| October 10, 2005 | Monday | Ramzan 5, 1426 |
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Increase in oil prices
Nazimate of Chakwal
Anti-TB drugs
Wasa bill
Gilgit priorities
Graduate assembly
‘Defenceless waiters’
Ramazan moon
Appeal from NWFP
CSS exam age limit
Lahore bus fares
In-flight information
THERE are about 1,500,000 vehicles in Karachi, a city of some 15 million. The poor residents of the city are constantly being made to inhale harmful gases released by the vehicles in large quantities. There is also unchecked lead pollution, caused by the use of leaded fuels.
Lead poisoning is known to cause the following: 1. General sleep disorders. 2. Reduced IQ in children. 3. Behaviour and attention problems. 4. Slow body growth in children. 5. Reduced ability to recharge our body and mind (from fatigue) through sleep. 6. Kidney-related ailments.
Symptoms of lead poisoning include unexplained vomiting, muscle weakness, increased irritability and aggressiveness in behaviour. Children up to the age of eight are most vulnerable to permanent brain damage caused by lead poisoning.
The following measures should be announced and implemented by the government if it wants to prevent an already bad situation from getting out of hand:
a. Promote the use of unleaded fuel in all vehicles. This may require time, for which a cut-off date should be given. A period of three years should be enough for the purpose, after which it should become mandatory to use only lead-free fuel.
b. Local car manufacturers should be required to use engines that run on unleaded fuel. The same should apply to any automobile imports.
c. Workshops should be held nationwide to disseminate information to the general public, and especially motorists, on how to convert their cars to unleaded fuel.
d. Cars should be required to use catalytic converters (which break down lethal gases like carbon monoxide). Doing so reduces the level of poisonous gases that are released.
e. A plan to reduce traffic congestion should be formulated and implemented. A slowdown in traffic — meaning being caught in a traffic jam — is when those travelling in vehicles (particularly schoolchildren) are most vulnerable to inhaling poisonous gases.
f. All vehicles that use diesel should be required to switch to CNG.
g. Use of diesel in industry or in the agriculture sector should be regulated and monitored under the relevant environment laws.
Apart from fuel, the other common source of lead poisoning is found in materials used in plumbing and paint. The use of lead in paints or in water pipes has been prohibited in developed countries since the late 70s. The government needs to ensure that similar restrictions are in place in Pakistan as well and are stringently enforced.
M. SAEED
Islamabad
THE general public wants to know why the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) is kept out of the oil pricing mechanism, especially since it happens to be the regulator of the oil and gas industry. They also want to know why the oil companies advisory committee (OCAC) has been given unilateral power to increase petroleum prices. Also, why there is no representation of consumers and OGRA in the OCAC.
It should be clear as to whose interest the OCAC is serving — obviously at the cost of consumers. Is there any one in the government who may care to answer these questions?
S.T. HUSSAIN
Karachi
THIS refers to a letter by Usman Tariq Qazi (Oct. 4) where the writer asks for information on a report according to which the prime minister was said to have showed his concern at the way oil prices were being formulated in Pakistan. Further, the prime minister was reportedly planning to meet the oil companies regarding this matter and Mr Qazi wanted to know if such a meeting had been held, and if it had, what was its outcome.
In this regard, I cannot say for sure if the meeting was held or not, given that the prime minister was out of country soon after that report was published. But what I can say is that the prime minister’s reported concern seems to have had no effect because oil prices were substantially raised soon afterwards.
The president needs to look into this matter. Oil prices in the world market have declined from $71 a barrel to $60. The rise in oil prices announced on Oct. 1 is unjustified, especially given that it happened just before Ramazan.
S. ZIAUL HASAN
Karachi
THIS refers to Usman Tariq Qazi’s letter. It is clear that the prime minister has more important things on his mind like visiting Malaysia and South Korea than worrying about oil price increases.
And in any case, why should he be concerned about this when his petrol costs are paid for by the taxpayers’ hard earned money?
BASSIR MASOOD SAYYED
Karachi
THE transport strike on Tuesday against increasing oil prices might have had a point to it, but the fact is that the government does not seem interested in listening to the views of the public on this matter, and nor does it really seem to care what the impact of such high prices will be on ordinary citizens.
I think the only way out of this is for citizens to unite and file in the courts a public interest suit against those responsible for the persistent rise in oil prices.
KAUSAR S. KHAN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Mr. Ayaz Amir’s column ‘The Nazimate of Chakwal’. Although Mr Amir focused on the local politics of Chakwal and the skullduggery that defines it, I was left wondering whether what is happening there could apply to the rest of the country as well. Against one’s nature — which has over time become extremely cynical — one hopes that what happened in Chakwal is not representative of the entire country.
In their columns, writers like Ayaz Amir and others of his ilk draw attention to the ills that plague our society. They make an effort to set things in perspective and hint at possible solutions and remedies that could set things right. However, from the look of things around us one would think that such columns and articles have had little impact, with the government paying no heed to them.
However, one effect that they have had is that many discussions in drawing rooms of the well-to-do have arisen as a result of people reading such columns. People like Ayaz Amir need to keep on writing so that the blinkers on our eyes may one day be lifted, enabling us to see reality as it exists. Perhaps then we will be able to go beyond talking and begin to make a real effort to put our house in order.
KHALID IDREES
Islamabad
APROPOS of Mr Ayaz Amir’s quote on dogs (Sept 30) attributed to the French president, Charles de Gaulle, the phrase “Now that I know men, I prefer dogs” was actually used by the the Prussian emperor, Fredrick the Great.
In the first week of May 1945 Hitler echoed the words in his Berlin bunker. “Now that I know men, I prefer dogs”, he quoted Emperor Fredrick while petting his Alsatian bitch Bondi. Hitler had learnt that his commanders had surrendered Berlin to the Red Army, in defiance of his orders to fight for Berlin till the last man and last bullet.
Charles de Gaulle was no canine lover. Condoling with Jacqueline Kennedy in the White House, in November 1963, over the death of her husband president John F. Kennedy, film clips show that he moved his legs away when Mrs Kennedy’s dogs were sniffing at his trousers in the Oval Office. Flying back to Paris from Washington, in the wake of president Kennedy’s funeral, author Andre Malraux said: Jacqueline was magnificent. “Bah,” predicted de Gaulle, “she will end up on some oil man’s yacht within five years.”
MOHAMMED AZIZ HAJI DOSSA
Karachi
THIS has reference the news report “Anti-TB drugs proving inefficacious (Karachi Metropolitan, Sept 25). The news item refers to fast-growing resistance to anti-TB drugs due to the use of standard combination therapy. The news item does not specify whether the combination therapy is directly-observed therapy short course (DOTS) or it is something else outside the DOTS programme.
Multiple drug resistance (MDR)-TB is defined as resistance to the two most important anti-TB drugs, namely, isoniazid and rifampicin, and if these two anti-TB drugs are proving to be Inefficacious, then it poses a major challenge to the country’s DOTS programme which is the backbone of Pakistan’s national TB programme.
Under DOTS, patients are treated at home. A key principle is that every dose of treatment is observed and recorded by a health worker or trained person from the community for at least the first two months of treatment. When patients default, i.e., they take their drugs irregularly or stop altogether before the end of the recommended treatment regime, they remain infectious to others, and they are likely to develop MDR-TB.
Reportedly, in Pakistan, DOTS is demonstrating high cure rates and the programme had reached 63 per cent districts in 2003, with 100 per cent nationwide coverage expected to be achieved this year. According to United Nations statistics division sources, the reported DOTS treatment success rate in the country in 2002 was 77 per cent and the default rate was reportedly 14 per cent.
WHO recommends that a countrywide coverage and full implementation of DOTS is the best prevention against the spread of MDR-TB. Also, according to the WHO guidelines, DOTS treatment success is to be monitored by sputum smear examination during and at the end of treatment. It would be beyond the financial reach of the developing countries to put in place provision for culture sensitivity tests for each and every TB patient. The DOTS strategy primarily requires an uninterrupted supply of anti-TB drugs and monitoring by health workers to keep track of patients to ensure that they are using anti-TB drugs as per the required dosage and schedule.
FOZIA RAHMAN
Karachi
THE other day when we received a Wasa bill for September-October, we noticed that it included arrears from a previous unpaid bill which, in fact, we had already paid. I telephoned Wasa’s deputy director in his Shah Jamal office, complaining about this flaw in the bill. And within about an hour-and-a-half of my phone-call, a Wasa employee was at our door with the corrected bill.
I’m an octogenarian, but in my life I’ve seldom come across such a prompt, hands-on service from a public utility organization. If only we’d more people like this around, the state of our nation would change for the better.
It reminds me of the late principal, Mr A.S. Bokhari, of the Government College, Lahore, who used to recite these words in the morning assembly and the entire school used to repeat them with one voice: “My nation is, as I am.”
MANZOOR AHMAD
Lahore
THIS is with reference to your editorial “Getting the priorities right” (Oct 4). It is unfortunate that the Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas, Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, has seldom visited the region despite the fact that (by virtue of his ministerial office) he is also chief executive of the Northern Areas.
He has not bothered to establish the writ of the government in the city of Gilgit where 75 innocent people have been assassinated since January of this year. The minister recently visited the city but confined himself to a hotel where he met with selected delegations, which included some elements who have a hand in the ongoing violence. Meeting them in this manner amounts to condoning their misdeeds.
Unless the writ of the government is established in Gilgit and peace returns, the development of the region will be put on hold. Your editorial has rightly pointed out that the minister’s claim of development is nothing but an example of misplaced priorities. I should also add that only those reporters whose sympathies for the government are well known were allowed to meet the minister.
To make matters worse, the members of the Northern Areas Legislative Council lack the courage to disagree with the minister. Contrary to what he says, the minister is not too bothered about the state of education and health in the Northern Areas. In fact, his department is currently in possession of over 16 luxury vehicles (with drivers) which belong to the Northern Areas administration and its police. The maintenance and fuel cost of these vehicles is paid by the government-owned Northern Areas Transport Company.
The mainstay of the local economy — tourism — is a shambles and there is no plan to rehabilitate those affected by it. In addition to this, those local officials who are efficient and honest have been sidelined. It would be a great service for the downtrodden people of the Northern Areas if the federal government were to appoint someone who is committed to improving the lives of the people living in this impoverished region. I appeal to the president to please act in this regard.
FARKHANDA MEHMUD
Gilgit
THE Preamble of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan reads as under:
“Whereas sovereignty over the entire Universe belongs to Almighty Allah alone, and the authority to be exercised by the people of Pakistan within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust”. It further follows: “Wherein the State shall exercise its powers and authority through the chosen representatives of the people”.
The spirit of the above declaration does not envisage that the people of Pakistan or their representatives are to be graduates or even matriculates. The vast bulk of our people comprise the uneducated or even the illiterate. To prescribe a condition of being a graduate for the chosen representatives of people disenfranchises the majority from being chosen. Even the Holy Quran in matters of mutual consultation in affairs of Muslim does not lay down any condition of graduation or formal education for the people. Surah 42. Ash-Shura-Verse 38: “And those who obey the Command of their Lord, and establish prayer and all their affairs are settled by mutual consultation and who spend out of the provision We have given them in Our Way.” (Translation by Zia-ul-Quran Publications). It is solicited that the Federal Shariat Court may take suo motu notice of the condition of graduation for assembly members as to its repugnance or otherwise in relation to the injunctions of Islam.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
THIS is with reference to Hussain Siddiqui’s letter ‘Defenceless waiters’ (Oct. 4). I was appalled to read about the behaviour of the actress’s son and her family towards the waiter, who was justified in asking them to park their car properly. The same letter also mentioned an incident where a sitting federal minister physically assaulted a waiter in a five-star hotel in Islamabad, in full view of the public.
However, I was disappointed to see that the names of the minister and the actress were not mentioned at all. I fail to comprehend the reason behind this. Someone who behaves so atrociously has no right to be shielded in this manner.
I demand action against these people and would appreciate it if the names of the perpetrators are mentioned. We need to stop protecting those in the wrong and the press should do its bit by not pushing things under the carpet.
ANOUSHE KHAN
Islamabad
WE are in the 21st century with the world making rapid progress in science and technology. However, despite that in Pakistan we still cannot decide on the sighting of the Ramazan moon.
The government has to take the lead in this. It should announce whether the moon has been sighted or not well in advance and then all citizens should follow that.
MUHAMMAD ALI UNAR
Peshawer
THIS is in response to a letter published on Oct. 5 under the heading ‘Problems of Karachi: appeal to PM’ which really touching.
Since Mr Shaukat Aziz became prime minister, how many times has he visited Peshawar? The number of these visits can be counted on the fingers of one’s hand. And how many times has General Musharraf visited the city? For that, one will not even need to count.
The letter talked of lack of electricity, water, roads and law and order and to that I would say that in the NWFP we don’t have any of these either. Because of the general belief that Osama bin Laden and his men are hiding somewhere in the tribal belt of the province, its poor residents are constantly in the line of fire. We die yet no one comes to ask who the dead are or to provide solace to the grieving ones.
MOHAMMAD A.K. WAZIR AHMADZAI
Wana
IT is disappointing that many people who could become an asset to the government are unable to appear for the CSS examination because of an unrealistically low upper age limit.
The chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission is requested to look into this matter. Increasing the age limit from the current 28 years to 30 years would be good not only for prospective candidates but for the government as well because the pool of possible civil servants will obviously become larger.
NAVEED KHURRAM
Quetta
THE Daewoo bus service in Lahore enjoys a monopoly over many important routes such as Route No. 5 from the railway station to Defence and Route No. 10 from the railway station to Wapda Town.
The fare from Wapda Town to the railway station used to be Rs 12 whereas from Akbar Chowk Township to Wapda Town it was Rs5. Now the fares have been increased to Rs 18 and 12, respectively.
This is going to create problems for the thousands of passengers — mostly from the middle class — who use the bus service every day.
I request the company concerned to (1) increase fares by only a rupee or two as other bus operators have done, (2) provide more seats in the buses and (3) increase the number of buses on each route. The government should also allow other private sector companies to start their services on such routes.
ABDUL WAHAB MANGLA
Lahore
I WAS travelling from New York to Lahore on Sept 2 by PIA PK-716 via Manchester. The flight from New York was above water but most of the passengers appeared to be unaware of the name of the sea they were flying over.
From Manchester to Lahore, which was a longer run, we flew over many countries. I wish the captain had kept us better informed about the places we were flying over.
PROF (MRS) S.P. MIRZA
Lahore
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