| September 24, 2005 | Saturday | Sha'aban 19, 1426 |
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Violence against women
Recognition of Israel
Anomaly in SRO
MBA recruitment
Traffic signals
Stem cell therapy
Gilgit devastation
Tinted car windows
Nomination papers
Calls from Hunza
Telephone directories
Misuse of CAA aircraft
Relinquishing power
Broken road
WE need to prioritize the fields in which human resource development can contribute to our evolution as a nation with a solid base and infrastructure.
Perhaps we need to learn some lessons from countries like India. On a recent visit to India, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the European Union representative stressed the importance of close cooperation with India. Mr Blair stated that India produced more engineering graduates than the whole of Europe, and this provided the base for rapid technological and economic development, which had made India one of the leading economic powers in the world, second only to China.
He further stated that Europe shared with India common values like democracy, literacy and human resource development.
The EU representative made similar remarks and highlighted the importance of India as an emerging economy.
The Indian PM in his reply thanked the European Union for giving scholarships worth 33 million euro to India, which, in his opinion, was important for India’s progress. He further stated that this would help develop close links between Europe and the future leaders of India, who after academic studies would return to take up important assignments as leaders of a developing nation. All these scholarships would be utilized in the fields of sciences, engineering and medicine.
It is unfortunate that apart from mere rhetoric and lip-service, the number of engineering and science graduates in our country has gone down in terms of their proportion to the population. The basic factor is that there are far attractive jobs available in the market for our graduates. And the few that are available go to unqualified persons with political recommendation or retired “khakis”. Posts in major state-owned semi-autonomous corporations like the KESC, PIA and Wapda are doled out to unqualified favourites.
The result of all this is that talented students shy away from specialization in engineering or other sciences and prefer to go for MBAs or finance-related fields like CA. As long as the government itself does not set the pace to promote and encourage those who opt for engineering studies in an assertive, proactive manner, there is no hope for establishing a solid infrastructure of a developed economy in Pakistan.
This neglect has forced a braindrain from Pakistan on a scale that should have raised an alarm in Islamabad.
All the Asian tigers that have emerged have built their economies on indigenous technological growth. We continue to be a state which relies solely on import of sophisticated high technology finished products, luxury cars and electronic goods, without any transfer of this technology or plans to acquire and produce these on our own. China has emerged as a leading economic superpower with huge reserves and exports that outweigh imports in every field. It has developed its human resources in vital areas of engineering and computer hardware to a level where they are today the leading players in this field. We, on the other hand, are a consumer-based nation which relies solely on imported technology, with no plans to develop our own.
The government needs to re-evaluate its policies and effectively encourage growth in human resources instead of paying mere lip-service.
GULL ZEE
Paris, France
THIS refers to the statement (Sept 13) of the Sindh local government adviser that society should be made secure for women. There is a mention of providing justice through reconciliation committees aimed at resolving gender-based discrimination.
Violence against women is a concern of considerable importance at societal and family levels. Domestic or intra-family violence perpetrated by both male and female family members and relatives deserves special attention. It is a serious threat to women’s basic human rights and physical and psychological well-being. Such violence poses significant risks to women’s health. These risks include injury, as well as harmful outcomes such as unwanted pregnancy, and sexually-transmitted infections, including HIV. Violence in pregnancy has been associated with adverse outcomes, including miscarriage, and low birth weight.
Intra-family violence is a complex problem which requires coordinated and inter-sectoral solutions, involving the participation of both the state and civil society. There is a need for mobilizing all allied sectors for formulating policy and programmes that involve the development of community networks for the provision of care and support to victims of violence and promotion of non-violent relations in public and private lives of men and women. There is a dire need for confidential, ethical and non-discriminatory medical and legal services to be made available to victims of sexual violence.
Moreover, the state has to put into place legislation and commit human and financial resources to facilitate the operation and consolidation of integral care to respond to intra-family violence. There is also a need to broaden the research base on the physical and mental health impact of domestic violence and development of innovative programmes that improve women’s security and health status.
FOUZIA RAHMAN
Karachi
IT is a historical fact that Israel is in illegal occupation of Palestinian land. Further, atrocities committed by Israel against Palestine and other neighbouring countries are still fresh in mind.
Israel so far has evacuated only 8,000 settlers from Gaza. About 250,000 are yet to be removed from the West Bank. In such a situation should Pakistan recognize Israel? Would our recognition serve the Palestine cause? It is said that some countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Morocco have recognised Israel. But look at these countries — they are being ruled by dictators and kings who only play safe to remain in power.
Pakistan did not lose anything by not recognizing Israel during the last five decades. By recognizing, Pakistan cannot influence Israel to vacate Palestinian land, nor can Pakistan receive sophisticated military hardware similar to the kind given to India. However, Israel would greatly benefit. Israel would be neutralizing Pakistan — the second largest Muslim state in the world and the only Muslim nuclear power. Israel would then have access to Pakistan’s nuclear facilities.
Pakistan should recognize Israel only when the latter completely vacates occupied land and a Palestine state is created.
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
ITEM No. 124, technical specialized rubber, falling under H.S. Code Nos. 4001.2200 and 4002.1900 has been subjected to zero-rated sales tax. Hence imports of rubber categories such as STR 20, SMR 20 and SBR 1502 are allowed by customs (on the basis of SRO No.621) without payment of sales tax.
On other hand, more commonly used and imported natural rubber (smoked sheets) RSS, falling under H.S. Code No. 4001.2100, and other categories under H.S. Code No. 4001.2900 are subjected to sales tax at the rate of 15 per cent plus value addition tax at 1.5 per cent.
This is an anomaly which must be removed urgently by subjecting import of all rubbers, including RSS, TPC3W, skim crepe (falling under H.S. code Nos. 4001.2100 and 4001.2900), to zero-rated sales tax.
Otherwise it will encourage misdeclaration by luring importers to declare their import of all types of rubbers as SMR20, STR20, SBR 1502 or RM3, etc., in order to unfairly avail exemption of sales tax.
It is hoped that the CBR will take prompt action by exempting sales tax on import of all types of rubber in order to encourage export of rubber-finished products at competitive prices.
CONCERNED IMPORTER
Karachi
A FEW days ago the National Bank of Pakistan put out an advertisement for recruitment of MBAs. It was mentioned in the advertisement that MBAs with executive courses would not be considered. Why the discrimination if someone has passed the MBA from the same university irrespective of executive or regular courses? As a matter of fact, the executive course has more practical experience to offer than the regular course.
In England, good universities award MBA degrees to only those who worked for two years in commercial companies or banks. This saves commercial companies from imparting training to fresh MBAs. The NBP should treat executive MBAs at par with regular MBAs.
England and Japan have introduced sandwich courses to enable young people to work and study at the same time. Their employers give a day off when classes held in day time. Unfortunately, such a system does not exist in Pakistan. The Higher Education Commission should come to the rescue of young working people and introduce sandwich courses and give a chance to talented individuals to better themselves.
KHALID M. KHAN
Karachi
THERE is one peculiar aspect of the traffic signalling system in the Islamabad. Once a signal turns green, it gives way to both motorists who are going straight and those who are turning right. The situation becomes interesting when motorists turning right try to ease their way through traffic coming from the other direction. According to the rules, both have right of way but generally the motorist turning right is left at the mercy of traffic coming from the opposite direction.
I believe this system was introduced when Islamabad was first established when there used to be fewer vehicles on the roads. But now the situation is altogether different and there is a pressing need to introduce a better traffic signal system as Karachi and Lahore. This will certainly help to reduce accidents at major crossings.
FARHAT ASIM
Islamabad
I WOULD like to share my concerns, both as physician and bioethicist, about an advertisement that appeared in a section of the press last week. A private company has advised hospitals that it has machines available for stem cell therapy to treat thalassaemia and other diseases by employing oretro differentiation technology.
With its choice of words, intentional or otherwise, this advertisement is liable to lead lay people to the mistaken conclusion that a cure has been found for thalassaemia (and other unnamed diseases).
At the same time, it lays open the door for unwitting and unscrupulous healthcare professionals to exploit this public misunderstanding.
In the absence of ethical guidelines, negligible oversight processes at institutional and national levels, and lack of regulation of healthcare services, it is not difficult to imagine a proliferation of clinics and hospitals promising desperate patients treatments for all manner of illnesses by using stem cells.
Another concern is that it adds to the hype, generally nurtured by commercial interests, that presents stem cell biotechnology as the panacea for all human ills. Recent advances in adult and embryonic stem cell research hold great promise, but their translation into safe clinical application is some years away.
This is not to imply that in specific areas stem cells are not already playing a part in treating certain diseases. As an example, following years of carefully controlled clinical trials, adult stem cell (bone marrow) transplantation is accepted as a therapeutic modality for acquired conditions such as leukaemia and certain blood disorders.
Thalassaemia, on the other hand, is a genetic disorder, and any measure that does not alter the inherited genetic defect cannot be considered therapeutic in nature. To date, there is no research, let alone clinical examples, or scientific publication, that I am aware of in which this has been accomplished using retro- or de-differentiated adult stem cells.
Controlled clinical research trials are under way in some countries to test adult stem cell capacity to repair/regenerate heart muscles and nerve tissue. But these are clearly categorized as research, not presented as established therapy. These trials are undertaken only after rigorous review and approval by institutional research committees, require full disclosure of the nature and risks of the research to the patient, and his or her voluntary consent to serve as subject for the study.
None of these mechanisms are in place in Pakistan, leaving our public at great risk of exploitation.
DR FARHAT MOAZAM
Professor and Chairperson,
Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, SIUT,
RKarachi
THIS is with reference to your editorial “Sectarian violence in Quetta” (Sept 17). I wish to correct the figure given in the editorial of the casualties of sectarian violence in Gilgit from January 8, 2005 to September 18, 2005. The number is 72 and not 10 as erroneously mentioned in your editorial.
Currently, around 7,000 personnel of the army, Rangers, Northern Areas Scouts, Frontier Constabulary and the police seem unable to control the violence in a population of around 50,000 people and in an area stretching some
12 kilometres from the municipal bus stand to the Baseen Bridge.
The violence in Gilgit has devastated everything, from business to tourism and divided the people along sectarian lines.
FARKHANDA MEHMUD
Gilgit
THE public watches with serious concern the rising crime rate in the country while criminals and law-breakers roam about without any let or hindrance. A few years back, taking serious note of the rising graph of crimes in the province, the Sindh High Court had banned the use of tinted glasses used in all kinds of vehicles in the province.
It is disappointing to see that despite the court order, violation of the ban is evident daily on our roads. Who knows, a kidnapping victim might be in a vehicle with tinted windows.
May I request the Sindh government to ban the use of vehicles with tinted glasses and heavily fine the law-breakers, whoever they may be.
JAMAL KHAN
Karachi
LT-GEN (retd) Abdul Majeed Khan’s nomination papers have been rejected by a returning officer who said that his matriculation certificate was not valid. The retired general is contesting for the seat of Chakwal district nazim against the wishes of the ruling PML-Q of which he is a member.
He has served the Pakistan Army in the rank of lieutenant- general, has served at the Command and Staff College in Quetta, and has attended many foreign courses. And now we get to hear that his matric certificate is not legal. Needless to say, all this does not make too much sense.
Gen Malik should withdraw his opposition to the PML-Q and maybe then he matriculation certificate will be deemed legal.
DR KHALID BUTT
Karachi
IT takes more than seven hours to get a telephone connection from central Hunza to other cities of Pakistan. This indicates the inefficiency of the Special Communication Organization (SCO), Northern Areas, Gilgit.
Despite repeated complaints, the SCO is reluctant to improve its service, causing much inconvenience to the general public. It may be replaced with PTCL.
SALEEM JAN
Aliabad, Hunza
THE last time telephone directories were printed and published in Karachi was in the year 2001. Prior to that it was done in 1996. Most probably, PTCL will now print its new directory in 2006.
I hope that after the privatization process of PTCL is completed and the management is taken over by Etisalat, the UAE-based telecommunications company will make it a point to print, publish and distribute updated residential and commercial telephone directories on a yearly basis.
This will save the time and money of telephone subscribers who have to struggle with inquiry 17 to find out a particular telephone number.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
THIS is to bring to the notice of readers and of the ministry of defence the gross misuse of aircraft meant for official use by the top management of the Civil Aviation Authority.
The senior officers of the CAA are using the authority’s aircraft to transport family members and relatives to various cities to attend marriages and other ceremonies. This is causing taxpayers millions and should be taken note of by the federal government. An inquiry should be conducted to bring to book those officials who have misused their authority in this manner.
SALAHUDDIN KHAN
Lahore
IN his column (Sept 2) Ayaz Amir, after referring to Suharto and Mubarak, laments that “relinquishing power voluntarily is no part of the Islamic world’s agenda”. In saying this, he is being unfair to the Islamic world.
He would not have said this if he had remembered what Prof Dicey in his book on political science, which was in our B.A. course in the 1950s, had said that “those who are in power will not relinquish power unless they are caught by the neck and forced to choke the power out”.
Dicey had not restricted this deduction to the Islamic world. It is a universal truth. The fault, if any, lies with the masses.
SALAHUDDIN MIRZA
Karachi
COLLEGE Road in Lahore’s Township is a major thoroughfare used by thousands of vehicles every day but its condition is terrible. Can any councillor, naib nazim, union council nazim, district nazim, MPA, MNA, minster or the chief minister help the residents of this area and order immediate repair of this road?
SULTAN AHMAD
Lahore
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