| April 19, 2006 | Wednesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 20, 1427 |
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Newsworthy
Karachi expos
Tuition at private schools
Violence in Iraq
Sarabjit Singh
‘Setting the course right’
Juvenile delinquents
Selling Steel Mills
Hockey neglected
‘Writ of govt’
August 14
‘Bill payment through Nadra’
Stampede at mosque
PAF’s code on beards
Condition of prisons
THIS is to bring to your notice my mother’s grievance with Nadra. She is over sixty years old and when the government announced computerised national identity card (CNIC) she was one of the few who applied immediately. But after one year of painful wait and running here to there she did not get her new card. She again applied for a CNIC and this time was lucky as she got it delivered at home.
What we never knew was that the first time her CNIC was issued but it never got to her and was returned to Islamabad. This we came to know when recently we applied for a new passport at the Saddar branch office. She is old and a heart patient and still she had to stand in a long queue for paying the fee. By the time she finally reached the counter she was informed that her data showed that Nadra had recommended to them not to issue her a passport as she had dual CNIC numbers.
This could have been detected by the Nadra system when she was re-applying, unaware that she had already been issued a CNIC which was never delivered. This speaks of the inefficiency of the costly software and of Nadra’s untrained staff. We rushed to the Nadra office at the Awami Markaz from Saddar where they checked the records and told us that the first CNIC was never cancelled. We rushed from one office to the other for no mistake of ours. They asked to submit an affidavit for the cancellation of the undelivered CNIC.
It has now been a whole month since we submitted the affidavit but till now the old CNIC number has not been cancelled. Every time we call the Nadra office they tell us to wait another week. God knows how many months it will take them to amend the mistake they have done. She has to travel abroad on an urgent basis but she can’t get a passport till the data is cleared by Nadra. Is there anyone responsible in who will resolve this issue of a senior citizen who is suffering for no fault of her own?
SAMINA
Karachi
THERE was a brief news item in a Lahore-based Urdu daily a few weeks ago to the effect that the army had demanded an increase in the defence budget to the tune of Rs61 billion over and above the amount already allocated and that the committee concerned of the National Assembly had sanctioned the sum.
None of Dawn’s journalists or column writers seems to have taken notice of this rather appalling piece of news or I am sure we would have been regaled with one or two articles on the subject. There has also been a piece of news that construction work on a new GHQ building, costing a staggering Rs500 billion, has already begun or is about to be taken in hand on thousands of acres in Islamabad. We have also come to know that a deal for the purchase of expensive F-16 fighter planes has been finalised with the US. The number and the price of the ‘toys’ have not been revealed so far. The number of schools, colleges and hospitals that could have been set up with the colossal sums involved cannot be counted. What purpose does the nuclear deterrent, which also cost the poor nation countless billions, serves if we have to go on spending huge amounts on building stockpiles of conventional weapons?
However, the point is that if 30,000 atom bombs could not save the mighty Soviet Union, do we think our military hardware purchased with the sweat and toil of our people will be a safeguard against a collapse brought about by wrong policies? It is time to seize with both hands the opportunity offered by India for a peace and security treaty, failing which history will pass us by. It is a big test for President Musharraf’s acumen, statesmanship and his love for Pakistan.
JAVED AKRAM
Lahore
KARACHI is in a grip of all kinds of ‘expos’ these days. The events taking place are no doubt welcome and do well to project the country’s image. Interestingly, there is an encouraging response from locals and foreigners alike as all these events are very well attended. I have a few observations which if implemented will help improve the overall impact of these exhibitions. The banners, buntings and posters are made and placed in a very unprofessional way. Driving down from the airport, foreign participants should be impressed by the welcome they are accorded. Banners under the windy conditions do whatever else but they do not convey what is written on them. Flags are displayed on tiny bamboo sticks whereas a permanent arrangement should be made on those specific roads which are frequently used during these events. Electric poles along the roads should have a permanent solution by way of metal rods attached to them.
The huge parking area at the Expo Centre should be cemented and parking spots marked to facilitate visitors. The haphazard arrangement creates a very poor impression. There needs to be better arrangement for drinking water and washrooms. Outsourcing drinks and eatables is not good enough besides such a setup is not suitable or affordable for some.
Finally, permanent security gates should be installed for both cars and pedestrians; hand search or the car search procedure which is currently employed is time-consuming and creates a bottleneck. A lot of precious time is wasted due to this besides creating confusion at the entrance.
ARIF MAJEED
Karachi
THE government has made education up to matriculation free in order to increase the literacy rate. But there are very few quality government schools and students have to approach private school to get quality education. This situation is very common in big cities. School owners are aware of the situation and they do what is best for them.
This year the Punjab education board has delayed the matriculation exams and this has become a source of more income for the owners of private schools. Matric exams will start in the first week of May and the school administrations are compelling the students to pay the fees for the month of May even though they will not be attending the school.
There are many schools in Lahore which are threatening the students that if they don’t pay their fees their roll number slips will not be issued by the school. I request the authorities concerned to take action against such schools which have made the noble profession only a source of income.
ZUBAIR AHMAD
Lahore
SO much has been published in newspapers about private schools collecting fees in advance for the months of June and July when they are closed for summer vacation.
My three daughters study in a private school in Clifton and, like last year, the school is again charging four tuition fees in advance. In my daughters’ case this amounts to a total of Rs50,000. I have had to use my credit card to pay the extra charges, after all what else could I do? The school had said that it would not issue O level admit cards if full fees were not paid. Is there no one in the ministry of education to look into the affairs of these schools?
RIAZ A. QURESHI
Karachi
This is regarding the letter ‘Violence in Iraq’ (April 14). First of all, I want to ask for proof that these bomb blasts are being committed by jihadi organisations. If the proof is based on stories in the western media then I am sorry to say that it is not a valid one.
For example, when people were killed at Imam Kazim’s mosque Sunnis were the first to help their Shia brothers. The western media declared it a suicide attack by a Sunni but on the other side it was Al-Obedi, a Sunni student who helped to save eight Shias at the venue, who was declared a hero.
In another incident two men from UK’s MI5 with a car full of destructive material were apprehended by police and the local people near a Shia celebration of Shab-i-Barat.
The men people were dressed like Arabs and even had beards. They were locked up in a police station until UK commandoes released them. The incident was disclosed by a high-ranking member of Iraqi parliament. The US and its allies are clearly trying to create sectarian tension among Muslims to implement their ‘divide and conquer’ strategy.
FAHAD FAZAL ELAHI
Islamabad
PAKISTAN is one of the relatively developed Islamic countries; however, I really feel that Pakistan is not doing anything to bring peace and stability by lendeing a hand to Iraq.
While many in Pakistan are concerned about Muslims in India — and sometimes I read material which is absolutely untrue of how Muslims are being treated in India — what is Pakistan doing about Iraq where thousands of people have died in the last couple of years?
R S. KAUSHIK
Bangalore, India
A Pakistani court has found Sarabjit Singh guilty and sentenced him to death for carrying out bomb blasts in Pakistan and killing several innocent people. It is also learnt that during his trial, he was denied legal counsel for his defence. If that is true, his conviction is arbitrary and unlawful. In a civilised society, if an accused is unable to afford an attorney, it is the duty of the court to provide him one.
The fact, as per the accused, is he was drunk and strayed into Pakistan inadvertently. Sarabjit Singh is not an Indian spy nor did he have a motive to kill innocent people.
SUBHASH C. CHAUDHRY
Indianapolis, USA
SHAHID Javed Burki is right on target in his latest article “Setting the course right” (April 18) when he says that the increasing inequality in income might cause trouble for the government. Income inequality is already creating problems for the mighty Communist Party in China. According to its statistics, there were around 87,000 protests last year, rising from 74,000 a year earlier. No wonder the Hu Jintao government has also included “equitable growth” as one of the points on its national agenda.
Things don’t seem much different in Pakistan. But Mr Burki failed to highlight one of the major causes of the rising inequality. That is the rising defence budget. Each year the government spends more on defence than what is actually earmarked in the budget. This year the Pakistan Army is demanding Rs61 billion increase in its budget. Where is this money going to come from? One choice is to raise funds through the auction treasury bills. But, given our burgeoning current account deficit, and that it’s akin to printing more money, it will only cause higher inflation.
As for inequitable distribution of wealth, some of the balme should lie with those who are given plots on cheap rates, while millions upon millions live in slums. If that doesn’t add to inequality, what does? Rather than giving all those plots to the officers at throwaway prices, the government should build housing schemes for the lower and middle classes. That would take some heat away from the resentment that is running high among the people due to inequitable distribution of resources.
AHMAD R. SHAHID
Islamabad
THE arrest and torture by the Hyderabad police of two underage brothers, 13 and six, accused of stealing a suction pump, and a judge’s self-righteous decision to give them in remand to the police, says it all. Justice remains a far cry and cruelty to impoverished children the norm.
The brothers admittedly had to steal to feed their four other siblings, with the father serving time behind bars and mother not able to work because of illness.
Why are there no massive protests over such tragic outrages in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? Are these children of a lesser god? Will no NGO take up the case of these poor juvenile delinquents, and bail them out of their misery? Will no court come to their rescue of its own?
MAAYA RAZVI
Lahore
A LOT of hue and cry has been raised about Pakistan Steel Mills having been sold at a throwaway price. As an independent observer I have a different opinion. The privatisation process seems to have been fair and transparent. If the government did not get a better price, for no fault of its own, it did the right thing to accept whatever was offered. Had it not done so now it wouldn’t have got even this price after some time when the condition of the plant worsened further, amd beyond repair?
It is fact and common experience that at a crunch time one does sell the family silverware at throwaway prices. It is a choice between two evils which one has to make in difficult times.
As far as the finger pointing by the opposition is concerned, it would have done better if it had given concrete examples of scandalous behaviour on the part of the government and exposed the names of the black sheep involved. I do agree that the government and the bureaucrats are not always clean, but blaming them without any proof is also not right.
N.A. KHAN
Karachi
I never realised how much our national sport is being neglected. Today while passing through sector F-8 in Islamabad, I was stunned at seeing that the beautiful hockey ground adjacent to the Fatima Jinnah Park had been divided into two lawns. Meanwhile, the cricket ground on the other side of the road was intact. Such neglect may be the reason why our national hockey team lacks new talent while youngsters are lining up to join the cricket team.
MUHAMMAD OMER SADIQ
Wah Cantt
THIS refers to Ayub Javed’s letter ‘Writ of government’ (April 13). If the government is really serious about establishing its writ, it should not focus only on Wana, Waziristan and Balochistan. Immediate attention is required to restore the government’s writ for control of soaring prices of cement, sugar, petrol, electricity and gas.
Dr ALFRED CHARLES
Karachi
ACCORDING to a news item elections for the presidency of the PML-Q will be held on August 14, 2006. How nice of them to choose that day for the party election. It will give an excuse to the ‘Jaanisaraan-i-Pakistan’ to stay away from important national functions usually held on that day. The mastermind of this initiative should be nominated for a ‘Sitara-i-Basalat’.
Dr GHAYUR AYUB
London
MR Mohammad Khalid Sarwar’s complaint in ‘Bill payment through Nadra’ (April 14) has been analysed. It has been ascertained that the SNGPL consumers who deposited their bills through the Nadra kiosk on March 7, 2006, their transactions were reported to SNGPL on March 8, 2006.
The finances involved were credited to their accounts on March 9, 2006. The SNGPL did not load the data files in time thus consumers’ records were not updated and as a result arrears have appeared in their fresh bills. Audit of the process reveals that no irregularity at Nadra’s end has taken place and our software is functioning correctly.
However, we deeply regret the inconvenience caused to Mr Sarwar. We have already reported this error to the SNGPL and they have rectified their records. It has been ensured that Mr Sarwar will receive the next bill duly corrected in all respects.
KHALID HAMID SHAH
Director Nadra
WE all are shocked and deeply distressed to hear about the stampede at the Faizan-i-Madina mosque in Karachi. The incident will be discussed amongst all sections of society for a few days and then it will fade off as has been the fate of similar tragedies in the past. Instead, we must learn from our follies and take necessary corrective action to avoid repetition of such a tragic incident.
It is suggested that the civil administration and administrations of mosques jointly examine the entrance and exit gates of all mosques and ensure that they are adequate, bearing in mind that most people are averse to patience particularly when rushing to leave.
Where women attend such congregations, and God forbid such a calamity occurs, people should be broadminded enough to allow ailing women to be moved into ambulances by any volunteers available. Alternatively, women volunteers should be available for medical emergencies.
Finally, all, women in particular, should be requested to refrain from taking small children to religious places as they cause problems and disturb the sanctity of the gathering.
MUNEER M. KHAN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the news item ‘PAF code disallows long beards for pilots’ (April11). Mr Liaquat Baloch of the MMA has described the PAF’s grounding of five pilots for sporting long beards as “un-Islamic and a violation of Pakistan’s constitution”.
This is a tricky one. If the PAF sticks to its code, it will have Liaquat Baloch and his colleagues in the MMA to contend with. But if the PAF does not restrict length of beards, the safety of its pilots and aircraft would be in question.
Happily for all, our gallant air force appears to have made a decision. The recent first-ever commissioning by PAF of women pilots could well be the beginning of a new PAF policy for the future — women only as pilots for its fighter and bomber squadrons. Meanwhile men sporting beards, of any size and shape, serving on the ground
S. KHALID HUSAIN
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Sheikh G. Murtaza’s letter ‘Life term or death penalty?’ (April 9). The sufferings of those who are awarded life terms are so wretched that one can only feel ashamed of it all.
Immediate measures are required to check the immoral and unethical activities of jail personnel. Those who violate the jail manual need to be taken to task so that prisoners can complete their sentences in accordance with the law.
AYAZ HUSSAIN SHAIKH
Karachi
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