| September 29, 2005 | Thursday | Sha'aban 24, 1426 |
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Inter-faith dialogue
President’s remarks
Reconciliation
PhD degrees of teachers
‘Gentlemen farmers’
Politics and education
Sonia Naz case
Katrina lessons
Dignity of man
Phone fault
Power outage
Oil price calculations
Why this anomaly?
Youhana’s conversion
THIS is with reference to your report (Sept. 21) of the speech of the Israeli foreign minister to the UN General Assembly in which he said: “Countries like Pakistan and others, who in the past refused to acknowledge our shared humanity, today are extending their hand of friendship and recognition.”
The legitimate resistance to Israel is not based upon opposition to Zionism’s colonial claims over Palestine. Israel represents a most blatant case of settler colonialism in our times, and like all other forms of colonialism, racism is at its very foundations.
This is not to deny that opponents of Israel also include racists in their ranks. The political right in Muslim as well as European countries blurs any distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. But that has not been the official position of countries that sought to isolate Israel, or indeed the mainstream position of the Palestinian resistance.
The Israeli government might believe that its international isolation is due to racism against Israelis or Jews but it must not get away with ascribing racist motives to its detractors. It is remarkable indeed that the Israeli government’s response to the hand of friendship rejects the first rule of negotiation: agreeing to disagree.
General Musharraf chose to speak before a right-wing Jewish American organization soon after the Kasuri-Shalom meeting, and extolled the virtues of inter-faith dialogue. He received an ovation, something that he finds increasingly difficult to win at home. Photo-ops aside this was irresponsible diplomacy since it created the damaging impression that political relations between the two states had anything to do with the Pakistan government’s attitudes towards the Jewish people.
If Pakistan wants to take a lead in helping to settle the conflict in Palestine, it must also accept the responsibility of guarding against historical revisionism that places the onus of blame for the conflict on its victims. Will the foreign ministry set Mr Shalom and the historical record straight? Silence would signal agreement with the official Israeli view that opposition to the Zionist entity is nothing but anti-Jewish racism — a strange turn given that this view is increasingly challenged even within Israel.
HARIS GAZDAR
Karachi
DAWN’s editorial “Inter-faith dialogue” (Sept 20) is lucid and praiseworthy for its frankness. I fully agree with your argument: “The Pakistan president’s address to the Jewish congress (in New York) was a bold step and deserves to be commended....”.
After the dawn of Islam in Arabia in the sixth century, Muslim rulers in many countries, that came under the banner of Islam showed great accommodation and friendship to the Jews because of the Abrahamic link. When the Arab Muslim general Tariq conquered Spain, his first act was to rescind the orders of the Christian rulers of Spain to deport the Jews from Spain if they refused to convert to Christianity.
In the Muslim Ottoman Empire, Jews enjoyed many privileges of citizenship denied to them in most parts of Europe ruled by the Christians. Jews were among the beneficiaries of the Ottoman bank which controlled the fiscal system of the Ottoman empire.
A part of the gold assets of the Ottoman government was held in deposit with the Jewish bankers of Europe. Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza has spurred Pakistan’s interest in having diplomatic relations with Israel.
Israel may reap many other spin-off benefits if it vacates the whole of the West Bank and allows a moderate and friendly Palestinian state to be established as was mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1948.
QUTUBUDDIN AZIZ
Karachi
This is in response to Dr Riffat Hassans letter regarding President Pervez Musharrafs address to Pakistani women in New York. The respected professor has tried at length to clarify the president’s position stating that the Dawn report of the event focused on only a minute or two of the entire event and that by and large the event was very positive.
As president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Gen Musharraf should have realized that such remarks encourage and inadvertently legitimize the culture of asserting power and authority through assaulting women.
Dr Hassan also ignores the fact that such attitudes discourage rape victims from speaking up and coming forward. She also seems to have chosen to ignore the fact that the president had exonerated an alleged rapist before a judicial inquiry into the matter could even be completed. This reflects the insensitivity of the culture that prevails in Pakistan towards the plight of rape victims.
Every day we read reports of honour killings, of appeals by young women seeking protection against being killed in the name of so-called honour, and more recently of the cutting of noses and lips. What kind of protection can such victims of violence expect from the state?
Gen. Musharraf is right in saying that rape victims from China are not taken to countries in the West but there is a reason for that. Such countries have mechanisms to deal with crimes against women. Cases are registered, women are not raped in police custody and nor do they languish in jail awaiting trial.
The problems facing women in Pakistan have to be tackled head on but who will do that now that the president himself seems to think that those who speak out and seek justice in favour of rape victims are anti-state?
The president says that patriarchal, feudal and tribal attitudes dominate our society and are the cause of the problems. I should add here that some laws are defective as well, especially the Hudood ordinances.
DR TAHMINA RASHID
Melbourne, Australia
THE world is concerned at President Musharraf’s remarks, and rightly so. The implication of his statement is simply this: that the women of Pakistan lack dignity and self-respect and they are ready to compromise themselves and their honour if rewarded with suitable benefits.
Furthermore, the president has successfully endorsed the international impression of the Pakistani man being, in essence, bigoted, insensitive and downright chauvinistic.
An unimpressive denial has been issued by the president. He should either clarify what he meant by his words or should redeem himself and the Pakistani people by suing The Washington Post for publishing the alleged remarks which he claims were never made by him.
BARRISTER ALIZEH HAIDER
Karachi
MQM leader Altaf Hussain in his address in London on his 52nd birthday touched upon the importance of dialogue and said that the “time has come to hold talks with Israel” (Dawn, Sept 26).
His deputy, Dr Farooq Sattar, visited the Idara Noor-i-Haq on the day of the first round of local body elections. He shook hands with Jamaat leaders, listened to their complaints and said that they could resolve their differences across the table. Later he shared a cup of tea with outgoing nazim Naimatullah Khan.
Mr Nelson Mendela formed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission when he came out as a hero after serving 27 years in jail and led South Africa to one of the smoothest transitions of power. By doing so he became the unchallenged hero of the world. If we can talk with India, with whom we have fought three wars, so we are talking to Israel and President Musharraf has also addressed the American Jewish Council. Why can’t the MQM talk to the Jamaat-i-Islami and decide on sharing the city government?
Mr Altaf Hussain and Qazi Hussain Ahmad have an opportunity of a lifetime to show to the rest of the world that Pakistani leaders do not lack vision, farsightedness, flexibility and democratic norms. Karachiites would respect them for this.
S. NAYYAR IQBAL RAZA
Karachi
IT IS deplorable that the administration of Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, has arbitrarily and in violation of the MPhil/PhD regulations of the university cancelled the PhD degrees of six university teachers.
En masse cancellation of PhD degrees, apparently under the HEC PhD programme criterion which the university has not yet adopted and incorporated in its code book of 1986, is against the law. I myself am a member of the committee constituted by the vice-chancellor and headed by the dean of the faculty of science to finalize recommendations on the HEC policy. The committee has not yet finalized its recommendations and they have yet to be approved by the statutory bodies of the university before they take any effect.
The teachers were registered in 1999-2000 under the old regulations. Hence, they should be treated under the old regulations as new rules have not been adopted as yet. They have fulfilled all the codal requirements, including three seminars, evaluation of PhD thesis and viva voce. As a result, they were awarded PhD degrees through notification issued by the controller of examinations dated 29/06/2005.
The cancellation of PhD degrees has angered the faculty of the university, and remedial measures may be taken by the quarters concerned by withdraw the cancellation letter.
PROF(DR) NILOFER SHAIKH
Member, Syndicate,
Shah Abdul Latif University,
Khairpur
I WAS distressed to read the plight of farmers in the ‘Diary of a gentleman farmer’ in the Advertisers section of your newspaper of Sept. 25.
It must be very disappointing for them to see their bumper crop turn to dust. However, I would like to point ou a few facts regarding their predicament. One, these farmers don’t pay any income tax. Two, they receive diesel at a subsidized rate to operate their tubewells and tractors. Three, they get electricity at a reduced rate. Four, they use farm workers who are non-union and therefore come at a very cheap rate. Five, their farm workers are not covered by existing labour laws. And six, the farmers don’t have to bear too many expenses other than wages or prices of fertilizers and so on. Seven, one has never heard of farm workers going on strike which means that these ‘gentlemen farmers’ never have to bear the cost of shutdowns or lockouts.
Considering all this, here are my suggestions: The ‘gentlemen farmers’ should form their own cooperatives and start a calamity fund from the money saved on the benefits received as stated above. In good years, they can contribute to the fund, to draw from it in when times go bad.
Since they know the working of the agriculture sector, they should set up industries in the rural areas to add value to their products. Land is comparatively cheap in the villages as is labour. Some cotton farmers have successfully set up ginning factories on their own farms.
I trust that by banding together and working in cooperation with each other, the gentlemen farmers will not only avoid looking towards the government to bail them out in bad times, they will also be able to contribute favourably to the economy.
Aman Saiyed
Karachi
WE were very shocked to recently read a form of undertaking required by a college. It carried the following sentences: (a) ”… I shall not indulge in politics” and (b) “… in case (I) indulge in politics, violating the above undertaking, I be expelled from the college without any further notice.”
This reflects slavish thinking and runs counter to the genesis of Pakistan. We got independence through a political struggle. The whole world is a political arena. If we want to survive, we must arm ourselves with political knowledge which will come through thinking and doing things politically. So why do we want to stop students from political activities?
The apex court should take suo motu notice in this regard as the undertaking is against the Constitution and freedom of expression.
LAILA RAZA, MARZIA RAZA, WARIS RAZA
Karachi
AYAZ Amir (Sept 24) has done an excellent job of investigative reporting on the Sonia Naz case. He has managed to obtain the findings of the police inquiry report conducted into the allegations made by Ms Naz against officers of the Faisalabad police.
From reading the police’s own inquiry it is clear that the SP concerned is guilty of abduction, illegal confinement, receiving illegal gratification, and of attempted rape. It is also evident that the SHO is guilty of extortion, rape and torture of Ms Naz.
The report is so damning that it clearly shows that the so-called judicial inquiry into the matter was nothing but an eyewash. The Punjab chief minister would be guilty of negligence if he did not make sure that the guilty are brought to trial and punished.
However, there is a small doubt in my mind as to why Ms Naz did not present herself for medical examination as soon as possible in order to corroborate her allegations of rape. Regardless, the police report is clear on one score: that the officers against whom the allegations have been made must be immediately arrested and tried for the charges that have been made against them by Ms Naz.
Wg-Cdr Sardar Ahmed
Shah Jan
Peshawar
HURRICANE Katrina was unique in producing many “firsts”.
The Washington Post (Sept 3) was frank to feel that “it exposed a Third World inside us.” President Bush murmured (Sept 13): “It exposed serious problems in our response capabilities”.
Many say it also exposed the difference between rhetoric and reality. Many believe that it exposed the extent to which the superpower is subservient to the Supreme Power. It also underlined a principle of statecraft for the benefit of all — that a country pursuing a foreign policy at the cost of its domestic policy is never strong.
MUHAMMAD WAQAR ASLAM
Quetta
ARTICLE 14(1) of the Constitution of Pakistan states: “The dignity of man and, subject to law, the privacy of home, shall be inviolable”. We hear of horrendous crimes involving gang-rape of hapless women even at the hands of policemen, which was unheard of in our society.
Perhaps the above provision of the Constitution ought to be amended to include the dignity of man and woman or even dignity of a person to be inviolable so as to at least rectify the semantics to enable a woman to be equated with a man which might put some fear of law, if not the fear of Almighty Allah, into the crazy minds of wayward citizens. It is heart-rending to hear about such happenings in our country, which indicates the sorry state of law and order.
DR. M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
MY telephone number 2257134 has not been working properly for the past three or four months. There is a lot of noise and it is so bad that one can’t hear a thing. I cannot connect also to the Internet. I again request PTCL officials to please look into this.
AAMIR AHMED SHAIIKH
Karachi
THE residents of Liaquat Colony, Street 4, Wali Mohammad Yaqoob Road (Memon Society, Khadda), Karachi, have been facing almost round-the-clock loadshedding for the last one week. The problem is especially acute for those of us who are taking their examinations these days. Every day there is loadshedding for more than seven hours.
In one week this fortnight, loadshedding took place as follows: Friday, from 10am to 1pm, 2.30pm to 4.30pm and 10.30pm to 1am; Saturday 10.30am to 1pm, 2.30pm to 5.00pm and 7.30pm to 3am; Sunday 10.30am to 2.30pm and 7.30pm to 11.30pm; Monday 10.30am to 3.30pm and 8pm to 3am; Tuesday 10am to 3pm and 9.30pm to 11pm; Wednesday 2pm to 7.30pm and Thursday 2.30pm to 5.30pm and 7.30pm to 10.30pm. This makes it 58 hours in seven days.
A major reason for the heavy loadshedding is obsolete transformers and rusty electric wires. About nine years back the government had earmarked Rs600 million for changing the old wires of this and other localities of Lyari Town but no work has yet been carrird out.
Further, the KESC’s area complaint centre (2541573) generally does not respond properly to inquiries.
RESIDENTS
Karachi
I ENDORSE the views expressed by Mr Aziz Suharwardy (Sept 18) regarding the unreasonable and unjustified fixation of oil prices by the OCAC. The facts and figures given by him expose the hollowness of the government’s claim with regard to good governance and poverty alleviation.
However, there is the good news (reported in Dawn, Sept 23) that the prime minister is going to have a meeting with members of the OCAC and that they would be asked to explain the anomalies in the fixation of oil prices. It is further stated report that the PM has expressed surprise that the OCAC has no government representation and comprises only representatives of private companies who are promoting their vested interests. If true, the lack of awareness of the prime minister regarding such an important matter is intriguing.
I request him to take serious note of the anomalous situation and try to provide some relief to the people who are groaning under the burden of sky-rocketing prices.
SALIM AHMED
Karachi
WHENEVER the president goes abroad, the chairman of the Senate becomes the acting president, but in the case of the provinces, it is the chief justice of the provincial high court who becomes acting governor. Why this anomaly?
Actually in the absence of the governor, the speaker of the provincial assembly should assume charge of acting governor. The chief justice should not be overburdened with the additional charge of acting governor.
Moreover, by becoming acting governor, the neutrality of the chief justice is exposed to politics. This anomaly should be rectified.
SHAMSUDDIN
Karachi
Having followed the debate in these columns on the conversion of Yousuf Youhana to Islam, I would like to say that why can’t we as educated and mature human beings respect the mans decisions and beliefs?
Is this too much to ask? For God’s sake leave the man alone: unto him his religion and unto you your own.
SANA MUSHARRIF
Karachi
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