| April 20, 2006 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 21, 1427 |
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Admission dilemma
Bhagat Singh anniversary
Writing about Chakwal
Formation of NCGR
Religion and politics
Road problems
‘Flyovers vs signals’
Karachi shutdown
Pedestrian dilemma
‘A horrific atrocity’
Women and modernism
Hiring criteria
THIS is in response to Tahir Jaffer’s letter ‘Evaluating performance’ (April 16) in which he wrote that the Kargil campaign was based on wrong premises. This is incorrect because if we look at the facts and events before the Kargil episode, it is evident that the campaign was not based on wrong premises.
We should not forget the violations of the LoC by the Indian forces, the Siachen experience, and the increased presence of the Indian army in Occupied Kashmir. Also, a forward policy had been adopted by India along the LoC, especially since 1997. India displayed a threatening attitude after its nuclear tests in 1998 and Indian leaders including L.K Advani threatened to occupy Kashmir by force. They probably thought that because of its limited military deployment along the LoC, Pakistan would not be able to respond to these threats of use of force.
The UNMOGIP (United Nations Military Observer group for India and Pakistan) recorded many violations of the LoC by India during 1996 and 1999. Considering India’s increased military build-up in the region, the continuous targeting of civilians along the border and the interdiction of the supply routes, it is not difficult to understand why Pakistan was making plans for its defence.
The Pakistani military had to counter Indian adventurism and it achieved a remarkable military success at Kargil, but political and diplomatic failures abolished its gains in the battlefield.
Washington’s intervention and the subsequent forced disengagement not only provided a lifeline to the Indian army, it also caused heavy loss of life for Pakistan’s Northern Light Infantry. India had only made limited gains on the ground and despite enjoying military superiority its military performance at Kargil was poor.
SAMIA SAEED
Karachi
THE miseries of a common citizen are unimaginable. I came to realise this recently when I wanted to get my daughter admitted in a local college. She did her intermediate from a province other than Sindh. Since the admission deadline had passed, we were told by the head of the college to obtain special permission from Karachi University. However, despite our best efforts we did not succeed in meeting the registrar of the university.
Having no other option, we decided that she should take the BA examination as a private candidate. As a first step the student is required to register with Karachi University. Among the host of documents that must be submitted is a document to the testifying that the applicant is a permanent resident of Karachi. We went to the DCO office to obtain that certificate. It transpired that to get a permanent residence certificate we should first get the necessary domicile certificate. Obviously my daughter is not entitled to a Karachi domicile certificate nor does she intend to get one.
The information gathered from various quarters is that unless a student has cleared the intermediate examination from the Karachi Board, they can neither seek admission in any colleges of Karachi nor sit for the examination at Karachi University.
I have a simple question which needs to be answered by the vice-chancellor of Karachi University. My daughter has done intermediate from a board other than the Karachi board. She intends to take her BA examination as an external candidate. Why she is not being allowed to do this despite the fact she possesses the necessary migration certification?
MSU
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the letters relating to “Kuldip Nayar on Bhagat Singh” (April 13). I simply do not understand why Mr. Kuldip Nayar is so eager that Pakistanis should join him in observing the death anniversary of Bhagat Singh.
By present day standards, which are endorsed even by people like Kuldip Nayar, Bhagat Singh was a terrorist. Therefore there is no point in glorifying the violent act of Bhagat Singh by lighting candles in his memory.
Kashmiri freedom fighter Maqbool Butt Shaheed was sent to the gallows in Delhi’s Tihar jail on fabricated charges. Indians did not allow his body to be taken out of the jail premises. He was buried inside the jail. Will people like Kuldip Nayar concede the right to light candles on the grave of Maqbool Butt in Tihar jail?
Nearly one hundred thousand Kashmiris have been brutally murdered by Indian occupation forces in Kashmir during last 16 years. Their sacrifices were no less than Bhagat Singh’s. Will Mr. Kuldip Nayar impress upon the Indian government to allow Pakistanis to do what he has done for Bhagat Singh in Lahore?
The glorification of the Jillianwala Bagh tragedy is mere hypocrisy. Since 1947 India has staged thousands of such atrocities in India and Kashmir. Every city, town and village of Kashmir presents a scene far worse than Jillianwala Bagh. Mr. Kuldip Nayar will do us Pakistanis a favour if he stops rubbing salt on our wounds.
MOHAMMAD BASHIR
Islamabad
ON the surface it seems Ayaz Amir’s article “Even by Punjab’s high standards, unbelievable” (April 7) about the Government College, Chakwal, is written for a noble cause. But I wish that the journalist Ayaz Amir had put the politician Ayaz Amir to sleep while writing it. Mr Amir has given some facts, but only the ones that suited him. He states that Raja Ghazanfer Ali Khan convinced the government to allocate Rs 200,000 for the college but he fails to note the generous donation of Rs100,000 by another individual, Raja Sarfraz Khan the MLA from Chakwal, which became the main factor for the selection of Chakwal as a venue for the college.
Mr Amir mentions the names of a few Chakwal ‘chaudhrials’ who wrote a letter to the government but fails to mention that all of them were family members of the present district nazim and majority of the land donated to the college belonged to same family. It seems that Mr Amir wants to become the champion of the cause but the fact is that credit for the educational progress in Chakwal is due only to this political group, formerly led by Raja Sarfraz Khan and now by Ghulam Abbass.
In an earlier article “Nazmite of Chakwal” Ayaz Amir had commented on the present district and tehsil nazims. However, most offending were his remarks about the Chakwal generals, especially when that list includes General Muhammed Akbar Khan and General Muhammmed Iftikhar. I request Mr Amir to either not write about Chakwal’s local issues at all or leave all prejudices aside when writing and state all the facts.
MOAZZAM HUSSAIN
Chakwal
THE president and the prime minister have approved the formation of a National Commission on Government Reform (NCGR) with a view to simplifying rules and procedures at all levels of governance for the efficient implementation of government policies for the benefit of a common man in the country.
The former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Ishrat Hussain, has been appointed head of the commission which will further comprise nine members, three from the government and six from the private sector.
The NCGR needs to work hard to reform each ministry and government department so that the bureaucratic attitude of government employees can be changed. Government employees are paid by the federal and all the four provincial governments from the revenue that is collected in the form of tax from the citizens. But the attitude of government employees in almost all government departments is far from people-friendly.
What we need is a type of government in which ordinary citizens can participate in drafting and formulating laws. The first step in this direction would be for the NCGR to develop a website and inform the general public about the website’s address. People can then share their past experiences with government departments and the NCGR can formulate its policies accordingly.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
MR Javed Khan writes (April 18) that 500 years ago the Christian world realised that religion and state need to be separated for the general good of mankind. Exactly what general good has mankind achieved during these 500 years?
The first and second world wars were fought during this 500-year period. Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in this time too. Slavery and colonization are also features of this period. The industrial revolution was achieved by looting and suppressing the weak nations. Even progress in the field of medicine was mainly used for commercial purposes. Research in traditional curing methods was purposely discouraged by multinational firms.
The decline of Muslims is due to the separation of religion and state. When religion is separated from other aspects of life, the result is that a person obeys God only once in a week for few minutes and then afterwards remains under no obligation to do so whether in school, at work or in the battlefield. According to the poet-philosopher Dr Iqbal, “If religion is separated from politics, then what remains is changezi (brutality)”.
The recent bombing in Karachi in the holy month of Rabiul Awwal does not depict in any way the influence of religion over politics. We must also consider the terrorist activities taking place in Sri Lanka, Ireland and Spain (Basque province). Religion alone cannot be blamed for terrorism.
KAMRAN IQBAL
Karachi
THE road between Wah and Rawalpindi is a disgrace for the National Highway Authority (NHA). One cannot accept the excuse that it is being renovated and that’s the reason for the current chaos. There are thousands of people employed by the NHA. Surely they can produce some results to demonstrate that they are actually working. So far the only area in which NHA employees are efficient is the collection of toll.
My children travel on this road every day to attend school in Rawalpindi. Hundreds of other people use this road to go to work or school. The tax-paying citizens of Pakistan deserve better roads and an anxiety free journey. That is our basic right.
TAHIRA FAUZIA
Wah Cantt
IT was very easy to find my friend’s house during a visit to Karachi. The address he provided was this “yellow gate on the broken road at Edward Street, Garden East near Pakola mosque”. He was so confident about the broken road.
IRFAN
Karachi
THIS is about the dangerous U-turn in Rawalpindi at the COD bus stop on Jhelum Road in Rawalpindi Cantonment. The U-turn has caused many deaths and injured scores. Surely it deserves the attention of the concerned authorities.
There is perhaps no traffic signal between the U-turn and Jhelum city, because vehicles moving at speed are allowed to enter Rawalpindi without slowing down. The result is that vehicles lined up for making a U-turn must depend on their own judgement. The slightest miscalculation results in a big bang. I will never be able to forget the motorcyclist who was thrown up in the air by an oncoming car. The complete list of car accidents at this junction is too long to mention.
The U-turn is so wide that sometimes three and even four cars attempt to take the turn simultaneously. God forbid, if they should collide with each other, with the high speed cars coming into Rawalpindi. A visit to the spot will reveal that some cars turn right after taking a U-turn, some go straight onto a street opposite the U-turn while others, including police buses, violate the one-way rule to reach the petrol station on the left side of the road.
Fortunately the solution is quite simple. One option is to install a traffic signal for the cars making a U-turn. Or else, construct a road bump 15 yards away from the U-turn to slow down incoming traffic from Lahore. This will make it easier for the cars making a U-turn to enter mainstream traffic. I believe a little official effort in this regard will be a great blessing for drivers and pedestrians.
NAJMA BATOOL
Rawalpindi
MR. Siddiqui has written a letter on a very crucial subject (“Flyovers vs signals”, April 18). In the last three to five years a few flyovers have been constructed in Karachi, although in an ill-planned and ill-implemented way, to ease the traffic problem.
It seems that zero planning has gone into these endeavours. What Karachi needs urgently is a comprehensive traffic management survey done by an international company that has extensive experience in doing such work. The following are suggested areas for study in making plans to organise Karachi’s traffic flow in the long term.
1. Roads and road marking
2. Traffic signals and road signs
3. Pedestrian crossings
4. Traffic flow program
5. Parking program
6. Driver licensing and education
7. Traffic police education
8. Annual vehicle road worthiness approval system
9. Public transport routes and passenger pick /drop locations
We must address these issues urgently if we are to prevent ourselves from becoming another Bangkok of the early 90s where vehicles could travel only one kilometre per hour. The piecemeal building of flyovers will not solve Karachi’s traffic problems.
MIAN SHAUKAT HUSSAIN
Beijing, China
APROPOS of the letters written by Karachiites (April 16) expressing dismay at the fact that the city had shut down following the bombing incident, I want to say that in India our experience has not been too different. While Indian cities have displayed resilience in the face of terror attacks, the underlying fact is that any Indian city can be shut down by anti-social elements.
In Bangalore where I live, the city was shut down last week because the local film superstar Rajkumar died a natural death. No doubt he was very popular among the masses and was the darling of the state but the terror unleashed on the city for a couple of days after his death was just unbelievable. Ironically, Rajkumar had advocated peace and harmony throughout his life.
Shutting down a city over a terror attack may be acceptable as an expression of solidarity with the victims, but to forcibly close establishments and cause civic unrest by damaging private and public property is no way to pay homage to anyone.
R. HARI HARAN
Bangalore, India
I APPRECIATE the recent efforts being carried out by the city district government Karachi in reconstructing and repairing the roads of the city. However, there are some issues which I would like to bring to the notice of the authorities concerned.
After the construction of five overhead bridges on Sharae Faisal traffic has become smoother. On the other hand it has caused lots of problems for those pedestrians who want to cross the road. This is becoming a deadly exercise.
There is no way for pedestrian to cross Sharae Faisal, especially from Drigh Road to Nursery and from Nursery to Metropole Hotel. Moreover, it is also interesting to note that there are only two pedestrian bridges on the long stretch of road between the airport and Metropole Hotel. I would suggest that a comprehensive strategy be formulated to avoid further injuries to pedestrians.
ZAHID HUSSAIN
Karachi
THE editorial ‘A horrific atrocity’ (April 13) notes that the trend of mob hysteria is growing in our society. It advises the masses to draw lessons from the incident instead of resorting to violence as the dead cannot be brought back. The editorial has highlighted this evil tendency with some remedial suggestions while totally ignoring the cause.
Incidents of mass killings have become the order of the day in Pakistan. Has a single culprit of any such carnage been punished so far? What are these ‘special’ anti-terrorist cells and courts doing? Innocent people are snatched but those breaved are not even permitted to wail.
The masses have lost faith in the government. They believe that those responsible for terrorist acts and killings will never be punished. That is why they resort to violence to give vent to their rage against the perpetrators as well as the government.
The government itself is responsible for the damage done to public property by protesters.
While it is true that violent protest cannot be justified on any account, it is equally true that hollow appeals to the public to remain peaceful after an act of carnage will go unheard. The government needs to do something substantial to calm public anger and prevent such untoward incidents in the future.
AMANULLAH SIPRA
Islamabad
IN the letter entitled “Women and modernism” (April 13) Prof. (Dr) Anwarul Haq has criticised Prof. Shahida Kazi’s article “On the horns of a dilemma” (April 9). I would suggest that a thorough re-reading of the article will change his opinion.
We read about equality in the Holy Quran but in reality men do not give women an equal chance in this male-dominant society. For example, according to General Ziaul Haq’s male-oriented constitutional amendments, women can protect themselves by observing purdah and wearing the hijab. But what about the women who chose not to observe purdah? Prof. Shahida Kazi has simply highlighted the actual conditions that Pakistani women face today.
MARZIA RAZA
Karachi
A RETIRED general has just relinquished charge of the prestigious office of chairman, Federal Public Service Commission, and another retired general has taken over. It seems paradoxical that this august office of the purely civilian recruiting agency has been occupied by either a retired general or admiral for the past 25 years. Will the quasi-military regime consider appointing a competent civilian to head the Inter Services Selection Board?
R.R. ALVI
Lahore
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