| February 23, 2006 | Thursday | Muharram 24, 1427 |
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Savings schemes
Mixing up issues
Fifth ODI
Wasteland reclamation
MMA strikes
Exhaust fumes
Western standards
Kinno export
THE details of the ordeal faced by passengers of the Thar Express as graphically described Mr Omar R. Quraishi in his article “Travelling on the Thar Express” (Feb 20) is simply shocking. Was the train running in such primitive and conditions when it ceased to operate on Sept 7, 1965? The following points need consideration:
First, why did not the Thar Express make stops at wayside stations, specially Khokrapar? The track passes through a very neglected area having virtually no means of transport. Even till this day, Khokrapar town is not connected with a road and is like an island in the midst of the desert. Chor is the nearest place where there is a road point and to travel from there to Khokrapar one has to go by camel. It was thought that the re-opening of the rail link with India would bring some relief to these unfortunate people, who have suffered in silence for over 40 years but this has not happened. The government needs to explain why.
The train should stop at least at two stations for two minutes between Mirpurkhas and Khokrapar. At Khokrapar, it should stay for much longer. This may increase the travel time by not more than 45 minutes but this extra time should be worth the trouble. I would like to ask the government as to what was the reason for abandoning Khokrapar as a place to conduct immigration and customs? All the necessary structure existed there and was renovated in 1986 when the train was scheduled to run in October of that year. I had visited Khokrapar and the border on Dec 23 as a member of a peace delegation. I found the Khokrapar station in ruins with only one room reconstructed and another repaired. The tin-shed over the platform was rusted and had large holes. It would have been much easier and cheaper and quicker to repair the facilities at Khokrapar than to build a new station in the wilderness of the desert. On Dec 23 the so-called Zero Point railway station simply did not exist.
Passengers are being processed partly under a tent and partly under the open sky. Newspapers of Feb 21 quote the divisional superintendent of Railways, Karachi, as saying that plans to improve the infrastructure are “now under consideration”. But the question that again comes to mind is why need to build a new station at Zero Point when an absolutely satisfactory arrangement already existed at Khokrapar, needing only to be renovated at a fraction of the cost of building a new station?
Second, at least one lower AC coach needs to be part of the rake. Summer is approaching here and a considerable number of people are likely to use the rail link and they should be able to do this in comfort.
Third, as reported in the article there was no arrangement to replenish water in the train toilets. The water filled at Mirpurkhas must have exhausted its water by the time the train reached Munabao. As a result, on the return journey the toilets were without water and stinking. Water-replenishing facilities must be available at Khokrapar and for this reason the train shall need to stop there. And until this can be done, a water-wagon should be part of the rake and at Khokrapar water should be pumped from it into the train toilets.
Alternatively, arrangements should be made with India to supply the train with water at Munabao. I believe they have such facilities at the Munabao railway station.
Fourth, time should not be wasted and the train service should be swift. The train stopped for one-and-a-half hours at Mirpurkhas. Apparently, half an hour should be sufficient to clean the rake and replenish water in train toilets.
JUSTICE (r) SALAHUDDIN MIRZA
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the letters from Mr Saeed Ahmed (Feb 8) and Mr Ardeshir Jehangir (Feb 13). First, one must give full credit to the present government for the wonderful job it has done in macro-economic development. Pakistan was on the verge of being declared a failed state when Gen Musharraf took charge. Today the country has unprecedented foreign exchange reserves, industrial growth is at an all-time high and the GDP is increasing at the rate of eight per cent per year.
At the same time, it has to be conceded that the benefits of macro-economic development have not trickled down to the majority of the people. This majority comprises two classes — the nameless, faceless, voiceless 70 per cent rural population who are poorer than ever, and due to whom Pakistan is rated towards the bottom of the list of nations as far as the quality of life is concerned. The other class is the one to which I belong, the professional class, the backbone of any progressive society — the urban middle class.
I am a doctor. Throughout my working career, whatever I saved I invested in government securities. My medical duties did not allow me time to study the vagaries of the stock market or the ups and downs of real estate. So my savings were all earmarked for government savings schemes where I could get a decent fixed return which would be able to see me through when I retire.
Then a few years back the government in its wisdom slashed the profit rates on all savings schemes to almost one-half. Later, the government introduced the Behbood plan for senior citizens with higher rates of interest but the amount one could invest in this plan has its limitations. What is worse is that the era of restrained inflation is now over, and the cost of living in Pakistan is spiralling upwards by leaps and bounds and, according to all forecasts, will continue to do so. So where do we go?
My request to the prime minister is to consider the plight of this urban middle class whose entire savings are invested in various government savings schemes. This class deserves a better deal to keep pace with the inflationary pressures. The interest rates on Behbood/pensioners’/widows’ schemes should be raised to at least 15 per cent and on special savings certificates and other schemes to 14 per cent just to maintain the investments’ existing value at the end of the year.
ALI NAWAZ
Karachi
HOW very sad — what are we doing to our own country? Why are we destroying it with our own hands? Do we not have an enemy to do it for us or has the enemy entered our rank and file or have the political parties carrying the banner of Islam gone to the other side of the fence?
It was a most deplorable scene to see private property being destroyed and cars and motorbikes set ablaze. May be someone’s motorcycle was the only means of mobility for him in a private sector job and he was the sole wage earner in his family. May be his job is gone. His children still need shelter for which the landlord will demand rent.
His children require education for which fees have to be paid. Mr Political Leader, why have you done all this? Is it because you want power and you burnt down assets worth billions? Who will pay for it?
I am fully aware of who is your target. You are a timid leader. If you have street power, you should have shown it by boldly stating the true cause of your annoyance. May be you would have found people like me in your camp. We all are Muslims and profess the same faith.
We cannot tolerate any disrespect to our Holy Prophet. But you simply encouraged vandalism and aggression. The agitationists started with looting whatever was possible followed by breaking windowpanes and windscreens of cars and then setting everything on fire. Everyone carried wooden sticks of the same size and thickness. The entire operation was executed as if it were planned in advance.
A holy cause was mixed up with personal vendetta. Did the administration fail? I am not sure nor am I a privy to their decision process. What one has gathered from TV is that those who sought permission from the administration gave an assurance that the procession would remain peaceful.
The government did not want to provoke the procession and they believed that it was a protest against the stated caused to which everyone in Lahore subscribed. But it was certainly planned the way it happened.
Whether our politicians have proved themselves to be opportunists, lacking in courage of conviction. They do not have any interest in the welfare of the country.
Yes, army rule is no solution. We must be a democracy, with a system of accountability and transparency with a competent and independent judiciary. Show your street power for these causes through peaceful processions. We shall all support you. Please do not mix up issues.
HADI IQBAL HUSSAIN
Tech Society Lahore
THE fifth ODI between India and Pakistan has just now ended. Pakistan lost the game having reached the winning position, when Indians were in arrears with a 8.6 run rate required at the fag-end of the match. One doesn’t have to be an expert to know the reason which was clearly seen by hundreds of thousands of those who saw the match on TV as well as thousands of those present at the stadium. India came back in the match from the losing position and won the match only through the generosity of the Pakistan fielders.
Most generous of our fielders was Sami who, very close to the wicket, did not even make an attempt to take a catch and remained frozen to the ground watching the ball an arm’s length away and later gesturing to indicate that the sun was in his eyes.
Again towards the end of the game, he not only left another easy catch near the boundary line only a few steps from him, but also let the ball cross the boundary. At least four ground shots were allowed by other fielders to pass through their hands to the boundary, as if they had holes in their palms. In one case, there was no one to cover a throw from the boundary line which resulted in a four on the other side, thus donating India with five runs instead of one.
These are just a few glaring examples of our fielders’ generosity out of quite a number of such incidents resulting in one or two extra runs each time. Why has a team on which praise was being showered for its unity and team spirit disintegrated in such a way? Who is being let down by such deliberate and intentional misfielding? A high intelligence level is not needed to know the answer.
S. N. HASAN
Lahore
WE lost the last ODI in Karachi entirely because of poor quality, non-professional fielding by our “soormas”. It is our right to know the reasons behind this hopeless performance. Leaving catches, not stopping fours, not throwing at the wicket and haphazard bowling were all heart-breaking and annoying.
The reason behind this irresponsible behaviour could be lack of sleep. Both teams were invited on Friday night to a dinner and a music show afterwards. Our boys stayed away till late night, could not practise well on Saturday and were not ready for the match on Sunday.
The way they were thrashed by Dhoni and Yuraj has made this ODI series the worst ever defeat by India. The team manager and coach should also be questioned.
DR SERAJUDDAULA SYED
Karachi
IT AUGURS very well for agriculture in Pakistan that two of our national institutions — PAEC and HEC — have decided to combat soil salinity which is posing a serious obstacle to meeting the deficiency in food production (Dawn, Feb 19).
Out of total of 80.79 million hectares, seven million hectares are affected by soil salinity and have turned into wasteland. Reclamation of the wasteland will have the potential of producing 612 million tons of foodgrains at the rate 35 tons per acre.
It has been stated that for the management of wasteland, bio-saline-agricultural technology (BSAT) will be adopted. The application of BSAT is expected to reclaim saline soil and make it fit for agriculture. It is, however, not clear what means and methods will be adopted in the BSAT programme.
The National Institute of Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) adopted a method more than a decade ago which was to promote and expand the growth of an indigenous grass (named “kaller” grass) in saline soil habitats. The grass is used as forage. The idea was that the habitat will gradually become suitable for the cultivation of crop plants on repeated growth and on the bioconversion of the grass into humus, which will act as biofertilizer. This is referred to as bio-saline agricultural technology in which grass is used as a tool. It overcomes the problem of soil salinity and paves the way for the cultivation of crops.
In collaboration with a German professor, I tested the effect of mycorrhiza in four plants in tolerating soil salinity at varying salinity levels. At higher levels of soil salinity, both mycorrhizal fungus and crop plants were affected but below 0.8 per cent mycorrhizal plants grew better than the control series. In this BSAT, soil-borne micro-organisms such as fungi and/or bacteria are also used as tools for combating soil salinity.
I pointed out to the professor that the salinity of farm field soil in Pakistan was now in the range of one to two per cent. He was of the opinion that it had to be first brought down to below 0.8 per cent for creating conducive conditions for the growth of both crop plants and mycorrhizas. This could be done by physio-chemical means (treatment of topsoil with excessive sweet water to be leached out and then added with gypsum) before the incorporation of mycorrhiza and/or bacteria in soil.
He further pointed out that marshy plants and grasses grow in brackish water but crop plants cannot. I have successfully employed mycorrhizal biotechnology in soil affected with salinity (below 0.8 per cent) for growing plants in Pakistan. I am interested in knowing about any technology other than irradiation which I could try in the farm field soil of south Pakistan.
The physico-chemical and climate conditions vary in different agricultural zones of Pakistan, hence the necessity of enlightenment on the reclamation of wasteland. The arid to semi-arid condition of farm lands in Sindh requires to be improved.
DR M JALALUDDIN
Professor of Agriculture,
University of Karachi
Even if I was upset by the publication of those infamous cartoons, I am now more alarmed by the MMA’s lack of concern for public safety, property and progress. I may have been offended as a Muslim but now I am embarrassed to be a Pakistani. Such strikes and protests will achieve nothing and win the MMA little sympathy.
The fact of the matter is that if the West misunderstands or misconceives us, then it is our fault. I write now as a schoolteacher. Some teachers do more than just instruct. They try to foster hope and Pakistani pride in children.
We keep urging them to live and work in this country; we keep trying to convince them that it does have its rewards. All I ask of the MMA is that it should stop sabotaging our efforts and the future of our youth by closing our schools. Children cannot take education seriously when the leaders of their country do not.
The MMA’s strikes take away precious teaching days. Teachers who want to be thorough and conscientious are few enough already. The MMA should hold its protests in dark caves.
TANYA MIRZA
Karachi
LIFE’s most difficult problems have sometimes the most simplest and easiest of solutions. Environmental pollution caused by exhaust fumes of diesel vehicles are the scourge of pedestrians, roadside vendors and shopkeepers.
We all witness exhaust blowing nearly six to 10 feet away from the sides of buses onto the faces of pedestrians using the roads and people in shops and exposed vehicles like motorcycles and rickshaws. Dust raised from the ground adds to the Misery.
Is there a solution to this problem that can be easily implemented and is cost-effective as well? Where buses are concerned, what There should always be a solution but it may never have revealed itself to us.
What if we just turn the exhaust pipe to the front of the vehicle and bring it up to open two feet above the roofs? That way the exhaust would be led up to be dispersed 10-12 feet above the ground level instead of blowing on to the faces of the people on the ground.
There are people out there who may in some way be able to influence the decisions leading to better environment protection. Let them have their say on this. More important let us, the commoners, raise our voice and make a change for the better.
DR M. RAFIQUE GOODA
Karachi
BRITISH historian David Irving has been given a three-year sentence in Austria for denying the Holocaust some 17 years ago. He had claimed that the gas chambers were a hoax and denied that millions of Jews were killed. Austria is one of 11 countries that have laws against Holocaust denial. The others are Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland.
In the same week, we have witnessed demonstrations all across the world against the blasphemous cartoons published in a Danish newspaper. It is becoming all too apparent that free speech is a luxury granted to a few in the West.
The reality is that absolute freedom does not exist anywhere in the world. It is a myth. In every land, there are laws in place protecting certain core beliefs, and ensuring against slander and libel.
It is a well-documented fact that during the Spanish Inquisition, when the Jews were at risk of losing their lives, they fled to the Ottoman state under which they were given protection. Islam does not guarantee absolute freedom of expression; rather it guarantees every citizen’s rights, whether Muslim or non-Muslim.
Under Islamic law, even non-Muslims are protected in person and their beliefs cannot be ridiculed. There is dialogue and debate but in a civilized atmosphere, unlike what we see in Europe today.
Inconsistencies are being exposed in the secular, man-made systems of the West. These events should be eye-openers for those who have chosen man-made laws over Islam. It is only by returning to the Islamic way of life that we can ensure the protection of all people and of their beliefs.
SABAA J. ALI
Reading, UK
WHILE watching PTV recently I heard a pathetic observation by an owner of a kinno orchard that the price of kinno has halved this season as compared to the previous year’s and still no buyer is forthcoming.
My advice to kinno farmers is that your product should be of international standards as in Europe, North America and Japan a seedleess orange is preferred.
Kinno farm owners need to seek advice of agricultural research institutes on how to produce seedless orange or kinno which have a vast market abroad. Likewise, bananas in Pakistan are of a tiny size whereas Thailand with identical climate produces good size bananas. If we can produce seedless oranges, we can earn a large amount of foreign exchange.
M. SALIM AKBAR
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