| September 19, 2005 | Monday | Sha'aban 14, 1426 |
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Use of chemicals
SBP governor’s remarks
Police force
“An indiscreet act”
Dacoit menace
Jinnah House in Mumbai
Power sector reforms
Telephone problem
New Orleans & Mumbai
Welfare fund
Truck nuisance
Car leasing
Complaints against banks
England’s tour of Pakistan
Help for book
Petrol prices
OVER 100 bureaucrats were sent abroad for training under the $22 million professional development component of the the public sector capacity building programme of the World Bank. It is reported that the WB has approached the establishment division to work out the placement of these officers through mutual consultation.
Since when has the World Bank adopted this insidious role — even if through mutual consultation — of the placement of civil servants? Is it authorized to do so under its own statutes? Is it intended to create an example of a funding agency assuming the role of a supra-placement agency? Besides, can the capacity of the public sector be developed through this WB programme? There are examples of failure of such training owing to its inapplicability. This whole training programme is a very costly undertaking and will serve no purpose other than highlighting the gulf between newly-acquired, but impractical, ideas and skills by the trainees and the ground realities of the administration in Pakistan, apart from creating a rift between those who were selected for training and the unlucky ones.
Unfortunately, in the intellectual transactions which are taking place as part of increasing globalization and commercialism, we are accepting things without questioning and resistance, leading us to jump at every glamorous and costly training course, whereas better training can be delivered locally at lower costs with just a little effort, attention and research.
I also fail to understand why a training needs analysis was not carried out before considering foreign training. This analysis is an essential prerequisite for any kind of training requiring the use of structured questionnaires, interview and task analysis — leading to the development and implementation of training master plans, preparation, running and monitoring of training courses, evaluation of training programmes and overall assessment of staffing norms, including rationalization of staffing policy, etc.
The government should ask the World Bank to provide small funds for training needs analysis which can be undertaken by local talent.
MAHMUD IQBAL BAIG
Chairman, Pakistan
Development Foundation,
Islamabad
IN the public interest, I wish to bring to your notice and of the EPA in Sindh chemicals trichloroethylene 1,1,1 and 111 trichloroethane have been banned under the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer to which 180 countries have become party, Pakistan being one of them.
PIA has advertised a tender notice (No. B-053/05 & B060/05) for the purchase of trichloroethylene 1,1,1 which they most probably use as a de-greaser (cleaning of parts).
For most of its history, trichloroethylene has been widely used as a de-greaser for metal parts. In the late 1950s, the demand for trichloroethylene as a de-greaser began to decline in favour of the less toxic 1,1,1-trichloroethane. However, 1,1,1- trichloroethane production too has been phased out in most of the world under the terms of the Montreal protocol.
Prior to the protocol 1,1,1-trichlorethane was seen as an excellent solvent for many organic materials and also one of the least toxic of the chlorinated hydrocarbons. It was used for cleaning metal parts and circuit boards, as a photoresist solvent in the electronics industry, as an aerosol propellant, and as a solvent for inks, paints, adhesives, and other coatings.
The Montreal protocol targeted 1,1,1-trichloroethane as one of those compounds responsible for ozone depletion and banned its use beginning in 1996. Since then, its manufacture and use has been phased out throughout most of the world.
SHAMEEM GODERYA
Karachi
WHILE addressing a meeting of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry the other day, the SBP governor made several startling statements, a few of which are listed below:
First, that “we have made monetary policy easy due to which the income of the people has increased significantly.”
Second, that when banks were in the government sector, they sustained huge losses for various reasons, including the fact that they faced no competition.
Third, that banks had been allowed to provide loans to small and medium enterprises (SME) without collateral.
Fourth, that consumer financing helped people get finance to purchase houses, cars and other goods on easy loan facility.
Fifth, that if cheques bounced, an FIR could be lodged.
Sixth, that inflation had to be curtailed by a tight monetary policy, including reduction in return on deposits and mark-up on advances.
The governor did not touch upon the fabulous profits of the banks over the past five years, reasons for the abnormal increase in bank charges, the discriminatory use of credit data by the credit information bureau and private credit bureaus, reasons for forgoing mark-up on bad loans of selected borrowers, and continued borrowing by defaulters who had their loans written off.
MUMTAZ A. PIRACHA
Karachi
THE prime minister’s photograph (Sept 11) of the police passing-out parade in Islamabad notwithstanding, the performance of the police and also that of criminal courts is reflected upon in your editorial “Rape of small girls” (Sept 8) in the following words:
“One can expect no help from the police whose own involvement in rape cases is the centre of many an investigation these days. What help is left then? It cannot be emphasized enough that until the process of answerability is in place and the judicial process takes its own independent course, crimes like these will continue to occur.”
Mr Kuldip Nayar in his column “Politicians writ or police raj?” (Sept 3) has also expressed his dismay over the concept of law and order, particularly in the sub-continent.
Citizens have started wondering whether we can live without the police force. This thinking will translate into a demand after some time to disband the police to be replaced by educated citizens directly responsible to the city local governments.
GHEEWALA A.G.M.
Karachi
THE act of ravaging and burning 19 synagogues in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinians at the time of evacuation by Israeli forces and the settlers is most regrettable. It has not earned a good name for the Palestinians; rather, it has created more complications and difficulties for their long struggle ahead, as has been rightly affirmed in your editorial “An indiscreet act” (Sept 14).
It is as indiscreet an act as the demolition of the Bahri Mosque in India by Hindu zealots. Islam is a faith of tolerance and peace.
It not only exhorts the Muslims not to disrespect other religions but also teaches them to respect the feelings of their votaries. It also upholds the right of the followers of other religions to exist; the history of Muslim rule is replete with instances of religious tolerance. Thus such disregard of places of worship of any religion is most reprehensible.
MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
I WANT to draw the attention of the president, the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister to the grave security situation prevailing along both sides of the River Indus from Fazilpur in Rajanpur district to Mauza Bait Daryai in Muzaffargarh district.
In the numerous islands situated in the bed of this mighty river have sprung up bands of ruthless dacoits. Each gang of dacoits consists of 15 to 30 men. They kidnap unarmed villagers and cultivators and release them after extorting huge ransom, failing which they murder their hostages in cold blood.
The Muzaffargarh police launch eradication campaigns almost every year but they invariably leave the dacoits heartland untouched, with the result that the number of these bandits continues to grow steadily. They are brutalizing innocent citizens. There is absolutely no justification in letting them being terrorized by brigands.
ABDUL KARIM
Muzaffargarh
I request the government of Pakistan to inform the nation as to what is the current status of Jinnah House in Mumbai. The Quaid-i-Azam had a deep emotional attachment to his lovely house on Malabar Hill. Built in 1936 and designed by the eminent architect, Claude Batley, Mr Jinnah took a deep personal interest in its designing and construction and himself selected the finest and costliest marble from Italy. He felt sad when he left it to fly to Pakistan to take over as the new state’s first governor-general in Karachi. He had spent some of the best years of his life with his wife Ruttie and daughter Dina in this palatial home. Its walls are a witness to some fascinating episodes in India’spolitical history, including the historic Gandhi- Jinnah talks in September 1944.
The Indian government has not so far given it to Pakistan for the proposed Pakistan consulate in Mumbai. It is not known whether this matter was discussed at the Indian and Pakistan foreign secretaries’ meeting in late 2004.
QUTUBUDDIN AZIZ
Karachi
THE concern shown by the World Bank about Pakistan’s power sector (Dawn, Sept 7) is most surprising as the bank itself had left the so-called reforms exercise for this sector incomplete. Actually, this assignment, which it had taken upon itself, had no relevance to the realities in Pakistan. Furthermore, its earlier reforms in South America and in the Philippines, where the bank had arm-twisted the various players into submission, were also a failure.
Indeed most of the covenants laid down by the bank, including corporatization, quickly followed by privatization, may be the answer to the problems of the developed world, which primarily wishes now to extricate itself from its various obligations and social responsibilities, but it is not so in our case.
Furthermore, the delaying of the approval of about +ACQ-500 million public sector capacity building programme (PSCBP) till the next financial year clearly explains the agenda of the World Bank. Capacity building should have been among the first pre-requisites of any reform.
Regarding the comment that the corporatized parts of Wapda should be allowed to work independently through their own management and ownership structures and reporting relationships instead of being managed as a vertically integrated utility, it is evident that the part-time boards in place cannot manage the operation of the companies. Pakistan also cannot sustain different tariffs for different areas/provinces or a reduced tariff for Punjab and quantum increases for the Frontier, Sindh and Balochistan.
Actually the World Bank, instead of accepting its responsibility for a botched job, is now pressuring the government to stem some imagined deterioration in the working of the distribution companies, which, according to it, can only happen through complete independence, differential tariff for various regions of Pakistan, company-specific budgets (i.e., in accordance with the rates and revenue receipts) and specific management through part-time boards — all of which is wrong in our context. We need reforms, but not those that are damaging to the somewhat stabilized economy and future growth. It is also important that we retain our existing structures (with due improvement) to counter the effects of WTO requirements, besides being able to arrange for a uniform tariff for the whole country.
ENGR. KHALID PERVEZ BUTT
Lahore
MY residential telephone number 5581756 has been giving problems for the past one month. Whenever we use it we can hear people talking on another number. I have made at least three complaints on the 18 help line number but to no avail. I personally met the divisional engineer of Cantt on Sept. 9 and told him of the problem but no one has come to check the fault so for. I also tried calling the PTCL helpline at 0800-44544 but this number is always busy.
I think PTCL badly needs to improve its customer service instead making tall claims in this regard. In most cases, when letters are published by newspapers, the PTCL is defended by a faceless, and often clueless, PRO who usually has no knowledge of the facts.
LT. COL (retd) MOHSIN AMIR
Rawalpindi
EIGHTEEN inches of rain were recorded in New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina; inches of rain that fell in Mumbai on July 27 — over 37. The population of New Orleans — 484,674; population of Mumbai —12,622,500. Deaths in New Orleans within 48 hours of Katrina hitting it — 100; deaths in Mumbai within 48 hours of the rain falling — 37. Number of people evacuated in New Orleans —the entire population; number of people evacuated in Mumbai — 10,000.
Cases of shooting, looting and violence in New Orleans: many; cases of shooting, looting and violence in Mumbai: none. Time taken for the US army to reach New Orleans: over 48 hours; time taken for the Indian army and navy to reach Mumbai: 12 hours.
Anas A. Khan
Edmonton, AB Canada
THE Sindh Employees Social Security Institutions (SESSI) recently issued a notice to different hospitals of Karachi saying that it would deduct a certain amount from the salaries of hospital staff as a contribution to the workers’ welfare fund.
This deduction is unjustified because most of the hospitals already provide good health-care facilities to all employees, and many avail of these free of charge.
The provincial labour ministry and the SESSI commissioner should withdraw this notice issued to private hospitals.
Dr ALFRED CHARLES
Karachi
I WOULD like to draw the attention of the Lahore DCO to the fruit market on the main Ferozepur Road where trucks are parked on footpaths and the green belt. Truck drivers have established an unlawful stand in and around the market.
The trucks with their pressure horns and smoke emissions are a source of pollution. They have destroyed the footpaths, the green belt and uprooted trees. These I request the the DCO to restore the green belt and service road cleared of workshops, donkey carts and hotel-wallahs.
MUHAMMAD AAMIR
Lahore
I wonder why banks have increased the mark-up for their existing loan clients. The practice is totally unfair and might have made sense if it were applied to those seeking new loans.
I leased a car some time back and calculated in advance the monthly payments that I would have to make. However, now after being informed by the bank that the mark-up rate was being increased, everything has gone into disarray. What will happen now is that by the time my lease ends I will have paid much more than I had been initially led to believe, for a car whose quality is mediocre at best. What I want to know is what is the government or the State Bank doing about this?
ATIF KHAN
Islamabad
ONE sees that citizens having complaints against the banking sector address their letters to the SBP as a regulator. With the recent appointment of an ombudsman on banking, it would be more appropriate to address their complaints to this authority.
Although, I have seen an ad appearing in newspapers regarding the banking ombudsman, it would be good if the ombudsman were to further publicize details of the office so that the public could know where and how to lodge a complaint. The banking ombudsman should also direct commercial banks to publicize details of the organization to all their account-holders through brochures and posters.
NAZIM F. HAJI
Karachi
THE England team, as we all know, is riding high after their Ashes triumph over Australia. They would be arriving in Pakistan with their confidence and morale skyhigh. The last time they toured Pakistan in 2000, though they were labelled as underdogs, they managed to snatch a win in the final Test at Karachi and with it the series. This time around, they would set foot on our soil as probably the best Test team in the world.
Nevertheless, all the best to our boys.
KAMRAN A. SHAH
Karachi
I AM the grand-daughter of Dr Mohammed Ishaq, head of the physics department at Aligarh Muslim University in pre-independence India. I am writing a book on the family and appeal in particular to former Aligarh alumni and colleagues and students of Dr Ishaq as well as his students and colleagues at the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul and the PCSIR, Lahore, for any information they may like to share about Dr Ishaq.
He had moved to Pakistan in 1947, and subsequently became director of studies at the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul. In 1959 he came to Lahore and worked at the PCSIR. He passed away in 1960.
SHIREEN M. ISHAQ
113/A Tufail Road
Lahore
THE economy of Pakistan is booming, foreign investment is on the rise, foreign reserves are at an all-time high, and the car industry is earning billions in profit. This is all because of the policies of our prime minister.
But what about ordinary people? If Mr Shaukat Aziz is capable of driving the economy to a period of boom, then why cannot he do something to keep domestic petrol prices in check? Surely, Mr Aziz knows that a continous rise in the price of petrol is only going to fuel further inflation.
AHMAD WAQAS AWAN
Rawalpindi
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