| September 18, 2005 | Sunday | Sha'aban 13, 1426 |
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Jinnah and the Zionist state
Oil price calculations
Poverty alleviation
Sindh bank
President’s remarks
1965 war: whose brainchild?
Lahore traffic problems
England tour of Pakistan
Withholding tax
THE US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security affairs, Robert Joseph, recently told the House of representatives’ International Relations Committee that the US government was not considering extending the same kind of cooperation in nuclear technology to Pakistan that it has recently agreed to provide to India. Mr Joseph was responding to Representative Dan Burtons (from Indiana) plea before the committee that the Bush administration should give equal treatment to both India and Pakistan.
Under its agreement with India, Washington will provide New Delhi access to US nuclear technology to augment its energy requirements. The reason stated for the unequal treatment is Pakistans bad nuclear non-proliferation record and comparatively lower energy requirement. Neither reason appears to be cogent enough to give preferential treatment to India.
First, irrespective of what happened in the past, Pakistan has established an effective nuclear command and control authority that will ensure zero tolerance for any potential proliferation. This command authority is reported to be better than that of India. In any case Indias own record on this account is not very clean. Second, only Pakistan knows best its energy requirements in the long run and no other country is competent enough to comment on this aspect.
It should be clear that the real reason behind this discrimination appears to be the long-term US agenda for South Asia. Washington has unequivocally declared that India is its strategic partner and has undertaken to do all that it needs to do to make it a regional superpower. It hopes that India will act as a bulwark against the growing might of China whose growing relationship with Russia is causing further concern to Washington. In Washington’s assessment, only India can act as counterweight to this growing nexus.
America needs to understand that India is not so naive as to support the US blindly. It has long historic ties with Russia and has also resolved its boundary dispute with China. Washington considers Pakistan as its friend and India as its partner. The difference between the two is gradually becoming clear. And in any case, this friendship also appears to be Musharraf-specific and not country-specific. George Bush is all praise for Gen. Musharraf but is rather critical of the country in that he feels that Pakistan is not doing enough to fight terrorism.
This dichotomy is not acceptable to Pakistan as Gen Musharraf and Pakistan are inseparable. Gen Musharraf does not deal with Mr Bush in any personal capacity and derives his powers from the country. It is true that Washington’s primary short-term objective is to fight terrorism, but it must not lose sight of Pakistan’s immense geo-strategic significance.
Further, the US-India strategic alliance will greatly upset the strategic balance in this region, tilting it heavily in favour of India. Pakistan cannot remain indifferent to this and needs to take steps to counter these developments. Unfortunately, the alliance between India and America will give rise to a new arms race in the region which is detrimental to the interests of both India and Pakistan.
India is already acknowledged as a major regional power. It has resolved its differences with China, has initiated a peace dialogue with Pakistan, has good relations with Russia, the Central Asian states, Afghanistan, Iran and Japan. Why then does it need to expand its military arsenal?
It should therefore neither ask for nor accept offers of any further military assistance from Washington or from anywhere else. It should instead spend the money thus saved on poverty alleviation and let others in the region live in peace.
Washington, for its part, should avoid creating an imbalance in the region. However, now that it has decided to go ahead with its plans to share nuclear technology with India for non-military purposes, it should enter into a similar kind of relationship with Pakistan.
Lt-Gen (retd) S.M.H. BOKHARKI
Former commandant, National Defence College)
Rawalpindi
THE recent feelers by Pakistan towards Israel show the government’s readiness to eventually recognize Israel, notwithstanding the repeated denials. It should be interesting to know the views of the founding father of the nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, about the creation of Israel.
Mr Jinnah’s presidential address at the 25th annual session of the Muslim League in Lucknow, Oct 15, 1937: “The whole policy of the British government has been a betrayal of the Arabs from its very inception. After having utilized them, by giving them false promises, they installed themselves as the mandatory power with that infamous Balfour Declaration. Having pursued a policy to find a national home for the Jews, Great Britain now proposes to partition Palestine. Great Britain will be digging its grave if it fails to honour its original proclamation promises — pre-war and even post-war.”
The 30th annual session of the Muslim League, New Delhi, April 27, 1947. Mr Jinnah was in the chair and put the following resolution which was adopted by the session: “This session of the All-India Muslim League views with great concern and alarm.... to adopt the policy of converting Palestine into a Jewish state. This session condemns this new move as a deliberate attempt to perpetuate a wrong on the Arab and Islamic world. The session solemnly warns the British government against any step or move which may prove detrimental to Arab national interests.”
Again, in Quetta, Oct 26, 1945, Mr Jinnah said: “I hope the Jews will not succeed in their nefarious designs. I have no ill-will against the Jews but the question is that they have entered Palestine with a set motive, to re-conquer Jerusalem which they lost 2,000 years ago, with the help of British and American forces.”
Mr Jinnah’s interview to Reuters correspondent Oct 25, 1947:
Q. What would be the attitude of Pakistan if the partition plan resulted in a conflict between the Arabs and Jews?
A. “.... Pakistan will have no other course left but to give its fullest support to the Arabs and will do whatever lies in its power to prevent what, in my opinion, is an outrage.”
We should keep the above and many other sayings of the Quaid-i-Azam before us before we yield further to American pressure.
MOHAMMAD OSMAN H. KHAN
Karachi
THE OCAC general secretary’s letter regarding oil price calculation a is a classical example of baffling ordinary readers in a maze of technical jargon to divert attention from the real issue of fixing a fair price of petrol for a consumer who does not have recourse to company or government paid fuel.
Unfortunately, the OCAC only represents oil companies whose main aim is accumulation of profits to fill their coffers at the consumers’ expense.
The information below has been gathered from Plats Oil Gram Scan Report and is presented in simple terms to find out the real price from a consumer’s viewpoint. We will calculate the price of petrol by accepting the OCAC’s price on Sept 5 of $56 per barrel and other inputs as laid down by the OCAC.
One barrel = 42 gallons = 159 litres.
Price of one barrel of crude oil in rupees = $56xRs60 = Rs3360.
Freight premium = $2.16xRs60 = Rs 129.6.
Handling, bank and LC charges and marine insurance @0.9 per cent = Rs302.
Wharfage charges @3.85 per cent = Rs129.36.
Oil companies’ margin @3.5 per cent = Rs117.6.
Price of one barrel of oil = Rs3360+129.6+302+129.36+117.6 = Rs4,038.56.
Refining cost @10 per cent = Rs404.
Price of one barrel of refined petrol = Rs4,442.56.
Hence price of one litre of petrol = 4442/159 = Rs27.94 per litre.
Excise duty @Rs 0.88 per litre.
Add 15 per cent GST = Rs4.20 per litre.
Price per litre of petrol = Rs27.94+Rs4.20+0.13ps = Rs33.15.
The government is still pocketing Rs20 per litre of petrol in addition to excise duty of Rs0.88 per litre and general sales tax L@15 per cent. Good governance, therefore, demands that in all fairness to the consumer, the president and the prime minister should appoint members from the public on the committee to balance things out.
AZIZ SUHARWARDY
General Secretary,
Defence Associations Coordination Committee,
Karachi
THE president of the Asian Development Bank recently expressed his dissatisfaction with the worsening poverty situation in Pakistan. Despite growing GDP, up to 50 million people are still mired in abject poverty. Why has the common man not gained from the current economic boom? Because the grand grants and soft credits are not being utilized properly. In addition, the much touted trickle-down effect has not happened, depriving large segments of the population of basic social needs.
The only strategy that seems workable in the present circumstances is to promote the middle class. It is the middle class which is the largest, the most enlightened and well-informed section of society. It should be made vibrant, besides being paid well and well governed. If this class is made prosperous, the trickle down effect will travel lower down. The latter is in direct contact with the former.
While the government is trying to eradicate poverty, it must be kept in mind that desperate diseases require desperate remedies. Poverty refers to different forms of deprivation. People are poor due to structural inequalities and inherent disadvantages. Poverty prevents them from taking part in the development of society which, in turn, breeds extreme attitudes like terrorism. So, poverty alleviation is possible if sincere efforts are made to introduce transparency, accountability and good governance at the grassroots- level.
DR ZAINAB RIZVI
Lahore
WE have been reading press reports about the keenness of the Sindh government to establish a bank in the province to be named after the province. As yet, we have no idea regarding the capital to be invested by the Sindh government, other financial institutions, the public and the federal government.
Should this bank eventually become a reality, it is most important that the majority members of the board of directors should be from the private sector and from the appropriate professional fields. This should include both the bank chairman and the chief executive officer.
The bank should operate more on the pattern of a development financial institution rather than a commercial bank as it may find it difficult to compete with the banks already in the private sector. In addition, the commercial banking sector looks overcrowded.
SHIRAZ SACHEDINA
Karachi
WHAT President Musharraf has said or quoted some people as saying about rape cases — that this is an easy way out for women to go to Canada — has come as an absolute shock to me as it must have to all womenfolk of this land that was achieved with many sacrifices and a lot of expectations of having a better and more respectable life.
I was quite an admirer of President Musharraf, caring little for the fact that he is a general. Putting aside our past experience of military rule, I always found myself saying something good about him, not knowing that he too is part of this uncaring society.
I don’t know what our president has to say about girls, aged three, five, nine and 12 who are raped in houses of so-called respectable people. One of the girls was reportedly subjected to such brutality in the house of a senior police official and by his relative. Did these girls too have some evil design in mind of achieving materialistic goals?
I used to think that people who hold high office must be superior to us in many ways, with their intelligence, their statemanship, their farsightedness and of course their better control over their words. But it seems we commoners are much better than the big men who can say things without remembering that they too are men with families.
Another question that I would like to ask our leader is why are people willing to leave this utopia that he says he is trying so hard to build? Why are nationals of this land ready to pay any price — with their honour and sometimes even their lives — so they can run away from this part of the world? May be because those who have authority and are in a position to provide justice to the oppressed, because of the blindfolds on their eyes, can see only those who are close to them or their hearts; the rest constitute a blank for them.
While in power one mustn’t forget that things change quickly. The late prime minister Z.A. Bhutto had once said that the chair in which he sat was too strong for any harm to come to him. But what happened is known to all. At that moment too we were the ones who cried for him and for our country.
In this world of reality no one sees what is obvious and because of over-confidence likes to jump to conclusions and doesn’t hesitate to hurt people’s feelings.
Think about those women who were the target of rape. How would they have felt? Saying such things is as bad as twisting a knife in someone’s wound.
Another point is what kind of impression was the president trying to make in front of the foreign press? Remember when an American official had said some time ago that Pakistanis could sell their mothers for a little money how angry we all had felt? If the president of a country himself says such things in public and even if he only quotes people who accuse women of selling their honour for a ticket to Canada, whom should we look up to to safeguard our image?
NURSRAT ADIL
Karachi
THIS has reference to Mr Kuldip Nayar’s article on the above subject (Sept 10).
Altaf Gauhar in his biography of Ayub Khan has painstakingly traced the history of the 1965 war. Clearly, Ayub Khan gave the green signal to the half-baked Operation Gibraltar and the consequent Operation Grand Slam. Instead of heeding Indian premier Lal Bahadur Shastri’s warning, he succumbed to assurances by Z. A. Bhutto that India would not launch a counter-offensive to relieve its besieged forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
The 1965 war has been discussed, in all its facets, threadbare by military strategists, war historians, politicians, writers and journalists. From all accounts, it was a pointless war, which left in its trail mourning parents, young widows and orphaned children on both sides. However, it left a message for the leaders of India and Pakistan — that enough innocent blood has been shed and that the people of Kashmir are not children of another God.
SYED AFZAAL HUSAIN ZAIDI
Islamabad
LAHORE is a throbbing metropolis beset by several traffic problems. The following are some of the major problems and their solutions.
Bhattha Chowk (Lahore Cantt) witnesses an unprecedented traffic mess. It takes hours to cross. Commuters using this route for going to the airport miss their flights at times. Two solutions seem possible: construction of a flyover/underpass or building a road commencing from R.A. Bazaar and ending on the point where Defence Road becomes a dual carriageway.
A huge segment of the population lives on either side of the canal from Punjab University up to Thokar Niaz Beg. A lot of construction is going on in some localities and more is expected in the foreseeable future. However, there is not a single road linking these localities. Long lines of vehicles of all types are witnessed on the Canal Bridge leading to the Sheikh Zayed Hospital. These lines will grow longer if nothing is done to redress the problem. The solution lies in extension of Maulana Shaukat Ali Road. It should cross the canal and end at some suitable point on Wahdat Road.
Timely action to resolve these problems would go a long way in de-clogging two of the worst traffic bottle necks of Lahore.
SYED KAUSAR SHAH
Lahore
THE English cricket team will arrive in October to play three Tests and five one-day matches in Pakistan. The tour will start with Test matches but unfortunately no Test match will be played in Karachi.
The decision of the England Cricket Board not to play a Test in Karachi, despite numerous security assurances, is very disappointing. If the Australian team continued its tour after the 7/7 London attacks, why cannot the English team play a Test match in Karachi? The law and order situation in Karachi has been improving over the last several months.
It is shocking to note that the number of countries that are refusing to play Tests in Karachi is increasing. Before England, Australia, the West Indies, South Africa and India had also refused to play Tests in this city. And if the situation continues, no country will play here.
The launching of the two-neutral umpire system, for the first time, in the upcoming Test series with England is also surprising. The system of a single neutral umpire was beneficial for the host countries. It provides an opportunity to the locals to get training to join the future pool of world umpires. It is incomprehensible why the Pakistan Cricket Board has opted for the two neutral umpiring system.
IMRAN KAHN SIAL
Karachi
THIS is with reference to a news item carried recently by your esteemed daily which said the Karachi Chamber of Commerce has appealed to the finance minister and the prime minister to do away with the withholding tax on withdrawals from banks of over Rs25,000. No such appeal has been made by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and other similar bodies.
The idea of levying a withholding tax has been borrowed from India. The tax yields Rs5 billion to the national exchequer there to ensure a guaranteed income for the CBR whose officers have got no interest in increasing the number of tax-payers. This is dole money.
The withholding tax is an unwated burden on widows of pensioners and senior citizens. Many would be reluctant to pass on details of the tax paid because these will ultimately be sent to the tax department, which may play mischief with small depositors. This will lead to a withdrawal of deposits from banks.
Shouldn’t the prime minister, said to be a financial wizard, intervene to withdraw the withholding tax?
RAHEEL RAZZAQUE
Karachi
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