| April 6, 2006 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1427 |
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Lyari Expressway
Extension a bane or boon?
Polluting tanneries
Indian visas
Karachi plot
Power tariff for IPPs
Road or showroom?
‘India’s apprehensions’
‘Food for thought’
Sale of assets
Mall jam
Multinational profits
Religion and state
National interest
THIS refers to Prof Khalid Hassan Mahmood’s letter “Developing democracy” (March 31), in which he suggests that to safeguard the future of democracy all parties and politicians should come up with reasonable proposals and create an atmosphere of mutual trust for holding the next elections.
This looks simplistic. We should address the core of the problem affecting the growth of a democratic culture. The major dilemma is rooted in democracy’s conceptualisation. In Pakistan, democracy means different things to different people.
We have three concepts of democracy prevalent in Pakistan. The first is peddled by the military — a combination of military as patron, political parties as clients and the masses nothing more than mere voters. This concept of khaki democracy was first introduced by Ayub Khan under the guise of Basic Democracy.
Now this concept, in recycled form, is being reinforced by Gen Musharraf who, in an interview with the CNN recently, clearly mocked at western democracy and maintained that Pakistan had got its own culture and environment where western democracy could not work.
A problem with this kind of democracy is that it creates polarisation and exclusion and, finally, political instability, constitutional crises and institutional decay, which we are witnessing nowadays.
The second is the elitist concept of democracy wherein civil society and the bourgeoisie play a crucial role. Mr Z. A. Bhutto had a good chance to make this succeed by integrating the rural masses and the urban bourgeoisie.
But his nationalisation programme alienated the bourgeoisie and created a rural-urban divide and finally urban bias. The main opposition to Bhutto’s rule came from the urban bourgeoisie that ultimately led to his downfall in 1977.
To counter the PPP after Mr Bhutto’s hanging, Gen Ziaul Haq created his own constituency consisting of the bourgeoisie, mullahs and nationalists whose popularity was ethno-centric. This served as a severe blow to the growth of a genuine democratic culture.
The third and final concept is people-centred or people’s democracy. This concept has yet to take roots in Pakistan where intrigues and conspiracies hatched by the military-civil bureaucracy in collusion with the elite is the norm of the day. Yet the day has to dawn when people will be the ultimate sovereign of Pakistan.
Real democracy is one which empowers and integrates the marginalised people into mainstream political, social and economic activity. To say that just by developing a consensus amongst political parties true democracy will be ushered in is a pipe-dream.
Civil society has to mobilise itself to capture the political space created by dictatorial rule in the form of deprivation, despondency, marginalisation and disempowerment of the masses.
MANZOOR ALI ISRAN
Shah Abdul Latif University
Khairpur
THIS is with reference to Zubeida Mustafa’s recent series of articles on the Lyari Expressway.
I am one of the victims of the Expressway project. My parents were uprooted from India and migrated to Karachi in 1950. In 1960 our father bought a plot of 240 square yards near the Love Lane Bridge close to Lyari River. Then we built two houses there. We had all legal connections of electricity, gas and water supply. Even we had lease documents and all other property documents. On July 10, 2002 the city government demolished both our houses along with other houses of the area for the Lyari Expressway project.
We did not receive any notice before demolition. A boy was killed by bulldozers and many other people were injured. This was the second time we lost our life’s savings. After a six-month-long struggle (running from one office to another office), I got a plot and compensation money. But city government officials refused to give my brother a plot or compensation money though his name was on the list. He finally gave up after running from one office to another for over two years.
As the Hawkesbay resettlement area was at a distance from our present workplace, we decided not to go there. We rented a house for Rs2,000 a month in the same area. As the house was small, my brother had no option but to shift his family to New Karachi with his in-laws. Both the families had been living together for ages but now we hardly have any contact
The most important thing which I would like to bring to society’s notice is that I have been constantly receiving threats from some influential persons who want to buy my plot in Hawkesbay at a throwaway price. According to them, if I do not sell my plot, the authorities will cancel my allotment on account of non-construction. Where should I look for justice?
M. AKRAM
Karachi
EMPLOYMENT on contract or allowing extension to existing staff after superannuation has always been a part of the government’s employment policy. The purpose behind this policy is to utilise the services of people specialising in a particular subject (not readily available within the department) for a specific period. It is in the best interest of an organisation that this power should be used discreetly and sparingly.
The present regime has, however, been so munificent in allowing special treatment that now most of senior bureaucrats attaining superannuation have been either bestowed with contractual employment or are being allowed extension after extension without satisfying the accepted procedures. The liberal use of this policy has closed the doors of promotion for many and impeded fresh recruitment. It has also created a class of sycophants in the services prepared to follow all types of instructions in order to gain favour.
As a result of this, in Sindh alone more than 20 officers in seniormost scale await postings while positions are being held by contractual or superannuated employees or juniors who because of their political influence have managed postings in their own pay and scales.
It is time that at an establishment level decision was made to give extensions in service to only those officers who are found really indispensable for the functioning of department.
DR ALI AKBAR M. DHAKAN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to your editorial ‘Polluting tanneries’ (March 28) in which it is rightly proposed that the EPA, Sindh and Punjab, should take stern action against polluting tanneries.
One wonders how the Sindh EPA can take action against any polluter when its head office in Karachi is devoid of technically qualified officers. From top to bottom, from the director-general to the lowest officer, all are technically non-qualified and do not know even the ABC of environment.
The director-general is a post-graduate in arts subjects whereas the required qualification for the post is MS in environmental engineering plus 10 years’ relevant experience or PhD in environmental engineering if the incumbent is a fresh candidate. The situation runs down the lane.
Interestingly, the Sindh EPA does have two qualified officers who are both MEs in environmental engineering, but both are working in the EPA regional office at Hyderabad.
Two ex-deputy directors, MS in environmental engineering, were compelled to resign because of political meddling in their working.
The above status should be an eye-opener for all who have a modicum of sympathy with the deteriorating environment in Sindh province.
SHAZIA LUTFI
Karachi
I FULLY endorse the views expressed by Mr Pranav Sachdeva (April 1). He has urged both India and Pakistan to liberalise their visa policy. I would like to cite my own example to illustrate the narrow-mindedness of both countries.
My family migrated to Pakistan in 1950 when I was about ten years old. After my primary and secondary education, I joined the army in 1959 and served in it until I asked for voluntary retirement in 1978.
Some years ago, after reaching the age of 66, I wanted to visit my birth place Allahabad in UP, India. I therefore applied for a visa and sent my application to the Indian high commission providing all the relevant details including my army service.
After a long delay, my visa application was returned with the remark application incomplete”. There were no details as to where the application was incomplete. It was obvious that they turned down my application due to my service in the Pakistan Army, which ended 28 years ago.
Germany and France fought two world wars, but now I believe visas are not required for travel between the two countries since they are both in the EU. All the talk of confidence building measures between India and Pakistan has no meaning if concrete steps are not taken to ease these meaningless restrictions.
Lt Col (r) HASAN A. GHAFOOR
Karachi
THE Karachi Export Processing Zones Authority owns a plot of land of about 2,000 square yards in Block 3, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Karachi. Adjacent to it, there is an unnumbered, unallotted plot of about 400 square yards whose present market value is about Rs10m. For several months, it remained illegally occupied by the owners of the adjoining residential plots.
The illegal structure erected by encroachers was demolished and the encroachment removed by the KDA in the first week of March.
Then, within a few days, the people who had removed the encroachment occupied the plot themselves and erected a boundary wall and built a shop in an area which is purely residential. Will the city district government have the illegal occupation investigated and the encroachment cleared?
A RESIDENT
Karachi
THE recent confirmation by Nepra of reviving (partially) the 1994 power policy is frightening for all those who would like to see lower power tariffs for industrial growth (Dawn, March 22). It is not understood why attempts are being made to change a recent decision by the ECC so quickly: it was only in December 2005 that a correct decision was at last taken to only allow gas only to (efficient) combined cycle power stations.
Again, vested interests are taking over and the same wrong policy of allowing gas to ‘reciprocating engine technology’ is being proposed. How can we allow inefficient (44 per cent) power plants when the ECC has already issued orders to provide gas to combined cycle power stations only which are at least 30 per cent more efficient than the proposed reciprocating engines?
As the process of privatisation has already started and good work initiated by the KESC, why should Nepra start this confusion about types of power plants and fuels?
Standby fuel should be changed to LPG (for two to three months’ use, depending on gas supply) and no use of diesel or RFO (both with high sulphur contents) should be advocated. Both these fuels are very expensive and more so highly polluting, specially in the case of power plants near population centres or agricultural lands. The advantage of natural gas and LPG as fuel would also result in much lower capital costs for combined cycle power stations as gas turbines for clean fuels are both less expensive and with higher power production availability. Lower tariffs can then be negotiated for such plants with proposed fuels.
AINUL ABEDIN
Karachi
DO you call it a road? Khalid bin Walid Road was once a normal road, carrying a heavy load of traffic between Shahrah-i-Quaideen and Aga Khan Hospital Road.
For the last six months, it has ceased to be a road. From Shaheed-i-Millat onwards, the left half of it has been closed, while the remaining portion between Quaideen and Shaheed-i-Millat has been turned into one big car showroom.
Footpaths on this road had been usurped by showroom owners long ago. Now cars for sale are parked double and three abreast, thus denying 50 per cent of the road to traffic.
Besides, buyers like to test vehicles, so cars and four-wheelers reverse and move in and out of the footpath-turned-showrooms, thus holding up traffic.
The showroom owners are minting money at citizens' expense by turning public property into commercial property free of charge.
If the city government cannot clear up the footpaths and the usurped road space, the least it can do is to tax the showroom owners heavily so that at least the city government gets money for public works.
At the moment, Khalid bin Walid Road is one big car showroom.
CITIZEN
Karachi
DR Mubashir Hasan says (March 27) that India being a land of plenty was coveted by people of barren areas and the toughs of the mountains and is therefore cautious about its security. Pakistan faced militants from the north and repulsed the Soviets.
Future adventurers will have to be resisted here before they enter India. Therefore, relations between India and Pakistan should be like the US with Canada.
This is possible if Mr Nehru’s pledge at the United Nations is fulfilled. India annexed by force Muslim princely states as their subjects were predominantly Hindu but this principle was forgotten in respect of Kashmir.
Forty-three per cent of the population of India now consists of Muslims, Buddhists, Parsis and Sikhs, etc. Hence, Hindutva and Akhand Bharat are impracticable.
Wisdom and statesmanship demand only amicable and just solutions to the problems between us.
W.H. ANSARI
Karachi
THIS is in response to Ms. Sidra Tauseef Ali’s letter “Food for thought” (April 1). I appreciate the fact that she has brought this social issue to light. I would add that in the West, television programmes containing nudity face stringent restrictions as regards timings and warnings to prevent children from viewing them.
Why is it that in our society, where modesty is cherished much more, private businesses have been given a free hand to show whatever they choose?
A code of conduct should be devised and implemented if we want our future generations to maintain our values.
FAHAD SIDDIQUI
Australia
I JUST read about the sale of the Pakistan Steel Mill (April 1). The news took me by surprise. In the past UBL, MCB, Habib Bank Limited and Pak-Arab Fertilizers have been sold. Why is the government selling such institutions?
These institutions have been top profit-grossing governmental institutions. So there seems to be no reason for their sale.
The sales may even prove dangerous as it is pretty evident that the economy of Pakistan will end up in foreign hands in the future. Foreign owners will then be in a position to blackmail the government.
I think the government should stop selling Pakistan’s economy to foreign countries and instead take Pakistan’s best interests into consideration.
SALMAN LATIF
Multan
THERE is a traffic jam around Karachi’s Millennium shopping mall daily between six and 10 pm. The reason for the congestion is the wrong entry and exit points of the mall. When the mall was designed, entry was supposed to be from Stadium Road and the exit was on Rashid Minhas Road. Now for some strange reason the entry and exit points have been swapped and this causes havoc.
M. S. USMANI
Karachi
ACCORDING to a news item (March 25), multinational firms in Pakistan are doing a roaring business. Among them, pharmaceutical firms with overseas patents stand out as a shining example.
The report names a multinational pharmaceutical company that has earned 112 per cent growth in profit after tax for the year 2005. The company has made more money in one year than its investment in paid-up capital and all that is repatriable.
In Pakistan multinational pharmaceutical companies are known, in cartel, to charge high prices for their products (medicines). Such a high-profit margin is beyond reasonable limit and tantamount to fleecing of consumers.
The government in a bid to attract foreign investment has allowed several incentives but has omitted to regulate pricing/profit limits. Nevertheless, pharmaceutical manufacturers have a moral obligation towards their consumers, and should charge reasonably.
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
REGARDING Muhammad A. B.’s letter ‘State legislation and religion (April 1),’ while I agree that religion is a personal matter, it must be realized that religious parties also need to be included in the system since they represent a certain ideological point of view.
It is in the interest of human rights and effective governance to include everyone in the system. As much as I despise the idea of religious compulsion, I believe that we cannot ignore some members of our society because their ideas differ from our own. So let the religious parties operate as other political parties.
Also, why do we look at the American or the British constitution? Some things are definitely different in Pakistan and copy pasting the First Amendment will not suffice. The First Amendment came about after years of political experience. In Pakistan we should try to see what works for us and use that instead.
SILAL SHAFQAT
Mass., USA
I RECENTLY had the opportunity to watch the Hollywood movie Born on the Fourth Of July. The film is about the US military intervention in Vietnam and its effects on the American psyche.
The strength of western democracy is that the media can highlight their country’s sensitive issues without any government pressure.
Here in Pakistan, although it has been almost 35 years since the fall of Dhaka, we have not seen a single film made on that tragedy. I guess this is so because it is against our so-called national interest.
ZULFIQAR GUL
Swat
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