| August 23, 2005 | Tuesday | Rajab 17, 1426 |
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Need for incorruptible leadership
Intolerance of religion
Women’s inheritance rights
Troubled times
‘Wars of the 21st century’
Human trafficking
Rehmat Ali
Medicated syrups
Support for UK
MR Zafar Iqbal suggests in his letter ‘Jinnah and Nehru’ (August 18) that Mr M.J.Akbar has not responded to my letter of 29 June because he is “far too sensible to get involved in such a discussion as it would upset the apple-cart of accepted beliefs in India”.
I am afraid I cannot bring myself to accepting this plea because it tends to belittle Mr. Akbar’s reputation as an upright, independent-minded journalist of India.
Mr Zafar Iqbal concludes his letter by saying: “Various publications in 1980s and 1990s have altered this perception but any public attempt at change is likely to be treated as blasphemy”.
Now, does he mean that publications in the form of books and studies do not fall in the purview of “public attempts at change”; only newspapers and magazine articles do?
If this is so, than Mr A.G. Noorani, an eminent Bombay jurist, has committed this blasphemy of holding Gandhi and the Congress leadership responsible for the collapse of the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946 in his articles published in Frontline, one of the most prestigious magazines of India, in August 2002.
In my article of June 29 I had almost entirely argued on the basis of the documentary evidence provided by those articles.
So far as Mr. M.J. Akbar is concerned, allow me to recall the piece at issue. He had stated in his article of June 14 that “Facts are humbling. They prevent you from jumping to conclusions.”
All I had asked him was that in view of the evidence of these hard facts which followed the announcement of the Cabinet Mission Plan in 1946 — I am sure he knows all about them and yet I recounted and focused on them — how could he jump to the conclusion that the collapse of the Cabinet Mission Plan was “inexplicable”?
It was very much explicable. Gandhi and the Congress leadership were squarely responsible for it. I find Mr. Akbar’s silence on the issue far more intriguing than disappointing because I have great regard for his intellectual integrity and for his courage to call a spade a spade as a writer on public affairs.
DR AFTAB AHMED
Islamabad
A NUMBER of letters have appeared in these columns pointing out the malaise from which Pakistan is suffering. Some have offered solutions to set things right.
Already we are being dubbed a failing or failed state, a rentier state or an irresponsible state by our so-called friends providing immense delight to those who would like to see us reduced to a client state. Shouldn’t this be enough to arouse a self- respecting and proud people to action?
The greatest harm that has been done to Pakistan is due to the repeated and uncalled for military intervention that has torn apart the fabric of our society, resulting in uncertainty, fear, a stunted democratic set-up, sycophancy and nepotism. Civilian affairs are run by those who have no inclination, experience or training for their jobs.
Another curse that afflicts our country is the low calibre of our politicians who have not passed through the rigours of a prolonged political process but have come to the fore because of their wealth, influence or ‘biradari’.
Other known negatives are a non-functioning parliament, a pliant judiciary, flouting of merit, lack of genuine accountability, disregard for laws and rules, the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, the enormous discretionary powers of the chief executive, a non-responsive and non-accountable bureaucracy and an indifferent and fatigued civil society.
The next genuine question is: can all this be set right and by whom? The answer is an emphatic ‘yes’ and by one selfless, incorruptible, God-fearing and patriotic leader who, with the help of a band of honest and dedicated persons, puts the country back on the rails through free and fair elections resulting in the formation of a sensitive and responsive government of honest and able people that can be changed at regular intervals through the same transparent process. An impartial judiciary, a free press and a vigilant civil society should act as the watchdog to ensure that the profligate ways of old are not repeated.
The scenario that I have sketched above may, at first glance, seem mere wishful thinking but I have no doubt that circumstances will, in due course of time, throw up a person or a group of persons who will steer the country to safer shores. After all, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was one man who because of his qualities of incorruptibility and strict adherence to principles created a new country despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Despair is the pastime of the defeated.
AMIR USMAN
Islamabad
IN her article, ‘Blair has appeased and prevaricated’ (Dawn,July 27), Polly Toynbee has lambasted all religions and described its followers as being crazed and given to mad beliefs.
Writing in the context of the string of London bombings, she asks: “How could those who preach the absolute truth of every word of a primitive book not be prone to insanity?”
Further, “that those who believe they alone know the only way, truth and life will always feel justified in doing anything in its name .... If religions teach that life after death is better, then it is hardly surprising that some crazed followers will actually believe it.”
The writer then goes on to criticize Tony Blair for appeasing religion and demands that state funding for all religious schools be stopped. The problem is that Ms Toynbee, while accusing the religious-minded of laying claim to all truth, has effectively arrogated all knowledge and truth to herself and to the secularists.
Some time back, writing in these columns, a correspondent had presented a touching parable for religion in response to a British writer’s parable for atheism (May 15). In it he had defined a hypothetical community all the members of which were born with some kind of coating or veils over their eyes, rendering them effectively blind (i.e., atheists). A prophet then comes to them and successfully teaches them how to gain vision through following certain practices and beliefs.
The correspondent explained that everyone is born with a Third Eye, meant for providing spiritual vision, but it normally lacks sight. Through prayers, spiritual exercises and moral living, as taught by the prophets (peace be upon them), this special eye develops sight and we are able to see the invisible world. That is why the prophets (who are born with it) and the saints (who acquire it by efforts) have such unshakable faith.
To illustrate this point, an example had been given of an iron bar suspended by a string which, in its unmagnetized state, points in no particular direction but on undergoing the invisible process of magnetization, begins pointing in a north-south direction. Thus, it is able to sense or ‘see’ the magnetic poles of the earth. The correspondent had further pointed out his experiences with living saints who could see the unseen world and were thus able to preach religion out of total conviction and in a very appealing manner.
Ms Toynbee, due to her ignorance, is like a blind person who says that those who believe there is a sun, moon, stars, etc., are mad. Due to this spiritual blindness she is preaching intolerance of religion and is no better than those religious bigots who spread hatred against others.
Also, it would do her and people like Mr Bush and Mr Blair good to reflect on the fact that anger is driving many young persons to part with the most prized possession, life. Unless the underlying causes driving them to such desperate behaviour are removed, suicide bombings will not end.
M. MUSLIM
Karachi
IT is heartening to see many NGOs engaged in the emancipation of women as well as highly qualified women in every walk of life working shoulder to shoulder with men. But most women still think that getting education, following the western way of life and getting dowry at the time of marriage will make them self-sufficient. They ignore one important factor of their practical life, i.e., deprivation of their right of inheritance as enjoined by Islam.
Many families still use various tactics to deprive women of their right of inheritance. In some affluent families, girls are not married at all so that they may not claim a share in the property of their parents. In some other cases, girls are ‘married’ to the Holy Quran to save the family property.
Some other families marry off their daughters but deprive them of their legal/religious right of inheritance by arguing, for instance, that if they get their due share of property on the death of the parents, their brothers would cut off relations with them, which is entirely against the spirit of Islam.
NGOs should focus on this issue. Depriving naive and gullible women of their right of inheritance is a flagrant violation of human and religious rights. Society should strongly condemn those who maintain amicable ties with their daughters/sisters only if the latter surrender their right of inheritance.
PROF A.H. SUBHANI
Rawalpindi
YOUR editorial ‘Troubled times’ on the 58th independence anniversary reflects your profound dismay over our inability to develop democracy in its true sense of the word. Such dismay is understandable because of the inherited traditions which Dawn has followed on the lines of the uncompromising principles laid down by the Quaid-i-Azam.
At the same time, the editorial says that “the nation looks forward to the promised 2007 election with hope. Unlike the 2002 polls, which were characterized by manipulation, the next electoral exercise could be a milestone in our political history if it is truly fair and free.”
May it be pointed out that President Gen Musharraf is different from his predecessor army chiefs? He seems to have the sense not to act in anger. This is supported by his decision to refer the Hasba bill to the apex court instead of using his powers to nip it in the bud.
However perfect, there is no ideal democracy anywhere in the world. Our neighbour India is said to be the largest democratic Asian country, yet the Kashmir dispute remains unresolved. America is labelled as the world’s greatest democracy and Britain is cited as the mother of all democracies with its unwritten constitution, yet Iraq has been invaded with the consent of members sitting in the legislatures of the United States and the UK.
GHEEWALA A.G.M.
Karachi
THE article ‘Wars of the 21st century’ by Mr M. P. Bhandara (Dawn,, Aug 13) would appear at first sight to be balanced to the extent that Mr Bhandara traces the roots of terrorism. But unfortunately he has negated his fair assessment when he implies that ‘world domination by Islam’ is the objective of the terrorists.
In their entire history the Muslims, who dominated the world for a long time, never used terrorism to frighten people and conquer the countries which they ruled not for one century but for several centuries — in each case because of their liberal rule and tolerance. The Muslims never resorted to mass destruction and mass slaughter in any country they conquered which has been the outstanding feature of the West’s wars between western themselves and against foreign countries which were subjected to carpet-bombing, chemical weapons and radioactive materials.
Would Mr Bhandara find a single example of Muslim terrorism before the Algerian war of liberation, Zionist occupation of Palestine, the unjustified invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan?
How would he classify the violent struggle of the Serbians against the Austo-Hungarian Empire? The assassination of Crown Prince Ferdinand by a Serbian that started the First World War? Surely the assassin was not a Muslim and was not dreaming of world domination except freedom for his country from the Empire. of last resort of the weak.
How would Mr Bhandara categorize the terrorism of the IRA, the Mau Mau guerillas of Kenya, the Zionists against both the British and the Arabs, and the Tamils in Sri Lanka?. It is the frustration of Muslims against humiliation and utter disregard of their just causes which is at the root of this so-called terrorism.
By equating Osama bin Laden with Hitler and Mussolini, Mr Bhandara has negated everything he said in the earlier part of his article. If anyone can be accused of dreaming of world domination, it should be those who have caused so much bloodshed since 1990.
Bin Laden was groomed as were his legions to fight against Russia in Afghanistan. Once this object was achieved, he was not aggressive until the US invaded Iraq and stationed its troops in Saudi Arabia. Osama wanted evacuation of the US troops from his country, which is natural, but his feelings were further inflamed when he saw some of the troops behaving in a way which scandalized the feelings of Arabs at large.
If one talks of ‘ideology based on a religious cliff’, one is playing into the hands of Huntington and his likes and by that token alone, therefore, the savagery against the culprit and the innocent in the name of civilization is then fully justified.
By the standards of Jurassic Park, one is justified to use every weapon, chemical or depleted uranium or even atomic, to subdue the ‘monsters’. And this is how the terrorists from the ‘jungles of Indonesia to the sands of Morocco’ would appear qualified for savage treatment.
The people of Vietnam are still suffering from the after- effects of ‘defoliation’ (yellow) chemicals in the shape of genetic damage leading to the birth of handicapped children. Similarly, the Iraqis will suffer for decades from the long gestating after-effects of ‘depleted uranium’.
By his concluding paragraphs, Mr Bhandara has only added grist to the propaganda mills of the West which have very cleverly turned the attention of the public away from the real causes of terrorism, which now is seen as some kind of disease peculiar to Muslims.
F. HASAN
Karachi
GANGS of human smugglers have been active for the last several years, fleecing poor young men on the pretext of sending them abroad. Several such young men have lost lives in transit and hundreds have been caught and deported from the UAE, Europe and the USA. The latest id a batch of 17 men deported from Turkey (Dawn, Aug 11).
The smugglers are identified by the victims but they are rarely caught because they operate in collusion with the law enforcers.
Human smuggling will continue if the law-enforcement agencies are not serious about curbing it.
According to another report (Dawn, Aug 17), the FIA arrested 24 persons (14 women and 10 men) on a charge of trafficking children to the UAE. The report further states that all those arrested were parents of the children. Extreme poverty compelled them to sell their children to become camel jockeys.
The above is attributable to poor governance. On the one hand, unemployed young men risk their lives in going abroad and poor parents have to sell their children in order to escape hunger and humiliation and, on the other, the Senate committee approves Rs6.09 million for dinner and gifts to foreign dignitaries (Dawn editorial ‘Extravagance unlimited’, Aug 18).
Further, according to Mr Sultan Ahmed (Economic & Business Review weekly, Aug 16), the chief ministers of Balochistan and Punjab have reportedly got bank loans (of Rs82 and Rs39 million, respectively) written off.
There is a wide gap between the rich and the poor. How long will this inequitable distribution of national wealth continue?
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
A LOT has been said and written in the media on the subject of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali. The dead have to be respected and, therefore, one has to be careful in one’s observation on this subject.
Keeping this in mind I am surprised that the prime mover of the shifting of the mortal remains of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali to Pakistan is none else than the president of the Quaid-i-Azam Muslim League.
One would have thought that before making the announcement a thorough study would have been conducted whether such a move was required and whether the late Chaudhry Rehmat Ali deserved this posthumous honour.
It is recorded history that the late Chaudhry used irreverent language about the Quaid-i-Azam. To him the Chaudhrys of Gujrat wish to give a place of honour in Pakistan.
This sudden upsurge to honour Chaudhry Rehmat Ali could lead to call for a mausoleum for him in Punjab.
MAHER ALAVI
Karachi
THIS refers to the Consumer Protection Council’s letter on the above subject. It is very good to see that the council has raised a very pertinent point and has referred to FDA and international drug laws regarding sealing or pilfer-proof bottles.
However, may I point out that there are many medicated syrups in the market whose bottles are not of standard quality, forget about sealed or pilfer-proof bottles? For different medicated syrups, bottles have to be different depending on the chemical nature and stability of the syrup concerned. This is also true for some injections in ampoules.
Patients are willing to pay some more if at least syrups and injectables are provided in the required standard bottles. Can the Consumer Protection Council undertake a study on this subject so that medical practitioners can be confident that the drug which is being prescribed is of standard quality?
It is amazing when we talk of quality, we compare and refer to FDA laws and international drug laws and at the same time we want cheap products. It is like expecting a branded quality burger from a roadside burger-wallah who charges Rs8 to 10.
DR HASAN THARANI
Karachi
TO the thousands of concerned citizens of Pakistan, I would like to express my gratitude and the gratitude of the United Kingdom for the many letters of support and condolence that we at the British high commission have received following the horrific bombings in London on July 7.
It was a terrible tragedy which caused the loss of many innocent lives. But, we are comforted by all the statements and letters of solidarity and support from the Pakistani people — they meant a great deal to us at that difficult time. People of all faiths and nationalities need to stand together in calm and resolute purpose against the threat posed by international terrorism.
MARK LYALL GRANT
British High Commissioner
Islamabad
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