| December 17, 2005 | Saturday | Ziqa’ad 14, 1426 |
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Professional assistance
Speeding up Internet
‘Vitamin E for heart care’
Iraq’s integrity
Stock brokerage houses
AWACs debate
Conversion losses
OIC priority
Film festival
‘Islam’
Circuit bench for Malakand
PM’s coffee
Israel in Europe
Russian embassy
THE current debate on our “education system” seems to be unduly restricted to narrow questions. Should there be one single criterion for all institutions? Who should set it? Will it benefit the overall students or applicants?
We are missing a proper perspective, i.e., a “competitive education system” that should occupy a place in our admission process and educational system as a whole.
The indifferent attitude of politicians towards education has also added to our problems. The state education boards should make the curriculum job-oriented and interesting. At the same time, teachers should be properly paid and timely incentives should be given to selected teachers. Corruption should remain out of the domain of education. A proper evaluation system should be enforced to reduce the use of unfair means in board examinations.
The government should try to improve the quality of education because development depends on it. Teachers should be encouraged to change their mindsets according to the changing environment and give maximum attention to the overall development of students, who are the future of the nation. The standard of government schools should be raised, so that they can easily compete with private schools.
Most of the schools in big cities are overcrowded and badly managed. The level of teaching in such schools is generally poor.
To improve the standard of government schools, educational management training can be given to the heads of all schools. Monitor their performance and make them accountable for the performance of their schools.
No scheme can be successful without the active participation of the masses. Forceful initiatives are required from the government.
Prohibiting guidebooks will promote learning and lesson the present stress on mindless cramming.
Admissions should only be on the basis of merit. Scientific, technical and specialized education should be introduced in the rural areas.
UMER MUMTAZ
Rawalpindi
THROUGHOUT the world there has been enormous sorrow and grief at the recent devastating earthquake which struck the northern regions of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.
It brought together people around the world and, in particular, the Pakistani community abroad, to offer whatever assistance they could gather.
Locally, we collected funds, held charity meetings and also invited the local British population to participate. They showed great enthusiasm to assist in whatever way possible.
Thousands of pounds sterling were collected just from one small British town which we all hope will go towards rebuilding the shattered lives of our brethren in need.
It doesn’t take much calculation to figure out the substantial funds which have been and are still being collected throughout the world.
We just hope that that the powers to be responsible for the rehabilitation of these shattered regions will develop the infrastructure such as schools, colleges, hospitals and residential complexes to the highest standards which those in the West take for granted.
Over here we see some of the best talent available in all spheres of life. Pakistan should open up and seek professional assistance as well from overseas and not merely financial assistance.
We all know how corruption, nepotism, favouritism and acceptance of mediocrity and poor standards will invite similar devastation in the future.
DR SOHAIL AHMED
Lincolnshire, UK
THERE has definitely been Internet growth in the country, but we should look at what’s happening in the developed world on this issue. Developed countries are moving toward CDMA 1x-EVDO technologies that allow wireless broadband services of speeds such as 2.5 mbps — megabytes per second).
ADSL2 is already available in countries like Britain where free upgrades are provided to domestic users to upgrade their broadband connections from the existing speeds of one mbps to four mbps.
The price is not that high either: 30 sterling maximum per month with no limit on data transfer.
This roughly translates to Rs3,150 per month. Companies in Pakistan charge Rs999 from home users and provide a mere speed of only 256 K and a transfer limit of one GB (giga byte) which is meagre considering the multimedia content available on the web these days.
It is true that Pakistan has progressed a lot in terms of Internet connectivity in the last four or five years primarily due to the efforts of the PTA but the journey shouldn’t stop here.
WiMax, another emerging standard, looks very promising. Already the new technology is being marketed in one form in South Korea.
Also, two licences have been granted to two companies for developing a WiMax network which can be used primarily for wireless broadband internet provision to home as well as corporate users. Such licences need to be given by the PTA as well.
AHSAN MALIK
Rawalpindi
I AM writing in response to a letter “Vitamin E and heart care” published on Dec 3. The writer raised valid concerns and as a practicing cardiologist I would like to throw some light on the matter.
Taking the case of Vitamin E for heart care first, I tend to agree with Dr Paul Donohue (whose column appears in The Review every Thursday) that our current knowledge is based on evidence from trials. One needs to understand that even scientific data has gradations and different levels of interpretation. The best data are considered to be what we call randomized, placebo controlled and blinded trials. These trials are planned to answer a specific question.
In the context of vitamin E, observational studies have shown some benefit when diets rich in vitamin E were used by subjects. The point to note here is that vitamin E was consumed in natural form and not as pills. The answer that a study provides is as good as its (the study’s) design.
To answer the question as to whether vitamin E protects the heart, a well designed study called the HOPE trial was conducted in many countries. It surveyed over 9,000 patients, aged 55 years or more with high risk features for developing heart disease, and they were tracked for nearly five years. This study did not show any benefit of consuming vitamin E in high doses in pill form and in fact a trend towards increased heart failure was noted.
Most physicians follow what we have learnt from the HOPE trial but there are still scientists who believe that the HOPE results show only that it was designed to assess the role of vitamin E in preventing these outcomes in high-risk patients rather than to evaluate the protective effect on a healthy person’s heart of long-term consumption of vitamin E. The other criticism of the HOPE trial is that it crossed many national boundaries and did not fully account for the different dietary factors for subjects living in different geographical regions.
Vitamin E levels were not measured and there were participants taking “non-study vitamin E” in unspecified amounts. Having said that, the HOPE trial nonetheless provides the most robust data to date. As far as eating foods rich in vitamin E is concerned, one should incorporate more of such foods in one’s diet. Food sources for vitamin E are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. For prevention of heart disease there are other things that one can do like exercise, a heart-friendly diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and by replacing animal fats in diet with plant fats. In addition to this, one should try and maintain an appropriate body weight. All adults should have themselves screened for hypertension, diabetes and lipids (blood fats). Most important, if you smoke, quit today.
All these will bring about much more benefit in preventing heart disease than any study has shown for consumption of vitamin E.
AAMIR HAMEED
Senior instructor & consultant cardiologist,
Department of Medicine,
Aga Khan University,
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr Najamuddin Sheikh’s article on the above subject (Dec 7). Mr. Sheikh very simplistically assigns one reason for the insurgency in Iraq — decision-making about Iraq’s natural resources. Article 109 of Iraq’s constitution clearly states that oil and gas revenues will be distributed in proportion to the country’s population distribution.
It further says that the federal government will formulate natural resource development strategies with the provincial and governorate governments. There should then be no apprehensions on this score since the constitution guards the interests of all which can be further secured through political participation.
As for the recent human rights abuses in interior ministry bunkers, these are recent developments that the Iraqi government, if wise, will prevent.
While an unwise government can be defended by none, the insurgency in Iraq is over two-and-a-half-years-old and began well before the recent cases of abuse in the interior ministry surfaced. So, a correlation between the two cannot be made as yet, as Mr Sheikh has attempted to do.
DR MAHNAZ FATIMA
Karachi
MR Shaukat Rizvi has raised very important issues in his letter (Dec 11) concerning both small investors and regulating authorities. However, I am sorry to report that the regulatory function is very partial and favours only stock brokers and not the small investor. To the small investors they only provide lip service.
In 2001-02 I had an investment account with a government-patronized corporate member who used to charge commission inconsistently at whatever rate they wished. They either did not send account statements or sent erroneous ones. When these inconsistencies were pointed out, they asked me to close down the accounts. I complied. They usurped my credit balance and some of my shares on the plea that since I was not a customer, they were not answerable to me.
I complained to the Karachi Stock Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). Both these regulatory bodies entangled me in unreasonable formalities which were beyond the capacity of a small investor. The regulators finally took the plea that unless I stated the exact amount of monies owed to us, they could not process my request. I cannot articulate the exact figure without the member giving me the unsent statements. It still remains unsettled after four years. The broker has usurped my credit balance as well as my securities.
I shifted the account to another corporate broker, who indulged in many malpractices, including wrong commission charges. On my protest, they illegally froze my securities. I approached the SECP for relief with clear and irrefutable evidence. All that the SECP did was get us our securities back after several months of complaint being lodged. The SECP failed to implement settlement pertaining to commission refund, shares embezzled/mishandled and credit for unauthorized transactions.
The irony was that these three items were items on agenda and the SECP coerced me to sign an agreement with the broker in which these actions were mentioned; an official of the SECP countersigned. The broker did not comply. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, a director of the SECP had the audacity to communicate to me that they were not bound to insist on compliance of the agreement, which was signed at their behest and bears the signature of the SECP official. The SECP systematically disowned all their promises and commitments to me. The broker refused to adhere to the agreement.
I wonder if regulation of brokers is possible through stock exchanges or the SECP. The problem Mr Rizvi has pointed out has deep and hidden roots. The small investor doesn’t have any protection whatsoever. Brokers are perhaps more powerful and influential than the regulators. They probably are the real regulators.
ERUM NISAR
Karachi
QUITE an interesting debate has been stirred up by your columnist Ayaz Amir on the issue of purchase of AWACs aircraft and F16s in the wake of the Oct 8 earthquake . Mr Amir wants the deals cancelled while the Pakistan Air Force and its supporters consider it essential for national security.
I think a middle ground can be reached. The PAF can have the AWACs and F16s provided they are second-hand. A second-hand used F16 costs between $5 and $10 million while a brand new F16 costs above $50 million which is something we should not even think of.
Most importantly, the money for this purchase should come from the sale of the housing colonies built for Air Force officers starting with the land that was taken from the National Stadium, Karachi.
If national defence is so important that even a mega earthquake of the century should not affect it, then why shouldn’t the defence establishment also not make personal sacrifices?
No Pakistani will have objection to these absolutely essential Air Force purchases provided the Air Force top brass agrees to forgo personal luxuries.
SHAHBAZ KHAN GHURKI
Lahore
THIS is in response to A. Aleem’s response to “Conversion losses” (Dec 12). The laws in the West are very clear on child abduction. For example, in California taking away a child under the age of 18 without parental consent, whether or not the child resists or objects, is a crime.
The maximum punishment for this crime is imprisonment for four years and a fine of $10,000. So if they lived in California, the Hindu parents could legally get their youngest daughter back and the people responsible for the abduction would be punished.
AJIT PATEL
California, US
WITH reference to the letter of Mr M. H. Khan (Dec 15). The OIC will remain a silent spectator — as it appears from its previous track record with regard to the allied attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq — even if the West, which is now pointing fingers at other Muslim countries like Iran, launches new attacks.
And why not, because in the eyes of the OIC to repair the tarnished image of Muslims is the first priority by embodying the concept of moderation among them instead of joining hands and taking serious notice of the dirt-slinging of the West towards Muslims.
SYED ASGHAR HASNAIN
Karachi
THE Karafilm festival was a much-talked-about event said to feature brilliant movies and documentaries. Unfortunately, it receives low marks for starting its movies on time. It was a pleasure to actually go to such an event but the organizers could have done better by not starting many of the movies late.
MARYAM HIDAYATALLAH
Karachi
WITH reference to Mr Altaf Hussain’s article “Need for reinterpreting Islam” (Dec 2), I fully agree with his views. The article is timely and in fact discreetly voices the emotions and feelings of enlightened, liberal and educated Muslims.
AFTAB AHMED SHAIKH
Karachi
THERE is a dire need to set up a circuit bench of the Peshawar High Court in Malakand division. The division is the largest and one of the most remote divisions of the province or even the country.
It comprises seven administrative units, six districts and one agency, stretching all the way from Shangla to Chitral.
The number of pending suits, petitions, appeals and revisions in Malakand division is the highest compared to any other division of the country.
I am a lawyer in Swat and have also been appearing at the Peshawar High Court on behalf of my clients, and hence I am an eyewitness to the hardships the poor residents of Malakand have to face.
I want to urge the present governor and the current chief justice of the PHC to please look into this very valid demand.
There are two separate circuit benches for Abbottabad and Dera Ismail Khan divisions, so there is no reason why there shouldn’t be one for Malakand.
AFTAB ALAM
Swat
IN Karachi on Dec 3, at around midnight, our family decided to visit Seaview to relax for a while. While returning home at 12.30am via Khayaban-i-Shamsher and then taking a left turn on to Khayaban-i-Shaheen, our car was stopped along with hundreds of other cars a kilometre away from the shopping area of Zamzama.
On asking a policeman, we found that the prime minister and his family were having coffee at a cafe in Zamzama.
The coffee took about half an hour to cool — because that’s how long we were stopped for — and only then were we allowed to proceed.
Through this letter I would like to advice our dear prime minister that in order to reduce the misery of the people, he should consider the inconvenience his visiting a cafe causes to ordinary citizens. Perhaps the next time he should have cold coffee.
AYESHA ARIF BAWANY
Karachi
WE have a rule in our house: if you make a mess, clean it up. The more I consider it, the more sense it makes. Palestine for the Palestinians, and a Jewish state in Europe. I agree with the Iranian president.
Why should Palestinians have to bear the load of Europe’s crimes? The world has always had a prejudiced posture concerning Israel. Everyone points a finger at Iran for its nuclear programme, but no one has anything to say about Israel. It is only fair: Palestine for the Palestinians!
QAZI NAZIM NAEEM
Dubai
I WOULD like to ask the Karachi Building Control Authority as to who has given permission and authorization for the de-sealing of the old Russian embassy building by the management of a school which has recently purchased the premises. After its purchase the seals have been removed and it seems the school will open there soon. The new nazim should investigate this.
S. BABAR
Karachi
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