaches and buses have met with accidents, killing and maiming more than 100 people.
The story of a small business dealer who travelled by a bus from Mand to Karachi but lost all members of his family, except for a son, in an accident is heart-rending. The man himself was badly imjured.
People belonging to the low-income groups mostly travel by bus from Turbat to Karachi. They do not know whether they will reach home again safe and sound or not. These accidents are not shown on TV and barely reported in newspapers. It seems the higher authorities are unaware of what’s happening.
The highway is newly built, and the drivers drive cautiously, yet the accidents continue. The causes of these accidents remain a mystery. I request the authorities concerned to immediately look into the matter and take corrective steps.
ASIFA GHULAM RASOOL
Turbat
I REFER to Rehan Siddiqui’s article appearing in your newspaper dated August 4. There is no way of rebutting prejudice but the facts needs to be corrected.
Mr Siddiqui’s assertion about the PCB chairman “rewarding favourites” is belied by the fact that all five of the promoted staffers mentioned in his article were appointed by previous administrations (incidentally without “due process”). Their promotions were made after a LUMS report had recommended upgrading certain posts and after assessing the dedicated work output of the five officers. Some of the officers inherited by the current board have not been retained while others remain in their posts at their previous level. For the first time in the PCB’s history, an annual confidential report system has been introduced to ensure fairness and transparency in promotions.
Except for the period when consultants were hired before the India tour (for which PCB had 12 days’ notice), no new appointments have been made without “due process”, i.e., advertising the post, short-listing applications and interviews by an independent panel before appointment. Mr Siddiqui has got his facts wrong as Riaz Mahmood, Abbas Zaidi, Salim Altaf, Asad Siddiqui and all senior appointees went through this process, along with other short-listed candidates, before appointment.
As regards salaries and emoluments, LUMS recommended that PCB should perform its functions as a corporate body and its officers be paid according to market rates. The ad-hoc committee endorsed this recommendation. The new pay scales were vetted and approved by the ad-hoc committee and cannot remotely be regarded as largesse distributed to the chairman’s favourites. The expenditure on establishment charges has doubled over the past two years but not five-fold as stated in the article. This expenditure includes, for the first time, increased financing of central contracts, appointment of eight regional development offices and awards bonuses approved at the highest level after the team’s success in India.
On the issue of ‘astronomical’ fees for Bob Woolmer and his ‘army’ of professional experts, the facts are that Bob Woolmer’s emoluments are roughly the same as Javed Miandad’s. They are approximately at level with all other foreign coaches and substantially less than Greg Chappell’s salary paid by the Indian board. Incidentally, Woolmer and his experts are entitled to five-star accommodation but have opted for the accommodation of the National Academy. There are no ‘astronomical’ finances involved and every major cricket board carries a coach, physio and a trainer with its national team. Australia currently has eight such experts in its team. As regards Mr. Zahid Bashir, he has a court case against the PCB but is not being paid a salary.
With regard to joy-rides, managing the Pakistan team on two arduous tours and attending ACC and ICC conferences can hardly be described as ‘joy rides’. I attend ICC and ACC’s senior executive meetings while the chairman is a member of the executive board that meets three or four times a year. The visits of PCB officials to London and Dubai were for negotiations with potential sponsors. They did not return ‘empty handed’ and there is a strong likelihood that their efforts will bear fruit in the future.
Every senior appointment and contract is now made with full transparency and up to-date audit reports placed on our website for public accountability.
SALIM ALTAF
Director (Cricket Operations) PCB
Lahore
A FEW letters have appeared in these columns showing concern about the shifting of the US consulate from Abdullah Haroon Road, Karachi, to M.T. Khan Road (old Queens Road). As reported by some papers, the US consulate requires about 28 acres of land which is certainly going to make the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) and other offices to move from their present location.
The continued silence of government agencies and the KPT on such an important issue is astonishing and it only goes to confirm that the news is correct. The government would probably to receive a fabulous price for its ‘dislocation’ of the research facilities that have been standing there for more than half-a-century. This reminds me of an old saying in English that “money makes the mare go”.
A WORKING SCIENTIST
Karachi
Apropos of PTCL letter in Dawn (August 1), I searched several shops in Karachi’s North Nazimabad for PTCL’s much advertised “Phone Bill Cards”. Nowhere was it available. Then I went to their DE Nazimabad offices. To my great shock and dismay the official there informed me that it was not available with them nor was he able to identify shops in this area where the cards could be available.
Will PTCL identify outlets in N. Nazimabad where the above cards may be available?
A Subscriber
Via email
PLEASE refer to the letter ‘PTCL’ (July 26) by M. Azhar Sheikh. I have a similar problem. The PTCL should not charge line rent service is not provided. I suggest joint (class action) legal action should be taken against the PTCL by all customers with a similar problem.
My lines were out of order for more than a year and I was forced to pay the line rent. My case was settled in my favour by the Wafaqi Mohtasib, but the PTCL has not accepted the decision. A joint class action in appropriate jurisdiction should make the PTCL more compliant and responsive. There is no reason to charge for services not provided. This principle should be understood by the PTCL and other providers of services like the KESC and cable and private phone companies.
AHMED ULLAH MIR
Karachi
IN the United Kingdom, the retirement age is 65 but all benefits for senior citizens (pension/free travelling, etc.) are available at the age of 60. In Pakistan, the retirement age is 60 but the facilities, if any, are not given before the age of 65. Through your columns I would request our government to review its policy.
S.H. JAFAREY
Karachi
IN your issue of July 28, Mr Kuldip Nayar has correctly stated that “President George Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are correct when they say that democracy should be deepened and strengthened in different parts of the world. But America has defied democracy when it attacked Iraq without the Security Council’s sanctions. People in horror have come to question the very ideology.”
In the world, including Iraq, Kashmir and Palestine, innocent blood is being spilled daily in defiance of Security Council resolutions.
DR A. HAYE SAEED
Karachi
AFTER the failed bombing attempts of July 21, the British authorities released photographs of four suspects. A few days later one was arrested in Birmingham. Thereafter, due to extreme luck and superior intelligence, three suspects were held in one day. All the suspects were escorted in white forensic suits to hide them from prying cameras. This raises the doubts of the authenticity of their claims.
It is strange that the would-be bombers were unaware of the CCTV cameras. Their photographs show they were alone in their respective places and incredibly all four devices failed to explode. These unusual chain of events suggest that the July 21 bombing attempts were staged to pacify the commuters and lead them to believe that the worst was over.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
THIS refers to a news item captioned “Parco employees, others freed after paying Rs 7m” appearing in Dawn on August 5.
While we would like to express our gratification at the release of innocent people without harm and sympathize with them and their families for going through this traumatic experience, the impression created by the news item that Parco paid a ransom for the release of its security team is not correct.
MIRZA MOHAMMAD NAYYAR
Karachi
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