| May 1, 2006 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 2, 1427 |
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Deputy commissioner’s office
Mayo Gardens
Pakistan cricket team
ADB loan
Davis Cup
Curse of honour killing
Karachi university
Post office
‘Principled stand’
Afseen & Joe
MR Anwar Syed has made several questionable assertions in ‘Science, logic & belief’ (April 9), of which two will be considered. First, that ideology is not something good and is not necessary for a country, since the UK, France, Germany, Japan, etc., appear to be doing quite well without it. Second, that Pakistan is not an ideological state.
Ask any Pakistani if this country was created for the sake of Islam, atheism, communism, secularism or some other ideology and the great majority’s answer would automatically specify Islam as our ideology as well, but secularists keep on deceiving themselves and the nation by refusing to accept it.
Ironically, while some Muslims deny the role and value of Islamic ideology, many converts to Islam and even non-Muslims are acutely aware of these. For instance, Karen Armstrong has written that ever since the time of Aurangzeb, Muslims had felt unhappy and insecure in India: they had feared for their identity and felt anxious about the power of the Hindu majority. As a result Pakistan was created and in 1956 the constitution formally defined it as an Islamic Republic.
She further says: “Politics has never been central to the Christian religious experience .... For centuries, the Jews of Europe had refrained from political involvement as a matter of principle. But politics was no secondary issue for the Muslims. We have seen that it had been the theatre of their religious quest .... Throughout the 20th century there has been one attempt after another to create a truly Islamic state (Islam: A Short History.
This shows where the Muslims’ real aspirations lie. She has also noted hat the Holy Quran had promised that a society which surrendered to God’s revealed will could not fail and Muslim history had proved this. Time and again, when disaster struck, the most devout Muslims had turned to religion, made it speak to their new circumstances, and the Ummah had not only revived but had usually gone on to greater achievements and so the question was how could Islam be dominated by the secular, Godless West?
The well-known British convert Gai Eaton has pointed out in his book Islam and the Destiny of Man Dawn that the Holy Quran is the ‘constitution’ of any truly Islamic community. He argues that the belief that God is the sole legislator flows directly from the Muslim confession of faith, la ilaha illa’Llah, which, in this context, can be interpreted as meaning that ‘there is no legislator but the Legislator’.
The message embodied in the Holy Quran — and the laws derived from it and the Prophet’s Sunnah — bind the community together; the beauty of this is that no exterior pressure is required to make this binding effective. True sovereignty rests neither in the ruler nor in the government nor in a statistical majority; it belongs to God. This explanation also negates the columnist’s strange recommendation to designate democracy as an ideology and adopt it (instead of any other one) in Pakistan.
Mr Eaton cites Montgomery Watt who said: “Mankind needs a religious community that is charismatic, and Islam more than any other great religion has realised in actual life the idea of the charismatic community.” The author then explains that the Islamic community owes its cohesion primarily to the Faith, not to government or the religious leaders. Each individual Muslim is personally responsible for the well-being of his fellows, to help them in poverty, to comfort them in distress and to put them right when they go astray (though always in a spirit of kindness).
It is wrong to say the countries listed by Mr Syed have no ideology. They adhere to secularism which, according to Ms Armstrong, proved to be just as murderous as the old religious bigotry, leading to two world wars, the Nazi Holocaust and the Soviet Gulag. To that should be added the US actions in Vietnam, Cambodia and South America and the targeting of Islam and the Muslims.
S. QADRI
Karachi
THIS has reference to Tanveerul Saqlan’s letter (April 17) and the writing by Mr Sher Dil Khan regarding the office of the deputy commissioner. The latter has stated that the deputy commissioner’s office was essential for good the administration of a district. He has cited examples of the Sialkot jail incident, the Azad Kashmir earthquake and the recent violence in Lahore in this regard. I think Mr Sher Dil Khan is justified in his point of view.
The district administration created by the British was more efficient than the one set set up under the devolution plan. The latter has been created for the political benefit of the military regime, otherwise it has destroyed district administration. Every district official is confused about his powers because there is confusion in the district administration. The system was apparently created for development but the result is that roads in every city, except Lahore, are a shambles. If luckily some roads are constructed, they begin to decay within days, because every nazim of a union council, town or district is elected through a system based on corruption. He tries to make up his loss by manipulating contractors’ commissions.
There is nobody at a time of emergency who can take a decision according to the demands of the situation and there is nobody who has real authority to coordinate with all departments of district. The district police and heads of other departments held monthly meetings with the deputy commissioner where the progress of every department used to be discussed and questioned. Now every police officer is responsible to his boss in the department. The result is inefficiency and corruption. Nobody from any other department can question him. If anybody goes to any department, he cannot get his work done unless he greases the palm of the official concerned. There is nobody from any other department to redress his grievance. Thus everybody is under tension, grumbling and complaining.
There are so many drawbacks in the new system that cannot be described in a single letter. Significantly, in neighbouring India the old deputy commissioner system is running successfully.
CH JALIL AHMAD KHAN
Gujranwala
THIS is in reference to Ms Suraiya Hafeez’s letter of April 5, in which she has rightly expressed fears about the obliteration of Lahore’s architectural heritage, depriving the city of its age-old greenery.
Having been associated with Mayo Gardens colony since the 1950s, through various stages of its rise and fall, I also feel sorry for the possible destruction of its valuable greenery., the habitat of birds and also a few old long reptiles, seen only once in a while by some lucky ones, perhaps left behind by one of the old British GMs who were very fond of them.
It sprawls in close proximity of the vast green area of Aitchison College, Lawrence Garden, the large area of the Governor’s House and the vast old golf club area in the east, fully deserving to be preserved, rather improved as a century-old green spot of Lahore. This can be made useful for citizens instead of being spoiled by concrete houses for the small number of railway officials, at present accommodated in the old partitioned houses.
Architects working on this project will be fully justified in examining the possibility of building decent multi- storied apartments along its periphery, from Allama Iqbal Road, the old bamboo lane, the western and northern colonies, leaving a large green area in the middle. This can be developed into a miniature Mughal-type garden in line with Lahore’s beauty and green heritage. This can also be permitted to be utilised by citizens. The possibility of adding the re-development of the adjoining areas can also be considered, if so desired.
I hope that the authorities concerned will look into this possibility, thus avoiding this century-old green spot being wasted away.
S.M.H. RIZVI
Karachi
WHO says our cricket team is inconsistent and unpredictable? It is consistent in its “traditional” collapse of batting which is predictable with great certainty. The decades-old problem of a solid opening pair has not been solved. What reasons are behind this series of humiliating fiascos? Who is to blame? Batsmen or the captain? Coach or selectors or the chairman of the PCB? Nobody is ready to take the responsibility.
Our batsmen have enormous talent and skill but they fail. The approach to treatment of problems by official and coaches may be right, but the diagnosis is wrong. Actually, our selectors, coach and captain are trying to address the existing problem two dimensionally but they are ignoring a third dimension. Why do most of the batting legends belong to India? The difference between Indian and Pakistani batsmen is not of “skill” but of “temperament”. We need to address the psychological dimension while selecting and training our batsmen.
We have batsmen who are hot-headed, emotional, thrill seekers like Salman Butt, Amir Sohail, and Afridi. We have batsmen who display cool-headed aggression, intuition, great willpower and act like a fortress. But Indian batsmen have a yogi-like concentration in addition to cool-headed aggression, intuition and will power. Indian batsmen do not play with the bat but with their eyes powered by a greater will to win. These are the traits, which our top-order batsmen, except Shoaib Malik, lack.
I feel it will be a great mistake to ignore players like Asim Kamal who has great temperament with an enormous survival instinct. Bazaid Khan also has a calm temperament. We need to value psychological strengths if we want to regain our lost paradise of World Cup 92 which was won not by technical skills but by psychological strength.
ZIA ULLAH IRFAN
Kasur
ACCORDING to a news item (Dawn, April 9), the Asian Development Bank has approved a loan of Rs24 billion for various development projects in Karachi, and a further Rs790 million for carrying out studies on various projects, including supply of water and sewerage, transport, solid waste management and other facilities.
This is yet one more loan offered, this time by the ADB. In the week preceeding, the World Bank had offered $100 million for improving the canal network in Punjab (Dawn, April 7).
Karachi as the premier city of Pakistan should be able to finance its projects out of the revenue earned. Taking of fresh loans also negates the prime minister’s earlier assertion that the begging bowl has been broken and that the government will follow self-reliance policies.
Banks with liquidity must lend to remain in business because idle money is a loss. They, therefore, spread out in Third World countries where they find eager takers — mostly corrupt ruling elites. After squandering national resources on perks and privileges for themselves and lavish living, the ruling classes go after foreign loans.
Pakistan is already in debt of $38 billion (it was $33 billion in 2003). The regime continues to burden future generations. There appears to be no central regulatory framework to oversee the loan-taking process in a transparent manner. The Supreme Court needs to take notice of the situation.
ABDUL SAMAD
Karachi
YOUR tennis writer Majid Khan is a familiar figure in tennis circles and his reporting of local tennis matches is objective. In his despatch about the recently concluded Davis Cup tie in Mumbai in Dawn Magazine of April 16, he has praised our players, particularly Aisamul Haq, but goes on to criticise PTF and the team management which is unfair and one-sided.
For a start, let me emphasise the positive and say our team performed exceptionally well and exceeded expectations. They were worthy ambassadors for Pakistan on and off the field. Aisam became the darling of the crowd, particularly the female section. As for the results, any tennis player knows that in closely contested matches there is always an element of luck. Aqeel lost on the first day after leading in both sets which he should have won. He then lost to Leander Paes, a much better and more experienced player in the fifth set as Leander recovered in time to save the match. It was a great match that could have gone either way.
Mr Majid Khan talks of our team not being prepared. I visited the camp and fail to understand how the tournament interfered with training. In fact the two or three matches that Aqeel and company played gave them some much needed match practice so essential for players at this level Aisam did join the camp later since he was training in Europe but this was vindicated by his magnificent performance. Overall it was a creditable performance achieved before a large partisan crowd, 3,000 Indians against 10 Pakistanis!
Mr Majid Khan has made PTF the main target of his criticism. It is true that PTF has financial constraints and cannot afford to spend lavishly on sending players to other countries. But they have recently raised a substantial sum to build a tennis complex, the first of its kind in Pakistan. Perhaps it may be well to remember that India has 78 tennis centres/academies all over the country. Much remains to be done in Pakistan, but only through constructive criticism can we achieve an improvement and prepare new players for future Pakistan squads.
Mr Majid Khan is aware that the PTF cannot produce great players until we can generate more interest in the game with the support of large sponsors. The Indian star Sania Mirza is now supported by large and influential sponsors who have helped her develop the natural talent she obviously possesses. The press can help by more cheerful, optimistic and supportive coverage of our team.
SAEED AHMAD
Senior Vice-President, Pakistan Tennis Federation,
Karachi
A 14-year-old girl was shot four times at point-blank range by two male cousins in broad daylight and left for dead in a ditch (Karachi Metropolitan, April 27).
Providence and sheer grit helped her live through this ordeal when she dragged herself out and crawled to a busy road where she was spotted. She has identified her assailants but so far the keepers of law and order have not moved.
Over 150 years ago when Napier defeated the Talpurs and attached Sindh to the Crown, one of the first crimes that he moved against was the custom of karo-kari. Entire villages, where an incident was reported, used to be razed to the ground and his resolve and commitment was such that this murderous custom was more or less wiped out as long as the British ruled supreme. Sadly, after independence and under the auspice of the Islamic Republic, this heinous crime has resurfaced with a vengeance.
Our wishy-washy rulers and the high priests of Islam have only encouraged this by looking the other way. There is no lack of rhetoric and even a law has been enacted but despite all the hue and cry, the ban on wedding meals is given more weightage than the continuing cold-blooded murder of helpless women of our country.
JAVED KHAN
Haripur Hazara
I WOULD like to draw the attention of the Higher Education Commission chairman, Dr Attaur Rahman, to the pathetic situation at Karachi University. KU is the only university in the city where students belonging to low income families can hope to get a good education.
Several positions for professors and associate professors have been filled by teachers who hold only master’s degrees. It is surprising that the university is unable to find PhDs or teachers with a background in research for such senior posts. It is high time that Dr Attaur Rahaman looked into this matter.
REHAN H. NAQVI
Karachi
THERE is no post office in Johar Town, Lahore. As a result, the residents of the town have to go to Faisal Town to get postal service. All Lahore towns enjoy this facility because each one has its own post office. Why is Johar Town deprived of this service?
PROF SYED MAZHAR
HUSSAIN RIZVI
Lahore
MR Jawad Haider (April 26) is right in saying that Pakistan tried to promote a peaceful solution between the US and Taliban in order to prevent US strikes over Afghanistan. This, according to him, failed because of the Taliban’s toughened stand. I may add that Pakistan started its patch-up efforts very late and that too just as a fire drill. These efforts were undertaken half-heartedly and without any thorough planning or serious homework. That’s why they proved futile.
It is a well-known fact that you have to use proper channels to achieve a target. If our authorities seriously wanted to secure a rapprochement between the US and the Taliban, they should have utilised the prowess of the Taliban’s ‘godfather’ General Naseerullah Babar. If the general was given full authority to deal with Taliban, I am sure he would have been successful and Afghanistan could have been saved, to a great extent, from the inevitable devastation. But contacting Gen Babar was not acceptable to those at helm of affairs at that time, as he was a PPP man and any achievement through a PPP-linked channel might have jeopardised the reputation of the authorities.
And, this is not the first case. People say that during the unrest in East Pakistan, if the help of retired General Azam Khan or Air Marshal Asghar Khan was sought, much of that which is now a shameful part of our history could have been avoided.
M. HAFEEZ-UR-RAHMAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
In the Dawn issue of April 24, the caption to the picture “Silent majority” on page 11 reads: “Brussels: Some 80, 000 people take part in a silent walk here on Sunday near a railway station where 17-year-old Joe van Holsbeeck was shot dead after resisting an attempt to rob him of an MP3 player. The demonstrators, many of whom came with their families, made their way in a procession to the city’s Palais de Justice”.
On page13 of the same issue, there is a news item captioned “Robbers slit teacher’s jugular vein”, reporting that at Ghaziabad, Lahore, three robbers waylaid a 24-year-old school teacher, Afseen Tahir, who along with her family was on her way back from a wedding and slit her jugular vein when she resisted the robbers.
May I add that it was one of 300 dacoities in Lahore that day, as reported in sections of the press? Can we get 80 if not 80,000 Lahorites to mourn the gory end of a daughter of Lahore —- knowing that even 80,000 of us, the subjects, cannot rouse our self-serving rulers from their deep slumber?
DR SYED RAFAQAT ALI
Lahore
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