| September 25, 2005 | Sunday | Sha'aban 20, 1426 |
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Engaging with Israel
Sindh bank
Wireless telephones
Oil prices
Kalabagh dam
University charters
Image abroad
Weather forecast
PTCL problem
Checking crime
A lost heritage
Loudspeaker menace
THIS is with reference to the letter by Mr Mumtaz A. Piracha who has sought comments on some parts of the speech delivered by the State Bank governor in his address to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
As far as monetary policy is concerned, it has not at all helped to increase the income of the common man except of some professional hands like engineers, doctors, government employees, members of the assemblies and the Senate. The income of the overall white-collar people has gone down and unemployment has increased.
The SBP governor said that the nationalized banks had suffered huge losses. The present government promised that those parties and persons who caused these losses would be brought to account. But no step has been taken to recover these losses although the names and details of the parties are available. All of these have been written off.
The SME scheme was a non-starter when it was announced and is still a non-starter. The government has not lost any substantial amount on this head.
It was government policy which instigated banks to provide loan to common citizens. Instead the private banks took the public for a ride by providing loans for houses, motorcars, etc., on skin-fleecing interest in order to earn fat profits.
Moreover, a free hand was given to increase bank charges which resulted in closure of small savings accounts. Now, the banks are only for the rich.
For bounced cheques, the banks themselves would have lodged FIRs. It is impossible for a common man to lodge an FIR and run for months to the police and courts, ultimately being forced to withdraw his claim after throwing away good money.
Only a few days ago, the SBP governor pleaded the cause of the depositor and rebuked the banks for not giving proper returns on his investment. The government itself had introduced schemes like Behbood and has increased returns on investment.
Are we not in the situation prevailing in 1999 when our borrowings exceeded accepted limits? The only difference is that at this moment we have a small collateral against which we are now obtaining foreign loans for multi-mega controversial projects.
S.M.A. RIZVI
Karachi
IN his interview with Dawn (Sept 20), Israel’s Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has claimed that his country never saw Pakistan as an enemy.
However, an Urdu daily reproduced on Dec. 21, 1998 excerpts from an interview given to a magazine by no less a person than Field Marshal Maneckshaw who was Indian army chief during the 1971 war. In that, he had stated that Tel Aviv had seconded Gen Jacob, an Israeli expert on guerilla warfare, to India.
Gen Jacob had not only been appointed chief of staff of the Indian eastern command (responsible for the operations in East Pakistan), but had later on even drafted the terms of surrender of our troops and had also gone across to meet Gen Niazi in Dhaka.
What else was this if not clear Israeli involvement in the breaking up of Pakistan?
Regrettably, Gen Musharraf has shut his eyes not only to this fact but also to Israel’s utter disregard for UN Security Council resolutions on Palestine, the ICJ’s ruling against the building of walls and barriers in occupied territories meant to imprison the Palestinians forever and Pakistan’s founding fathers’ forceful advice on the subject.
Suppose, a bunch of bandits occupy the house of someone’s brother, go on killing the latter’s family members and then seek to legalize their occupation. If, due to his utter helplessness, the brother is forced to negotiate with them the right to be allowed to live in a corner of his own home, would any person having a heart and upholding common principles ever approve of the bandits?
A. ALEEM
Karachi
DAWN’s editorial comment of Sept 18 is a balanced study of possible future relations between Pakistan and Israel. It also points the policy framers in a logical direction.
I can only say that none of the points the editorial has enumerated were considered by other Arab states in the Middle East and Northern Africa which have recognized Israel. In 2002, Prince Abdullah, now the King of Saudi Arabia, had clearly and without ambiguity said that all Arab countries would recognize Israel if it vacated all Arab lands occupied since 1967.
Tel Aviv knows it has to vacate those lands one day, but it wants all Arabs — and with them the Muslim world — to recognize it first. It would get some sort of legitimacy over some parts of occupied territories, particularly the Golan Heights.
The Golan Heights is the chief irritant in establishing peace and normalization of relations between the combatants of the 1967 and 1973 wars. These heights are actually a series of small hills and from under these hills flow the two rivers that quench Israeli thirst. Israeli leaders think that returning these heights would be committing suicide as Syria might divert the rivers.
About recognizing Israel, when Foreign Minister Kasuri and President Musharraf can shake hands with Foreign Minister Shalom and Prime Minister Sharon, what else is recognition? And trade with Israel? What is the problem with that? It can be done through a third country which has relations with both Israel and Pakistan.
S.M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr Shiraz Sachedin’s letter “Sindh bank” (Sept 18) regarding the establishment of a bank in the name of the province and his suggestion that if established, it should operate on the pattern of a development financial institution (DFI).
On the same topic, Mr Sultan Ahmed in his article (Economics and Business Review, May 2) asks whether Sindh needs an official bank and says that in the presence of various banks already operating through their branches in every nook and corner of the province — apart from the sad experience of Mehran Bank — we do not need another official bank.
I agree with Mr Ahmed that in the present circumstances the province does not require another bank. What it needs is an institution like the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, which today is a success story of South Asia.
However, to achieve this goal, we need a person like Dr (Prof) Younus Khan who single-handedly, turned rural Bangladesh into a hub of agriculture-based industry.
Grameen Bank was set up in 1977. Today, there are more than 1,100 branches of the bank operating in the country, employing 11,000 people. This is the only bank in the world which has no loan defaulters. The board of directors, which has 13 members, has nine members from the poor and illiterate sections of society.
Now with the support of this bank and on the basis of self- help, millions of Bangladeshis who were living below the poverty line are earning a livelihood with their heads held high; and what more, they are also contributing to the national wealth.
ALTAMASH MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
WHEN the government realized that it was not possible to extend the telephone landline network to rural areas, it decided to acquire wireless technology which has been successfully adopted in other developing countries of the region for telephone coverage of far-flung areas.
The government obtained this technology from China and although it was primarily meant for the rural areas, it has been hijacked by big cities like Karachi and Lahore where all its functional components, including the most important function of Internet, has been made available on it from the first day whereas in the rural areas it remains deactivated.
Thus, its 0800-77888 helpline hardly ever answers calls in the rural areas, its local inquiry does not work and if we are lucky enough to get the helpline connection, the answer to our inquiries regarding start of the Internet facility is always the same: “You will get it very soon”.
The sound quality is sometimes so poor that there are interruptions and echoes.
KASHIF NADEEM
Muzaffargarh
WHENEVER there is an increase in petroleum prices, our government passes it on to the consumers instantly, making it a record high in the history of last 58 years. But profit of price reduction in the world oil market was seldom transferred to the people.
Ours is a country where 30 per cent of the people live below the poverty line. In such a situation it is cruel to increase the price of oil because this makes the necessities of life costlier and beyond the reach of the already deprived.
It is illogical to go on increasing the prices of oil the year round without striving to find other means to lighten the burden of the people.
ANWAR HUSSAIN
Karachi
THIS refers to the letter by AAZA (Sept 4). It mainly deals with generation of additional power by improving the efficiency of the thermal units operating in the country. The correspondent gives the impression that the Kalabagh dam will submerge large areas and will create drainage problems for the NWFP. Therefore, being a very costly project, it should be ignored and in its place dams at sites like Bhasha, Katzara and Skardu be considered.
The Kalabagh dam is proposed on the Indus river at a distance of about 16 miles upstream of Jinnah barrage and 92 miles downstream of Attock, the confluence point of the Kabul and Indus rivers. At this location, the dam will control one of the world’s great catchment areas, spread over 110,000 square miles. The average annual river flow at Kalabagh is 89 MAF. The 6.1 MAF storage of the Kalabagh reservoir will be only seven per cent of the average annual flow. The total culturable affected land under the reservoir is only 35,000 acres. Cultivable land to be submerged under the reservoir elevation of 915 and acquired permanently would be 27,500 acres (24,500 acres in Punjab and 3,000 acres in the NWFP).
Of this, irrigated land would be only 3,000 acres (2,900 acres in Punjab and 100 acres in the NWFP). The balance of 7,500 acres is the land which will be temporarily submerged by floods at a remarried interval of one in five years. The extent of the Kalabagh reservoir at elevation 915 feet will end about 10 miles downstream of Nowshera. The bed levels at the drain exit, namely, Hisara, Murdara and Plato, vary from 937 feet to 952 feet which are all much higher than the 915 feet conservation level, which may last for a few weeks in a year.
At other times, the reservoir level will be lower than 915 feet. As such, there will be no problem in evacuating any drainage both from the right or left bank of the Kabul river. It has been confirmed that the sub-surface drainage discharge from the Peshawar valley will flow into the Kabul river unrestricted and the dam will have no adverse effect on drainage.
The dam will also provide effective regulation of the Indus river to meet additional Kharif allocations of the provinces under WAA, 1991, and regulation and control of high flood peaks in the Indus to enable provision of perennial tube well irrigation to the river in Sindh. Generation of a large quantities of hydro power for meeting the growing demand of agricultural, industrial and domestic consumers through low-cost options is another benefit. It will help reduce dependence on imported fuel. The dam will create employment opportunities for 30,000 persons during construction and significant numbers after commissioning.
When the reservoir is full (RL 915), Kalabagh’s initial eight units (2,400 MW) will be able to generate 2,776 MW. During the initial period of sluicing in June when the reservoir is held at minimum level (RL 825) and the Tarbela reservoir is filling, dependable power will be 1,463 MW. During the other months of the year, water releases will be limited to meet irrigation demands, so less energy will be generated. Some units at Kalabagh will generate base load energy whilst some will be restricted to peak time operation. Kalabagh will generate an average of 11,413 million kwh annually giving a plant capacity factor of 54 per cent for the initial installed capacity of 2,400 MW.
Feasibility studies of the Bhasha-Diamer dam project were completed during June 2004. This project has now been taken up for project planning study and will be ready for construction during the next few years. The Katzara or Skardu site is located near the village Katzara in the first 10 miles of the long Indus gorge below Skardu town. The pre-feasibility study of Katzara dam/Skardu dam project is in progress. The Skardu/Katzara site has power generation potential, but the extension of a transmission line all the way to the local centres of Pakistan through difficult terrain would pose serious problems. It also has many resettlement issues. These problems in practical terms render this site unfeasible in our present circumstances.
NAEEM AKHTAR
Wapda Public Relations Division
Lahore
THE charters of public sector universities confer unbridled powers upon vice-chancellors who are virtual chairmen of all statutory bodies, including the selection board and the syndicate, leaving little room for dissent from any quarter. Such a system stifles freedom of thought at the higher education level where teachers live in mortal fear of their career being destroyed with a stroke of the pen, if they do not become “yes” men of the vice-chancellor.
I have experience of serving as a member of the selection board and chancellor’s committee of at least two universities where I was not tolerated for more than a year because I could not see eye-to-eye with the selection of certain candidates. World renowned universities like Harvard are known to delegate powers to university teachers to even pass a vote of no-confidence against the president of a university in the event of an indiscreet remark by him against the teachers.
No wonder, the HEC chairman has said in an interview in a local magazine that Pakistan does not have a single university of international level among the 500 world class universities while India has at least four to five such institutions. While we spawn a number of new universities, it is necessary that university charters should be amended to empower the teaching community on the pattern of strengthening the local government at the grassroots level. Otherwise, the spirit of free inquiry would wither in our institutions of higher learning.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
I AM quite surprised the way President Pervez Musharraf has been criticizing NGOs of late, especially during his trip to the US.
In my opinion NGOs should be appreciated for breaking the shackles of our feudal-based society. We don’t need to sweep these problems under the carpet just for the sake of the so-called national interest but rather we need to face them head on.
As far as Pakistan’s image is concerned, the biggest hurdle in that is lack of true democracy in the country. The image problem will be solved once the army goes back to the barracks and accepts civilians as the true rulers of the country.
ZULFIQAR GUL
Islamabad
I MUST bring to your notice that the weather forecast published for world cities is often not correct. It has been forecasting thunderstorms in the outlook for Mumbai.
I have checked repeatedly with my friends in Mumbai and they say the weather is fine and there has been no rain for the last 15 days.
RAZA ALI DOSSA
Karachi
MY Lahore telephone 5845986 (Misri Shah Exchange) has been dead for 15 days. I have lodged numerous complaints with PTCL on their ‘18’ number (I was given complaint numbers 150, 89 and 73) but the phone remains dead.
SHAHZADA SALIM
Karachi
PEOPLE feel that the government has done nothing to stem the tide of heinous crimes like child-lifting, dacoity, looting, snatching, abduction and rape.
Out of hundreds of innocent women tortured and raped, only three, Mukhtaran Mai, Dr Shazia Khalid and Sonia Naz, have come out to narrate their ordeal. Sonia Naz went to see the honourable members of the National Assembly to seek justice for her husband and reportedly fell victim to the police, entrusted with safeguarding the honour of citizens.
According to a report of the Karachi police, five minor girls were raped during August. No eyebrows are raised when such gruesome acts take place.
If President Musharraf ensures that there will be no violence against women and law and order is restored, people might find some reason for his continuing in uniform.
MUHAMMAD NAZIR CHAHAL
Gujranwala
WHY has Karachi’s Metropole closed down. This hotel was a landmark, a heritage.
When I look at the hotel, my heart is filled with joy as many memories flash before my eyes, but then to see the present state of the hotel breaks my heart. Always when a couple intended to get married, their first option would be the Metropole, but it’s not the same anymore.
Some say Metropole is going to be rebuilt, some say it is turning into a residential-cum-commercial area, some say it is closing down due to parking problems, etc. But why destroy such a valuable landmark? If the problem was parking, this could have been resolved in many ways, like hiring a small plot nearby where motorists could park, rather than bringing the hotel down.
In the end all I have to say on behalf of myself and others: please do not destroy a heritage, but restore it to its past glory.
ALOYSIA MANUEL
Karachi
THIS is to bring to the notice of the Karachi authorities concerned that whenever any religious event takes place the use of loudspeakers increases in Malir — and this despite clear directives to the police that loudspeakers are to be used only for the azaan.
The police in our area do not take any action against this blatant misuse of loudspeakers.
SAEED AHMED
Karachi
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