| August 20, 2005 | Saturday | Rajab 14, 1426 |
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Jamaat’s claim
KU on Japanese students’ visit
HEC projects
Kalabagh Dam
NFC award
PIA and wheelchairs
Power outage
Mountaineer’s rescue
FTO ordinance
THIS has reference to Dr Mohammad Ahmed’s letter “Homoeopathy vs allopathy” (July 25). Dr Ahmed’s reservations about poor standards of homoeopathic education are correct and need attention at the national level. But his opinion that every homoeopath should do MBBS to become a competent homoeopath shows his prejudice.
To say the least, homoeopathy is a complete system of therapeutics. Without disregarding the importance of diagnosis in any school of thought, in allopathy the mode of treatment is on a first-diagnose-and-then-treat basis. To establish typical features, diagnosis is important as an abstraction of many pathological processes but as a basis for treatment it does appear to be insufficient due to its generalization of medical reality in each individual case.
Homoeopathy is more demanding.It is based on symptoms and the name of a disease is not always required. Mastery of symptoms is dependent upon the level of understanding of the materia medica, not on the name of the disease.
If MBBS is to be made the basis for competency in homoeopathy, the essence of the system’s philosophy will be negated. But MBBS courses can be added to fill small vacuums and can stand on the homoeopathic pillars of therapeutics. Homoeopathic founders, including Dr Hanemmann, were allopaths, who after discovering homoeopathic therapeutics adopted the system. Modern and pure homeopathy has taken advantage of developments in medical science.
Dr Ahmed comments: “If someone adheres to homoeopathy in case of snake poisoning, he will only be playing with human life”. This is again wrong. Homoeopathy in snake-bite cases provides cheap, comprehensive and powerful treatment. Anti-snake serum is made on the modified principle of homoeopathy that “poison treats poison” which follows the law of similarity. That same principle works in cases of vaccination, blood transfusion and even in stem cells and organ transplantation because proper tissue-matching and cross-matching is essential for success, proving greater similarity, higher accuracy and chances of success.
Although anti-snake serum is considered the first line of treatment in snake-bites, storage, timely availability, cost-effectiveness and careful preparation are major areas of concern. As it is an animal protein derivative (horse), chances of hyper allergic reaction (anaphylactic shocks) is always there.
In homoeopathy, several remedies are derived from snake poisons like lachesis, naja and crotolus horridus. Lachesis, besides being used independently in snake-bite cases, can be used to fill the gap left by allopathic treatment, e.g.. to minimize the recurrence of symptoms after the bite. Another homoeopathic medicine, Euphorbia Polycarpa (golondrina), can be used as an antidote as well as a prophylactic (preventive). Besides, cedron, indigo, kalium permanganicum are other medicines that can be used in cases of snake-bite.
Moreover, in areas like Cholistan and Tharparkar where facilities (electricity) are lacking, timely provision of anti-snake serum (dependent on temperature) is a myth. Homoeopathic remedies given through competent hands can provide relief.
Dr ABDUL QADEER KAWAN
Karachi
IN the heat of the election fever, the Jamaat-i-Islami’s information secretary (‘A democratic Pakistan’, Aug 9), goes too far to undermine the ‘ideology’ and political faith of his own party.
To say that the books and pamphlets of Maulana Maudoodi were widely used by the workers of the Pakistan Movement “to enlighten Muslims about the issue of Muslim nationality” is intellectual dishonesty. Not only does it militate against the fundamentalist basis of the political precepts expounded by Maulana Maudoodi, especially in his well-known book Siyasi Kashmakash (in particular Vol. III), it also fails to admit the reality of two conflicting views — an altogether radically different mindset, propounded by the modernists and the traditional school of thought on the pertinent issue of Muslim nationalism. How could then the workers of the Pakistan Movement make use of the books and pamphlets opposing rather than supporting the Pakistan cause?
Leaders like Wali Khan and the other followers of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and for that matter Mufti Mahmood of the JUI never denied their opposition to Pakistan. Intellectual honesty, therefore, demands that the Jamaat-i-Islami should accept that it opposed the creation of Pakistan.
It is difficult to find any traces of similarity in the thoughts and outlook of the Quaid and the Maulana. The two are poles apart. History made this apparent when the Jamaat acted as an accomplice of Ziaul Haq to dismantle the liberal legacy of the Quaid-i-Azam.
To undercut the secular and democratic essence of the Quaid’s thought, all his significant speeches, like the one he made at the inauguration of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, were sidelined. Instead, the government’s print and electronic media was made to confine the Quaid’s pronouncements only to character-building and other ethical norms of conduct.
How far the nation has been taken away from Iqbal’s vision and the Quaid’s ideals can be seen in the Hudood Ordinance and the Hasba bill.
AHMAD RAZI SIDDIQUI
Karachi
THIS refers to the news story headlined ‘Japanese students not visiting KU this year” (Dawn Karachi Metropolitan, Aug 17). I would like to explain the factual position.
We have an arrangement with the Daito Bunka University of Japan under which they send a group of their students to study Urdu at the University of Karachi. The university informs us every year about their plans. We received a letter from them in May last a reply of which was sent to them on June 21, expressing our willingness to entertain their students at our university. The VC did not receive information about the planned tour from a certain professor of the department of Urdu as mentioned in the news story. The letter from Japan was addressed directly to the VC, Prof (Dr) Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui.
In the meantime, the former chairperson of the Urdu department, Dr Moinuddin Aqeel, was asked to make arrangements for the tour programme of our guests from Japan as he had been looking after such programmes in the past as well. However, he did not receive any response from Japan. This gave us the impression that their programme had been delayed for some reasons as had happened in the past also.
We are still looking forward to welcoming the Japanese scholars here.
As regards the reported non-availability of the VC or any senior university official for comment, I would like to say that the vice-chancellor was in his office till late Tuesday (Aug 16) evening in connection with a meeting.
SARWAR NASIM
Media adviser to the vice-chancellor,
Karachi University
WHILE many would appreciate HEC programmes and upgraded funding of institutions of higher learning, millions of rupees have been given for such projects for which those who have received the funds have had no previous experience in the field and in several cases the researchers were incapable of handling such huge projects.
The newspaper advertisement published on August 10 seeking appointments of foreign faculty members as supervisors for PhD students is ridiculous. Most of those mentioned in the advertisement are on a short visit of one or so year and in several cases they cannot establish research facilities in the departments in their field of specialization. This foreign faculty hiring programme is actually discouraging competent faculty in the country.
On a recent visit to Peshawar University, one was shocked to learn that five professors teaching PhD students have already left the country for the UK or Canada, mainly discouraged by the hiring of relatively less competent foreign teachers at a salary four to five times higher than of their counterparts working in Pakistan.
One feels that this and several other HEC programmes are actually encouraging a brain drain from universities and research institutions. Some new public sector universities are only advertising posts to fulfil HEC requirements without actually filling the posts with competent persons.
DR ABDUL JALIL
Islamabad
THIS is with reference to Mr. B. A. Malik’s letter (August 4).The writer has done an excellent job in reminding readers of the chequered history of the Sindh-Punjab water dispute which this year has unceremoniously completed a century of existence without a solution.
The Kalabagh Dam was planned about 45 years back and was supposed to precede Tarbela Dam. It was the period of One Unit, with Lahore being the capital of West Pakistan and Nawab Amir Muhammad Khan of Kalabagh its governor. In spite of hailing from Kalabagh himself and carrying enormous weight in governance, he did not exert any power in favour of Kalabagh, which could have given a huge uplift to his native area. He allowed the national interest to prevail and therefore Tarbela Dam was built earlier.
The historic annual river discharge through Punjnad, according to the “Lower Indus Report” in the pre-Indus Waters Treaty period, was 192maf. About 30maf was given to India under the treaty through diversion of three eastern rivers. At that time they were eastern rivers of West Pakistan and, therefore, there was no question of any opposition from Punjab which was not in existence then and out of whose share the water was diverted, with no mention of any share being apportioned to other provinces for the same reason. As from the present ground realities, Sindh should consider the sacrifice made by Punjab in not asking any compensation for the foregone part of its rivers’ flow. Quite obviously, Punjab was counting on the benefits which were offered under link canals and “timely and appropriate” releases foreseen from the planned dams in return for the foregone river flows to India. If the benefits are not forthcoming, Punjab, in all fairness, is entitled to ask for other appropriate compensations.
We know that the “twin menace” of waterlogging and salinity was eating over 100,000 acres of our fertile lands annually. The government had started the Salinity Control and Reclamation Programme (SCARP) in 1961 with the assistance of the World Bank. The programme was started on a war footing and then president Ayub Khan had declared the “twin menace” as Pakistan’s number one enemy. We are fortunate to have succeeded in that war.
As a bonus, we have a very large amount of additional water in our system, which is being mined through our network of “horizontal drains”, otherwise known as tubewells, installed under SCARP in the country. What we do not know generally is the fact that about five times more water is being “mined out of the ground water storage” than the combined flows of all the rivers of the country which is being “diverted through canal irrigation system” operating in the country. Pakistan is blessed with one of the largest ground water storages in the world. The ground water storage has evolved due to extensive and prolonged canal irrigation practised in the country without the protection of proper drainage of soils. This is a blessing in disguise in the present situation as 500 per cent more water than canal irrigated river water is finding its way to the “downstream river recharge” through various natural drains and rivers. It is estimated that about 25maf is added to the river recharge on this account. This is added to the river downstream of Punjnad and is due to the courtesy of the water mined and used upstream of Punjnad, which has remained unaccounted for.
Kalabagh Dam is equally beneficial to Sindh if not more, due to the following reasons:
a) Sindh is dependent upon controlled water releases from Punjab and the NWFP for keeping its “riverain and delta areas” free from flood damage. This is only possible through suitably designed “flood water harnessing” upstream. High capacity water storage dams are the only such harnesses for which the only places are upstream — all in Punjab, the NWFP and the Northern Areas.
b) The Rann of Kutch is a vast marshland which can be reclaimed through sub soiling, followed by “leeching” of those marshy saline soils. Leeching requires fresh water in large quantities which can only come from extra, not-immediately-needed water storage in large reservoirs that would be available in the initial years of the construction of dams like Kalabagh and its downstream dam at upper Doab. If Sindh can foresee its requirements about five years from now, it would not be possible to meet its agricultural and added population requirements by only additional water alone. Reclamation of the Rann of Kutch is a must for the future survival of Sindh and the two drainage networks of LBOD and RBOD are more than ever needed to be in place much earlier than reclamation of the Rann of Kutch and the riverain areas of the Sindh delta.
c) We have witnessed our apathy in dealing with national issues without resolve in Baghlihar Dam and other such issues which have cropped up due to our insensitive dealings with India on such matters. Kalabagh Dam is an issue between the Pakistan government and the opposing provincial governments but carries a unique similarity as the matter has not been dealt with by according due consideration to all aspects.
Sindh is an integral part of Pakistan. One feels that Sindh’s fears against Punjab have been created by some vested interests. No honest Pakistani engineer would think about developing one part of the country at the cost of another part. Sindh would secure and ensure its future through sensible interaction with Punjab by at least allowing its “thoroughly professional experts, unbiased by political influences” to sit together with their Punjab counterparts and mutually discuss their technical issues on the basis only of professional and national considerations. They would find a solution right under their noses.
MUHAMMAD SAEED
Islamabad
AFTER numerous unsuccessful meetings, the four provincial governments have given the president the authority to announce a new NFC award. The president may announce the new award formula any time which the four provinces will have to accept. But till that time, the debate will continue.
There is no doubt that Punjab is the only province to insist on distribution of national resources in the divisible pool on the basis of population alone. Therefore, it is not willing to concede to any formula calling for the award to be made on the basis of revenue generation. When East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was with us, Punjab was an opponent of the award given on the basis of population.
The representative of Punjab on the NFC has been appointed as finance adviser to the prime minister. It would have been better if the prime minister had appointed a neutral person to the post.
For the last three years due to lack of consensus in the NFC the centre has been giving the award on the basis of the old formula, causing loss to the three provinces, especially to Sindh. Now the president can make amends for the loss caused to the three provinces since 1973 by ensuring the right share to the three provinces.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
ALTHOUGH it is important to take care of the travel needs of the elderly and the disabled, I can think of one reason why PIA charges extra for wheelchairs — it’s because of us Pakistanis who like to abuse the system to our advantage as much as we can.
About two years ago, I was on a flight from Karachi to Chicago; at that time a wheelchair was provided free. I was travelling with my grandmother who really needed a wheelchair. After arriving at Chicago airport we found that 27 people wanted wheelchairs. I had never seen so many “disabled” passengers on one flight. While waiting for the wheelchair, I got to know about some of the “real” reasons — it’s faster to get out with the wheelchair, the immigration officer is easy on wheelchair passengers, and you get a free porter. Luckily, the other 300 passengers did not know about these advantages.
JAMAL
Chicago, USA
FOR the last many weeks there has been a persistent breakdown of power in Sector 48-B, Korangi No. 2. According to the complaint centre, the feeder cable had developed faults at many places; so to keep the area lighted, a backup line was being used but again the supply cable too in the meantime developed a fault and the operation department linked the area to another feeder. This feeder too developed a fault. However, during all this, the KESC people repaired the first one but as soon as the area was loaded on this feeder, the high tension wires broke down.
This was stated in mid-July but power breakdowns for four to five hours every day have become a regular feature. People continue to suffer.
QAMAR AHMED
Karachi
THE rescue by the Pakistan Army of Slovenian mountaineer Tomaz Humar from a height of nearly 6,000 metres is reportedly the first rescue operation of this kind at this height.
Mr Humar was trapped on an icy ledge while attempting to climb the 8,125-metre-high Nanga Parbat (known in Sanskrit and among locals as the ‘Naked Mountain’) near Chilas. He was attempting to climb the mountain from its dangerous Rupal face (basically the steepest and highest wall of rock and snow on the planet — the difference between the valley floor and the Nanga Parbat summit is over 5,000 metres).
Mr Humar was trapped for five days and was eventually rescued by a Lama helicopter flown by Lt-Col Rashid Beg. Here was an incident whose outcome — the eventual rescue of the mountaineer — was successful. But the media mostly ignored its importance, reporting the rescue as a small one-off event. While the negative image Pakistan has is largely of its own making, it has to be said that the local media also sometimes tends to ignore or downplay events which can show the country in a positive light.
AHMED ALI SHAH
Islamabad
UNDER Section 32 of the Federal Tax Ombudsman’s Ordinance 2000, a representation lies to the president of Pakistan against recommendations of the FTO. The president is the highest executive of the country and does not have time to hear and decide representations. The result is that in the president’s office a section officer (grade 17 or 18) deals with the representations and submits his recommendations to the president which the president signs without giving a hearing to the applicants.
The FTO ordinance needs amendment in this respect. It is proposed that an appeal or revision from the FTO’s order may be provided which may lie to the Supreme Court of Pakistan instead of the president of Pakistan as up to date incumbents of the office of the FTO have been retired judges of the Supreme Court.
LATIF QURESHI
Lahore
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