| December 27, 2005 | Tuesday | Ziqa’ad 24, 1426 |
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Acting positively on Nepal
Education in Pakistan
Revamping CSS examinations
Tea smuggling
Solid waste management
Clarification
Valima violation
Science teaching
KCR: postponed again
Open nullah
THERE is nothing odd or bizarre about President Ahmadinejad’s recently expressed views about Israel as President Bush appears to imply.
Such is the overwhelming effectiveness of Israel’s propaganda machine (backed by that of the US, which Israel also controls through means, overt and covert, subtle and crude) that truth is all but invisible. Voices of dissent are crushed so effectively and ruthlessly that dissenters either back down or are ignored, with few publishers daring to publish their work.
Now, what are the facts? First and foremost we should not forget the fact that in the area now occupied by Israel, the Jews were fewer than 83,000 as late as 1922. A census conducted by the League of Nations (which later metamorphozed into the United Nations Organization of today) in Palestine that year yielded the following numbers: Arab Muslims 660,641 (81 per cent), Jews 82,790 (10 per cent), and Christian Arabs 71,464 (nine per cent) in a total population of 814,895. The occasion was the decision of the League to give Palestine under the mandate of Britain. Britain, totally without any moral justification, was mandated to give all facilities to Jewish settlers. Even so, there was no talk of political rights, leave alone creation of a Jewish state.
What followed is a tale of brazen intrigues by the US, the UK and Russia of takeover of Arab properties by coercion, in most cases and of repeated massacres of Palestinians by Jews while the western powers either abetted in the crime or looked the other way.
Referring to the atrocities committed by Jews on Palestinian Muslims, historian Arnold Toynbee wrote in his book, A Study of History, that “they (the barbaric acts committed by Jews) were no less cruel than those committed by Hitler on the Jews themselves”.
If millions of Palestinians driven out of their homeland by brute force are to return to their homes, this would be only possible if Jews in violent occupation of Palestine are settled back in lands where they came from and where they have lived for the past 2,000 years.
In this context the proposal of the Iranian president that Jews be settled back in Europe and the US — their chief patron-cum-disciple — makes eminent moral sense. If Jewish claims to Palestine are justified, then why should not Muslims claim Spain, which they inhabited and ruled for most of the millennium just ended?
Acts of terrorism by Israel against unarmed and poorly-armed Palestinians are a daily routine. The most common pretext is an attack by Palestinians, mostly a suicide attack. Does this pretext hold water? When you forcibly enter and occupy some one’s house, confine the owner to a small room in the house and hold him by the throat, do you think it odd that he should struggle and try to hit back? Cynically, a massacre by Israel is reported as an “attack on targets” while Palestinian acts of desperation carried out in self-defence against a merciless oppressor are termed “terrorism”. Is it not time we learnt to take a leaf from the Iranian president’s book on the subject and started calling a spade a spade?
WAJID NAEEMUDDIN
Karachi
THE Indian defence minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, has voiced concern over the alleged military assistance from Pakistan and China to Nepal to help its army crush a Maoist insurgency (Dec 21).
The problem is that India has traditionally seen Nepal as its diplomatic backyard and resents any Chinese or Pakistani interest in Kathmandu. It ought to realize that, like India, China shares a border with this neighbour while Pakistan has traditionally had excellent relations with the Saarc member whose citizens view us in a better light than they do India.
In his article, “Nepal’s endless predicament (Dec 5), former foreign secretary Dr Tanvir Ahmed Khan had analyzed the Nepalese situation very objectively. He had also shown how India had played a part in aggravating the Himalayan kingdom’s situation and caused much hardship to its people through a punitive trade embargo enforced in March 1989 as well as by haggling on dam sites and electricity price in the latter’s hydroelectric projects.
Instead of following what one western analyst had termed India’s own version of the Monroe Doctrine that it crafted for South Asia, New Delhi should join hands with Pakistan and China to help ameliorate the lot of this impoverished but beautiful neighbour of the three nuclear powers. For instance, it could help bring about socio-economic development by investing in and harnessing Nepal’s considerable hydroelectric potential that would also partially fulfil India’s own energy requirements.
Some 12,500 precious human lives have already been lost and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced over there due to the Maoist insurrection. If the nuclear trio can assist in bringing that chaos to an end, it would be a far more important achievement than mastering of the atomic genie. Let us set aside our political differences and focus on saving lives and bringing peace and prosperity to our Nepalese friends who are in dire need of such help.
It must be realized that helping restore normalcy to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Kashmir is in the interest of India itself as also of South Asia and the world at large.
KHALID CHAUDHRY
Karachi
THIS refers to Mr M. A. Fazil’s letter “Education in Pakistan” (Dec 18). It is true that the standard of education in our country has fallen steeply. Even with the mushroom proliferation of private educational institutions, standards have declined to the extent that even students produced by private educational institutions lack basic knowledge and skills and, therefore, cannot compete in today’s competitive job market.
These private schools, colleges and universities are being run in clear violation of the rules laid down by the government. The government, whether local, provincial or federal or the universities with which these institutions are affiliated, show a great deal of apathy towards monitoring the activities of private institutions and checking whether the facilities required under law are available or not.
There is one college in Sukkur that is being run in contravention of the Higher Education Commission policy. For example, the HEC policy says “the institution shall be located in a spacious, separate and independent building conducive to academic activities, situated on a plot of at least half acre (four kanals), depending on the location having potential for further development, without any other institution or person sharing the premises”.
The college in Sukkur is housed in a commercial building, with apartments at the top and shops on the ground, the most unsuitable place for any educational institution offering graduate and post-graduate courses in business administration and computer science.
Also in violation of HEC policy, the college has opened branches at Larkana and Lahore.
With rules being broken like this, we cannot prevent the fall in education standards despite the growth of private educational institutions.
DR M. ANIS GORAYA
Khairpur Mirs
THIS is with reference to Mr Waqas Ahmed Langha’s letter (Dec 20)). The poor result of the CSS-2005 is believed to be due to the poor academic performance of candidates who appeared in the examinations.
Our education system at all levels — primary, secondary, tertiary, higher secondary and higher — has been facing three most crucial problems: heterogeneous standard, unqualified faculty and institutional decline. We have a specific education for a specific category of people in Pakistan. A student having a bachelor’s or master’s degree from universities like the Quaid-i-Azam or International Islamic would be quite different in his/her aptitude than a student doing the same from the Shah Abdul Latif University or the University of Balochistan, etc.
The gap is due to varying calibres of respective teachers as well as availability of academic infrastructure such as laboratories and libraries. This dismal situation leads to an academic imbalance in the country.
This depressing system has been in operation for a long time. The question that needs to be answered is as to why the performance of CSS candidates has become poorer after 2003?
The answer lies with the FPSC for it has adopted some unjust policies, including over-strict paper-checking. Selection of candidates is made after the written test, psychological test, group discussion and viva voce whereas the FPSC has chosen the written portion as the first and final criterion of selection. The ability of a candidate can in no way be evaluated by only the written portion of the examination.
The FPSC’s selection procedure needs immediate rejuvenation. The age limit of 30 years should be revived, as mentioned in Mr Langah’s letter. However, the quota system should be retained, since the doctrine of merit works only with a homogeneous standard of education. As regards the syllabus, the written examination must be moderated so that it can be attempted by an average graduate. Optional subjects should be discarded and an addition in the compulsory portion should be made from the social sciences and humanities.
After all, competitive examinations should be for competition among graduates from both city and village. They must not be limited to serve the interest of a particular class.
MUHAMMAD YOUSUF
Islamabad
THE Pakistan Tea Association has suggested deletion of tea from the positive list of the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement and cut of import duty from 10 per cent to zero to eliminate smuggling of tea into Pakistan, as reported in a section of the press.
According to PTA figures in its letter to the CBR, 6.845 million kg of tea was imported under ATTA during July-Oct.
Tea smuggling is a matter of great concern. The government loses huge money in import duties and domestic importers face tough competition from those who are instrumental in bringing back tea meant for Afghanistan.
The government can take many steps take to minimize this. First, it should fix a quota for import of tea under ATTA in consultation with the Afghanistan government. The import should match the domestic consumption of Afghanistan.
Second, it should involve the PTA in identifying suppliers and buyers of smuggled tea and bringing them to book. A special task force comprising members of law-enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, the CBR and the PTA should be formed to deal with the menace on a war footing.
Third, it should announce and enforce heavy penalties of fine and jail term for buyers and sellers of smuggled tea in Pakistan.
I am sure tea smuggling can be drastically reduced within months, not years. With these steps, the government will neither have to lose revenue nor reduce import duty.
MUMTAZ A. PIRACHA
Karachi
KARACHI city nazim Mustafa Kamal has announced a scheme for solid waste management in Karachi (Metropolitan, Dec 15). According to a report, the city of Karachi generates about 8,000 tons of solid waste daily. The scheme augurs well for the city dwellers as solid waste blocks the sewerage system and causes pollution of water and air.
The scheme proposes to collect city garbage and dump it at chosen landfill sites. An extra effort can be made for the separation of organic constituents (vegetables) of the garbage from glass, grit, plastics, etc, and can be used as a raw material for converting organic waste into organic fertilizer. The rag pickers of Karachi city can be employed for the separation of organic and inorganic matters.
The biodegradation of organic waste (peelings and discards of vegetables) is a natural process but it takes a long time for the breakdown and in the process the mass emits a foul smell. The process can be greatly enhanced by inoculating effective micro-organisms (fungi and bacteria) in organic garbage heaps. This technique is followed universally for the preparation of organic fertilizers.
The cost of input for creating a facility (bio-converter) for the conversion of organic waste may be initially higher than the output (organic fertilizer) but in the long run it would turn into a profitable enterprise and may give rise to a compost preparation industry in Karachi.
The organic fertilizer so produced can be used to fertilize paan, lemon, cheeko, papaya, guava and coconut orchards by progressive farmers.
The fungal and bacterial micro organisms involved in biodegradation can be cultivated on a large scale in laboratory for injecting into organic garbage (biomass) for bioconversion within a short period.
We in the department of agriculture at the University of Karachi can build up a pilot plan, if we are provided with the necessary facilities, for demonstration to entrepreneurs interested in bioconversion of organic of waste into organic fertilizer.
DR. M. JALAUDDIN
Professor of Agriculture
University of Karachi
ON Saturday, Dec 24, I had gone to Sukkur and Larkana for the inauguration of the Free Legal Aid offices in the premises of female jails at these two stations. The inspector-general of prisons was also with me. At Sukkur, there was a large presence of journalists, and reporters of print and electronic media. After my speech, several questions were asked by the correspondents. There is a short report of the function at Sukkur in column 6 of page 20 of your paper’s Sunday isssue. Apparently your correspondent was there but his report misquotes me at three places:
I had not stated that “if differences arise between federal and provincial governments over the Kalabagh dam issue, opinion can be sought from the Supreme Court as the NWFP government had done in the case of the Hasba bill” and, Mr Zahid observed, “the Supreme Court could give a verdict in the matter”.
On this issue two questions were asked by correspondents. One was whether, according to my opinion, the president could refer the Kalabagh Dam issue the Supreme Court for its opinion and whether the Supreme Court could decide the dispute between the federal government and a provincial government. On this, I had responsed by saying that, according to my opinion, whether Kalabagh Dam should be built or not was not a question of law and, therefore, it could not be referred to the Supreme Court, as under Article 186 of the Constitution only a question of law could be referred by the president (on the advice of the prime minister) to the Supreme Court for its opinion. I then referred to the reference of the Hasba Bill issue by the president to the Supreme Court for opinion and drawing a distintion between the two by stating that the Hasba Bill issue was a “question of law”.
As regards the giving of the verdict by the Supreme Court, I had stated that, if there was a dispute between a provincial government and the federal government, and one party wanted to go to court, under Article 184(1) of the Constitution, a case could only be filed by the complainant government in the Supreme Court and in no other court.
Then, I had not stated that, if those judges who had taken the oath under the PCO had not done so, the system would have collapsed. I had in fact stated that “ it was the view of those judges, who had taken the oath under the PCO (who were my friends), that if they had also not taken the oath the system would have collapsed. Your Sukkur correspondent has impiled that I had stated that this was my view, which is wrong.
JUSTICE (retd) NASIR ASLAM ZAHID
Karachi
THIS refers to a report in your newspaper dated Dec. 18 which talks about a valima dinner hosted by a minister in the NWFP. The Supreme Court should initiate suo motu action against this blatant contravention of its orders.
MAJID HUSAIN
Karachi
I AM amazed at Dr Ata-ur-Rehman’s studied innocence. As adviser to the prime minister, as head of the reputed HEJ Institute of Chemistry, as a renowned student of Dr Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, one would have expected an expression of righteous rage at the decision of the ministerial conference on many issues but especially on the matter of reduction of marks on practicals.
Instead, the scientist talked at the US-Pakistan internal symposium about the “importance of a culture of research”? How, one might ask, are the universities, especially those teaching science and technology, to achieve even a basic understanding of how to quench the thirst through lectures alone?
The teacher would be expected to draw a beaker or a test tube, and illustrate a petri-plate with fuzz to represent fungi — what if the teacher forgot to draw the “round plate” used extensively for regular testing of food, milk and water?
Dr Ata-ur-Rehman would be serving his own cause if he initiated close coordination between school, college and university curriculums, teacher and student attendance, duration of periods and, above all, restart inspection by the university and boards affiliation committees for ascertaining the teacher-student ratio, maintenance of standards and availability of science equipment in feeder colleges.
Government institutions should not be exempt from disaffiliation if they fail to comply with the conditions of affiliation.
No policy is ever going to change the falling graph of quality. Only recognition of the ground realities, flexibility, space for diversity, and even-handed justice in cases of dereliction of duty, malpractice, and corruption can give new hope.
PROF ANITA GHULAM ALI
Karachi
THE Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) was an excellent project until it got scuttled through mismanagement. On and off it has been put on a ventilator. Successive administrations and governments have only adopted the strategy of rhetoric in reviving the KCR.
Now the state minister of railways has finally hammered the last nail in the KCR coffin and I think he has done a great injustice to Karachi.
Through this letter I would like to inform the city district government, Karachi, that the KCR is the only economically viable mass transit system that will be affordable and can be put on track through indigenous technology and effort.
Karachi cannot wait for another two years for the Japanese. The CDGK must roll up its sleeves and take as a challenge to revive the KCR without any further loss of time.
NAZIM F. HAJI
Karachi
A NULLAH running between Gizri Road and the KPT bypass in Karachi’s Clifton Block-9 is a breeding place for mosquitoes. Some time back it was opened for cleaning and left as such.
It is dangerous for children living in the area. A school wall is adjacent to it.
The health authorities and the Clifton cantonment should cover the nullah.
A RESIDENT
Karachi
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