| September 14, 2005 | Wednesday | Sha'aban 9, 1426 |
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Islamabad development
Talking to Israel
Rape victim
Sarabjit Singh
Lack of quorum in NA
Women voting ban
Oppostion strikes
1965 war
Wrong priorities
The government in power in Pakistan would have done a distinct service to the cause of democracy and consistency and fairplay in foreign policy management if it had taken the federal legislature into confidence on its secret contacts with Israel.
IN the words of the Unesco charter: “Wars begin in the minds of men”. It is, therefore, in the minds of men that defences for peace must be built. President Gen Musharraf’s address to the American Jewish Congress will be a step in the same direction, intended both to promote inter-faith understanding and to remove serious misperceptions about the nature of the Islamic creed and the political role of Islam. This path-breaking interaction with the American Jewish Congress has, therefore, its own wider significance and should not be seen as a corollary of the meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Israel which had a limited diplomatic mandate.
Never in modern history has the image of Islam been presented in such a damaging and negative fashion as in the past few years since 9/11, partly due to activities of certain extremist Islamic groups. Samuel Huntington could not have imagined that his prognosis of a clash of civilizations would be so readily embraced by western societies, with the neo-conservatives providing an object lesson in how interests and ideology could be combined. It is time, therefore, that at a weighty and high profile level, the positive spirit and contribution of Islam and of the Muslim peoples is projected, if possible, on a continuing basis. Incidentally nothing was heard about the contribution of a high-powered committee set up by the OIC many years back to counteract disinformation against Islam.
While in the past intolerance was largely a product of ignorance and bigotry, in the modern era it has become a more complicated phenomenon. In this populist era, mass sentiments and prejudices are deliberately exploited on the national and international level for the achievement of narrow economic and political objectives, thus compounding the challenges facing peace and understanding.
Durable inter-faith understanding demands an instinctive appreciation of the feelings, values and interests of others. The difficulty in achieving such a mindset is reflected in Spinoza’s words inscribed at Berlin’s Holocaust Museum, visited by millions. “The holy words of God are on everyone’s lips but we see many projecting their own version of God’s words with the sole purpose of using religion as a pretext for making people think as they do”. The fact that each one of us could have been born in a totally different milieu seems to make little difference to man’s feelings of intolerance, hatred or bias which seem to account for many of the world’s man-made tragedies.
President Musharraf would no doubt use the opportunity of his interaction with influential forums in the US to reiterate the indispensability, for the desired objective of promoting inter-faith harmony and peace, of a just deal for the Kashmiris, the Palestinians and other Muslim peoples under occupation or bondage. That a people can be at durable peace, only when they are free, is a lesson taught by centuries of world history.
Interestingly Oliver Roy, a respected western scholar of Islam, points out in his “Globalized Islam, Search for a new Ummah”, that even in the case of such an extremist organization such as Al Qaeda, “the violence of the organization was politically, not religiously, inspired. After all Al Qaeda did not target St. Peter’s basilica in Rome but the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. It targeted modern imperialism as the ultra leftists of the late 60s and 70s did with less success”. However, terrorism is totally unacceptable, whether the inspiration is political or religious.
An essential corollary of the external projection of the enlightened spirit of Islam would be the practical manifestation of the same spirit internally in relation to minority groups and different Islamic sects. The desired, positive image of Pakistan would never be credible abroad as long as tolerance and moderation were not practised inside the country. One can fly the flag only as high abroad as one holds it at home.
MAHDI MASUD
Karachi
I WOULD like to ask members of both houses of parliament as to whether it has ever crossed their mind to do something for the residents of Islamabad.
From time to time we keep hearing of statements from various officials of agencies like the CDA or the NHA regarding development projects in Islamabad but never have I heard anything of this kind from an MNA or a senator.
The CDA seems more interested in food streets or other cosmetic approaches to improving the federal capital and does not bother about pressing problems like overflowing sewage or streets without lights. It also does not seem to concerned about all the unplanned housing societies that seem to have cropped up in Islamabad of late.
Why can’t the CDA acquire land and develop sectors on its own? This could be done along the Islamabad Expressway and if properly planned and executed could reduce congestion on Jinnah Avenue. Also, the CDA is not in the least bothered about residential areas being converted into commercial ones, as is the case of some houses in sector G-9. There is also the Murree Expressway, which is currently a beautiful road to drive on. But unplanned growth could well result in trees being chopped down, sewerage being dumped into nearby streams and rivers, and apartment buildings being constructed along it. If things go as they seem to be going, the country’s only well-planned city will become just as unplanned as any other large city.
Other suggestions are to set up a public library in the F-9 park and to upgrade the present Chaklala railway station from where a train for Karachi should be started. Also a mono-rail from Rawat through Sihala along the Islamabad Expressway and up to Aabpara and Secretariat and another from Wah to Secretariat along Jinnah Avenue should be considered. Such a project may seem expensive but will help reduce the load of cars and other vehicles on the roads.
M. K. SUFI
Islamabad
THE mesmerizing tune, the call of the Capital Development Authority, Islamabad, asking plot-seekers to apply for a newly-developed Sector I-15, set into a frenzied motion dwellers of the entire country to try their luck. People have treated it more as a game of chance (gambling) than a genuine need for settlement.
Just the sale of more than a million application forms that cost the Capital Development Authority nothing as they were printed by Habib Bank as a publicity drive must have brought tons of money to the authority. Property dealers in towns outside Islamabad drew thousands of application forms and sold them at black market rates of up to 100 per cent extra.
The oath commissioners who were required to attest the affidavit of the applicants did not even look at anyone’s face but stamped and signed blindly, keeping eyes open only to see what amount the applicant paid for their services.
Stamp forms were sold at higher price than the face value. Some of the applicants hired services of others to stand in the sun in the longest Qs before banks to submit their applications.
Hardly one per cent of the applicants intend to keep the plots if allotted. It was most lucrative business for which those who had no money borrowed or made understandings with other investors.
Like the Pied Piper of Hamlin who lured and rats to drown in a river, more than a million applicants will end up sinking substantial amounts after draws are made for a limited number of plots.
G.B. SHAH BOKHARI
Peshawar
BY and large I support Dawn’s editorial of Sept 3 captioned “Talking to Israel”.
The members of the National Assembly have a right to know from the government of the day the full story of its negotiations with Israel either directly or through third parties.
When the foreign minister of Pakistan confers with the foreign minister of Israel, some form of diplomatic relations between the two countries is indicated.
It will be naive to expect that because of Pakistan’s recognition of Israel the Indo-Israel nexus will be diminished.
At present Indian lobbyists on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. work closely with the powerful Israeli lobby and its brain, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, in promoting India’s strategic interests in the USA.
Military collaboration between India and Israel has expanded in recent years. Pakistan’s recognition of Israel will not prevent this ongoing process.
QUTUBUDDIN AZIZ
Karachi
IT is never too late to step forward for a good cause. The news is staggering that Pakistan’s foreign minister had a cordial meeting with his Israeli counterpart in a third country. It is not easy to understand why this bold step was kept secret from the assembly in particular and the masses in general.
Time cannot erase all the unpleasant memories of the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestine and other neighbouring countries, and it would need tremendous courage to achieve a smooth relationship with that country.
A number of Arab countries have already cordial diplomatic and trade relations ties with Israel, and there is no reason for any objection if Pakistan also moves toward establishing trade ties with Israel.
One generation opens the road upon which the next travels. The road is opportunity. The step taken should not be retracted at any cost.
SARFARAZ ZIA ANSARI
Karachi
MAY I refer to the editorial “What justice demands” (April 30) and also to the case of Sonia Naz (April 29)?
Sonia Naz had entered the National Assembly and went to MNA Mehnaz Rafi to narrate her plight and seek her help. But the MNA, seized of the security lapse, delivered Sonia to the police.
Now the result of such unwise handling of the situation is before us. Sonia was allegedly raped by an SHO in the presence of a police superintendent according to the report in Dawn on Aug 30. A lawyer submitted an application to the apex court and taking notice of the offence, the apex court has given a directive for suspension of the SHO.
The MNA who had delivered the victim into the custody of the police must have read this story. Had she not acted on impulse and had been a little patient, the story might have been different.
GHEEWALA A.G.M.
Karachi
THE case of Sonia Naz is not a simple case of alleged rape. It is symptomatic of the general decay and depravity found in Pakistani society. At the end of the day, even if justice is delivered in the case, it will be of little consequence to the victim whose life has probably changed forever.
There is a very pressing need to introduce radical reforms in society so that such incidents do not happen and those who indulge in such excesses are weeded out and brought to book.
ABAID UR REHMAN
Faisalabad
SARABJIT Singh, has been convicted and sentenced to death for carrying out a string of deadly bomb explosions in Pakistan. The Indian government has asked the Pakistan government to release Singh.
If asked to decide the convict’s fate, President Musharraf should bear in mind that Pakistan-India relations are at a critical juncture, and confirming the death sentence for Sarabjit could derail the peace process.
Besides, Sarabjit’s lawyer has declared that his client’s confession was made under duress. All Pakistanis know the state of the Pakistani criminal justice system and the statement by Sarabjit’s lawyer throws into question the whole trial.
Dealing with Singh in a just and fair manner is of great importance for bilateral ties between the two countries. The people of the subcontinent cannot afford the peace process to be derailed. Ensuring a transparent and fair trial for Sarabjit will be a confidence-building measure in itself.
MIR USMAN ALI
Karachi
THIS refers to the front-page headline “Lack of quorum mars proceedings: Dissolution of NA echoes in the house” (Dawn, Sept 11).
The quorum requirement in our assembly at 25 per cent of total membership, i.e., 86 members in a house of 334 members, is the highest among parliaments of the world. Consider: In the House of Commons, even if there be present in the chamber one member, proceedings can occur; there is no quorum requirement. Likewise, to the best of my knowledge, there is no quorum requirement in the US Congress. In India, the Lok Sabha requirement is 10 per cent of total membership, i.e., 53 members in a house of about 530 members. Under our 1956 Constitution, it was 15 per cent, i.e., 40 members in a house of 310 members.
As a consequence of a high quorum requirement in our Constitution (Article 55), the house has been adjourned on over 300 occasions due to lack of quorum in the 12th assembly. The constitutional requirement can only be changed by a two-thirds majority of parliament.
I have no doubt that were the quorum requirement in the House of Commons, Lok Sabha or the US Congress as high as in our National Assembly, there would be similar difficulty in the parliaments of these countries.
Taking advantage of the high quorum requirement, the opposition physically withdraws from the house if it sees less than 86 treasury members in the house so as to cause a quorum embarrassment to the government. The proceedings of the assembly come to a stop.
The opposition duty is to expose the government by means of valid criticism in the national interest; by being a party to the termination of proceedings is to sabotage the institution. The cost of one minute’s proceedings in the National Assembly is about Rs70,000. Members who absent themselves either wilfully or otherwise appear not to be cognizant of the moral and material damage caused to parliamentary democracy. These parlour games of one upmanship have brought all our National Assemblies since 1988 into disrepute.
It may be stated here that a fair number of opposition members are opposed to this parlour game, but are coerced into leaving the house by the opposition whips.
M. P. BHANDARA
Rawalpindi
MANY confrontations have been winessed on the participation of women in the recently held LB polls. Surely it is a fundamental right of women to participate in elections but once again this basic right was violated by reactionary forces.
The various agreements among political and religious parties at the local level had announced a “ban” on women from taking part in elections in the NWFP, especially in Upper and Lower Dir and Mansehra. The situation with respect to women’s rights was no different in other places. Women of Mohripur too were not able to vote.
Mohripur is an area in union council Hashmat Marali (No. 52) of Kabirwala tehsil and Khanewal district. The Jat, Kumboh, Sahu and Arian are the major castes of this area. Since 1946, the women of this area have not been allowed to participate in the voting process although about 1,700 women voters are registered.
Unfortunately, the state machinery is silent on such a massive human rights violation. To make this country really a worthy place for women to live in, we must not ignore such violations.
The Election Commission should play a positive role and take prompt action in all such instances. Polling must be cancelled in Mohripur and other areas and the process should be repeated. The state should come up to provide protection to women to ensure their participation in the voting.
Besides, all other discriminatory laws like the Hudood Ordinance and law of evidence should be repealed which discourage women from being equal citizens of the state.
ZEESHAN CHRISTOPHER
Via email
WE have again seen the usual happen in Pakistan, with the political opposition mounting a strike against the government of the day.
Pakistan can do without elements who want to disrupt the economy and the country for their own political motives. Obviously those who call for such strikes do not care in the least about the hardships that ordinary Pakistanis have to endure each time there is a shut down.
Debate and dissent must be kept for parliament and not brought out on to the streets. I would like to ask these self-righteous politicians, especially those of the MMA, as what have they done for the country.
Take the case of Karachi which has a perennial water shortage and needs to have clean streets, adequate healthcare facilities, a working ambulance service, an operational fire service and so on. Instead of trying to serve those who elected them, all that these people do is to try and bring the country to a halt. And who suffers? The ordinary Pakistani.
ZAFAR RAJA
London, UK
IN his article (Sept 10) Mr Kuldip Nayar has asked the question — 1965 war: whose brainchild? I would like to add a few points to the answers he has put forward himself. The Rann of Kutch skirmish in January-April was the prelude to September’s 23 days of hostilities or the 17 days of the full-scale war of 1965.
Mr Nayar believes that “whatever the explanations, the fact was that neither side registered a decisive victory”. It is heartening to note that there is a man in India who admits that India did not register a decisive victory over Pakistan. But both sides did register victories — though not decisive ones. By invading Pakistan on Sept 6, India had one goal in their mind — to save Kashmir which was slipping from their hands through Gen Akhtar Hussain Malik’s Operation Grand Slam which took him to Akhnur. Immediately then, as a “diversionary move”, Lahore was attacked. Kashmir was saved by India which was a victory. The rest was Pakistan’s victory. The Pakistan Army was deep inside Kashmir, Indian Punjab and Rajasthan with 10,000 square miles area captured and thousands of prisoners of war taken. The sky was ruled by PAF jets.
S.M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
ON Sept 11, the anniversary of the Quaid’s death, I was sad to see that news bulletins led off with the president’s departure for the US, followed by coverage of events held to remember 9/11. Only after that came the report that the day marked the Quaid’s death anniversary.
Have we lost all sense of proportion? I am sure the president would have taken exception to such “priorities”.
ANITA GHULAM ALI
Karachi
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