| December 19, 2005 | Monday | Ziqa’ad 16, 1426 |
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Becker’s comments
Israel in Europe
Telemeter system
Wasteful
Stranded Pakistanis
Tax reforms
‘Soft image’
WB chief’s disclosures
Traffic jams
EC
YOUR daily has printed a number of articles and letters regarding the Katzarah dam, including letters from Mr Fateh Ullah Khan from Peshawar (Dec 9). These letters have created an impression that a very important dam site, Namely, Katzarah has been ignored for political reasons. This impression is not correct. Those who are genuinely interested in water resource development should be told the correct position about the dam development proposals.
The facts are: Wapda took up planning for water resource development for the country for which a number of international consultants were engaged. The World Bank formulated a group of professionals who also carried out studies and printed a comprehensive report. This report is known as the Pieter Lieftinck report. This report has studied all possible modes of development of water resources in the country, including conservation of water at various locations on the main Indus River and its tributaries from the topmost north to Sindh. Among the big dams identified were the Skardu dam, Tarbela dam and the Kalabagh dam in addition to a number of dams on tributary rivers. Out of these the Tarbela dam was constructed under the Indus Basin Projects as a first-stage storage project.
For the second-stage projects, the Pieter Lieftinck report, page 233, volume 1, states: “There are four projects which, on the basis of the present knowledge, can be considered contenders for second-stage storage development of the Indus — Kalabagh, Gariala, Skardu and the Thal scheme. Though the best of these appears to be Kalabagh with a conventional structure....”
Mr Fateh Ullah Khan calls the Skardu dam as Katzarah dam because there is a small village on the Indus bed called Katzarah. About the Skardu dam, which is the northernmost dam site, Pieter Lieftinck wrote on page 144, volume 1, as follows:
“Upper Indus sites refer basically to the Indus main stem upstream of Tarbela, particularly the 300-mile-long Upper Indus Gorge, and the tributaries of the Indus in this area. Topographically the area would appear quite well-suited for dam construction, particularly for hydroelectric purposes taking advantage of the steep river gradient (about 7,000 feet fall in a 300-mile stretch). There is one site — Skardu, about 315 miles upstream of Tarbela at the head of the Gorge — which, again from a purely topographic point of view, appears especially suitable for construction of a storage reservoir; it might be technically possible to build a reservoir there of some 35 MAF storage capable of regulating the entire flow of the Indus at that point.
“Thirty-five MAF is also the estimated annual discharge of the Indus at Skardu. However, there is an almost total lack of all the other information required to establish the feasibility of a dam there, and, with present techniques for dam construction, the problem of accessibility would be almost insuperable. The main portion of the Upper Indus Gorge is separated from the rest of West Pakistan by high mountain ranges; access to the area is over the 13,000-foot Babu-Sar Pass, closed by snow for eight months of the year, and thence along rough and generally narrow jeep tracks dug out of the side of the vast piles of glacial debris and silt which form the banks of the rivers.
“Chas. T. Main tentatively formulated a project for the Skardu site, consisting of an earth and rockfill dam with concrete gravity spillway, on the basis of aerial photography carried out under the study, contour maps prepared by the Survey of Pakistan and reconnaissance reports by Wapda and its consultants. Foundation conditions at Skardu are totally uncertain; the Skardu site was not inspected on the ground in the course of the study nor has it previously been studied in any detail. For purposes of their desk study, Chas. T. Main made arbitrary assumptions about foundation conditions.”
Skardu has now become an important bustling town and if the Skardu dam is constructed, it will submerge all its infrastructure. The survey quoted above also says that no flat area is available in the vicinity of Skardu town where all this population can be shifted.
In the light of the above, people can form their own opinion.
IQTIDAR H. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
I WAS extremely disturbed to read about the comments made by Nobel laureate Gary S. Becker (Dawn, Dec 12). He has cautioned the US about admitting workers from countries “that have produced many terrorists, such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan”.
I ask who is behind the ruthless massacre of millions of Palestinians, Kashmiris, Chechens , Afghans and Iraqis? Isn’t this terrorism? If the strong have the right to murder the weak in the name of religion, the weak have an equal right to fight back for their life, honour and faith.
The US has always adopted a policy of exploiting countries for its own interests. It supported the creation of Israel in a predominantly Arab land, allowed the Jews to overpower the majority and expects the Palestinians to sit quietly. Can it allow the formation of an autonomous Muslim state on its land and expect its own people to accept it?
It armed the Afghans to resist the Russian invasion and when the deed was done, abandoned them to rot in civil war. Now it sees the opportunity to exploit the oil reserves of Central Asia and has once again invaded Afghanistan, using 9/11 as its excuse. How does it expect the Afghans to sit quietly against this unfairness? The Iraq invasion is also nothing but an excuse to control the oil reserves of the world.
The US itself is a terrorist state for the Muslim world. It allows other countries to invade Muslim territory, manipulates democratic institutions, supports oppressive regimes and personally attacks and murders millions of helpless Muslims in its own interest. How long can we stay silent to this injustice? If we fight back, we are called terrorists and shunned by the West.
I certainly do not support the method of resistance employed by people of my faith. We need to unite first and think of a more rational approach to fight for our rights. After all, murdering innocent people of other faiths is not allowed in Islam. Meanwhile, I urge the honourable Mr Gary S. Becker to stop calling us terrorists and countries of our origin as producers of terrorists. Instead he should caution his own people against the terrorists who are ruling them and making life hell for the billion or so people of my faith.
KHADIJA KHASHE
Karachi
WHY has Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested that Israel should be moved to Europe? Two reasons come to mind. First, what Mr Ahmadinejad has said — that if the European countries feel that Jews were oppressed in Germany and Austria during World War II, they should as reparation or compensation give some part or provinces of their countries for the establishment of the state of Israel.
Second, one has to go into the history of Palestine and of the “Children of Israel” (Bani Israel). These Israelites never had a home for 5,000 years since the days of Prophet Jacob (Hazrat Yaqoob) whom God had given the name of Israel. His 11 sons had sinned against the youngest brother Joseph (Hazrat Yousuf) who was also a prophet. In punishment, God sent them to Egypt to become the Pharaohs’ slaves for 400 years.
Three thousand years ago the great Prophet Moses (Hazrat Musa) got their freedom from hard bondage and led them to Sinai and later to Canaan. When Moses handed over God’s law to his followers and went over to the other side of the mountain, the rebellious Israelites’ Diaspora began. They scattered themselves to every corner of the globe in search of food, shelter and a chance to return to Jerusalem — a holy place, a resting-place of 14,444 prophets — they consider their home. Hence the perpetual Jewish slogan “Next year in Jerusalem”.
Wherever the Jews settled they made enemies. Like all minorities, they were deeply religious, a closely knit community, knowledge seekers, hardworking and law-abiding which enabled them to dominate business, finance, press and politics. That made everybody resentful of them, especially Europeans. They got punished for that. They had it coming.
They kept pestering Britain, which did not have sunsets in its colonies, to give them a piece of land to establish their country. In 1915 the British government offered them Buganda (present-day Uganda). The Zionist organization refused it as it was a landlocked country. They needed the sea also. In 1916, through the Balfour Declaration, Britain offered them some part of Palestine which they accepted. If once a place for the state of Israel could be bargained for, why cannot it be done now?
S. M. KAZIM NAQVI
Karachi
FOR the past many decades Punjab has been misappropriating the water of Sindh and for that reason some years ago the president had announced the intallation of a costly telemeter system to stop water theft.
The president also gave a guarantee that the telemeter system would work properly and every province would take its own share of water.
Unfortunately, after several years, it still does not work properly and, as a result, Punjab is taking more water than its due share. Reports in the media frequently point out the improper working of the telemeter system but nothing has happened.
The president, on the one hand, pleads for achieving a consensus among the provinces especially on the issue of water while Punjab, on the other hand, is acting in a manner that is destroying the very process that should lead to consensus that the president is laying emphasis on.
How can the people of Sindh trust the Punjab offer that it would not take extra water from the Kalabagh dam even if it is bulit as a carry-over dam?
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
THE job of replacing cement blocks with concrete ones on the divider on Sharea Faisal started early in 2004. Now 2005 is drawing to a close and the project has yet to be completed.
Right from the outset, many like me felt that there was hardly any logic in laying these kerb bricks on the divider which is only earth filled.
The moment a vehicle’s tyre touches the divider or a cyclist/motorcyclist takes his bike across or when pedestrians create a hopover point, the blocks cave in, thereby severely spoiling the symmetry and layout.
This will remain an ongoing phenomenon and with the kind of maintenance we see all around us, I foresee a very ugly sight right in the middle of the VVIP road.
Worst still is the fact that the colossal expenditure incurred on this venture has barely improved the image or the looks of this very vital Karachi route.
The authorities are requested to take into account all aspects before squandering public funds on such wasteful adventures.
If a fraction of that amount was spent on repairing the numerous potholes, especially at the intersections all along Sharea Faisal, the traffic flow would have improved considerably and saved many a motorist precious-man hours and unnecessary anxiety and tension while driving.
ARIF MAJEED
Karachi
Please refer to Syed Faiz Ahmed’s letter (Dec 16) and The Review cover story “Suffering in silence” (Dec 15-21).
First of all, the term “stranded Pakistanis” coined by some journalists of English-language newspapers is not correct. ‘Stranded’ means (1) that has been driven or washed ashore; that has run or been left aground. (2) fig. Abandoned in an isolated or inaccessible position; left (behind) in difficulties, esp. by the withdrawal or failure of a means of access or transport.
None of the above meanings match the people referred to as “stranded”.
Technically, they are not Pakistanis because after Dec 16, 1971 all East Pakistanis, including the Urdu-speaking people, had become citizen of Bangladesh.
It has been repeatedly written by independent historians that there was no migration on the agenda of partition.
There is not a single Muslim League resolution demanding accommodation of Muslims living in the minority provinces in a new homeland of Muslims.
It was after partition that communal riots broke out across north India which compelled Muslims to migrate to the nearby parts of Pakistan for security. The Muslim-majority provinces welcomed them wholeheartedly.
As no independent history of Pakistan has been written yet, therefore many facts virtually remain unknown. I would like to emphasize that for a Sindhi the creation of Pakistan meant empowerment of Sindhi Muslims. May I ask whether Sindhi Muslims have been empowered?
As far as the plight of refugees in the Geneva Camp is concerned, there are millions of Pakistanis living in Europe, the Middle East, the USA and Canada. In all these countries, they have adopted the culture, language and lifestyle of their host countries. What is wrong if the refugees referred to live in Bangladesh, which is after all a Muslim majority country?
There are millions of Pakistanis without homes, food and jobs and living more miserable lives than those in the Geneva Camp. Has the Pakistan government given them land, shelter and jobs?
Mr Akhtar Payami has concluded his article in The Review by referring to the sad plight of Urdu in Bangladesh.
But he has not pointed out how the Quaid-i-Azam’s decision “Urdu and Urdu alone will be the state language of Pakistan” was not enforced by the then government of Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan, who had declared Urdu not only as the official but also the national language of Pakistan. His government virtually ignored other languages of Pakistan. The Quaid had never said that Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto and Seraiki could not become official or national languages of the country.
MANZOOR CHANDIO
Karachi
YOUR editorial “Time for tax reforms” (Dec 3) points out some basic flaws that need to be looked into. Corruption, which you mentioned as one of the causes obstructing reforms, is in my opinion the root cause of all our failings. The annual report for the year 2004-05 of the State Bank of Pakistan, as reported in your issue of Nov 1, spoke of “rampant tax evasion” in Pakistan. To check this, the report continued, two committees had been constituted, one in 2002 and the other in 2004, some recommendations of which were implemented, but did not produce the desired results.
Formation of committees is no panacea for our failings that are related purely to national morality and rectitude. Tax evasion is one of the constituents of overall corruption, which is officially admitted to be “rampant” in this Islamic Republic. Attempts to eradicate this evil date back to the Ayub era when the self-anointed field marshal himself had presided over the first ever anti-corruption conference.
In matters of corruption, whatever its shape, bribe is the core issue. It is addictive in nature. With the passage of time, bribe-seeking skills develop into compulsive behaviour.
Who should take the initiative in tackling this is the big question. I personally feel that it is the trade bodies that should take up the challenge and resolve to infuse an element of honesty at all levels, so as to create an atmosphere free of corrupt practices. That is bound to be an onerous task. Judged on the basis of the nature and extent of corruption, it may well nigh be impossible to knock it out even in decades. Nevertheless effective reformist steps taken in earnestness will be welcome and appreciated.
Will the president of the FPCCI and members of his executive body consider undertaking this daunting task? Will he dare to?
M. AYYUB
Karachi
RECENTLY I participated in an international two-day seminar which took place in Karachi. It was heartening to see that speakers from the US, Canada, India and Nepal had specially flown to Karachi for the forum. All of them appeared delighted to have come and were of the unanimous view that Pakistan was an enlightened country and the environment was totally different from what was portrayed in western countries.
I think we should organize more seminars and conferences here and invite foreign speakers to participate in them. Not only will we benefit by listening to expert advice from abroad, but the image of Pakistan will also get a boost. Foreign speakers can play a key role in presenting Pakistan as an enlightened country within their communities.
KHURRAM ZIA KHAN
Karachi
WHILE speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, the World Bank president cited Pakistan as ”an example for cutting cost of trade and time”. In the first place, it is hard to understand as to why the WB chief picked Pakistan as an example. Was it out of genuine sympathy or was it an expression of dismay?
The WB chief stated that Pakistan lost four to six per cent of its GDP per annum due to “poor infrastructure, regulatory obstacles and informal barriers”. He went on to say that the goods produced in Lahore, otherwise competitive for the world market, lost their competitiveness drastically on their way from Lahore to Karachi due to high costs of transport, insurance and related services which, in his opinion, were three to four times higher than those in Europe. He disclosed that 95 per cent of the external trade of Pakistan passed through the Lahore-Karachi corridor.
It is so painful to learn from outsiders what is wrong with us. Why can’t we find out what others learn about us is a question for our government to answer. Will someone in Islamabad stand up and tell us the truth?
MUMTAZ A. PIRACHA
Karachi
The traffic for Gulistan-i-Jauhar has increased manifold without any proper traffic management system. Initially, there used to be traffic jams only in front of the Shamama market, then all the U-turns on University Road got choked during rush hours. The cut in front of Shamama market was closed without any indication or notice. Traffic going towards Jauhar Chowrangi had to take a U-turn from the first gate of the NED University, which also has been closed now forcing motorists to turn from the second gate of the NED. The traffic chaos in front of Shamama market is still there. Closing all the turnings on University Road is not the proper answer to traffic jams.
The proper solution would be to make an overpass or underpass at the Shamama turning so that traffic going towards Jauhar Chowrangi can proceed without hindrance. Similarly, buses should stop after the Shamama market near the NED University.
BABAR RAHIM
Karachi
WILL someone in authority advise how long Mr Justice Dogar will continue to serve as acting election commissioner?
When will we have a regular election commissioner?
S. FARID AHMAD
Karachi
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