| October 23, 2005 | Sunday | Ramzan 18, 1426 |
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Political moratorium
Moon sighting
Losses and gains
Bush’s perception
Oil price muddle
Bird flu
Compulsory residence
No work in Ramazan
ALMOST all mobile phone companies have launched a campaign pointing out where their subscribers can make SMS donations for the quake victims by sending a message to a specified number. This, they say, is subject to GST of 15 per cent.
Elsewhere donations are expemted from taxes, but here we see a unique example of donations being levied GST at 15 per cent. The government should use the GST collected through all such mobile messages and use it in its relief operation.
WAQAS AHMED PAI
Karachi
THOUSANDS of people are still waiting for emergency aid several days after the earthquake. The northern areas of Pakistan have had their heart ripped out and its people are grieving. So then why is it that in Karachi lights have begun to adorn various shopping areas preparing for Eid festivities? Are we not a country in mourning?
The smell of death hangs thick in the air. Everywhere there are collapsed houses and debris. Many are too numb to shed tears. Their glazed eyes and slumped bodies give you an idea of just how much some of the survivors are suffering.
All over the country ordinary people have contributed more than generously towards the relief effort. In keeping with this spirit we should refrain from celebrations this Eid and simply join hands in mourning the devastation our country has faced and inhelping the stricken.
SEHAR RIZVI
Karachi
QudSsia Akhlaque’s ‘Situationer’ (Oct. 19) is uncharacteristic of her usual writings. While evaluating an unprecedented and highly-complex rescue operation at Margalla Towers, she seems to have placed too much reliance on the outpourings of some well-meaning enthusiasts, distraught relatives, student “experts”, civil defence workers, fire fighters, and even onlookers, none of whom could possibly have even a remote idea of the dynamics of a multi-storied concrete structure turning into a heap of rubble.
Then she also quoted someone who had heard an unnamed American expert express doubts which had specifically been put at rest in your own columns a few days ago.
I wish the writer had sought comments from some of those Pakistani engineers and foreign experts who have given their best for many anxious days and nights in hazardous and trying circumstances.
Your correspondent’s piece is particularly unfair and unkind to our British guests (members of RapidUK) who travelled from afar to help our engineers with their highly-specialized equipment, experience and expertise.
M. SHUJAULLAH
Islamabad
NOW when rescue work after the Oct 8 earthquake is almost over and rehabilitation work is to start shortly, it is suggested that the relief and rehabilitation effort may be coordinated under the rehabilitation authority announced by the government.
For this, relief/donation collection centres may be established in all cities and towns by the government where all agencies may deposit relief goods and donations so that these can be sorted out and delivered to the places where they are needed. Otherwise, there is every possibility of duplication of relief and rehabilitation work by different agencies.
LATIF QURESHI
Lahore
This is to my fellow brothers and sisters who have suffered in the recent earthquake. My heartfelt sympathies go out to all those who are and have been devastated by the loss of so many innocent lives and the devastation caused to future generation. My prayers and the prayers of my fellow Australians are with you at this time.
Nigel G. Innis
Bunbury, WA, Australia
Indian copters
IT appears that Pakistan would not use India’s helicopters for relief operations if they came with Indian pilots and India would not lend the helicopters without its pilots. One can understand each side’s security concerns. Due to the fact that time is running out for the victims, is it not possible for both sides to reach a compromise? Maybe each chopper could have Indian pilots accompanied by Pakistani crew members. This might allay the security concerns each side has.
M. Nadeem Khan
Columbus, OH, US
THE disaster of Oct 8 has compounded the heart-rending tragedies of individuals and families, with an unexpected setback to the national development effort. The way the people have responded shows that the nation’s heart is in the right place. The greater test of the nation’s morale and stamina will come, however, in meeting the challenge of rehabilitation and reconstruction involving at least half a decade and many billions of dollars.
While the heart-warming response of the international community, logistically and financially, has shown that this is indeed one world, the extent of the global participation in long-term reconstruction remains uncertain in view of the diverse demands on the donors’ resources. The effort and the sacrifices needed for the reconstruction task, if it is to proceed side by side with most of our existing development plans and not at their cost, would need a sustained mobilization of political will and achievement of a firm national consensus.
A most regrettable feature of the present situation, however, is the failure of the government and the opposition to close ranks. The example of national unity set by the people at large and the youth in particular has been lost on the political leadership, with many opposition leaders damning all government efforts, good, bad or indifferent, over and above legitimate criticism and guidance.
If this confrontation continues, it would mean a significant setback to the all-out efforts needed for rehabilitation and reconstruction. If the heart-breaking tragedy, still unfolding, cannot bring the government and the opposition to agree on a moratorium over their constitutional and political disputations, at least for a limited period, to allow full concentration on the task of rehabilitation and reconstruction, this would go down as a black page in the country’s history.
It is also time to put rigorously aside all controversies of a divisive, sectarian, ethnic or other nature. Nothing but an indissoluble bond of human and patriotic connection amongst all the peoples of Pakistan can enable us to face the grim gauntlet thrown down by nature.
The nation stood up to massive challenges in the past; the challenge of the Pakistan Movement, of the partition massacres and mass migration, of building up from scratch, in the most difficult of circumstances, from 1947 onwards, the (then) fifth largest state in the world, of giving sanctuary to the largest number of refugees of any state in recent history, test of wars, division of the country and many internal crises.
The nation which has emerged from these trials and challenges to regain in great measure the confidence of the world community and to set its feet on the road to economic and social development is capable of meeting the current challenge, for which the combined efforts of the government and the opposition are a must.
MAHDI MASUD
Karachi
I WRITE this with reference to your editorial “The sighting suspense” (Oct 6). It is time the issue of fixing the dates of the first day of the three Muslim holy months of Ramazan, Shawwal and Zil Haj is settled in a manner that accords with the Holy Quran, the Sunnah and science.
This subject was discussed at a two-day international/regional seminar on the Islamic lunar calendar held at Islamabad in June 1990 jointly by the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, the ministry of religious affairs, the Pakistan Science Foundation, the Islamic Research Institute and the International Calendar Programme of USM, Malaysia, at which the opening session was addressed by Prof M. Ilyas from the USM, Penang (the originator of the International Lunar Date Line) and which was attended by all members of the Ruet-i-Hilal committees in Pakistan.
The recommendations of this seminar included: (a) as a trial, a five-year Islamic calendar (based on M. Ilyas’s ILDL concept) should be set forth on the basis of the latest scientific and technological information, and a comparative study should be made; (b) the ministry of religious affairs (Pakistan) may implement this recommendation, in collaboration with the International Islamic Calendar Programme (of USM, Penang); (c) the religious affairs ministry, in collaboration with the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, should regularly obtain reliable information on the probability of crescent visibility and convey it to the various Ruet-i-Hillal committees.
Accordingly, the Pakistan Academy of Sciences has been sending regularly to the religious affairs ministry monthly forecasts based on Prof Ilyass’ ILDL-based 15-year calendar. These forecasts have agreed beautifully with the pronouncements of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee; and a booklet giving a comparison of the two made by Dr M.M. Qurashi (a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences) was published in 2000, together with an Urdu translation a year later.
Your suggestion of the OIC addressing this issue is worthy of consideration and follow-up through an appropriate international committee under the aegis of the OIC to study the matter in-depth and come up with an agreed formula that takes account of the Quranic injunctions, the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), with regard to moon-sighting, and the scientific facts underlying the visibility of the first sightable moon. Your esteemed columns can play a pivotal role in removing the confusion and rumours that have become routine on our religious festivals.
Dr S.M. JAFAR
Islamabad
WE are all going through hell. As the poet said, let us assess what have we lost and what have we gained.
The people of Sindh, though farthest from the disaster, have done the most to help the quake victims. God bless each one of them in the land of the saints.
It is people everywhere who are standing up to be counted, and what a glorious count it has been. The same students who gate-crashed into Fakhre Alam’s show are pouring their hearts out, just as he is pouring his heart out for the stricken in the never-seen lands.
The electronic media, too, has done a superb job. The army is going about quietly but surely in their task. Foreign governments and foreign private agencies are standing right beside us, giving us all the succour we need.
There are three groups of people about whom I am not so sure. The politicians (VIPs), the bureaucrats and some clowns in the electronic media who, through innuendos and tongue-in-cheek humour, get their belly-laughs by pitting one community against the other. What have they learnt?
Are they now prepared to treat all Pakistanis as one nation, worthy of equal respect, or are they still going to use a Punjabi fallguy in their plays, the butt of all jokes, with a funny Urdu accent, to create cheap humour?
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore
THE scene is two months before the American-British invasion of Iraq in March 2003. President George Bush refers to Pakistan as posing “particular problems” in a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as revealed in Lawless World, a book by Philippe Sands.
It could be a New Year message for Pakistan, now an American ally in the war against terror. I think it was rather a muffled ultimatum in the perspective of Afghanistan, which was already under savage attack by American forces.
FAIZ AHMAD SHEHABI
Lahore
APROPOS of the letter (Oct 15) on oil prices, a small survey was carried out through the purchase of 10 litres of petrol from various filling stations that sell the produce of oil marketing companies. The picture that has emerged from this survey should be of interest.
One petrol station that claims in the cash memo to be company-managed shows the rate of petrol as Rs56.37 per litre and has charged Rs563.70 for the supply of 10 litres. Another that also claims to be managed by the same company has shown the applicable rate of Rs56.37 but has charged Rs564 for the supply. The amount charged has been shown in the cash memo. Yet another station that has charged Rs564 has not shown the applicable rate in the cash memo.
It is unfortunate that another petrol station has also issued a cash memo for Rs564 for the supply of 10 litres without giving any indication of the applicable rate.
It is indeed surprising that two petrol stations claiming to be managed by the same company have issued two cash memos for different amounts for the supply of 10 litres of petrol.
The additional levy of eight to nine paisas per litre over and above the notified price of Rs56.29 per litre is being charged at all the retail outlets without exception.
It is felt that if this levy is a part of the sanction accorded by the government, it should have been included in the prices notified in the media. It is not known, however, as to how addition of two to three paisa per litre has been incorporated in the retail prices being charged by most of the dealer-managed retail outlets.
It is feared that efforts to pursue deregulation in the petroleum sector may fall by the wayside if the OMCs themselves do not impose stringent controls on dealers and also on their own sales outlets. It would be in the interest of the OMCs that all charges, that can be justified, are made part of the prices which are to be notified. It has been noted that prices in paisas are included in the prices varying from one to 100. This induces dealers to keep the change with them or to bring the price to the nearest rupee without caring for the burden being placed on the consumer.
With the most recent oil price hike, the price of petrol is 39 per cent higher than in January while that of diesel is 42 per cent higher. One thing is certain that price hikes will hurt the lower and middle classes hard and may even contribute to a rise in the incidence of poverty.
Refineries, OMCs and their advisory committees are seeking shelter behind the plea that they are following the price formula approved by the petroleum ministry. It is obvious, therefore, that the devil is in the price formula and it is the formula that needs a review.
It is understood that price calculations here are linked to US crude, which is not imported in Pakistan. One does not know as to why it is at all necessary to base any calculations on a hypothetical basis.
It is hoped prices of petroleum products can be worked out at actuals and notified accordingly. It is surprising that the administration and other costs of OMCs, dealers, etc., are allowed on a percentage basis in the pricing formula. It is not possible that all costs escalate on a fortnightly basis as envisaged in the price formula.
It is understood that the World Bank has also submitted a report in this regard, for which, if the media reports are to be believed, a high cost has been paid. It is understood that the World Bank supports the idea of carrying out a probe into the price fixation mechanism. It is also understood that it has disputed some of the expenses claimed by the refineries and OMCS. The World Bank report needs to be given due consideration.
MOHAMMAD ANWAR KHAN
Karachi
REPORTS published in Dawn (Oct 15 and 17) regarding bird flu seem quite alarming as the virus has crossed from East Asia to Europe and infection has been detected in Turkey and Romania. Two years ago Pakistan experienced a deadly avian influenza virus (H7N2) that killed millions of birds but fortunately no single human being was infected. Two years ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization provided aid worth $395,000 for research on the bird flu virus in Pakistan which went to the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Islamabad, but since then nothing has been heard about it — neither about the results, nor about the money involved.
The Pakistan poultry industry has invested Rs7 billion while two million people are directly or indirectly involved in poultry raising. Is it not necessary that the public should be kept fully informed of the situation all the time? Most of the research institutions in the country are often labelled as “white elephants” and a burden on the state and its taxpayers. PARC is located in Islamabad where there is no agriculture but its staff is drawing huge monthly research allowances while plant and animal diseases are widespread in Sindh.
It will be most appropriate if PARC headquarters are shifted from Islamabad to the Thar and Cholistan desert so that its staff is able to do some good for the ailing bio-agriculture sector in the country. In the meantime the ministry of health and agriculture should take some precautionary measures to check the entry of the deadly bird flu virus H5 N1 in Pakistan.
The season for migratory birds to land in the great water lakes in Sindh has already started and reports have indicated that the virus is spreading through these birds in Europe.
CONCERNED POULTRY MAN
Karachi
THIS is to draw the attention of the Sindh education minister towards Karachi’s Rana Liaquat Ali Khan College of Home Economics which has, as part of the BSc final year studies, made it mandatory for its students to spend two weeks at the college hostels.
This period is called compulsory residence when students are neither allowed to leave the college premises nor are parents allowed to meet their daughters. The girls are not even allowed to contact their families on the phone. This arrangement is worrisome for parents because of the general unsafe climate in the city.
A recent fire incident in the college premises has forced many parents to hold back their daughters from compulsory residence, despite the fact that they will be marked absent for the period, as well as lose marks in the practical assignment.
Parents’ fears are compounded because a girl student received burns during her stay at the hostel. I request the education minister to put an end to this compulsory stay which has disturbed a number of families or to arrange any project instead of residence.
A PARENT
Karachi
A few days back I went to post some letters. The man at the stamp counter had not come though it was 9.15am. I went to another post office and there too the man at the counter did not arrive till 9.45. Again I went to a bank to pay my bills but the teller came late. I went to another bank and there was a long line there.
What is the use of having reduced working hours during Ramazan?
SHAFAAT RASOOL
Karachi
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