| December 6, 2005 | Tuesday | Ziqa’ad 3, 1426 |
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Karachi’s toxic air
PCB extravaganza
’No middle ground’
Compensation cheques
F-16 and AEW aircraft
CDA’s performance
Virus breeding
Water supply
Match-box light
Beating of a teacher
CSS exam pass rate
Passport
AN amount in excess of five billion dollars has been committed by the participating nations at the recent donor’s conference. However, unresolved questions regarding priorities for action, modalities, organization and procedures, implementation of feeder systems for transparent utilization of donations and so forth will continue to persist.
We believe that the anticipated five-year planning is too short a period to replace centuries of indigenous development mercilessly destroyed by the earthquake. At the end of this short period and without a highly integrated programmes for action, there is a fear that victims will still face recurring harsh winters, inequitable distribution of essential supplies, and delays in the completion of various projects.
There is also the perpetual danger of spread of diseases, and the consequences of seriously affected young children, left to the mercy of defective planning fraught with lack of transparency and bureaucratic inertia.
We need the development of well-considered long-term plans involving the application of unconventional wisdom supported by management systems away from outdated bureaucratic procedures but backed by transparent and detailed documentation at every step and activity.
Also, there are lessons to be learnt from directly managed assistance already being provided by international communities, unaffected by bureaucratic bottlenecks and procedural delays in international transactions. It also matches Pakistan’s request to the international community to directly sponsor and supervise projects in quake-hit areas, particularly as the donors and the Pakistan government have come up with different estimates of the extent of damage.
It is in this context that I wish to point out the presence of a very substantial Cuban team of 590 doctors, 279 paramedics and 122 auxiliary staff, headed by an ambassador rank official. This well-managed team, adjusted to a time sensitive framework, is performing highly commendable work in quake-hit areas, and offers an ideal opportunity for Pakistani doctors and NGOs to closely study relief assistance being provided by a country with strong social fundamentals and an excellent healthcare system.
The study we propose of projects pursued by Cuba — along with those in China and prototypes in Japan — will help in developing a useful pattern for integration into long-term rehabilitation programmes for the affected populations. The government should maximize utilization of local initiative and capacities and the civil society should be empowered to manage the recovery.
All this calls for the development of terms of reference for a longer planning period in which the government should facilitate collective responsibility aimed at integrating the age-old social development pattern — special to the affected areas — into the reconstruction and development programmes being attempted.
MAHMUD IQBAL BAIG
Rawalpindi
A CITY like Karachi needs no introduction. It covers a huge metropolitan area and has a population of more than 15 million. And like any major city it is beset with a multitude of problems, foremost among them are pollution and environmental degradation.
There are other problems as well. The traffic of Karachi is chaotic at best. Diesel fumes of some 45,000 buses mixed with leaded petrol fumes of over a million vehicles have created what can only be described as a deadly smoke, a cloud of toxic air afflicts everyone who lives in the city.
By looking at Google Earth on the Internet, one can see that the city’s boundaries extend to Gulshan-i-Maymar in the north, Landhi in the east and the outskirts of Orangi Town in the west, and it is mostly devoid of greenery. Clearly, industrialization has come at a terrible price.
Once people used to go to the seaside for an early morning jog, which is supposed to be refreshing. But that is no longer possible, especially after what happened when the Tasman Spirit oil tankers sank off the city’s coast in 2003 and caused a spill that flooded the city’s beaches with 64,000 tons of toxic oil. The reality is that such disasters happen every week in Karachi.
Leather-producing and other heavy industrial units situated in the city’s Korangi Industrial Estate regularly dump thousands of tons of toxic metals and chemicals into the sea with no one taking any action against the polluters.
There is no filtration plant in the city which can provide clean drinking water. The industrial areas of SITE have flushed the once clean Lyari River with their waste and all of this eventually flows to the sea after thoroughly destroying the ecosystem of the city. After all this, one may ask, is our seafood fit to eat?
The answer is obviously ‘no’. Our seafood exports have dwindled and for good reason. All of the extensive pollution in the atmosphere eventually makes its way into our food chain with deadly consequences. To make matters worse, most of the population is illiterate, and those who do understand the problems of pollution turn a blind eye to them.
The government needs to ban plastic shopping bags. It should strictly ensure that no untreated waste goes directly into the sea. And finally and most important of all, it should rein in the traffic chaos, and should ban vehicles which are not road worthy, and emit fumes. One method, tried successfully in Paris, could be to restrict vehicles of certain registration numbers from using the road on certain days of the week. That is the only way for Karachi’s toxic air to be cleansed.
MUHAMMAD AMIR ALI
Karachi
THE Pakistan Cricket Board’s exuberant expenditure is typical of third world countries, where money is wasted lavishly. PCB invited members of the ICC and MCC along with their spouses, on an all-expense-paid invitation, inclusive of air fares, to watch the recently concluded test match in Lahore.
Do these organizations extend similar all-expense-paid invitations to the PCB? This has never been done by any board in Pakistan. The PCB was so busy in public relations that it did not lodge an official complain against the unjustified decision of two umpires for referring the run-out on Inzamamul Haq in the Faisalabad test match to the third umpire.
The two ground umpires are responsible for ensuring that a decision that they refer to third umpire is legally correct. The third umpire’s jurisdiction is only to decide whether the player is run out physically or not.
It is time the PCB chairman and his executives started performing their designated roles and restrained from wasting revenues. The board should spend its money on promoting cricket at regional and district levels. It should increase the remuneration of first class domestic cricket players.
This is all the more essential now, when various government departments, banks, etc have failed to increase the contract fee paid to individual players that they employ.
A domestic player must get a contract and a match fee, that would enable him to live comfortably and eat well. The future promotion of cricket is the responsibility of the PCB.
It is for this reason, that all major cricket playing countries in the developed world, employ the services of senior cricket professionals with administrative experience, to run their cricket boards and perform the role of CEO, instead of retired bureaucrats or retired members of our uniformed services.
M. TARIQ ALI
Lahore
THIS is with reference to Irfan Husain’s column “No middle ground” (Nov 12). It is amusing to see that some Muslims still possess an ostrich-like approach to the harsh ground realities facing us today.
With the Muslim ummah in a state of disarray — divided, misguided, intolerant and worst of all, driven largely by an unreasonable irrational emotion, namely hatred — they still continue to fantasize and visualize a world ruled by “pure” Muslims, headed by a Caliph.
As Mr Husain has rightly pointed out, “the truth is that religion is only ONE aspect of an individual’s identity. Other equally important factors include language, education, ethnicity, socio-economic status”.... and, if I may add, “character”.
Proclaiming oneself a Muslim is not enough. Have we, as Muslims, ever paused to reflect upon our individual/collective code of ethics, values, morals, integrity, deeds, before conjuring up visions of supremacy and grandeur? Are we, as an ummah, capable of producing a humble and capable Muslim leader, worthy of the Caliph’s status?
Are we, in all honesty, fit or worthy enough to fulfil our heart’s desire to encompass and expand our “virtuous” influence across the globe?
The Islamic extremists worldwide, and unfortunately, a large segment of the “educated” classes in Pakistan today, believe that eventually the entire world will and should be converted to Islam and governed by the Shariat law.
Without intending to hurt their feelings or mock their gross delusions, l would simply like to reiterate Mr Husain’s argument: “The thought of a homogeneous world in which there is imposed uniformity of thought is a repulsive one, no matter which ideology motivates it.” Diversity enriches life. Need one say more?
A BELIEVER
Karachi
THOSE affected by the earthquake of Oct 8 are still being neglected by their local nazims, naib nazims and councillors. The army is doing a good job of providing the relief but their distribution is now being influenced by the local political leadership.
This is true especially for Abbottabad and Mansehra, where the nazims and councillors are issuing compensation cheques to their supporters and constiutents regardless of whether they were affected by the quake. There are also reports that in some cases the cheques are being issued to those who are actually relatives of the local government representatives. The same is the case with the distribution of funds from the Pakistan Baitul Mal (zaqat).
Near where I live, there are houses which were severely damaged but compensation cheques were instead issued to people whose homes did not suffer any damage. The government should conduct an inquiry and punish those found guilty of this misappropriation and embezzlement of precious compensation funds.
MAJID ALI AWAN
Abbottabad
THIS is with reference to Ayaz Amir’s column “Hurrahs somewhat premature” (Nov 25). It is good that matters important to the nation’s defence and economy are being debated in the open. While there may be a case for the acquisition of the F-16 aircraft that have good fighting capability, the buying of AEW aircraft from Sweden does not seem to be justified for a passive system.
The stated amount is five billion US dollars for a system that is supposed to be a force multiplier — but it is not a force in itself. It is argued that because of AEW’s capability to look deep into the enemy territory it would spare the PAF from flying massive Air Combat Patrols (CAPS) which it has to fly at present in case of any threatening situation.
It is said that the long warning afforded by the AEW’s would obviate the need to mount the CAPS and spare the precious fighter aircraft effort, thus resulting in massive savings of the costly equipment in terms of maintenance and cost.
In theory it is correct for nations like the US who can expect threats from enemies at further distances. But this theory does not apply to the practical scenario of a conflict between India and Pakistan. The Indian forward bases are located very close to the Pak-India border.
Even if there was a system to give you an extended look over to the Indian territory the early warning to react would remain short, thus necessitating the CAPS. So eventually we would save nothing in the context of the above theory.
If the country has the money to spend, it would be far better spent on fighter aircrafts which have a defensive and offensive capability rather than wasting it on a passive system of questionable value. Somehow our military planners and spenders are bent on having everything that US forces have.
If all the needs of our country, in terms of education, health and development of human resource and infrastructure have been met, then in view of the lesser tension at the borders the same money could be spent on research to develop indigenous defence capabilities. But imports bring immediate benefits for many and that may be the real compelling argument.
I.A. KHAN
Rawalpindi
Praise is due to the CDA for what it has done at Daman-i-Koh. Unfortunately, under Kamran Lashari, the authority takes one step forward and two backward. After the renovation of Daman-i-Koh, the CDA has started construction of a monstrosity at Pir Sohawa. According to a sign posted there, the CDA plans to construct a multi-storey building there.
The only thing that this will do is to destroy the natural ambience of the Margalla hills along with the “khoka” restaurant already there. Having a building in the middle of the greenery of the beautiful Margalla hills will give it the concrete look Murree has acquired over the years.
Another example of the near sightedness of the CDA can be seen by its construction of a mini-golf course close to Jinnah Super.
As it is, that area cannot handle the evening traffic load of people going there shopping, eating out or other entertainment. Why is the mini-golf course being constructed in F-7 when the F-9 park is completely empty and a much better location?
Mr Lashari and the CDA are kindly requested to be a bit more far-sighted in their decisions and consider the burden their decisions place on the infrastructure of this city.
OMER ASLAM
Islamabad
THE deadly Congo virus, which causes brain haemorrhage, is reported to have hit Karachi with dozens of reported cases. The carrier of the deadly virus are said to be ticks and fleas which breed in mounds of filth, garbage and animal manure. These ticks and fleas then move on to the skins of scavenging animals, rodents, stray and domestic pets and finally humans.
Parts of Defence Housing Authority are littered with garbage and animal manure dumps. For example, starting from the edge of the Creek Club and leading up to the Sunday bazaar, all along the roads in Phase VIII, are huge dumps of filthy garbage.
Right next to the water hydrant on Khayaban-i-Qasim, the horticulture department of DHA has given permission for a nursery where a huge mound of stinking animal manure has been collected by the nursery owner. This, too, is a major health hazard.
The DHA and CCB administration, the city nazim and the provincial health department must recognize their responsibilities and obligations to safeguard public health by taking notice of these hazards and clean these garbage dumps immediately.
CONCERNED RESIDENT
Karachi
I WANT to draw the attention of authorities concerned that the office of the city water supply for Manzoor colony, located in Karachi Administration Society, is working without any kind of discipline. People are supposed to take to the office their electricity bill to get a water tanker.
What happens is that many times six or seven members of the same family go to the office with as many bills as they can collect from relatives and so on, and get more tankers than they deserve.
The wait in any case can last the whole day and even then there is no guarantee that one’s turn will even come. The authorities concerned should restrict one tanker to one house and stop this misuse by some of the local residents.
The tankers should deliver the water to the address written on the electricity bill provided to the office.
It should be noted that water tankers are the only source of water for the residents of Manzoor Colony.
YOUSUF HUSSAIN
Karachi
“RICE brings shift in US Middle East policy”, so said Tyler Marshall after Palestine and Israel signed the Border Crossing Agreement under her guidance (Nov 22).
The US touching down the terms and conditions of the agreement can’t be termed change of policy. At the most it can be regarded a match-box light in a tunnel. US sincerity in the matter would be acceptable when the Palestinian state is established. Had not it demanded this when it voted for the 1948 UN resolution?
Z.A. KAZMI
Karachi
THE gruesome act of a teacher being beaten at Karachi University will, I’m afraid, not be the last because the culprit will get away. Initially there will be a show of solidarity among teachers and the administrators but gradually some strange vested interest will take over. In the meantime the culprit and his friends will blackmail the victimized teacher.
The teacher will be reminded about his family’s daily routine, about the whereabouts of his children and the kind of gruesome things that can happen to them.
The victimized teacher will eventually forgive the culprit and withdraw the FIR, if any was registered. Life will go on until the next incident.
I have never heard of this kind of insult to teachers anywhere in the world. The only way to stop such incidents is to give the culprit(s) an exemplary punishment.
Recently some students were found guilty of taking narcotics at a private university in Karachi. They were expelled from the university. This is how discipline is maintained and institutions are built.
PROF SERAJUDDAULA
Karachi
THIS is in response to your editorial commenting on the decline of education in which you mentioned that the low pass percentage of 7.5 per cent in the CSS exams is an indication of the overall decline of the country’s education system.
I disagree. I am a civil servant myself and qualified from the exam in the year 2003. I think the civil services exam is not a criterion to judge any country’s education system. Even those students managed to pass the exam who studied for only a couple of months.
Hence the CSS exam does not evaluate the intellectual depth of candidates. I think the government needs average men to run its administrative affairs.
A proper yardstick to guage the efficiency of education system lies in how many scientists, naturalists, physicists, intellectuals, reformers and men of vision, integrity and honour it produces.
It would be a mistake to judge an education system and its efficiency merely on the basis of a competitive exam.
RAO ATIF
Islamabad
IT is very surprising that those Pakistanis who came from Dhaka after the close of repatriation, i.e., in 1978, on their own expenses and are permanently residing in Orangi Town, Karachi, and are Urdu-speaking and have old and new national identity cards and are registered voters have not been issued Pakistani passport for the last 25 years.
We request the home ministry to clarify its position in this regard.
TAJAMMUL HUSSAIN
& OTHERS
Karachi
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