| December 12, 2005 | Monday | Ziqa’ad 9, 1426 |
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Power generation
PCB constitution
‘Challenges before the KESC’
Aid, not weapons
‘Conversion losses’
Problems of Nawabshah
Leased aircraft
Vani cases
Special people’s rehabilitation
Donors’ conference
Opportunity for talks
Discarded but usable
According to a report (Dawn, Dec. 7), the federal education minister, who is considered to be the main force behind the proposal for holding of composite examinations at the SSC and HSC levels, chaired a meeting of provincial education ministers in this connection.
When he was asked to recount the merits or provide the rationale behind introducing composite examinations, the minister only gave a vague answer that this was aimed at improving the standard of education in the country. He also asserted that he himself had taken examinations under the combined system and it was all a good experience then.
The minister then reportedly left the room abruptly without responding to newsmen’s queries, saying that he was not prepared for any debate or argument on the subject. This is very regrettable and goes against President Musharraf’s oft-repeated exhortations in support of a democratic and an enlightened approach to resolving various national issues.
Lt- Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi ought to realize that he is not an educationist by profession and taking a major decision should be done through consensus and open debate where all the stakeholders can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed move.
Regarding his argument about having taken examinations under the combined system, that must have happened some 35 to 40 years back when things were very different. I had also done my SSC and HSC in Pakistan in the late 1960s, but that was under the separate yearly set-up and that had worked very well.
If we follow his logic, then we would still be reading the books that were taught at the time or avoiding the use of electronic calculators and computers. I am sure the minister’s school bag would not have weighed half of what it does now and he wouldn’t be required to begin school at the age of two or three as children do these days in private schools. Students also have to learn computer usage and its hardware and software undergo much change in two years.
It must additionally be realized that examinations are a time of utmost tension for students, which would be doubled if they were asked to appear in twice the number of papers.
Another difficulty is that, besides promoting rote learning of things that were taught about two years back, if the student happens to fall sick, or there is a bereavement/mishap in the family or a natural calamity in the country, all of his or her papers could be affected. This will make making them lose a year and perhaps the opportunity of joining a professional institution after the HSC.
The US is considered to be the most advanced country whose example is often cited by our government functionaries for various matters. There is a semester system and crash summer programmes over there and the final examination in a subject is taken after four, three and two months.
Even if we don’t have a semester-type arrangement, we must retain the yearly basis for conducting the matriculation and intermediate examinations. If the education minister still feels his proposal is better, he should arrange to convince the nation about it.
A CONCERNED CITIZEN
Karachi
The recent decision by the ECC to “allow” sale of power from selected sugar factory’ cogeneration power plants is confusing.
The fact that efficient cogeneration power plants are being encouraged is good news but the possibilities of extension of such power plant operations beyond the four/five months’ sugar production period with our precious natural gas in a most inefficient mode is really very disappointing.
Sugar plants utilize bagasse (sugarcane waste) which is burnt in boilers for high pressure steam generation and this makes good sense for cogeneration but the same technology without steam demand and with natural gas as fuel (for seven to eight months in a year) would be absurd since the power plant would be operating at only one-third fuel efficiency and we cannot afford to throw two-thirds of our precious gas as waste heat.
The latest gas management policy encouraging cogeneration (and combined cycle) power plant should not be “misused” by installing inefficient systems. If such good policies fail due to vested interests taking over, it will be very unfortunate for the country. The high costs of fossil fuels and depleting resources of natural gas in the country must be met by energy conservation, and the whole world is doing just that. When are we going to commit ourselves to conservation?
In spite of the new policy, we find our precious gas being wasted even in the present system. Even now, gas is being “sanctioned” for most inefficient systems as in gas engines (with minimum 60 per cent fuel energy being wasted) and gas-fired boilers for steam and hot water. When will we ensure efficient power generation? We have already lost so much due to the inefficient use of our precious gas.
One possible way to ensure efficient utilization of natural gas could be to keep gas prices for cogeneration power plants the same and apply the next gas tariff increase to inefficient applications. The Bangladesh gas tariff is higher for boilers producing steam or hot water and thus most generator applications there have very good heat recovery systems for steam and hot water as part of the cogeneration system.
AINUL ABEDIN
Karachi
I REFER to your news item on December 7 which has reported on criticism of the PCB by Senator Enver Baig and Mr Arif Abbasi relating to the new draft constitution. The facts are as follows:
(i) Mr Abbasi’s contention that the PCB is a registered company is incorrect as it is no longer a company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, the need for a new constitution has been felt for several years and even the previous board had initiated a proposal for a revised constitution. The present board gave this responsibility to a constitution commission headed by Justice Karamat Bhandari which has been fulfilled.
(ii) The PCB Chairman was committed to giving a thorough briefing to the Senate committee but made it clear that the text of the new constitution would first be conveyed to the patron. Following this commitment, the chairman came prepared to give a full briefing to the Senate committee including pointing out differences between the new draft and the present constitution but Senator Baig walked out of the meeting after the chairman declined to provide the text to the committee.
(iii) As regards inputs from affiliated associations, Justice Bhandari had sent a questionnaire to all district associations seeking their opinion on the proposed draft. He also visited Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi with the express intention of seeking the district associations’ response. It is, therefore, incorrect to state that the district associations were not consulted.
(iv) The PCB considers the districts to be the bedrock of Pakistan cricket and has demonstrated this commitment by holding elections in 56 of the 72 districts that have playing rights. In some remote districts, elections had never been held and in others some district associations had been operating without change for 20-25 years. The PCB has fulfilled its commitment to democratize the board by holding elections in the vast majority of playing districts. This wide ranging electoral process has not previously been achieved in PCB’s history.
Abbas Zaidi
Director, Board Operations PCB
Lahore
THIS refers to your editorial “Challenges before the KESC” (Dec 2). I congratulate the new management of the KESC as it assumes charge of the utility.
The previous management during its tenure was bent upon squeezing ordinary consumers by sending them inflated electricity bills to cover theft and line losses. It also paid a handsome amount of commission to KESC officers and staff for recovery of the outstanding amount from defaulters as well as from the poor consumers.
If we look at the KESC residential tariff, it has been structured in order to squeeze an already squeezed people. I would like to mention for the interest of the readers of these columns the rates of residential tariff which KESC is charging its consumers:
From 01 to 100 units Rs2.76 a unit; from 101 to 300 units Rs3.70; from 300 to 1,000 units Rs6.12 and from 1001 units and above Rs7.42.
The average consumer uses between 300 and 1,000 units if he does not use any airconditioner. The KESC tariff for such an average consumer is Rs6.12 per unit, which excludes meter rent, income-tax, general sales tax and TV licence fee.
It is a normal practice in the market that when someone buys any item in bulk, he is given a discount or an incentive but the KESC instead of giving any relief to its customers penalizes them for consuming more than 300 units.
The people of Karachi expect that the new management of the KESC will not follow in the footsteps of the outgoing management and will provide uninterrupted power supply to its consumers, besides recovering line losses by eradicating corruption within the management and staff of the KESC. It should also revise the residential tariff downward.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
IT is over two months since Pakistan was hit by the biggest natural disaster on Aug 8. At least 73,000 people have died, 69,000 injured and 3.5 million rendered homeless.
Winter is now tightening its grip on the mountainous area and temperatures are falling. Many people face death from the winter cold. Relief efforts comprise a race against the clock.
The relief effort is a long-term affair and will demand major financial resources for an extended period of time. We welcome the fact that the Swedish government is contributing 20 millions euros in aid assistance.
We are, however, deeply concerned that Sweden at the same time has approved the export of large quantities of military equipment to Pakistan.
Just one week after the earthquake, initial contracts were with Pakistan by Swedish firms for the export of a radar monitoring system. If the deal goes through, it will be Sweden’s biggest weapons export ever and will cost Pakistan 880 million euros.
As representatives of Swedish NGOs and other organizations, we are deeply concerned that Sweden has approved the export of large quantities of weapons to Pakistan at such a crucial time. That is clearly inconsistent with Sweden’s global development policy.
We, therefore, appeal to Carin Jdmtin, Swedish minister for development assistance, and Laila Freivalds, minister for foreign affairs, that what Pakistan needs right now is our assistance, not our weapons.
FRIDA BLOM
(president, Swedish Peace & Arbitration Society),
INGER BJVRK
(general secretary, Forum Syd),
BO FORSBERG
(director, Swedish Diakonia) and
ALEKSANDER GABELIC
(president, UN Association of Sweden) Via email
SOME of our writers and intellectuals, in order to appear liberal, unbiased and enlightened, espouse the causes of the minorities while shutting their eyes to the difficulties of the majority or even by denigrating its practices.
In “Conversion losses” (Dec 3), Mr Irfan Husain has focused on the case of a Hindu couple of Karachi whose three daughters have converted to Islam, apparently without any coercion.
The columnist seems very concerned about the girls’ embracing Islam by watching “religious channels on TV,” as claimed by them, and appears unhappy about what he terms as religious programmes on every private and public TV channel, leaving an imprint on young minds. He further says that “in a society based on faith, the minorities have been marginalized to the point where they are tempted to convert simply to get ahead in life.”
The religious programmes are telecast only because there is a Muslim viewership desirous of watching them. Does Mr Husain wish to deny the majority community the right to see what they want to so that the minorities don’t get “tempted” to convert?
He would know that there are some five to 10 million Christians in Pakistan and almost all of them accepted their new religion by abandoning Islam, rather than by having migrated here from overseas. Shouldn’t he be worried that their poverty and lack of sufficient knowledge about their previous faith had made them the target of missionaries? What about the plight of their parents or other near and dear ones? This is an infinitely bigger problem than that faced by the minorities in this Islamic Republic but neither Mr Husain nor others like him ever bother to champion their cause.
I know of a Muslim girl from another Karachi slum who married a Christian youth some years ago with whom she had fallen in love. Her parents had tried hard to talk her out of taking the plunge but accepted the reality thereafter and did not file an FIR accusing the young man of kidnapping her. She has never returned to her parents’ home so far but they did not approach any columnist to seek publicity or castigate the Christian community.
The parents of the three girls should accept the fact of their conversion gracefully but I will readily concede the couple should be allowed to meet them freely in the seminary they are staying in without the presence of police personnel.
A. ALEEM
Karachi
I visited Nawabshah recently and was sad to see its plight. Residents of the city are living without the basic amenities of life.
The city has no zoo, no museum, no children’s park. Its roads are in a state of decay, most of them with puddles formed by overflowing sewage.
Once, there was a small but beautiful park near the public library (Chakra Bazaar) but some time back a so-called elected representative of the public built shops around the circular park and sold these. The park now stands reduced in size and has lost much of its charm.
The city suffers from a serious water shortage. Whatever water is available, it is not very safe for health. It is usually polluted and mixed with sewage from defective and leaking drainage lines. The distribution system is also very poor.
Loadshedding has also made the lives of the people miserable. For several years the citizens have been facing round-the-clock loadshedding. Streetlights are good for nothing.
Most agonizing is the state of education. In many schools, teachers come just to mark themselves present and collect their salaries at the beginning of each month. In most schools, there are no playgrounds or other facilities for children.
The law-and-order situation is critical, with the incidence of robbery increasing day by day. The government should pay attention to the development of this neglected city.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
I TRAVELLED on Dec 7 from Islamabad to Karachi by PIA flight PK 309. The scheduled time of departure was 7pm but the flight took off almost two hours late.
The plane was not from the airline’s own fleet but seemed to have been leased from a private Turkish airline — probably a 737. It was quite shabby inside and the cabin service by airhostesses, who seemed foreign, was bad. The dinner served was quite horrible and actually had a strange smell. The salad also appeared to be stale.
It would be good if PIA improves the condition of the planes that it acquires on lease (this particular aircraft must have been leased because most PIA planes are being used for Haj flights) and ensures that the food served on such aircraft is of the same quality as on its own planes.
SENATOR Mrs Tanvir Khalid
Karachi
OF late, several cases of ‘vani’ have been reported from Mianwali, a most reprehensible custom that needs to be outlawed. However, since the area concerned is Mianwali, one would like to know the views of the MNA from Mianwali city, Imran Khan, on this matter. After all, he is the elected representative of the area and he has been silent so far on this account.
Khalid Rashid Quraishi
Karachi
EVERYONE’S concern since the donors’ conference has turned to discussions and planning for reconstruction of the earthquake-affected areas. At best, everyone is suggesting that buildings be made earthquake-proof, fire-proof, economical and in line with the local environment.
In the new planning one should ensure that public buildings like schools, hospitals, footpaths and pavements should cater to special people’s needs as well, especially since so many have lost their limbs in the tragedy. We must think of providing the disabled with an enabling environment to live a normal life.
This includes developing facilities like special public buses which at the moment do not exist in any of the major cities.
AZRA QURESHI
Karachi
DURING the donors’ conference, the media, along with the government officials, were repeatedly boasting how the huge turnout by the participants was an indication of Pakistan’s successful foreign policy.
Why do we always manifest a state of delusion and grandeur? The donor conference was a form of ‘organized begging’. There is no doubt that Pakistan has an urgent and great need for a lot of money to reconstruct the earthquake devastated area but the donor conference was a success strictly in the sense that we only got pledges — nothing more and nothing less.
IQBAL AKHTAR
Illinois, US
IN response to India’s offer of aid after the earthquake, President Musharraf said: “I sincerely and genuinely believe that the challenges of this earthquake can be converted into a lifetime opportunity which was never available to improve India Pakistan relations.” There is always an opportunity for talks and there needn’t be a devastating earthquake killing thousands of Kashmiris to facilitate that process. The donors conference was aimed at providing relief to those affected by the earthquake and not for improving India-Pakistan relations.
ANEES MUNAWARUDDIN
Hyderabad, India
I find many vehicles parked around the head offices of many government departments in Islamabad as discarded but usable. They may be reclaimed for use by spending a few thousand on repairs.
SAMAR IQBAL
Islamabad
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