| February 4, 2006 | Saturday | Muharram 5, 1427 |
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NFC award
Relations with Saudi Arabia
Traffic jam causes
‘Not the way to run an airline’
Honest policeman
Wedding meals
Remembering the facts
Restructuring of CDA
Standard of education
Burgeoning trade deficit
Health policy forum
Aerial spray
Biased
Jihad
Correction
AS A nation it is important to know who we are, where we came from and the road we travelled.
The Indian Central Cotton Committee was set up in Mumbai in 1923 with its headquarters and a technological laboratory. After independence we took our fate into our own hands and counterpart institutions and organization were quickly established in the country. One such institution was the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee.
The committee and the Pakistan Institute of Cotton Research and Technology (PICRT) were established at Karachi, the then capital of a young nation. A piece of land was acquired on M.T. Khan Road and the PCCC became busy in pursuit of cotton research. Funds were liberally provided by the government. An imposing building to house the committee and the technological institute was built. The foundation stone was laid by the Late Khwaja Nazimuddin, the governor-general, and the opening ceremony was performed by the Late Ch. Muhammad Ali, the then prime minister.
It will be interesting to note that a capsule containing coins, currency note, newspapers, etc., is buried under the main stairs. The capsule is so made that it can last a few thousand years. State-of-the-art equipment was imported from the UK, the US, Switzerland and Japan to equip the PICRT.
In 1947, cotton production was 1.7 million bales. Research by the PCCC, along with the provincial agricultural departments, helped raise the production to 15 million bales last year. Cotton, the silver fibre, earns about 62 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange. This has been accomplished by evolving new high-yielding, early-maturing, heat-resistant, and curl virus-resistant cultivars. Due to the increase in production, the country’s GDP has increased substantially.
The PCCC has fallen on hard times. It has been unceremoniously thrown out of its headquarters. There is a recruitment ban, the technical strength is about 50 per cent and it is well-known that a minimum number (critical number) of scientists is a must for meaningful research. Can we request the Pakistan government to not only save but also restore the PCCC to its former glory?
Dr Atta-ur-Rehman, Chairman HEC, is requested to provide at least 15 Ph.D scholarships to the PCCC.
In the end, permit me to quote and old Chinese proverb: “If you want to plan for one year, grow rice, for ten years grow trees and, if you want to plan for 100 years, grow people”. The government and the HEC are requested to help the PCCC grow people.
MIAN IFTIKHAR AFZAL
Former vice president, PCCC,
Karachi
A SECTION of the people are of the view that the smaller provinces are blackmailing the federal government, as well as showing their “smallness” in every matter. This is wrong.
There is no doubt that the federal government has been blackmailed for the last many decades — not by the smaller provinces but by Punjab.
For example, when East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was with us, Punjab was a staunch opponent of East Pakistan’s demand for the NFC award to be based on population as the sole criterion but, after the separation of East Pakistan, Punjab became a supporter of the population criterion. Nowhere in the world an award exists based on the sole criterion of population which benefits only one province at the cost of others.
Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf leader Imran Khan has pointed out (in a TV programme) that in India only 12 per cent is given on basis of population and that 60 per cent is given on the basis of need and level of development.
The recent NFC award announced by the president is not satisfactory. The vertical sharing of this award may be right but the horizontal method is absolutely wrong. The president’s decision that “till the solving of the NFC award method, it will be distributed only on a population basis” will benefit only Punjab.
I appeal to the president to ensure that as long as the new method for the NFC award is not evolved, it should be given only on revenue basis. Also, Sindh should get more by way of compensation because it contributes more than 70 per cent of revenue to the federal pool and, in return, gets only 23 per cent.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
I WRITE this in the backdrop of King Abdullah’s visit. I found it amusing that PTV analysts while commenting on the trip tried to defend the king’s visit to India, almost with an air of guilt — tamely calling it a “diplomatic victory for the Saudis (in the face of the West calling them isolated).”
Most Pakistanis have grown up knowing Pakistan-Saudi relations as being “more solid than the rock of Gibraltar. Over time the Saudis have consistently given Pakistan a lot: monetarily in terms of oil, diplomatically with complete concurrence with our stance on Kashmir, and so on.
It was in times of crises especially that we were facilitated most — during the 1998 austerity drive, for instance.
These relations were not handed out as a gift certificate, and it took prudent leadership and diplomatic skill over time to cement our ties with Saudi Arabia.
Unfortunately this government seems to be losing our hard-earned diplomatic clout on the Arabian front. Last time when Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz came to Pakistan as Crown Prince, we lost the oil aid supplement we were receiving after going nuclear. This time he comes after being chief guest at India’s annual military parade, making clear on the trip his country’s intentions of softening up India’s bid to join the OIC.
TAIMOOR T. MALIK
Islamabad
THERE is a need for carrying out a scientific study of Karachi’s traffic jams. Karachi has wide double-track roads. Yet there are traffic jams which in summer became intolerable.
As a driver, I can identify two main causes: one, traffic turning left is blocked by vehicles which as a rule must stay in the middle lane meant for traffic proceeding straight ahead. Let me explain. At the National Stadium traffic point, vehicles coming from the Aga Khan Hospital side but going ahead toward Rashid Minhas Road move to the left (in a futile bid to be ahead of others) and thus block the movement of those vehicles which want to turn left toward Hassan Square. Another example: at Sharea Faisal, traffic turning into Tipu Sultan Road is blocked because cars and minibuses proceeding straight toward the airport move to the left. Thus they create an unnecessary traffic jam by blocking the justified movement of vehicles turning left.
We can see this phenomenon at every traffic signal. The solution lies in physically demarcating the lane for traffic turning left. The Traffic Engineer Bureau should pay attention to this and build separation “footpaths” in a way that the traffic going ahead is not able to move to the left and thus block the movement of other vehicles trying to turn left. This will remove a major cause of traffic jams.
ZAHEER ZAMIR
Karachi
APROPOS of Mr N. K. Kakakhel’s letter “Not the way to run an airline” (Feb 3), PIA clarifies that there is no ambiguity in the published schedules. However, at times, some of the flights are delayed due to certain unavoidable reasons like bad weather, technical constraints, operational reasons such as payload penalties due to temperature or strong en-route winds or airfield closure, etc.
The airline’s best efforts are to maintain schedule regularity and, accordingly, PIA achieved a punctuality record of 87 per cent in 2005 that also happens to be a record in the last 27 years of PIA’s history. Further, the customer feedback received by PIA in 2005, while increasing in number from 160 to nearly 2,000 a week, has shown a decrease of complaints against PIA by its passengers from 42 per cent to 23 per cent. All other parameters and benchmarks showed remarkable improvement in 2005, and reflect that the ongoing reorganization is working well.
This shows that PIA improved on its operations and schedules in the past year. Therefore, it appears that this letter has been written without first ascertaining the facts.
CAPT. HASSAN JAFFERY
General Manager Public Affairs & Communication, PIA,
Karachi
RETURNING from Sargodha recently on the motorway I came upon a patrolman handing out a ticket to a Mercedes-wallah for some violation. It made me feel good to see someone doing his job for a change without fear or favour. We need more of his kind on every road, especially in Islamabad where the lawmakers think they are above the law and that rules are only for fools.
I am sure that the police are capable of enforcing the law and drastically improving the crime situation if they are allowed to do their jobs by those who rule this country, and if the IGs, DIGs and SSPs, etc., show some spine and stand behind the men and women in their force.
But then who would want to risk losing perks and privileges galore and become a mere OSD, or be grilled by the privileges committee of what passes for an apology of a parliament? Here’s some food for thought for the general who runs the NHA. The outer lanes of the N-5, the Kashmir Highway, Motorway, etc., are all heavily rutted because of the overloaded trucks that ply on them.
This is especially the case south of the Margallas from where hundreds of trucks, groaning under the weight of crushed stone, ply day and night. What is cheaper: rebuilding highways every now and then or installing weighbridge stations?
BRIG (r) SHER KHAN
Rawalpindi
I PLAY golf at the Lahore Golf Country Club. Last weekend, when I went to play in the evening I saw three big “shamianas” being erected for weddings. I was later told by a friend of mine who attended the function that a lavish meal was served to the guests.
It is strange that the army which is running the country instead of helping the SC in implementing its orders is itself letting people flout them.
Functions like this not only damage the grass and the landscape of a club but are a great nuisance for members who contribute to their maintenance.
The service chiefs should take immediate note of this and stop the holding of such functions in the golf clubs being managed by them.
JAMILUR REHMAN QURESHI
Lahore Cantt
KHAN Abdul Wali Khan’s death has led to massive media interest in his life and politics. He indeed played a big role in Pakistani politics. He was last of the great old timers, Nawabzada Nasrullah, Maulana Noorani, Maulana Mufti Mahmood having passed away.
However, there is some deliberate twisting of facts going on. While his personal integrity is not in doubt, one has to accept that throughout his life Wali Khan maintained his opposition to the Quaid-i-Azam, the “two-nation theory” and the creation of Pakistan .
Some two decades back Wali Khan wrote a book, Facts are Sacred , in which he alleged that Pakistan was a creation of the British who wanted to check the Russian advance to warm waters and that the Muslim League was the king’s party in British days. He wanted Pakhtuns to have control over their own destiny but did not support similar privileges for the Kashmiris.
Even after the truth came out that it was Congress and Nehru who caused partition by rejecting the Cabinet Mission Plan, Wali Khan did not retract his views. His son continues till today to accuse the Quaid-i-Azam of authoritarianism because he dismissed Dr Khan Sahib’s government although the fact is that that government had lost its moral right to exist after its failure in the June 1947 referendum in the NWFP.
Wali Khan did accept Pakistan as a necessary reality, which one had to live with and played a part in its politics on his own terms with a high degree of honesty and civility . OSAMA MUSTAFA
Lahore
THIS has reference to media reports that the prime minister has ordered restructuring of the Capital Development Authority and also given his consent to members of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry being included in the CDA board and other subordinate departments.
I wonder who is advising the prime minister on such matters as in my opinion the CDA needs professionals, including architects, town planners, traffic engineers and environmentalists, etc., on the board and all other relevant departments so that all matters pertaining to the smooth running of authority are met and targets completed.
I remember in 1998 when the CDA was trying to improve traffic in the Blue Area by remodelling the service road, all its efforts were thwarted by shopkeepers of the area backed by their chamber. It was the same situation as when representatives of road transport were included in the railway board which ultimately led to the deterioration of the railway cargo operations way back in the 1980s.
With the army hand-in-glove with the bureaucracy, the addition of these so-called businessmen to the CDA board will provide new encouragement to the land and business mafia.
MUBARAK ELAHI
Islamabad
QUALITY and standard education is a hallmark of national progress, development and prosperity. States that are developed today have acquired their status by focusing on the quality and standard of education. It is unfortunate to see Pakistan facing a mushroom growth of substandard educational institutions.
A ray of hope was seen when an independent body like the Higher Education Commission was formed just to focus on uplifting the standard and quality of higher education.
Under the supervision of Dr Atta-ur-Rehman this commission has done a tremendous job by adopting a holistic approach in order to bring about a revolutionary and far-reaching strategy-based changes and these changes.
But the hasty inauguration of universities by the HEC without paying due attention to standards has hurt the cause of higher education. Graduates from such institutions do not come up to the required level.
TAHIR MEHMOOD MALIK
Multan
PAKISTAN’s trade deficit for the July-December 2005 period is a staggering $5.581 billion. Mainly the deficit is due to a high import bill, which is rising due to the import of oil for power generation.
If this situation continues, foreign exchange reserves of $11.5 billion will not last long.
The government may collect some proceeds through privatization of strategic national assets like the PTCL and the PSO as a temporary relief.
However, a long-term solution to bail out the country’s economy is to start construction of the Kalabagh dam immediately so that the burden of oil imports is reduced.
QASIM IQBAL KHAN
Lahore
THIS is with reference to “Gateway paper on health systems in Pakistan”, launched by Pakistan’s Health Policy Forum and published in Dawn (Jan 29).
The forum has made observations on the working of the PMDC but has not touched the subject of medical practice by quacks and the so-called practitioners of “alternative medicine”. The PMDC has no control over them.
Newspapers, television channels and radio broadcasts are full of advertisements about cures for cancers, hepatitis B, C, diabetes, goitre, etc., without surgery and, in fact, about all sorts of diseases. Under the labels of homoeopathy, Aurvedic, Greek medicine, etc., all sorts of medicines, even those belonging to the modern scientific system, are misused. These medicines are manufactured and sold in the market under fake names. Furthermore, all sorts of unauthorized qualifications are advertised.
These constitute more than 90 per cent of the irregularities and unethical medical malpractices prevalent in the country. Who will check these?
Even if the PMDC takes active measures, as suggested by the “Health Forum”, it will only cover the tip of the iceberg and will not solve the country’s health problems. There is a need for an authority and policy which could do this.
AKHTAR
Karachi
REFERENCE letter “Dr Yusra’s death” (Nov 30, 2005), may I suggest that one of the vehicles of transmission of a virus strand can be the mosquito. A densely-populated city like Karachi where an epidemic of a viral disease is not a remote possibility needs to adopt an eradication plan for insects as a top priority.
Karachi Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal wrote to the plant protection department on Dec 31, 2005 to do an aerial spray of the city, but officials of the Civil Aviation Authority reportedly did not give permission for this.
What if another important life is lost? Who will be responsible?
DOWITE
Karachi
WHY is it that British and European states protested so much when Prince Harry wore a Nazi armband to a party and now defend the printing of derogatory and defaming cartoons as freedom of expression? Was it that the prince did not enjoy the freedom to express himself or was the Austrian politician who spoke well of Hitler wrong to use his so-called freedom of expression?
MUBASHAR
Karachi
PROF (Dr) M.M.A. Feeroze’s claim (Feb 2) that ‘jihad’ is one of five pillars of Islam is wrong. I claim no great authority on the subject but every Pakistani schoolchild knows that the five pillars of Islam are “tauheed”, “namaz”, “zakat”, “roza” and “haj”.
ZIA AHMED
Geneva, Switzerland
In the article “Silver lining to a war cloud?” by Agha Shahi (Dawn, Feb 2) the second sentence in the last but one paragraph should read, “The loss of human lives would be incalculable, the entire landscape of a victim country would be devastated and become uninhabitable.”
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