| April 22, 2006 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1427 |
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Bank insurance scheme
Reforms in government
Raise in cotton cess
Internal stability
Shared history
Northern Areas tourism
Children arrested, chained
Problems of minorities
Karachi building
Water & conservancy charges
Discussions on TV channels
IN his article “ Democracy’s role is pivotal” (April 20), Mr Ghayoor Ahmed laments that Pakistan has been controlled by either feudal or military forces for the last 50 years while the rule of law remains in abeyance due to limitations imposed on the judiciary.
Whilst he is correct in his assertions, he did not explain why this has been allowed to happen. It is the people who make a democracy and examples ranging from the French to the present-day revolt against the Nepalese monarch show it is the people who take the leading role in the fight for democracy.
In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan the rich are too busy making money and they need strong government as they do not want a political revolution. The poor are easily controlled through religious parties.
Unless the people rise up, as they are doing in Nepal, the elite will not give up and allow democratic change. The sleeping giant must rise up or democracy in its real sense can never come to Pakistan.
SAM BAIYDA
Toronto, Canada
IT was heartening to read the opinion piece by Mr. Ghayoor Ahmed regarding the rising aspirations among Pakistan’s middle class to support a democratic dispensation in running the state.
There has never been any doubt among the people of the middle and lower classes in Pakistan about the importance of democracy. But their frustrations stem from the fact that after the 1971 and 1977 elections there has never been a transparent mechanism to tally election results.
The Election Commission has been unsuccessful in providing a valid process which can correctly validate results in a fair manner and generate confidence among the voters and observers. Election result manipulation has become an art in Pakistan. There is no doubt among the masses that results are predetermined by federal and local authorities. Until safeguards are built into the system and selection of the election commissioners (more than one) is conducted by a neutral authority like the chief justice of the Supreme Court, results will always be tainted.
A visit to the website of the FairVote Center will demonstrate how far Pakistan has to travel before it can claim to have a free and fair election process. Pakistan can also look towards its neighbour to learn how elections are conducted.
TANVEER BOKHARI
Oregon, USA
IT is hard to believe that the National Bank of Pakistan has started deducting Rs20 every month from its account-holders’ money under a life insurance scheme in collaboration with a US-based company to give insurance cover to its clients in case of accidental death without obtaining the consent or even informing the account-holders.
According to details published in Dawn (April 8), it transpires that NBP does not accept any responsibility in case the insurance company rejects death claims due to any reason. The insurance will be on a monthly basis at the rate of Rs.20 per month and will not be accumulated. Under the scheme, the bank expects to collect about Rs.24 million every month from its 1.2 million account holders, ranging from 18 to 75 years of age. In case of death, the heirs of the deceased are likely to go through a rigorous process till the approval or rejection of their claims. Even pensioners are not given any exemption from this scheme which is said to have been launched for the “welfare of the clients.” In case of approval, the net amount of the policy will be Rs.200, 000 only.
Banks are regarded as custodians of their clients’ money. It is, therefore, immoral to do anything with their money without soliciting their consent or intimating them. The State Bank of Pakistan must take notice of this aberration and the high court should also look into it and stop this theft of people’s money. If this is not prevented, the NBP’s wizards would be tempted to indulge in such schemes in the future also.
We should be thankful to Dawn for disclosing the surreptitious fleecing of NBP clients who must now be addressing applications to their respective branches to discontinue the so-called insurance deductions from their account.
M. ALEEM SHAIKH
Karachi
THIS has reference to Sultan Ahmed’s article “Reforming the government” (April 20), in which he has rightly maintained that laws are made to help the people but in reality they seldom help them at all. The reason is obvious: the increasing politicisation of the institutions dealing with the implementation of laws and the use of the Constitution as an instrument of coercion. This has made the life of the common citizen miserable.
However, this time around, in the elections that are due to be held next year, it is the desire of General Pervez Musharraf to contest the election on the basis of the performance of government in terms of its service to the people. And in this connection, he has formed a national commission to reform the government and simplify laws and rules and make them truly helpful for the common man.
But if General Musharraf is sincere about reforming the government, he must depoliticise the administration, judiciary and police. The politicisation of these institutions has spawned bad governance and bred corruption at every level.
To overcome this problem, information technology (IT) should be considered as an inevitable part of reforming the government agenda. This is because IT enables staff to solve problems quickly and efficiently. A lot of labour and money can be saved by putting tight controls on the people serving in any institution.
It is unfortunate that the funds so far provided for the introduction and development of IT are being misused. The project to computerise the examination records in Shah Abdul Latif University has lost almost Rs200 million.
I hope that the Musharraf government will demonstrate its uttermost sincerity in implementing the recommendations of the national commission on reform.
Dr MANZOOR ALI ISRAN
Khairpur
THE news that the cotton cess has been raised to Rs.20 per bale from Rs.11 after more than a decade’s demand by the PCCC is heartening indeed (Dawn, April 7). The managers of PCCC will now be able to tide over their financial constraints that were hindering the filling up of the vacant posts, renewal of laboratory equipment, sending inservice young scientists for training abroad, and giving other fringe benefits that the staff was being denied due to its bad finances.
The PCCC is not an autonomous body as reported by you. The minister of food, agriculture and livestock, government of Pakistan. is its president and the organisation is governed by the same rules and regulation as any other government department. It works under the aegis of the ministry of food and agriculture and cannot take any action without getting the approval of the ministry of Minfal.
Had the ministry concerned taken a stand earlier, PCCC, PICRT, PSI and the Wool Test House would not have to shift from their legally allotted land on M.T. Khan Road: the US consulate could have been given other options or a vacant plot in Karachi, without having to pull down the 50-year-old building, of which only a mosque is left. The mosque was built by the PCCC employees for their use.
The KPT is now morally bound to compensate PCCC by providing an alternate plot with a most modern building of international standard to house the research organisation and its various laboratories. The deep wounds inflicted on the PCC by its forced ousting need to be healed.
H. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
THIS is in response to Anwar Syed’s article “What are strategic ties?” (April 16). He has mentioned three major US engagements with Pakistan — from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, the Afghan jihad in the 1980s and since September 11, 2001. During each engagement there was either a military government or a military-dominated government in Pakistan. The US-Pakistan relationship, for much of its history, has lacked continuity, a larger conceptual framework and a shared vision beyond narrowly based and vaguely defined objectives.
Pakistan has cooperated with the US in a number of ways, by granting logistics facilities, sharing intelligence and capturing and handing over Al Qaeda terrorists. By cooperating with the US, Pakistan is confronting a large number of problems — regional security environment and domestic order, etc. The country has serious problems relating to social change, goverance and democratisation. Thus in a broad context, religion, politics, social order,national secruity and foreign policy have all been rolled into one in Pakistan and suffused with illusions and emotions
Pakistan’s multiple problems are now linked and need to be attacked simultaneously. Above all, Pakistan needs to change its external behaviour to strengthen its internal order rather than pursue external goals at the expense of internal stability.
AFZAL SHAIKH
Larkana.
THIS is in response to the letter “Bhagat Singh anniversary” (April 20). I applaud Mr Kuldip Nayar for not giving up on his attempt to develop areas of commonality with the people of Pakistan, in spite of many rebuffs.
To denigrate the impact of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre is tantamount to denying our mutual history. The event was the crucible of the immense nationalist fervour which fuelled India and Pakistan’s fight for independence. So why detract from the sacrifice of Bhagat Singh? He fought for everyone on the subcontinent.
Dr SARDUL MINHAS
California, USA
THIS refers to the APP news story ‘Rs88m being spent on tourism in the Northern Areas’ (April 17). The media is recycling news items from time to time. Even bidding advertisements published in the local newspapers of the region are turned into news items.
One can gauge the actual pace of development in the Northern Areas (Gilgit, Baltistan, Ghizer, Gangche, Astore and Skardu) by the prevailing poverty, illiteracy, sectarianism and joblessness. Thousands of passengers travelling from the Northern Areas to Rawalpindi and vice-versa suffer as the Karakoram Highway remains closed for three days every week due to land slides and PIA flights are operated once a week on average due to inclement weather. The Frontier Works Organisation that is responsible to maintain the 600-km-long KKH from Bhasham to Khunjerab is indifferent, as there is nobody to hold it accountable.
Despite this the tourism department makes tall claims to attract foreign and domestic tourists without providing roads and air links. The power crisis in the Northern Areas is grim, and one can imagine how tourism and trade will develop when there is no electricity. As far the Naltar road and the 18-mw power project, it is anybody’s guess as to when this project will be commissioned. The Naltar project dislocated 35 poor families and they were asked to vacate on the assurance that they would be compensated but once they were evicted from Naltar, nobody has addressed their problems nor have they been paid compensation. Schools have been closed there for the last five months and crop and orchards are dying as all water channels and irrigation channels have been bulldozed to construct a water channel for the power project.
The rest houses and tourist resorts look deserted in the region as the deteriorating law and order situation and lack of facilities have rendered them ghost houses. The government may be spending Rs88 million for the promotion of tourism but without creating an infrastructure, the amount may be going into personal coffers. It was a coincidence that the Northern Areas tourism department was holding a cherry blossom celebration in Hunza on March 24 while the people of Hunza were observing a shutter-down strike against the power crisis.
We would appreciate if a media team from Dawn visits the region and investigates for itself the tall claims of the government and its official media.
YASER ABBAS
Gilgit
AN independent judiciary is Pakistan’s last hope. This was evident from the immediate action taken by Chief Justice Chaudhary regarding the release of two children in Hyderabad.
The laws that enabled the police to mindlessly arrest the minors were part of the Hudood laws. These laws were solely designed to subjugate women and children.
The opposition parties that constantly clamour and whine should put their energy into eradicating such unjust laws and work to replace them with laws that will give the people some respite and dignity. By doing so they will earn the respect of the people, as well as their votes.
I hope that the free press will take comfort from the fact that they can draw attention to such harsh inequities and help to bring about positive change in society.
SANOBER Q. HAIDER
New Jersey, USA
TWO children, six and 11 years’ old, were caught by the police for stealing. This shows how active and efficient our police are these days that they can haul up such heinous criminals and handcuff them and put them behind bars.
The story does not end there. The children are produced before a magistrate and the magistrate dispenses immediate justice and hands them over to the police on remand.
COL. R. ANWAR JAN BABAR
Karachi
TIME and time again I am made to believe that our existence as minorities in Pakistan is merely physical.
If we sometimes go for a weekend dinner and demand vegetarian food at the restaurant, the staff look at us in a state of shock as if they have seen something unusual. My colleagues at college always persuade me to have non-veg food and characterise it as being modern. They go to the extent of criticising the religious rituals performed by us.
The recent incidents in Sukkur district where two churches were vandalised aowing to a property dispute further give an indication that many are just looking for excuses to take out their anger and frustration against the minorities.
After the end of Nawaz Sharif’s regime and the arrival of President Pervez Musharaff, the position of the minorities improved. But much still needs to be done.
Can’t people accept us without seeking any modifications in our religious beliefs?
ARUN DHINGRA
Karachi
MUHAMMADI House on I.I. Chundrigar Road was built in the late 50s and at that time was the tallest building of Karachi. But now it has been dwarfed by other buildings. The condition of the building is deplorable.
Unfortunately the owners, a public corporation, do not bother about the upkeep of the building and have allowed its gradual decline.
The steps are broken. The common areas such as the corridors are dirty and often heaped with garbage. The lifts are unserviceable. The toilets are in a pitiable state. The pipes are all choked, worn out and old.
The authorities urgently need to look into this especially when the city government wants to make I.I Chundrigar Road along with its surrounding areas a VVIP avenue.
HEMAYET ALLY KHAN
Karachi
INSTEAD of penalising good pay masters by increasing water and conservancy charges, the outstanding dues of billions of rupees should be recovered from the defaulters. To raise more funds, first invisible consumers be identified and they must be brought into the net of tax-payers. Abnormal overhead expenditure should be cut down drastically and over employment be curtailed.
In the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, there are many unemployed functionaries getting salaries. Several of them are not qualified for the jobs they have been appointed to.
Eradication of corruption for which a surgeon’s knife is needed will restore discipline and ensure efficient working of the board. Illegal water connections — those not sanctioned at all and those of diameters in excess of the permitted size – should be plugged.
Justice also demands that discount should be allowed on lump sum payments and on payments made on or before the due date. Incentive of discount will not only encourage prompt payment of water and conservancy charges but it will also save time, labour and paper work of all — the payer, the bank and the offices of the KWSB.
A. RAZZAQUE SIDDIQUI
Karachi
PANEL discussions on television news programmes generally offer views and analysis by the participants with different political visions and party affiliations. However, a recent talk show on the current political issues was one-sided.
Unchallenged from any side, one of the panellists, a well-known columnist who remained committed to the military regime of Ziaul Haq in spite of his repression of the masses was free to contemptuously dismiss the credentials of Benazir Bhutto as an opposition leader and instead declared Nawaz Sharif’s opposition as genuine.
He wants us to forget history as to who floated the IJI and campaigned for the success of Nawaz Sharif with a highly ethnic agenda. The charisma of his ‘genuine opposition’ is for everyone to see, with two-thirds of its party leaders in the PML-Q and perhaps the rest waiting in the wings for a better bargain.
History has recorded all the vices and virtues of the Bhuttos, but one thing that emerged out of the Bhutto phenomenon is clear — it is the PPP which is identified with the articulation of the oppressed classes, the aspirations of the masses, and resistance to the ruling classes. To do justice to all such programmes in which participants hold similar views, the moderator would do well to take viewers’ questions.
AHMAD RAZI SIDDIQUI
Karachi
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