| February 22, 2006 | Wednesday | Muharram 23, 1427 |
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Hamas election
Chinese engineers
Criteria for OIC membership
Attock pollution
Sugar crisis
Courier service
Encroachments all over
UET working
Train link
A convenient arrangement
Correct name
THE following are extracts from a letter published in an Israeli newspaper by Edward Miller, an Israeli attorney who is active in efforts to reconcile Jews and Muslims. I have received it via e-mail and I hope that it will be interesting to know about the views of a Jew over the blasphemous act committed by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
AS the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten’s 12 caricatures were republished in European newspapers, riots erupted in Damascus, Gaza, Beirut and elsewhere throughout the Muslim world. The violence is an extreme manifestation of the deep hurt felt by virtually all Muslims. As we condemn the violence on the streets, perhaps we should take a moment to understand the hurt in the hearts of the great majority of Muslims who did not engage in violence.
“For Muslims, the mere rendering of an image of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is sacrilege. The portrayal of the Holy Prophet in a pejorative fashion is to them an inconceivably offensive desecration, on the level of what would be for us the defilement of a Torah scroll. Because it was done in newspapers across Europe, it was a slap in the face repeated thousands of times.
“Perhaps it’s a question of respect, not freedom. Freedom of expression theoretically protects the right of a non-Jew to desecrate a Torah scroll. Yet we would all view freedom of expression as a hollow defence to such a vile act.
“Regardless of whether or not the European press was constitutionally free to publish the offensive images, the act was a blatant and vulgar act of disrespect to Islam. Such insults no doubt contribute to the frightening spectre of a clash of civilizations.
“What can we do as Jews to lessen the hostilities? Perhaps, just perhaps a little respect would help. Rather than ripping the wounds wider with editorial musings extolling freedom of speech and condemning violent protests, is it not time for a bit of healing?....
“There is a space between romanticizing the past and vilifying it. There is a time to focus on the dark side of history and a time to view the other in the best light. There is a time to cull from our rabbinic writings the good our sages saw in Islam and there is quite a bit of such sentiment recorded. We Jews need to learn to be more flexible, pursuing the claims of Jews expelled from Arab countries and criticizing anti-Jewish TV programmes and cartoons in the Muslim media, while at the same time displaying gratitude for all the good Islam did for us. There is a time to jump over our pain and see the humanity of the other. That time is now. Let us start.
There is a hadis recorded by Bukhari in the name of Amer Bin Rabiha that reads as follows:
“A funeral procession passed us and the Prophet stood up for it. We said, ‘But Prophet of God, this is a funeral of a Jew.’ The Prophet responded, ‘Rise.’
“One can search the writings of the ancient non-Jewish world for a more powerful example of a public display of respect for the humanity of the Jew. There simply is no more powerful statement than the single word uttered by Muhammad nearly 14 centuries ago.”
RASHID ASHRAF
Karachi
THE recent cartoon controversy has distrubed all Muslims. We have endured many a more despondent situation in history and the present should be seen in that light. There is more politics to this controversial provocation than a mere insult to Muslim religious sentiments.
What surprises me is the response of the religious leaders of Pakistan. Instead of providing vision, guidance and a way out of the predicament for both Muslims and the western countries, they have found this controversy as a bargaining chip to get what they want from the government and the president. President Musharraf has the visit of the American president on his mind and would not want to be seen in a bad light by the Americans. The religious leaders know that the president will stop short of nothing to keep the Bush visit free of troubles. And they would get what they want.
The people who are genuinely hurt because of the blasphemous cartoons and are protesting out on the streets will be left alone, holding placards in their hands.
DR. RAFIQUE GOODA
Karachi
HAMAS won 74 seats in the Palestinion parliament of 132. Democratic norms demand that all parties within Palestine and outside should accept the majority party as a reality.
Israel’s hostile response conditions for acceptance of Hamas, is not in accordance with the principle of democracy. The western nations criticize the Arab world for being non-democratic. Now today when one Arab country is moving toward a stable democratic system, where peaceful transfer of power is about to take place, the western nations in support of Israel are giving a lukewarm response to the new leadership of Palestine instead of appreciating the democratic development being taking place there.
The West should accept the fact that the so-called westernized Arab leaderships have given the Arabs nothing but one-party rule, personality cults, corruption, plunder of national resources and mismanagement. The Arabs have lost all hope in their leaders; democratic institutions are the only hope for the Arab nations. If today the will of the people of one Arab country is not accepted, the confidence of the Arab nations in the democratic system will be lost.
The fact is that the democratic system is the best means to engage in a peaceful process even with a political leadership that believes in aggressive politics. The democratic system has the strength to cool down and replace them with reason. In no way can the Middle East be at peace by keeping out Hamas. It is time the West and Israel accepted the ground reality and recognized the legitimate right of Hamas to form a government. They should help Hamas to see the impossibility of their demand by creating an environment of mutual respect and acceptance and avoid hostile politics.
ANIS ALAM SAEED
Karachi
The murder of the Chinese engineers must be condemned. China is the most trusted and sincere neighbour of Pakistan which has always helped us in our hour of need, stood by us in trying times and always contributed to the progress of our country.
Besides Muslim countries, the only state whose relationship as a faithful friend has been consistent since inception of Pakistan is China. Chinese have been working on our various projects with sincerity and dedication and the fast emerging Gwadar port is reflective of their dedicated support to Pakistan.
In this background it is unfortunate that Chinese engineers have been targeted by terrorists. Such shameful acts do not augur well for the country as they send an alarming message to foreign investors.
All these foreigners whether they be Chinese, Germans, Koreans, etc., have left their homes and come here from far away places to work for the uplift of our country. They deserve all possible respect and protection.
I strongly appeal to the government to further strengthen the security measures for such foreigners, especially the Chinese. It is also the duty of all of us Pakistanis to be on guard and take special care for the protection of foreigners working amidst us.
K. MURAD BEY
Karachi
THE killing of three innocent Chinese engineers who had come to this country to help our people and earn a livelihood for their children should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Balochistan is an integral part of Pakistan and no force on this earth can separate it from the mainland.
The claim that a certain province is for the people of that province must be rejected. Any province of this country belongs to all the people of Pakistan and people living there should work for the benefit and development of the province.
WAQAR H. KHAN
Karachi
APROPOS of Mr Athar Osama’s article “Criteria for OIC memberships” (Feb 16), one was stunned by the Saudi king’s remarks about allowing India observer status in the OIC. Was his visit to Pakistan after a three-day stay in India to convince Pakistan not to oppose India’s request?
We were already against the observer status in the OIC given to Russia for its large Muslim population in subservient republics like Chechnya and Azerbaijan. The reason for opposing Russia before allowing observer status was (and still is) that it carried out, during and after the world wars, a horrific genocide of Muslims whom it now wants to represent.
The same should be the case with India which had followed in Russia’s footsteps. So long as it keeps Kashmiris under New Delhi’s thumb, violating their human rights, denying them the inalienable right to self-determination and does not improve the quality of lives in Kashmir, Gujarat and elsewhere, it has no case.
REHANA NAQVI
Karachi
MULTIPLE problems, including that of the environment, are emerging in the wake of the ongoing oil and gas exploration. Refining companies working in various parts of Attock district but are not fulfilling their legal obligations towards providing rehabilitation, welfare, health, education, employment and other facilities to the local people.
It is the obligation of the government to intervene in the matter. Many oil and gas companies are working at various oilfields — in Durnal, Sadqal, Miyaal, Dakni and Tuat at Fateh Jhang, Jand and Pindigheb tehsils.
The companies are not following the direction to spend two per cent of the total profit on those affected by the exploration work.
People, especially children, are suffering from lung diseases and other physical disabilities due to the environmental pollution created by petroleum installations. There is no proper rehabilitation/ medical centre to facilitate the affected people of the villages nor proper education facilities for the children.
M.Y. AWAN
Attock
EVERY year there is a crisis of one sort or the other due to bad government planning or policies, leading to steep rises in the prices of essential items like milk, flour, sugar, meat, petrol and energy chargesb But the government seems oblivious of the hardships being faced by the general public.
At one time we were exporting sugar and now the government has been forced to import sugar on an emergency basis and prices have doubled, from Rs22 to Rs50 a kg, while Utility Stores are selling sugar at Rs27 a kg. Such a big price difference is bound to encourage corruption.
The president and the prime minister have demanded an explanation but, according to reliable sources, they were misguided and were not fully informed as to how serious the actual situation was and who was really responsible for the crisis.
The opposition has blamed sugar mills, mostly owned by ministers, and the sugar industry for the crisis and the blame game is in full swing, with one ministry blaming and pointing crooked fingers at the other. Government officials have blamed hoarders and profiteers for the crisis, which has been simmering for the last one year.
The Trading Corporation of Pakistan could have played an effective role in controlling the situation, but due to fudged reports and vested interests, no action was taken. Though the government has asked the departments concerned to take necessary action, no serious inquiry has been initiated and nobody has been made accountable and once again the consumers have been sacrificed at the altar of mismanagement and greed.
The government has, from time to time, made half-hearted attempts to introduce changes and reforms and protect the interests of the consumers, check inflation and rising prices. The Consumer Protection Ordinance, Sindh, was signed on Aug 12, 2004. And six months back the governor of Sindh had established a Consumer Rights Council through a notification under CPLC. The objectives of the council were to check prices of essential food items and the interest of the consumers.
Mr Yousuf Jamal, the honorary ombudsman of Sindh, had announced, that consumer courts would be established under the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA), which would include elected representatives and eminent citizens of society and would curb institutional and departmental malpractice and protect the consumer’s rights in Sindh.
Unfortunately, the CP Ordinance has lapsed, as it has never been presented to the Sindh Assembly for ratification. The Consumer Right Council has yet to take any effective measures to protect consumers from rising prices and being cheated and poisoned by substandard and counterfeit products and the CPA was never established.
The Indian government had established a separate ministry for consumer affairs in 1986. As such, the consumer protection movement in India is very strong and because of the government’s support, there are over 5,000 consumer protection organizations and 3,000 consumer courts, which look after consumer interests in India.
Unfortunately in Pakistan the biggest enemy of consumers is the consumer himself. We never protest or lodge a complaint against high prices or substandard products or services. I am not advocating that we should take to the streets every time there is a price increase, but there has to be a joint, concentrated movement by citizens to act when their rights are being violated.
A.H. MAKER
Helpline Taust,
Karachi
THE country is facing sugar shortage, so why don’t we have sweetless days like meatless days?
Sugar is a daily-use item but not that essential. In fact, its excessive consumption is harmful for health, specially the sweetmeat that contains very high cholesterol as well, in addition to sugar that is considered slow poison for diabetics. The bulk of sugar is consumed by sweetmeat shops.
We can overcome the problem of sugar shortage if we decide not to consume sugar for at least two days during a week. So let us have two sweetless days during a week.
KHURRAM SHAIKH
Karachi
I SENT a parcel through a courier service in Rawalpindi on Oct 3 last year to Illinois, USA. It contained 40 pieces of stitched clothes worth Rs20,000 as an Eid gift for my sister’s family. The computer number given was 16-066-901-384. They charged Rs10,850 for it.
The parcel never reached its destination. For more than a month the staff of the courier service concerned kept on giving excuses that the delivery man went but nobody was at home. Then they asked for some other phone number, saying that the number already given was not responding though my sister was daily calling me from the same number.
After more than a month, they admitted that the parcel had been lost and asked for receipts for the clothes. I provided the receipts and after such a long time they offered $100 as compensation. I request the courier service management to look into the matter.
MUHAMMAD ZAKREEN
Rawalpindi
THERE are scores of cases in Karachi where land was allotted to various clubs for recreational activities but later clubs leased out the premises for commercial purposes. The commercial utilization of the premises allowing private parties to use them for wedding purposes resulted in making club corrupt and a source of minting money for vested interests.
I wish to draw the attention of the city government to the KDA officers club against which the residents of the area have been clamouring for the last many years for removal of wedding lawns. Will the city nazim look into this?
MOHAMMAD ASLAM
Karachi
THIS has reference to the letter “working conditions at UET (Feb 14) regarding Prof Shahid Bokhari of the UET, Lahore. The reasons for Dr Bokhari leaving his teaching position should be identified and sorted out. If he has left due to the HEC’s policies, this should be rectified at the earliest.
ASAF MARUF
Karachi
A TRAIN link has been established in the south after 41 years when India invaded Pakistan in 1965 and a war broke out between the two countries. It seems to be a good gesture between the two countries, but more serious efforts are required by the Indian side so that both the countries can sort out their long outstanding issues.
Thar Express was seen off from Karachi by the governor, the chief minister and other dignitaries of the Sindh government. Indian Railway Minister Lalu Presad Yadev was waiting at Monabao railway station to welcome the train and its passengers on the Indian side.
Now it entirely depends on India if it wants to move ahead from its present position by offering a serious dialogue and presenting a practical solution to the Kashmir issue. After the resolution of the Kashmir issue, train links may become trade links between the two countries.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
PAKISTAN wins the Test series and India the one-dayers. A very convenient arrangement indeed of give-and-take benefiting the Pakistan, India cricket teams. Sadly once again and as always in a series between India and Pakistan the beautiful game of cricket has been the loser.
KHAWAJA FARIDUDDIN
Karachi
MY father, Maj Saiyed Naseem Haider Rizvi (SJ) Shaheed, laid down his life in defence of the country in the 1965 war. This fact is amply reflected by Maj-Gen Shaukat Riza in his book Pakistan Army War 1965 (pp 180) where he writes that the officer was recommended for the Nishan-i-Haider. The nation promptly acknowledged the supreme sacrifice and named Mansfield Street, Karachi, after him.
However, it continues to be described as Mansfield Street even in official documents, such as in the traffic map published in the Karachi Metropolitan Section on Feb 7. I hope that the error will not be repeated.
FARAH NAZ FATIMA
Karachi
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