| May 7, 2006 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1427 |
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Wealth of cities
Science, logic and Islam
‘Civil war in India’
Al Qaeda videos
Army’s role
Excessive use of force
Low cost laptops
Basha or Bhasha
Poultry industry
General’s example
THIS is with reference to Mr Manzoor Ali Isran’s “HEC Policies” (May 3). His statements about the Higher Education Commission are based on some misunderstandings.
The HEC has launched a major programme to train bright students at top universities in Europe and the US. Some 500 students are being sent annually after nationwide examinations in which 12,000 to 15,000 students appear. They will not be “copy and paste” PhDs as assumed by Mr Isran but architects of a future knowledge-economy of Pakistan. Just a few years ago hardly any scholarships were available (only 20 to 30 a year). So, HEC policies are based on solid programmes.
Mr Isran questions the need of having PhDs as faculty members in universities. He could check with the website of any reputable university in the world that every faculty member has a PhD (except in some disciplines such as law.) The HEC has laid down strong quality control criteria in respect of indigenous PhD programmes which includes passing of an international GRE examination with a certain minimum score before admission to PhD and evaluation of PhD theses by two eminent subject experts from technologically advanced countries before PhD degrees can be granted.
The HEC chairman, Prof (Dr) Atta-ur-Rehman, has informed all vice- chancellors that PhD degrees from their universities will not be recognised unless the HEC quality criteria are strictly observed — this is again fact, not rhetoric. The strength of a high quality PhD level faculty in a university reflects the creativity of that institution. Universities are judged in this day and age not just by their ability to transfer existing knowledge to students but by the extent that they are able to generate new knowledge and extend the current frontiers to new horizons by delving deep and seeking answers to important questions
As a result of an HEC initiative, Pakistan is probably the only country in the world today in which every student in every public sector university has free access to more than 20,000 international journals (current issues plus back volumes).
All curricula have been revised by HEC and the new curricula are in the process of being implemented as some curricula (e.g., that of medicine) had not been revised for the last 30 years.
Many post-doctoral training programmes have been initiated and post-doctoral fellowships awarded to 180 people for study in top universities in the West.
All universities have been connected mainly with optic fibre (and some with radio links) and provided high-speed Internet access with computerization of various departments.
A satellite was placed in space (PAKSAT-I) through the efforts by Dr Atta-ur-Rehman when he was minister for science and technology and also information technology / telecommunications in the previous government. This satellite is currently being used for education under an HEC funded programme of the virtual university. Two TV channels are already functioning for distance learning and two more will start functioning soon.
The HEC has attracted 270 eminent scholars back to Pakistan who were settled in the US/Europe under its foreign faculty hiring programme. A hundred of these were introduced to the president last year.
The HEC has had its programmes and policies externally reviewed by a group of experts from top universities in the West. They had praise for the progress made by the HEC.
The HEC has launched over 400 projects to uplift the universities, and a major revival of the higher education sector is beginning to occur.
KAMRAN NAIM
HEC, Islamabad
JANE Jacobs (May 4, 1916–April 25, 2006) was an American-born Canadian writer and activist. She is best known for her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) which is a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies in the United States during the 1950s.
According to Ms Jacobs, cities not nations are sources of wealth. Nations are merely political and military entities. She said: “Try looking at the real economic world in its own facts rather than as dependent artefact of politics. We cannot avoid seeing that most nations are composed of collection or grab bags of very different economies”. She believed that cities not countries are constituent of economic development and expense to up bring a downtrodden area through wealth of an economic city is a sign of social decline. To her military spending was also a sign of decline.
How would cities like Shanghai, Karachi and Mumbai fare if they were left alone to develop their own wealth through trade? In India today Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai surpass any other city in development and form clusters of development.
What Jane Jacobs says appeals to me greatly. Being from Karachi, I fully agree that had the city been allowed a development free of intervention it could have been the fuel to development of the country. Instead we dragged it down.
While the world in leading itself to a metamorphosis and evolution giving Karachi the economic independence can lead to a boom in our country. If we chart our history the decline of Karachi has led to the decline of the country and, therefore, a free wheeling Karachi can actually help develop a stronger Pakistan. For Karachi to develop it should dissociate itself from the politics of the country and concentrate on what it does best: trade.
What I am proposing is a progressive idea not a secessionist one.
SIRAJ AHSAN
Dubai, UAE
THIS is with reference to the letters by Mr Qadri (May 1) and Mr Noosmar (May 4). When I was a new faculty member of the American University of Beirut in 1970, my family was invited to a dinner at the residence of one of the vice-presidents of the university. Our host’s wife was taking a course in the history of Islam at the time. During the conversation she questioned quite seriously that how I, a scientist, could believe in the concept of ‘mairaj’.
Having been educated in a missionary school in Pakistan I was quite familiar with the contents of the Bible. My answer to the lady was that there were things that were a matter of belief and then there were things which pertained to science. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified till he died and then he was buried. After three days he was raised alive from amongst the dead. Why should there be a problem if the Muslims believed in ‘mairaj’? This left the lady speechless.
Some people try to use science or logic to prove matters of faith. This inevitably leads to bewilderment. Belief is a matter of faith and, like love, it is a very basic human requirement. Let us not mix religion with science. They need to be kept in separate but equal niches of our mind.
Prof (retd) SHAUKAT CHAUDHRY
Baulkham Hills, Australia
WITH reference to the letter by Sami Noosmar ( May 4) I disagree with the writer’s optimistic view that the conflict between the US and Islam is due to cultural differences and political grievances, not specifically the Islamic faith itself.
Why then is the US attacking Muslim countries one after the other? Was there any historical conflict past or present between the US and Afghanistan or the US and Iraq? In fact, in the past these countries were being showered with blessings by the US for fighting against Russia and Iran respectively. Why is US domination restricted to the Islamic world only? Isn’t there a western or non-Muslim Asian country it could target instead?
SYED ASGHAR HASNAIN
Karachi
IT was indeed a pleasure to read Sayeed Hasan Khan’s article ‘Mini civil war in India (May 4). The article was well researched and well written. It cannot be denied that India faces a grave threat from Maoist insurgencies and governments, both central and state, are in a state of denial.
The basic reasons, among others, for the growing insurgencies, have been underdevelopment, inequitable distribution of wealth, exclusion from the growing prosperity and regional disparities.
Most of India’s problems tend to be looked at through the prism of caste and community rather than class. For the disempowered who struggle daily to earn one square meal a day caste and religion are in fact secondary.
Mr Khan failed to mention the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the dominant communist party in India which extends support to Manmohan Singh’s UPA government.
The CPI (M) has undergone change in the last three decades. The CPI (M), one can say, has had a makeover. Rather than stick to its anti-imperialist plank, the CPI(M) has sought to give India’s support to the resolution on Iran a communal colour; to seek the support of the Muslim communities in West Bengal and Kerala, which have gone to the polls recently.
Rather than take a class view of the ongoing struggle of the oppressed classes, the CPI (M) has aligned with caste-centred parties like Lalu Prasad’s RJD and others. In their opposition to the Bhartiya Janata Party, the CPI (M) has aligned with the Congress Party, which was its number one enemy in the 70s and 80s. It is only natural in such a scenario that the void left by the CPI, CPI (M) and other left-leaning parties would be filled by the Maoists and other ultra-leftists.
GOPI KARUNAKARAN
Mumbai
THERE were at least three video and audio appearances on the media in a span of one week. These were Osama, Zarqawi and Ayman Zawahiri, all supposedly connected to the fabled Al Qaeda.
The sermons given by the three pertained mainly to the insurgency in Iraq, all of them praised the movement which has bogged down the US in Iraq.
With these videos, the US citizens and the world at large are reminded of the evil intent of Al Qaeda. The US has validated the authenticity of the videos, which in the present digital age can make animals talk with perfect lip movements and facial gestures.
The critics believe the Al Qaeda bogey is a means of supporting the war on terror. They find no nexus between Al Qaeda and the problems of Iraq.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Mr Shahzeb Abbasi’s letter (April 23) in which he has criticised the army. He contends that army officers are given land at throwaway prices while plump jobs are awarded to ex-servicemen. He has other grudges too but let me tackle the accusation about land first.
Since the army is the most organised outfit, its welfare directorate and Defence Housing Authorities acquire land through legal means. It pays for the land and does not deprive anyone of landed property forcefully. Then it invites applications from eligible officers who have put in 15 to 20 years of service. The initial payment with the application is not easy to come by. The officers either withdraw the amount from the DSOP fund or borrow from parents/relatives/banks. They pay the cost of land through their nose.
Meanwhile, the army develops the land, gradually asking for instalments from time to time. Many officers default and subsequently pay the surcharge.
It takes 10 to 15 years by the time basic facilities are provided in the upcoming housing scheme. In 1984, an officer who sold his 2,000 sq yards plot in Karachi’s DHA Phase VIII for a paltry Rs 150,000 could fetch Rs60 million now. The civilian who purchased this plot from the army officer must not be pointing an accusatory finger at the army.
Needless to say that army officers are poorer in comparison to businessmen, politicians, industrialists, corporate leaders, civil bureaucrats so the premier plots of DHAs/army housing schemes, etc., are purchased on throwaway prices by monetarily more powerful community. It is no coincidence then that 90 per cent plots/houses in various DHAs and army housing schemes are owned by our worthy civilians.
In fact, they take pride in even mentioning that they live in “Defence” or “Askari”. It is a status symbol. Then why grudge the army which carves out a haven for the civilians? Can civilians with their vast resources boast of any such housing scheme? Islamabad comes to mind which was virtually invaded by civil bureaucrats and politicians. It is their ‘dream world’ but a no-go area for army officers.
The army also builds amazing parks for our civilian brothers. The Zamzama and Nisar Shaheed Parks of Karachi are exquisite breathing spaces and joggers’ paradise. In other cities also there is major contribution by the army to beautifying the landscape of a dusty and sleepy town.
All the cadet colleges are run and administered by armed forces. The DHAs have built a number of beautiful schools/colleges where civilians vie to get their children admitted. Its academic accomplishments are second to none. Very few retired army officers (can be counted on finger tips) manage to get plum jobs, some through connections, others on merit. The rest brave the weather. Army officers retire relatively young. Lietenant-colonels at between 46 and 47 while majors between 44 and 45. After retirement should they not be assimilated in civil society? Are they aliens?
Kalashnikov and the drug came with the Afghan war. The exodus was so massive that things become uncontrollable. To blame Gen Zia or anybody else will be an exaggeration.
Coming to the East Pakistan stigma, the eastern wing was lost politically. Mr Z. A. Bhutto and Shaikh Mujibur Rahman brought the situation to such an irretrievable point that the inevitable happened. As far as defending East Pakistan militarily is concerned, Gen Westmoreland, a Vietnam veteran, had said that no army in the world so outmatched and so outstretched could fight more than a week in the former East Pakistan.
It is ironic that we leave no stone unturned to belittle or humiliate the army. Be it Siachin or Cholistan, our soldiers are always guarding our frontiers. In fact, the army and civilians should work in harmony and not indulge in mudslinging match.
LT-COL(r) SAFIR A. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
I SAW an AP news picture of a rickshaw driver being beaten brutally by at least five police officials in Lahore (May 4). If the protesting rickshaw drivers were violating a ban, they could have been arrested or taken into custody as per prevailing laws of Pakistan. I feel ashamed to have links with country where the people are treated so inhumanely.
On Global PTV News at 6pm (EST), the chief minister of Punjab announced police reforms and expressed the hope that police officials will treat the public with respect and dignity. Some things will never change in Pakistan.
I hope the Punjab government will take appropriate action, including training police officials, to avoid such incidents.
We live in a civilised world and use of such excessive force must never be condoned. Police officials are public servants and the public deserves better treatment.
Dr TAZMIN NAWAZ
Maryland, USA
INTEL Corporation, the world’s leading IT company, recently launched a programme called “World Ahead” to help bring the benefits of low-cost, full-featured PCs and Internet connectivity to developing countries around the world.
While reading news and article on this programme I came across the following paragraph: “Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nicholas Negroponte’s nonprofit One Laptop Per Child association hopes to begin providing $100 laptops to millions of children in India, China, Egypt, Brazil, Thailand, Nigeria and Argentina by early 2007.”
Why isn’t the government of Pakistan taking similar measures to introduce this programme in our country?
MUHAMMAD ALI YAQOOB
Swindon, United Kingdom
IRONIC as it may seem for one sitting in New York to point this out, but the fact is that the word Basha (as in Basha dam) is not a Hindi word and is, therefore, not Bhasha as is frequently referred to in the press.
It is a word of the local language of the Northern Areas and is pronounced and written as Basha.
AZIZ AKHMAD
New York
I HAVE been reading with dismay news appearing in the press that the government is considering compensation to the sick (bird flu) poultry industry.
All this will happen at public expense. Understandably the industry dons will coerce the government to pay them for the follies and mismanaging of their industry.
Sir, why should they be paid from the public exchequer for the phenomenon of their own doing? The places are filthy and the feed is substandard. Losses caused by the decline in chicken consumption should be borne by the industry; after all when they made billions in good time, did they have the courtesy to share with the government/people?
The same thing goes for sugar and cement industries which are rolling in gold these days. In some slump times in the future, will they be given money by the state? No should the answer.
Similarly, a reported demonstration by the former residents of the collapsed Margala Tower in Islamabad is also of interest. Why are they being paid from public money?
Houses/buildings collapse at many places in the country. Is everybody paid by the state? No, is the answer.
Then why should some be given preferential treatment. All citizens of the state have equal rights and no exception should be made for Islamabadis as compared to the poor in Awaran, Balochistan.
Doling out public money has become a fashion for our politicians. All segments of society need to be treated fairly and equally. State resources like land and money should not be given to buy political patronage.
AJMAL F
Islamabad
WHILE travelling to the US on April 21, I found former Nato supreme commander Gen Wesley Clark also travelling on the same flight.
When we were boarding from Dubai, he underwent all the rigorous checking, including removing his jacket and belt and switching off his cellphone (on which he was talking at the time), that the rest of us had to go through.
At New York’s JFK airport too he underwent the same scrutiny as everyone else. He did not object or show even the slightest sense of irritation.
Our generals and politicians need to take a lesson from his example.
IMRAN AHSAN MIRZA
New Jersey, USA
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