| May 9, 2006 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 10, 1427 |
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Elections 2007
Lyari Expressway: a new land scam?
Price hike
Power plants
Profit margins
Government’s failure
‘Extensions, bane or boon?’
Railway uplift
Do we need more laws?
How to rewrite history
Water supply
IT is indeed encouraging to see that the Higher Education Commission has made education, particularly higher education, its priority. However, when it comes to the new eligibility criterion, the HEC insists that all selection to the posts of associate professor and professor should be made only if candidates have 10 and 15 research papers published in HEC-recognised journals.
We believe that the new criterion does not take into consideration the nature of research in areas of the social sciences, humanities and arts. This has led to extreme tension among teachers in these disciplines who already feel that the HEC policies are mainly focused on the sciences.
We believe that in devising the new eligibility criterion the following problems were not kept in mind:
1. The nature of research in social sciences, humanities, and arts is different from what it is in the sciences. In the former, research advisers cannot claim credit for the research that their students do; the idea for research usually comes from the student. Claiming credit for a student’s research amounts to plagiarism, which is a serious academic offence. In the sciences, the adviser gives the idea for research to a student, who conducts the work. As such, an adviser in the field of science can claim credit for the research actually done by a student. This is why:
a) The number of publications of scientists tends to be higher than that of researchers in the field of social sciences, humanities, and arts.
b) Papers in scientific subjects are usually co-authored while in the other disciplines this practice is quite rare.
2. The number of research journals for social sciences, humanities, and arts is usually small as compared to the sciences almost everywhere, which obviously reduces opportunities for scholars in these fields to publish.
3. Making internationally abstracted/indexed journals mandatory for humanities and arts, especially in disciplines like Urdu, Pashto, Sindhi, Brahvi, Seraiki, Arabic and Persian, has serious problems. The condition for being abstracted/indexed internationally is that at least the summary/abstract of the paper must be in English though the text of the paper could be in any language.
The condition assumes that:
a. Researchers in these fields must possess sufficient proficiency in English, as their abstracts have to be in English.
b. This condition assumes that those who can summarise/abstract their work in English are necessarily good researchers, and those who do not possess enough proficiency in English are necessarily bad researchers.
4. Some five to six months back, teachers were selected to the posts of associate professor and professor based on the old criterion. These teachers have the same workload, qualifications, etc., as others who did not get the opportunity, and will be senior to those for whom the bar has been raised. This has polarised the teaching community.
Although we appreciate the HEC’s efforts in trying to put universities on the right track, it seems as if the new eligibility criterion were devised in haste. We suggest that the new eligibility criterion should be allowed sufficient time to evolve into the academic and research culture of our universities.
The new criterion should be implemented over a period of five years starting from September 2006.
The condition of national and internationally abstracted/ indexed journals should be waived, especially for the social sciences, humanities, and arts for a period of five years.
This will ensure that a fair chance is given to those faculty members who have published in journals that may be of high standards but have not been or cannot be abstracted/ indexed due to the reasons cited above.
NASIR JAMAL KHATTAK
President, Peshawar University Teachers’ Association, Peshawar
“HOWEVER, the elections will never be considered truly fair if Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are not allowed to take part in the process. Between them they represent sizable sections of voters, and denying them their right to elect and seek election would amount to scuttling the very concept of a fair electoral exercise.”
The above I have reproduced from your editorial dated April 26.
A national newspaper with readers all over the world and founded by a great democrat has the unfettered right to advocate the case of the two exiled politicians for the sake of keeping the democratic torch lit. But the facts in respect of the two are otherwise. They got two terms as prime ministers. During their terms they did not see beyond the parameters of accumulating wealth and providing jobs to their yes-men.
During the Nawaz Sharif period even the Supreme Court was attacked. The way the two are living abroad testifies to how much wealth they have. Can a person live a lavish life in foreign countries without any job?
If they are not allowed to return, it will not make much of a difference.
Instead of pleading their case, educated middle class men and women should be encouraged to come up to contest the coming elections; otherwise these will not be better than those of 2002 and the referendum. In this context, the MMA has its aged candidates with a fanciful approach and it never encourages its disciples to come out. The only hope could be provided by the MQM.
GHEEWALA A.G.M.
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Ms Zubeida Mustafa’s article “Lyari Expressway: a new land scam?” (March 8).
On the one hand over 25,000 housing units are being demolished in Karachi for the Lyari Expressway scheme and, on the other, 248 acres of prime land on the seafront were given to the Defence Housing Authority at the rate of Rs20 per square yard. The value of this land was evaluated at Rs25,000 per square yard for commercial use and Rs 15,000 per square yard for residential purposes.
It seems that all valuable land of the city is being encroached upon for commercial purposes. The Lyari Expressway is also a mega commercial project, which will bring about unmanageable land use and environmental changes in the city.
More importantly, a wall is being built in the centre of the city in the shape of an expressway, which will divide Karachi into two parts. Karachi city, which remained united against all odds, will not be one city after completion of this project.
I think the planners and politicians as well as citizens must prepare themselves to have two cities — North Karachi and South Karachi — soon.
MAROOF SULTAN
President Karachi United Welfare Association,
Karachi
WHO will alleviate the plight of the people of Pakistan? The ugly face of inflation, unemployment and insecurity cannot be overcome unless a fair and sincere government is in place to tackle these issues.
The custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, issued a royal decree on reducing petrol prices for consumers in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to improve the standards of living. But here in Pakistan the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority increased ex-depot petroleum prices by up to 7.2 per cent with immediate effect for 29 designated depots following its approval by the prime minister.
Kerosene saw the highest increase of 7.2 per cent or Rs2.11 per litre in its ex-depot rate, followed by light diesel oil whose prices surged by 5.1 per cent or Rs1.6 per litre. The hike in price will impact people’s day-to-day life. The major part of our country’s population is living in miserable conditions. A hike in petrol prices would be another setback for them. It would also be a setback for our economy.
SYED SADAQAT HUSSAIN
Karachi
MR Ainul Abedin’s advocacy of power generation plants (May 5) is admirable but a couple of points need to be clarified.
In Pakistan there are less than 10 per cent textile mills in which the process needs heating or positive cooling (open-end spinning and air-jet weaving) or steam (cloth finishing and sizing). For sizing, the need for steam can be met by baby boilers. All others are ring spinning mills which can survive by insulating the roof and keeping their humidification plants in good balance.
Therefore, cogeneration has a very limited application in textile mills. Pharmaceutical factories, large office buildings and hotels can probably benefit more from cogeneration. As for large power generation plants which use gas as fuel, combined cycle is worth investigating.
However, there is a severe shortage of gas for power generation at this time. Those stations which shifted from oil to gas are not the candidates for combined cycle.
SHAFAAT RASOOL
Karachi
ALL listed banks’ profit grew 99 per cent in 2005 (March 21).
A multinational pharmaceutical company with overseas patents has earned 112 per cent growth in profit after tax, for the year 2005 (March 25).
Pakistan State Oil (PSO) profit rises by seven per cent at Rs4.6 billion.
The total dividend for nine months comes to Rs 16 a share which comes to 160 per cent. (April 28).
Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) posted Rs 9.5 billion after tax profit for nine months ended 31 March 2006 (April 29).
MCB posted a record pre-tax profit of Rs4.2 billion for the period ending March 31, 2006, compared to Rs2 billion during the same period last year showing an increase of 110 per cent (April 29).
Allied Bank Ltd (ABL) profit surged by 150 per cent for the quarter ending March 31, 2006 (April 29).
Sellers earning high profit by creating monopoly and cartels is a corresponding loss to the buyers. There appears to be no regulatory framework to limit profits or if one exists, it is not effective.
A profit margin beyond reasonable limit is tantamount to fleecing of buyers, more so when the poor people are already groaning under the impact of high prices all around.
Sellers of goods and services have a moral obligation towards their clients and should charge reasonably.
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
ACCORDING to a report carried by the US Foreign Policy magazine, Pakistan has moved from 34th position to bring the ninth worst state in the “Failed State Index” category, with Afghanistan ranked as the 10th and Sudan number one, followed by Congo. Afghanistan where there is no semblance of civil society has been given a better rating.
The former civil political government was facing sanctions for having gone ahead with nuclear explosions and had almost exhausted its foreign exchange reserves when it was removed in October by military intervention.
Today with forex reserves of over $10 billion, the country has been embarrased, proving that governance and social development index are the main factors by which countries are judged. It is a lesson which regimes that rely on support of foreign powers to unconstitutionally hold on to power will seldom learn.
A state is defined as a territory that forms its own domestic and foreign policy, acting through laws that are framed by constitutionally elected representatives, and implemented by a government which derives its authority from the constitution. There must be rule of law within the territorial boundaries of a state, and an independent judiciary.
Those who govern must adhere to a stricter code of ethics than those who are governed. Universally acknowledged civil rights and liberties must be the right of citizens of that state, a right which cannot be denied.
There should be equal rights and equal opportunities, as defined in the Consititution, without any discrimination as to caste, creed, faith, sex, sect, colour or ethnicity. All institutions of the state must be subservient to civilian authority and the constitutionally-elected government. It is the basic responsibility of the state to provide and subsidise education and health for the deprived sections of society, to protect the honour and human dignity and provide citizen with basic necessities like clean drinking water, an affordable and a reliable public transport system and easy access to seek judicial intervention.
We, the citizens of Pakistan, need to assess the performance of successive governments and decide whether the government has failed them or served them. Is the honour and dignity of the daughters of this country protected by the state, and is the state seen to be on the side of the victim and using all its resources to protect the citizens from exploitation? A state where an independent judiciary does not exist, or where all the citizens of the state are not accountable before the courts of law, is liable to be declared as a failed state, irrespective of the billions of dollars it may have in its coffers.
It is almost impossible for a civilian to get an FIR registered for violation of his rights, or even dacoity, rape and sexual harassment. It is this regime’s dismal performance that has made Muktaran Mai an icon in the world. We allow foreign countries to come and arrest our citizens, without recourse to civil courts of law. Today the same nations are branding us as a failed state. The state subsidises residential housing societies for the khaki and civil elite instead of the poor sections of society. It is the government that has failed and not the state of Pakistan, which was formed on the basis of a constitutional political struggle, led by the Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal.
T. MALLICK Hale Cheshire
UK
THIS is apropos of Dr Ali Akbar Dhakan’s letter ‘Extension, a bane or boon?” (April 6), wherein he has not only analysed the merits and demerits of service extensions and contractual appointments but has quoted the specific example of the Sindh government where such policy has been adopted.
This is at the cost of regular employees who are made to wait perennially for want of vacancies.
Dr Dhakan has mentioned more than 20 officers in senior positions awaiting postings but with passage of time this number has increased because not only more extensions are being allowed to the ‘indispensable’ but some absorption of ex-cadres at senior scales has also been done.
Thus adoption of such a policy has arbitrarily blocked the door of promotions and postings for those who either no ‘source’ or the required guts to be assert their rights.
The authorities should appreciate that their liberal policy of allowing extensions is not only causing dejection among the employees but is also an immense source of creating a class whose only purpose is to serve their benefactor rather than the public.
MANSOORUL HAQ SOLANGI
Karachi
I OFFER my sincere felicitations to Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on the allocation of the portfolio of the ministry of railways. All his efforts and statements to glorify the government have evaporated in thin air whereas he can make a tangible contribution to the working of the railways.
I take this opportunity to offer the following suggestions for his consideration:
1. All rail tracks, including the Chakwal track, built by the British but uprooted by the Nawaz Sharif government, should be revived, and shuttle train services on high-volume traffic routes should be organised for operation in collaboration with the private sector, including road transporters.
2. Separate seminars for each speciality be organised for experts related to electrical, electronics, diesel engine, steel and iron-making, machining and fabricating industries.
3. A high-powered committee of experts should regularly inspect and monitor punctuality, cleanliness of trains and railway stations, functioning of booking offices, maintenance of buildings, tracks, rolling-stock, etc.
RAJA M. AFZAL KHAN
Gujar Khan
THIS has a reference to Mr Khalid Jawed Khan’s article (April 29). More laws and more courts will only increase the burden the judiciary is facing.
If we dispose of cases in time without let or hindrance and work honestly and diligently to attend to the backlog, we do not need more laws. We only have to remove the weaknesses and loopholes of which lawyers take advantage.
If you have to have a high court for Islamabad, you do not need a constitutional amendment. It is only an administrative matter; the apex court can issue an executive order for its establishment. But if a separate high court is needed for the capital, you have to declare Islamabad a province — as only provinces can have high courts. For this you would need a constitutional amendment.
I wonder what is the rationed for calling Punjab’s high court as the Lahore High Court and the NWFP or Sarhad’s high court as the Peshawar High Court. Then Sindh’s High Court should be called Karachi High Court and Balochistan High Court be renamed as the Quetta High Court. It is odd that two high courts are known by the names of provinces while the other two are named after cities. Why can’t this nation be uniform in action and thinking?
REHANA NAQVI
Karachi
MR M. J. Akbar’s statement (‘Harmony in religious beliefs’, April 24) about Hindus and Muslims in India — “they have never insulted each other’s faith in a thousand years of literature. They have vilified or glorified kings and heroes, but there has been no slander against the deeply revered symbols of faith” — is a glorious example for anyone who wishes to rewrite history.
HASAN BIN HAMZA
Karachip
WE, the residents (bungalow Nos. D-60 to D-70) of Block-H, Allama Rasheed Turabi Road, North Nazimabad, Karachi, wish to draw your attention to the fact that we have not been getting water for the last one month. The main reason for this is faulty operation by the valves men and illegal connections.
Every possible effort has been made with KWSB officials in North Nazimabad to redress the hardship but no heed has so far been paid to resolving the problem.
RESIDENTS
Karachi
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