| February 26, 2006 | Sunday | Muharram 27, 1427 |
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Consulate in Karachi
Afghan demand
Logistics corridor
Electricity failure
No longer needed?
Islam and women
Cartoon controversy
PIA security handling
Innocence lost
Wali Khan
Matriculation exams
Sugar crisis
THIS has reference to the articles (Feb 8) “Iran, the crisis worsens” by Najmuddin A. Shaikh, and “Creating hope for education” by Zubeida Mustafa . Though dealing with two different areas of interest, the articles ask us to be on guard of western imperialist games in the garb of “market economy” and “globalization”, etc., aimed at subjugating the peoples of the Middle East, including Iran, and South Asia, including Afghanistan, victims.
In the first case, the International Atomic Energy Agency has been made to approve a resolution to report Iran’s nuclear programmes to the UN Security Council, and this “in the face of strong opposition from the agency’s Director-General ElBradei” who argued that the proper time for “reporting” or “referring” the Iran dossier to the UN Security Council was after the scheduled March 6 meeting of the IAEA” at which he, the director-general, was to have presented his final report on Iran.
Besides, there were enough “findings at hand, responsible for the assessment by western agencies that Iran was a decade away from acquiring nuclear weapon capability,” and “there was no reason why, if a solution was being sought, a more patient approach could not have been adopted.”
In the second case, that of “Education in Pakistan”, why and how is it that “the government, whose responsibility it is to ensure universal primary education, has virtually abdicated its role” and specially when “the question is not just to reach out to the children but the real issue to be addressed is attaining quality education, fostering learning and sharing experience”. And since it all needs political will, the powers that be ought to exercise and expend that by welcoming their own involvement in the field.
“To provide education to each and every child,” yes, “Education for all”, yes, and “The millennium development goal that seeks to have every child enrolled in schools by the year 2015”, also yes. But for it all, is it enough that the South Asia Forum for Education Development (SAFED) and the donors corporate sectors should be entrusted with the responsibility? They are, after all, known “for their propensity to guide projects in the directions they want to take them in.”
Would they all individually or severally be supportive of creating awareness among the peasants and the workers, say, in Sindh? would they want social justice, human rights, and labour rights, children’s right and women’s rights? And in what medium — the mother tongue or English or Urdu, or all the three together?
Is it literacy-cum-education at the primary level that is to be promoted or is it Anglicisation with a vengeance or Urduisation that is to be foisted on them?
MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM JOYO
Hyderabad
IN response to the letter “Pakistan consulate in Bombay” by Mr Liaquat H. Merchant (Feb 21), I would like to add a few lines. Mr Merchant suggests that to avoid crowding by visa-seekers in Mumbai a courier service should be used for receiving applications and sending back visas.
Inquiry from a courier service in Karachi which specializes in visa facilities for the UK and India reveals that it would take three visits to its office for registering applicants’ names then receiving applications with passports and finally collecting the passports — all of which may take one month or 45 days. Time is money. Must one lose so much time in waiting? Not opening consulates in Mumbai and Karachi before the reopening of Khokrapar-Monabao train service was unwise. At present people have to go to New Delhi or Islamabad for visas which is as good a hassle now as it was before the reopening of the Sindh-Rajhastan border.
I suggest that the proposal of the former foreign and finance minister of India, Mr Jaswant Singh, that so long as a proper building in not available, a camp office should be set up by the Indian high commission in Karachi for issuance of visas. It will be a good idea if the Pakistan high commission can do the same in Mumbai.
REHANA NAQVI
Karachi
THE Afghan government’s demand (Dawn, Feb 23) that Pakistan should stop naming its nuclear-capable missiles after their heroes should be taken seriously by the government.
After all, Mahmud Ghaznavi, who had invaded our soil in the 11th century, Mohammad Ghauri, who had established Afghan rule in northern India in the 12th century, and 18th-century Pakhtun king Ahmad Shah Abdali, who led several incursions into India, were Afghan citizens. They had earned a lot of glory for their country by conquering our territories.
But more than that we must correct our history in which these invaders are seen as heroes and defenders of the faith. Pakistan’s nuclear hero Dr Qadeer Khan had spent millions of rupees (enough to construct several dozen schools) on repairing of Mohammed Ghauri’s grave in Pakistan. The Afghan government never thanked us for that act.
The Afghan demand is enough to underscore our ruling elite’s predilection for Central Asian and Middle Eastern history and distaste of their own past.
Their distaste for this soil’s past and thinking of decorating invaders is evident.
It was this policy under which the rulers disassociated themselves from the rich past of the country which inherited the Indus Valley civilization. They started tracing their roots to the Middle East and Central Asia. It is time to re-write history and see what is the best in our own soil and people.
MANZOOR CHANDIO
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the news item “National logistics corridor planned” (Jan 25). According to the plan, $5 to S6 billion will be spent on construction of the corridor from Karachi to Peshawar.
Instead of spending billions on roads, the rail network should be expanded and made a dual-carriage way from Karachi to Peshawar on a priority basis, thereby shifting the load of goods transport from road to rail which is controlled mainly by private logistics companies and the transport/truck mafia.
The Pakistan Railway also needs to acquire more freight coaches besides improvement in the existing track and overhauling of the signalling system. This will result in fewer accidents, cleaner environment, handsome profits for railways, lower maintenance cost of highways and, above all, savings in billions on fuel imports which rose by 62 per cent for July to December 2005 as compared to the same period in 2004.
TAHIR MAQBUL ZUBERI
Karachi
Last Thursday, electricity in our area (Block 4-A, Gulshan-i-Iqbal) went away at 4.45 pm to return at 9.05 pm. This area has been the victim of the KESC’s inefficiency for a more than a decade.
I return home usually in the evening and find the whole city well lit. But the moment I enter my area — Block 4 and 4-A — I find it enveloped in darkness.
I had hoped that, with the change in management, things would improve. But I regret to say there is no sign yet of this happening. Mind you this is only February. I wonder what things will be like in May and June.
Privatization should not merely mean the government getting sale money; it should also mean relief for consumers. Will the German MD, of whose efficiency we have heard so much, kindly pay attention to this area?
M. AZIZ KHAN
Karachi
DURING the time when our country is desperately looking for qualified persons, especially in the field of engineering and technology, this is my story: a PhD in electrical engineering from George Mason University, USA, who couldn’t get an opportunity to contribute and was thrown out by the NED University. I had joined the electronics department of the university as associate professor (ad hoc) in January last year.
Teachers in NED are required to sign in and sign out every day. The official timings are from 8.30am to 3.30pm, even though the university is not concerned with what they do with their time while on the campus.
Misuse of academic relaxations by teachers is usually stated as the reason behind the inflexible rules and regulations. But two important points shouldn’t be missed: (1) there is a cost of imposing strict rules: independent thought cannot be developed, limiting the performance capacity of individuals, and (2) there must also be some rules to stop the misuse of this extra authority by the administration.
In March 2005 the university arranged a training workshop for “effective teaching practice”. The workshop was mandatory for all fresh faculty members. The first session of the workshop was about communication skills where mostly we were asked to classify different situations of communication.
An interesting example was about a person talking to the clouds or his car which was classified as a one-way communication scenario. The workshop provided little benefit besides offering opportunities for socializing. I didn’t attend the second session and received a call for explanation. I explained in my reply that any training session or workshop that couldn’t inspire a participant would also not provide any benefit to the institution even if all teachers were compelled to attend it.
I was asked to appear before the dean of electrical and computer engineering. The dean related his and the chairman’s dissatisfaction over my behaviour regarding the attendance rule and the workshop. I was also called by the vice-chancellor and he told me that whether I liked it or not, whatever they wanted would happen and there was no room for discussion.
In short, my contract was extended to three months in June 2005 instead of the usual practice of six months and then in late September, when the teaching session ended and the university no longer needed my services, I was sent back home, even though. I had followed all the rules in the meantime. Having an independent opinion and voicing seems unacceptable to those who are shaping the minds of tomorrow.
ZAINAB RAZIA ZAIDI
Karachi
“WOMEN are not given the right to instigate divorce because they are prone to emotional and irrational decision-making. A husband, however, can divorce his wife at any time he so wishes.” — Ayatollah Ali Moghtadai (www.homa.org).
With all due respect, after reading the Ayatollah’s comment, I could not help but wonder at how an Islamic leader could come up with such a statement regarding women. But what was more frustrating was the fact, that even though Islam exerts its influence over every aspect of a Muslim’s life, from diet to his lifestyle, it has failed to eradicate injustices to half of its women followers.
Imagine a country where a woman who is raped must produce four witnesses to the crime or else be locked up in jail as an adulteress.
Worse still, imagine a country where a woman is locked up in jail to be raped. No, this is not just Pakistan I am talking about; this is any given country in almost all the Muslim world. Be it Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan , Afghanistan or Egypt or Iran — we Muslims have failed in virtually everything. But if there is one thing we have succeeded in, it is distorting the image of women in society.
Afghanistan has, perhaps, contributed most in damaging the soft image of Islam, with the Taliban playing havoc with women’s rights after the Russians withdrew from the country after years of occupation. The Taliban then sought to eradicate any advances women had made during the Russian reign. Women were not allowed to attend school or work; worse still, they were denied medical care since they could not be examined by male doctors. Some women had found a means of income by baking bread. When the Taliban found out, they repatedly burned them alive in their own ovens.
Other Muslim counties are not far behind in distorting the Islamic female role. Incidents violating the basic right of freedom and integrity of women that crop up every now and then expose the lack of efforts being made by the governments of Muslim states.
Violence against women, is on the rise in Egypt. Kidnapping, sexual assault, domestic battery against women are becoming commonplace even as Egypt claims to have transformed itself into a liberal Muslim country. An Egyptian press report recently revealed that there were 300 cases of violence against women in just the first six months of 2005.
Islam has probably given much more freedom, dignity, honour and respect to women in society than any other religion. It is how the people, the scholars and governments of Muslim states have twisted Islamic teachings to disfigure the role, prerogatives and image of a woman in society that is disturbing.
FSEEHA RAZVI
Wah Cantt
ISLAM is a religion of peace and holds prophets of all the other religions in equal esteem. The western media has shut its eyes to the west’s own acts of terrorism in some Muslim countries, and makes no effort to stop that.
The best way is to keep our protests peaceful. we should not attack the minorities or destroy our own property.
Secondly, oil-producing Muslim countries should review their trade policies and cut oil supplies to western countries trying to justify their wrongdoing. Muslim countries should also ‘boycott the consumer goods of the countries that are involved in the cartoon controversy.
If need be, a protest may also be lodged with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, for redressal of the grave wrong done to Islam the blasphemous cartoons.
M. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
I WOULD like to draw the attention of the PIA management to an incident which took place at the gate of the PIA head office, Karachi, on February 22 at about 1715. I was waiting to meet a friend outside the PIA gate known as the utility store.
A young person hardly 18-20 years talked to a PIA security man who then suddenly caught the young man by his neck. He called other security men and about three/four security persons dragged him to a nearby security room, saying that the young man had “abused” a PIA security man in uniform.
The young man was not known to me. Nor do I know whether he “abused” the security man but what I did see was PIA security men mishandling a person publicly, abusing him, beating and dragging him away. Even on being mishandled by security persons, he was quiet.
May I ask if there is any difference between common policeman and PIA security staff?
AN EYEWITNESS
Islamabad
THIS has reference to a news report (Feb 22) on the rape of a two-and-a-half year old girl in Jhang. Another daughter has become a victim of brutality. Many people may have read the news just like any other bit of news but I’ve been living each moment in pain since reading the news.
Those hands which were expected give the child toys, have left such incurable scars on her body and soul which she will never be able to forget. How will she regain the confidence to move forward in this male dominated society? And what should she expect from the people of this so-called Islamic country who have ruined her life?
MISBAH AZMAT
Rawalpindi
WITH the demise of Khan Abdul Wali Khan the nation has lost not just a politician but a whole political era has come to an end. He belonged to the class of politicians who believed in principles, peaceful struggle and rule of law. Throughout his long political career he never changed sides or compromised his ideas. He inherited the political legacy of Bacha Khan (who should best be remembered as a reformer and freedom fighter). It is to Wali Khan's credit that while adhering to that somewhat controversial legacy, he adjusted his political direction in the aftermath of independence.
He played a significant role in the politics of Pakistan. It will be unfair to refer to him simply as a regional or Pukhtoon leader. He stood with Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah against Ayub Khan and collaborated with all political forces, including his arch rivals, for the cause of democracy and in the interest of Pakistan.
He was one of the founding fathers of the 1973 Constitution and remained leader of the opposition in the first elected National Assembly. Siding with Miss Jinnah points to the fact that he had no personal differences with the Quaid-i-Azam. Yet he was often called and treated as a traitor.
In retrospect his views on and assessment of the Afghan wars reflect his political foresight and vision. It is unfortunate that we have not benefited from the sincerity and wisdom of leaders like Wali Khan.
PROF MOHAMMAD ISHAQ
Karachi
I TAKE the opportunity to draw the attention of the authority concerned to the fact this year’s matriculation candidates are facing mcuh anxcity as only 60 to 65 per cent of their courses have been covered so far. It appears difficult that the remaining 35 to 40 per cent course can be covered in the one- and-a-half months left for the examinations. It is suggested that the matriculation eamination this year should be postponed for two months.
M.A. HUDA
Karachi
SUGAR is retailing between Rs40 to Rs45 per kg. The government should encourage our farmers to utilize modern technology to optimse production. It should not allow the export of sugar when on our country faces a shortfall which forces it to import from other countries.
I read in an article on sugarcane farmers that then condition remains unchanged while sugar mills owners have become richer day by day. I’m sorry to say that our government failed to introduce fair prices and forced all concerned to sell at government approved rates which I never seen enforced yet.
ASHFAQ SHARIF
Karachi
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