| December 24, 2005 | Saturday | Ziqa’ad 21, 1426 |
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Resolving Kashmir problem
Calling cards
Quake & building laws
QAU student politics
Marriage in Niaz stadium
Hospital complaint
Teachers’ promotion
Minorities & Constitution
Traffic lights
No footpaths
‘No thank you’
Remote control
Citizenship rights
Bank charges
THIS is with the reference to the letter by Mr B. K. Vasan in response to Mr Jawed Naqvi’s article “Indian cricket’s caste act” (Dec 21). It is utterly disgusting that the correspondent should associate “all successful” people with the term “Brahmin”. In Hinduism, castes were created by early Hindu practitioners purely based on the division of work inside society.
Teachers, priests and others were grouped into the Brahmin caste as they showed the right path for a good life.
Kings, rulers, soldiers and others were grouped into Khastriya caste as they were protectors.
Business people were grouped into Vysya caste.
All people doing low-end work like cobblers, cleaners and others were grouped into the Shudra caste.
If the children of Shudra/Khastriya/Vyaya parents show the path of enlightenment to others, they become Brahmins. Gautam Buddha, Maharishi Valmiki and others are good examples.
But, alas, India’s history is filled with characters like Mr Vasan. These people have divided the whole Indian society along castes. Just as a reminder to him, many of the MPs caught on tape selling India for Rs10,000 were Brahmins of the RSS.
A person becomes Brahmin (successful) not by being born in a Brahmin family, but by doing the right Karma.
Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Narayana Murthy and others were Brahmins. They were not only born in Brahmin families but also showed others the right path in life irrespective of their caste.
Bal Thackrey, Narendra Modi and all those sadhus/politicians killing people are a black blot on Hinduism. Because of these types of people, Hinduism, which was earlier practised from Afghanistan to Indonesia, is shrinking inside India also.
If indeed only Brahmins provide good parentage, education with the right genes, then why is that so many Brahmins are still living in poverty?
TARUN KUMAR
Hyderabad, India
I AM surprised that you published the racist letter by B. K. Vasan (Dec. 21), which improbably mixes arguments of defunct Lamarckism with elements of post-apartheid “theory”. The Quaid-i-Azam, along with Dr Ambedkar and many others, loved the Indian people and rejected this form of Brahmanism, which claims divine rights for a closed group. This is the attitude that the Dalits of India are struggling against today.
People like Colin Powell and Tiger Woods are just marrying other people, not whites or blacks. This analogy is odious. Why such primitive ideas should find space in your newspaper is beyond me.
DR ADAM NAYYAR
Director, Lok Virsa
Islamabad
THE opposition to exploring options other than a plebiscite for resolving the Kashmir dispute can be justified on acccount of the fact that India has never shown any seriousness despite the numerous CBMs initiated by Pakistan. Opposition parties, many senior columnists and think-tanks do not pin too much hope on the ongoing peace process — only because of India’s undue obduracy. Two rounds of “composite” talks have ended without any significant result. Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has also admitted that little has been achieved so far on the core issue of Kashmir. The failure is the result of the Indian obstinacy reflected in its rejection of any suggestion Pakistan makes. But however futile so for, the process of dialogue should not be abandoned. There is no other way out. The hope for a lasting peace prevails in newspaper editorials, columns and statements by public representatives every day. There also seems public endorsement of the back channel talks going on side by side with official-level meetings.
The ruling PML has planned a peace moot early next year where it intends to invite Indian leaders. The press has prominently displayed the visit by a 12-member US Congressional delegation led by Republican Dan Burton to New Delhi and Islamabad. The delegation also called on the Kashmiri leadership. This is being interpreted as a desire on the part of Washington to play a more visible role in bringing Pakistan and India closer to the two countries a settlement. Mr Burton praised President Gen Musharraf and Dr Manmohan Singh for initiating talks. But the desire for peace alone is not a sufficient guarantee.
What is required are result-oriented talks on crucial disputes, particularly Kashmir. It is time the US used its clout with India to withdraw from its inflexible stand on Kashmir.
MARYA MUFTI
Lahore
I USE long distance calling cards to make upwards of 200 minutes of phone calls to the US and the UAE in a week in connection with my work. I had never experienced a problem. But a week ago I purchased a Rs250 card and dialled a UAE number. The automated voice informed me that my balance was Rs250 and I could talk for a maximum of 25 minutes and some seconds. But at the end of the 12th minute, my call got terminated with the voice prompt indicating that the money had run out.
I called the help desk — which promises 24-hour service — numerous times but got no answer. I called the next morning and registered complaint # 2616 and was asked to call the next day while the technicians followed up the matter. The next day the help desk agent had to be told the whole story all over again because he could not find my complaint or any work done on it. He gave me a complaint number and asked me to call the next day. I called at 12 noon and a help desk operator was highly impatient, not willing to listen, and cutting off my sentences midway.
When I demanded to speak to his supervisor/manager, he refused to forward my call saying there was no one on duty.
Well, now I don’t care about the measly 12-13 minutes of talk time any more. I want to know why this is so.
JAVED DHANJI
Via email
I DO not wish to distract from the earthquake rescue effort which is itself a herculean task, but while things are fresh in our minds, work should also be started on the following:
1. The government should institute a commission to review and revise the building code for different regions of the country within the next six months, keeping in view the seismic activity in that area. We do not need to invent the wheel. The basic assumptions and outlines can be obtained from other countries. The enforcement of this code will be the crux of the matter, so it will have to be strictly applied without exception.
2. The Quaid-i-Azam University and/or Peshawar University should create a department of seismology which, in addition to teaching, should be given grants to carry out research on the seismic activity of the country and, in particular, of the northern areas. The work should be undertaken in conjunction with the Geological Survey of Pakistan.
The nation cannot progress on borrowed technology forever. We have to learn to stand on our own feet.
MASOOD SOHAIL
Karachi
REFERENCE letter by the incharge, public relations, QAU (Dec 20) and my letter (Dec 13), both headlined “QAU student politics”, I agree with the PR incharge that ethnic groups’ activities are banned but would like to add that all such groups are working informally and practically at the QAU. Two such groups have recently announced their “cabinet” members, including one which organized a big colourful programme. It will not be out of context to mention here that some time back a student was killed in an ethnic clash at the QAU.
I suggest that the university authorities should take concrete measures to curb all illegal activities in order to provide a conducive atmosphere on campus and ensure full protection to all students who do not want to be part of ethnic politics and wish to concentrate on their study. Mere denial of the existence of ethnic groups in the QAU is against the ground reality as it is not difficult to verify the facts from different sources.
M. K. SIAL
Kabul
A MARRIAGE ceremony was recently held at Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium. It was hosted by a federal minister and attended by around 5,000 guests. The main stage was set in the middle of the cricket pitch. I want to ask the administration whether it is all right to arrange a marriage function at the city’s only international level cricket stadium. And also, why was the ban on serving meals on weddings allowed to be so blatantly violated by a federal minister?
The food taken to feed so many guests was cooked in around 100 “degs” and these damaged the ground’s grass. Who is responsible for this massive destruction, the administration or the minister who hosted the wedding?
Will the prime minister kindly take note of this and admonish his cabinet member?
SHAZIA ALI SHAIKH
Mississauga, ON, Canada
WITH reference to the letters published under the title ‘Hospital complaint’ on December 20 and 22, we would like to clarify as follows:
The patient, Mrs. Kulsoom Hussain, reported at the urgent care services of the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) Clifton Medical Centre, on October 19, 2005 at 1605hrs. She had chest pain for over 45 minutes. She was immediately attended to by the doctor on duty, who gave her appropriate first aid and referred her to the emergency room (ER) of the AKUH at 1638 hrs. At 1723hrs, the patient registered at the AKUH’s ER where she was attended by doctors and advised admission. The admission office received the accommodation request form at 17:36 hours on Oct 19. The admission was approved for a deposit of Rs. 50,000 (paid through credit card) against the expected expenses of Rs. 300,000. The family was not asked to arrange either the full expected expenses or to arrange cash. Actually, they were provided all support. The entire process of presenting to the ER, evaluation by doctors and admission took a total of 29 minutes and the patient was admitted at 18:05. She was immediately shifted to the angiography suite where the required procedure was initiated within 15 minutes and it was performed successfully, after which the patient was shifted to the intensive care facility.
It is the policy of the hospital that no patient needing urgent care is denied treatment irrespective of his ability to pay. For all non-life threatening cases admitted through ER, the admission office informs the attendant of the expected expenses. However, patients are admitted with a lower than the initial deposit requirement where necessary and at times without any deposit. All life threatening emergencies are admitted right away without any deposits as a routine as was seen in various mass casualty cases we handled following bomb blasts and other disasters in the city in recent years.
The second concern relates to the patient’s stay in CICU and her episode of ventricular tachycardia. It is worth noting that the patient is a 68-year old lady with other major problems. In such patients who suffer a heart attack, there are possibilities of associated complications. When the patient went into tachycardia, the nurse on duty immediately notified the on-call physicians. The cardiology team attended to the patient and took all appropriate measures and the patient was successfully stabilized.
AKUH teams were constantly communicating with the family and all issues were promptly addressed. Appropriate medical and nursing care was provided to the patient at all times during her stay in AKUH and all the measures taken were in the best interest of the patient as a result of which she was discharged in a satisfactory condition.
In line with AKUHs policy of providing accessible and high quality care to patients, its patient welfare programme reaches out to patients by providing assistance to those patients who are unable to afford the medical cost of their treatment. Seventy-three per cent of all patients treated at AKUH are from low- to middle-income areas. Since the inception of this welfare programme in 1986, over Rs. 1.22 billion has been disbursed to more than 225,000 needy patients.
DR. FARHAT ABBAS
Medical director and associate dean, clinical affairs
Aga Khan University Hospital
Karachi
I WANT to draw attention to the issue of promotion of university teachers holding MPhil degrees.
The Higher Education Commission chairman, Dr Atta-ur-Rehman, has implemented a rule that PhD is essential for promotion of teachers to a higher grade. An MPhil degree is superior to the MSc degree because it is obtained after at least two-year research work in a university.
A master of science is promoted as assistant professor (Grade-19) after six years of teaching in a university but he is not promoted to a higher grade until he holds a PhD degree.
Teachers having MPhil degrees are promoted to a higher grade up to the rank of assistant professor (Grade-18) but not beyond.This is because in most universities research facilities are not available to teachers to complete their PhD programmes.
The HEC chairman is requested to promote all such teachers as are holding MPhil degrees to the post of associate professor in all universities.
SHOUKAT ALI BHATTI
Assistant Professor, Deptt. of Pharmacology,
University of Sindh
Jamshoro
THE Constitution of Pakistan bars non-Muslim citizens from becoming head of state. Is this not discriminatory against the minorities?
Hypothetically, a good and honest individual who is not of the correct religion can never aspire to be president of the country. Every citizen of Pakistan has a right to aspire to this post.
The US has not had so far an African-American president but at least there is no constitutional bar against that.
Separating politics from religion is a good principle.
Faiz Gul Awan
Peshawar
AFTER spending a year and a half in Lahore, I have come to the conclusion that running functional 24x7 traffic lights is way beyond the capability of the authorities in the provincial capital.
In addition, new digital countdown displays are being installed on these crossings without realizing the reality of operational and power failure routines.
Investment in a backup facility ensuring maximum uptime of these traffic lights will be highly appreciated by drivers instead of driving them crazy by holding them up on crossings with unsynchronized digital countdowns.
SYED ALI JAFRI
Lahore
MOST roads in Karachi have no footpaths. To make matters worse, the roads are no better for pedestrians, full of open manholes, potholes and craters and hence quite dangerous for motorist or pedestrian. Many footpaths have been encroached upon by shops or vendors. Blocking someone else’s way — and that too illegally — seems to have become a national habit.
Steps need to be taken by the city and the respective town governments to clear the footpaths so that pedestrians may use them.
SYED IQBAL AHMAD
Karachi
COUNTLESS number of Pakistanis as well as non-Pakistanis living in the US donated millions to the President’s Earthquake Relief Fund either by cheque or via the Internet.
The Pakistani embassy on its website has a list of all those who have donated. However, the embassy should have thanked those who donated to this noble cause. The practice in civilized countries is that donors — no matter how small or big — are sent at least a postcard or an email with a ‘thank you’ note.
It seems as if simple gestures like a ‘thank you’ is alien to the Pakistani mentality.
IMRAN M. KHAN
Pennsylvania, US
COMPARED to Punjab, Sindh is lagging behind in development. There may be many reasons for this but a major one is that Sindh has always been remote-controlled by the centre which has seldom allowed the province’s genuine representatives to form a government.
Sindh has deliberately been financially crippled by not getting its due share in the NFC award, though it contributes 70 per cent of revenue to the national pool. Sindh gets only 23 per cent in return.
It is the federal government which is responsible for the economic crisis in Sindh as it is always installing governments of its choice to achieve its interests.
The situation can be rectified only when the centre decides to grant real provincial autonomy and desists from intervening in the affairs of the province.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
THIS is to highlight the issue of those Pakistanis — according to an estimate, they are 100,000 — who have been refused by Nadra the right of citizenship because of an amendment made to the Citizenship Act 1951.
I know some young men whose parents have CNICs but when they went to collect their CNICs, Nadra officials refused to deliver their cards. This means they were refused their right of citizenship.
They have not been granted citizenship even after a member of the National Assembly, Mr Abdul Qadir Khanzada, an ally of the coalition partner in the federal government, wrote a letter to the officials of Nadra and requested it to issue their CNICs.
AFTAB ALAM ASHRAFI
Karachi
I went to a bank to get a pay order for Rs100. I was shocked to learn that an amount of Rs100 was charged as bank service charges for the pay order.
The State Bank of Pakistan should not only look into this particular case but also take notice of high charges for even small pay orders in cases where cash is not accepted by the parties concerned.
LT-COL (retd) M.A.BUTT
Karachi
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