| October 11, 2005 | Tuesday | Ramazan 6, 1426 |
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Feudal farm system
Piracy vs literacy
‘Whither Islamic banking?’
Buying a car
Reforming madressahs
Tackling obscurantism
Teacher’s lot
Medicinal plants
Registration of FIR
PTCL in Muzaffargarh
Defenceless waiters
LB elections
SINCE Saturday’s devastating earthquake what has become apparent is the need for a regional response to the disaster by both India and Pakistan and the importance of continuing talks between the two nations on the issue of Kashmir.
The epicentre of the earthquake — near the Line of Control which separates the disputed region — and the destruction on both sides of the de facto border is a message to both countries to make progress to resolve the crisis which has plagued the region since the British withdrew in 1947.
Two wars have already been fought over Kashmir (with near misses in 1987 and 2002) and tens of thousands have already been killed. With both countries armed with nuclear weapons, the stakes are high. If anything positive can emerge from such a disaster, it is the hope that co-operation in the relief effort will strengthen ties further between the two states — a necessary condition for peace in Kashmir.
TOHKEEL AMIN
Port Talbot, UK
IN the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we Americans heard an earful from Muslims worldwide about how God was punishing the United States for its actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wonder if the same reasoning is now being applied to the devastating earthquake in Pakistan? I am interested in hearing from all the self-appointed Muslim apologists whose knee-jerk reaction to all that happens in the world is to blame America.
STEVE ELISHA
Colorado Springs, CO, US
THE way the government machinery moved to rescue the people trapped under the rubble in Islamabad and other affected areas in AJK and Northern Areas is really appreciable.
Officials of the local administration and police were taking part in the rescue work since morning when the earthquake hit and did a tremendous job. But the TV channels kept slamming the government for the slow progress of the rescue operations. I kept watching the coverage of the rescue work on TV and was amazed to learn that by midnight almost half of the rubble of Islamabad’s Margala Towers had been removed and 90 people were evacuated and 26 dead bodies recovered.
As far as the rescue operations in AJK, NWFP and Northern Areas are concerned, people should know that the earthquake destroyed the basic infrastructure of all these areas, severely damaging road and communication links. Hence, it is inevitable that there will be delays in provision of relief in such cases. Also, the civil administration in these remote areas has limited resources to cope with such calamities. People also need to realize that the catastrophe is of such magnitude that it will take some time for relief teams to reach all affected areas.
ZUBAIR RASOOL SEHOLE
Lahore
WHO would have thought that the morning of Oct. 8 would turn into a tragedy of such immense proportions. When the building in Islamabad collapsed, the news was flashed across TV screens worldwide.
One felt a mixture of helplessness, anger and curiosity. I felt helpless because I wanted to do something but couldn’t. I felt angry because I knew how tall buildings are built in the country. How eager everyone is to fill up their pockets — whatever happened to honesty and integrity?
Last but not least, I wanted to know why on earth was no effort being made to remove the rubble? Every second was so important for the people trapped under the rubble. Yet speed was missing. The heavy machinery needed to clear the rubble was not there, and we saw people removing the debris with bare hands.
FILZA G. SIDIQI.
Wexford, Ireland
LET us see how much aid different countries in the world give to Pakistan for the relief of the earthquake victims. Let us especially see what the oil-rich Gulf countries give to their Pakistani ‘brothers’. It will reveal who Pakistan’s true friends are, and future foreign policy should take this into consideration.
DR ALI QADRI
Connecticut, US
IN this time of crisis, politicians are requested to stop gaining media publicity by giving statments expressing ‘grief and sorrow’. To a quote well-known proverb, “actions speak louder than words”.
KHALIL LAGHARI
Larkana
SOME agriculturists have expressed grave concern over the fast dwindling price of agricultural commodities and the disastrous effect on agriculture (Dawn, Sept 28). The ever-increasing price of food items has forced the government to import food items and livestock so as to strike a balance between the income of the common man and food prices.
When mother nature is kind enough to give a bumper crop, landowners feel happy. They seek assistance when there is a loss due to natural factors (“Diary of a gentleman farmer”, Sept 25).
A pertinent question arises: what contribution is made to the national economy when landowners reap a bumper harvest? Not any, to my knowledge.
Pakistan still has a feudal agricultural system and this is one of the main reasons for low yields, leading to the import of food items from abroad. We can retain the crop-plant genetic diversity of the Indus Valley civilization by following the best agronomic means and methods which are now under threat by multinationals due to their selling foodgrains at a cheaper rate in world markets on account of subsidies provided by the US, Canada and Australia for farming.
We are a plant-gene-rich but technology-poor country. We have to do all that is necessary for uplifting farming in our country. Studies in agriculture have been started in the University of Karachi which like other universities in the country could contribute to attaining self-sufficiency in food. Many a progressive farmer is growing ‘paan’, papaya, lemon, cheeko, guava and vegetables in the district of Karachi and doing roaring business. They could contribute by donating a piece of farmland for experiments and make a gift of equipment and infrastructure for carrying out research.
DR M. JALALUDDIN
Adjunct Professor of Agriculture, University of Karachi
ACCORDING to a news report (Sept 28), “a large number of booksellers from Urdu Bazaar held a demonstration in front of the Karachi Press Club (Sept 27) to protest against raids and arrest of some of their colleagues and demanded that they be allowed to do business freely. The police had raided some shops in the bazaar and arrested some shopkeepers for selling pirated versions of foreign publications and violating intellectual property rights”.
The government seems focused on the issue of piracy and intellectual property rights while neglecting the overall impact it can have on society.
Hardly 10 per cent of the students in Pakistan can afford expensive imported books. The rest 90 per cent of students belong to the lower middle or the middle class. They cannot afford to buy original foreign books. The pirated editions are all they can buy. The law in question can adversely affect such students. Most of these students might not continue their studies due to costly books.
The higher-ups should realize the ground realities while implementing the law on intellectual property rights. If the government wants to put this law into practice, it has to make arrangements to provide cheaper books or CDs. In India, there are lots of publishers who provide low-cost editions of foreign books.
Besides this, we need a network of well-equipped libraries, with Internet facility at the town level. There should be a technical section in each library with updated books on subjects like computer systems, engineering and medicine. This section should also provide CDs on minimum rent.
ZAHID HUSSAIN
Karachi
THE article ‘Whither Islamic banking?’ by Dr Abdul Karim (Economic and Business Review weekly, Oct 3-9) highlights the technical aspects of Islamic banking in Pakistan. The accounting aspects, though not discussed, support the views expressed by the writer.
Profit-and-loss sharing accounts are in the nomenclature of a partnership. But no accounts of PLS are prepared and published. Instead, a whimsical rate of return is announced which has no basis. For term deposits, a prefixed rate of return according to the period involved has been devised. If it is Shariat compliant, then why is there no aspect of loss?
Even for old accounts, the minimum balance limit(MBL) has been prescribed and penalty levied monthly for not maintaining an account at that limit. This is un-Islamic in the sense that when the accounts were opened, there was no condition of MBL and, in fact, levying of penalty is also against the Shariat.
While granting credit facilities, the length of the repayment period is considered on which basis the mark-up is calculated and loaded on the credit granted, camouflaging it as Shariat compliant.
When a person is not the owner of any goods or assets and these are not in his possession, he cannot enter into any deal because it is not in consonance with the principle of Shariat. The difference between a banker and a trader ought to be understood.
The author has rightly pointed out that there is no mention of depositor in the plethora of material on Islamic banking. The depositor is not safeguarded which is against the principles of natural justice and fairplay.
More and more research and discussions should be undertaken to put Islamic banking on the right track.
ZAKARIA KARIM
Karachi
“THE woes of buying a car” (Sept 26) has projected the problems faced by car buyers.
I would like to add that while leasing out a car, the banks keep the consumer in the dark by incomplete documentation. These delaying tactics are used to earn maximum possible premium.
My father in Arifwala, district Pakpattan, had applied for the lease of a car to a bank in Sahiwal. The down payment, including the total amount of insurance, was made in the first week of June.
However, the documentation as a whole was not completed till the second week. The bank authorities told him that his car had been booked with the authorized dealers of the company concerned and a booking number was given to him. He was told that the month scheduled for delivery was September. Later, when the car was delivered to the Sahiwal dealers from the Karachi head office, the dealers said that my father had the wrong booking number. A new number, dated July 1, was issued to him and delivery was expected in October.
My father came to know that the car was booked on Aug 1, instead of July, with expected delivery in November instead of October. And he is still confused whether he will get the car in November or not.
I appeal to the authorities to look into the matter.
RAMLA RAUF KHAN
Arifwala
THIS refers to the article “Reforming madressahs” (Sept 4). The writer has been highly critical of the concept of jihad without giving due consideration to the fact that jihad had been regarded as a probable sixth pillar of Islam by our Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). As Jews and Christians declare that they have a born right to rule the world, then jihad by Muslims is certainly in self-defence.
Ulema and madressahs are the torch-bearers of our religion and upholders of Prophetic traditions. It is quite unfair of the government to declare them as the sole cause of worldwide terrorism and sectarian killings.
As far as the registration of madressahs is concerned, it should be done in a proper manner. All localized and small madressahs with a few students and untrained mullahs should be closed. Moreover, at the government level a sincere effort to blend religious education with modern scientific education has never been paid due attention.
The writer has explained the historical events and half facts in a manner which makes for a distortion of history. It is deviation from Islam which has brought us to this brink of destruction and backwardness. The great Muslim governments collapsed because the rulers had indulged in un-Islamic practices. The Abbasids patronized the scientific study of Muslim law and jurisprudence, but at the same time they had become so rigid that they could not stand any opinion that went against their will.
It is due to the deviation from the preachings of Islam that we have forgotten the Quranic verse: “And hold the rope of Allah firmly and do not be divided.” It further says that ‘Yahud’ (Jews) and ‘Nasara’ (Christians) would never be our friends. The salvation of Muslims lies only in adherence to the true teachings of Islam.
RAMLA RAUF KHAN
Arifwala
ADDRESSING the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, President Musharraf said: “The anti-progressive, narrow-minded and short-sighted forces have to be defeated militarily and socially” (Oct 2). In spite of not being well versed in the law, I do believe that one does not rule one’s people to defeat them militarily, howsoever bad they may be.
I hope our Constitution takes legal care of all of us, ignorant or enlightened, good or bad. My prayers would be for the enlightenment of the forces that be.
Anti-progressive, narrow-minded and short-sighted people belong to the unprivileged sections of societies and are products of their circumstances not of their own making. From cradle to grave, they lack good education, guidance or encouragement.
Their reformation, if not their reclamation, being a hard task, has never been undertaken by any government, including the present one. May not we remind Gen Musharraf that the nation had virtually welcomed him five years back, for the very purpose — that he would counter religious bigotry? Doing little (or nothing) and caring more is no service.
Z.A. KAZMI
Karachi
THE mushroom growth of private schools and other private educational institutions indicates the interest of people in seeking education.
To some extent, it is a fact that private schools are contributing to the development of the country. But most of them are established just to earn money.
The worst thing is the miserable lot of their teachers. Their salary is even lower than that of a labourer. They have no job security. Whenever the owner of a school desires, he throws teachers out without any reason. They are not paid during the summer vacation whereas the schools charge fees from students for the holidays.
A nation which does not respect its teachers cannot make progress. It is essential to create awareness about this matter. Authorities are requested to look into the condition of private school teachers.
AYAZ MAHMOOD LASHARI
Rahimyar Khan
THIS refers to HEC Chairman Dr Atta-ur-Rehman’s article “Building a knowledge economy” (advertisement supplement, Sept 21). He mentions the usefulness of a plant with pink and white flowers called Sada Bahar (hibiscus), commonly grown in Pakistan. The drug manufactured from the extract of this plant is seen as successful therapy for malignancy. One kilo of an anti-cancer drug vincristine found in this plant costs up to $1 million.
The climatic conditions in Pakistan are most conducive to the growth of the Sada Bahar plant. Its farming on a large scale will not only reduce the cost, it can be a source of foreign exchange earnings as well.
It is time that farmers were educated about the efficacy and worth of sowing this valuable plant. Agriculture universities/ colleges/departments should come forward and take responsibility for not only providing inducement to farmers but also make the seeds available to them at cheap rates. In addition to that, the agriculture ministry may also start a media campaign to educate the masses.
ALTAMASH MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
THE issue of registration of an FIR with the police is becoming crucial, particularly for the poor. The crime rate is going up, leaving no remedies for the affected.
It is suggested that the government should arrange for FIR forms in quadruplicate in different colours, bearing serial numbers, to be easily available with post offices at a nominal cost of Rs5. An affected person will fill up this form and send it, with a copy of his CNIC, to the SHO concerned through registered AD, with a copy to the IGP and the chief minister’s inspection team/chief minister’s monitoring cell.
The process should be monitored by the IGP/CMIT/CMMC which will effect quick investigation and remedy to the person affected.
Anyone misusing the facility should be severely punished.
SYED FAIZ OMAR
Lahore
THE new PTCL cables laid in Muzaffargarh four months ago have not been activated, nor new poles installed. Applicants awaiting connections for the last two years still remain without telephones. The wireless service seems to be the only solution against easily rusted landlines. But the attitude of the local officials is highly derogatory to the customers as typified by the dismissive attitude of the Muzaffargarh DE.
KALEEM AHMAD
Muzaffargarh
MR Hussain Siddiqui in his letter “Defenceless waiters” (Oct 4) has very ably pointed out the plight of the hapless waiters of Islamabad. He has referred to two incidents occurring there: the hero in one is a federal minister and the heroine in the other a former TV artist. He has closed by saying: “End of story.”
Allow me to add another incident occurring on Wahdat Road, Lahore, last week, where a waiter was kicked and beaten up by four/five persons in an official car, on the same excuse of delay in service. Their anger was not satisfied, so they came again and shot him dead. “End of story.”
HAFEEZ AKHTAR
Lahore
THE local body elections were held on a non-party basis. During the election campaign for councillors and nazims, political parties, including the ruling party, not only openly sided with some candidates but also declared some of them as “their candidates”. Would the chief election commissioner take action against such candidates?
LATIF QURESHI
Lahore
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