| May 12, 2006 | Friday | Rabi-us-Sani 13, 1427 |
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Independent prosecution service
Islamabad incident
Tackling drought
Nawaz and Benazir
Role of the army
Election 2007
Basic banking account
Blight of bonded labour
Lyari Expressway
Basha or Bhasha?
THE economy of Pakistan is going through a boom these days and no one can deny the fact that the country has come a long way within a decade. I believe if the government lets the market grow on its own and lets other companies operate in Pakistan, rather than protecting the local industry, the Pakistani economy can grow even more. I believe competition has always been discouraged by Pakistan in an attempt to make sure that the local industry is not affected by outside influences. I believe competition will do more good than harm to the economy as it will force local producers to manufacture goods that are reliable and cheaper, benefiting both the common man and the economy as a whole. Last year Pakistan reported a GDP growth of 8.4 per cent, the world’s second highest behind China. A large part of this achievement can be attributed to the growing trade links of Pakistan. Consequently, foreign income and reserves have risen to new record levels. The stock exchange has broken all previous records, marking a new era of trading in Pakistan. Foreign debt has been reduced to the lowest in 10 years, and this stability has increased the buying power of the average person. More cars were sold last year than ever before; as a result the automobile industry had to increase its production. Every day more investors are showing interest in Pakistani products and new deals are being signed with countries with which Pakistan had no or negligible trade
Pakistan recently signed trade deals with the US and EU countries to export garments. This deal will help bring in foreign exchange, which the country desperately requires. Pakistan’s local industry is up against stiff competition from countries like China and India in all fields. The local industry needs to make sure that they perform to the best of their abilities and make the best quality products at the least possible cost.
Other free trade agreements are being planned with countries like Canada and some Latin American countries. Pakistan needs to sign similar deals with China, India and the Arab world to infuse competition in the local industry and cause prices to fall.
Recently, Pakistan and India signed trade agreements. It is a bold move by Pakistan to take a fresh start in improving links with India as this will help the poorest in both the countries.
Since 9/11, Pakistan has been a close ally of the US and has been given many incentives by the US government, the biggest being the lifting of many sanctions that were previously imposed. Following the US government, many European and Asian countries also lifted their sanctions. This has created a gateway for Pakistani products to be exported to many other previously unaccessed international markets. Since the lifting of the sanctions, Pakistan has started exporting sports goods, surgical instruments, cotton and manpower to many countries.
Even though the economy is growing, poverty in the country still prevails. There are over 65.6 per cent people who earn less than two dollars a day (human development index). But now people will benefit from trade relations, like those with India. There will be more job openings in local industries And, above all, there should be better wages for employees. It is the government that is responsible for ensuring that citizens get a good education and receive proper healthcare. The government needs to put a check on the prices of all basic goods so that the poor are not deprived of essentials.
ZOHAIR BAJWA
Mossoula, MT USA
THIS is to draw the attention of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to his promise made on Oct 14, 1999 to bring about judicial reforms. A programme called ‘Access to justice’ was launched and among other things it was announced that three departments would be established within the police service.
One, operation police to curb and report crime; second, investigation police to investigate cases; and, third, an independent prosecution service to expedite the process of delivery of justice.
The federal government took the responsibility to work upon the first two goals and the third option was left for the provincial governments. The federal government succeeded in promulgating the Police Order 2002, though a number of amendments are required to bring it in conformity with the proposed reforms.
For the third option the federal government vide the chief executive’s directive No. 22 of 2002 asked the provincial governments to ensure prompt establishment of an independent prosecution service. The governments in Punjab and the NWFP, following the directive, succeeded in passing and implementing the Independent Prosecution Act by the provincial legislatures concerned. By virtue of the new law the governments of Punjab and the NWFP not only elevated district attorneys (BS-18), deputy district attorneys (BS-17) and assistant district attorneys (BS-16) to the next grade but also succeeded in exhausting the earmarked budgetary allocations and funding of foreign agencies under the head of the ‘Access to justice programme’. The independent prosecution service has been successful in reducing delays in disposal of cases in the two provinces during the last couple of years.
The case of Sindh remains undecided and no progress can be seen. The provincial government has neither been able to bring about legislation nor taken any other steps to monitor the judicial process in the province. A summary sent to the chief minister for elevation of law officers to the next grade was turned down by him a few days back.
All this has happened due to lack of coordination between the Sindh law and home departments, which during the last four years have not reached a consensus as to who shall supervise the independent prosecution service of the province.
The authorities concerned should help to set up such a service without any further delay.
JAVED LATEEF MEMON
Khairpur Mirs
THIS refers to a news item (May 5) about the thrashing of a senior government officer by a parliamentary secretary (May 5).
The bureaucracy, as a whole, was feeling grieved, frustrated and humiliated that day. The assault should not be seen as an isolated event. Such incidents keep on happening every now and then. As government servants are handicapped by official limitations, they cannot wage long battles with political bosses. And if ever anyone decides to wage such a battle, for obvious reasons he ends up losing it.
The whole incident raises a number of questions. Since one citizen has physically assaulted another, should not a criminal case be registered under the relevant laws? Should not the parliamentary secretary lose his portfolio as well as membership of the National Assembly?
Since the whole incident took place reportedly because of the joint secretary’s coming late to the parliamentary secretary’s office, what about the parliamentary secretary’s discipline as regards assembly proceedings? Does he go there in time and regularly?
Since the bureaucracy represents the government, was it not the government and not merely the joint secretary who was humiliated? (One is also surprised that the joint secretary didn’t tender his resignation.)
An ‘impartial’ inquiry will now take place. The inquiry committee will painstakingly apportion equal blame on both the parties. It will even go to the extent of showing that the government servant in fact created such an environment where the parliamentary secretary was left with no option but to beat up the officer. The committee may also prove that it was the assistants of the parliamentary secretary who thrashed the officer and the parliamentary secretary tried to save him.
Had any action been taken in earlier incidents relating to a minister who beat up a citizen at an airport and then another person in a five-star hotel, the Islamabad incident may not have taken place.
E. ANWAR
Islamabad
YOUR headline news that the drought facing Sindh and Balochistan which may also affect the whole of Pakistan (May 8) is a matter of great concern for all of us.
Droughts are a recurring national predicament that calls for evolving strategies to cope with the situation. One of the strategies as suggested in Dawn’s editorial (May 9) is to speed up the lining of irrigation canals to reduce the seepage of water by 50 per cent water in the prevailing irrigation system. Another strategy is the drip and sprinkling system to increase water- use efficiency. Yet another strategy is to bring about changes in the agronomic condition of the soil of farm fields followed by the application of effective micro-organisms (EM) technology.
Mycorrhizas are the most effective micro-organism of EM technology. They have a natural symbiotic association with plant roots and absorb immobile nutrients from the vicinity of the plant root system of trees (up to 100 cm) and annual crop plants (up to 10 cm) which cannot ordinarily be absorbed by plant roots. The fine thread-like mycelia of mycorrhizas are capable of absorbing the last drop of water from the soil of root zone through which the transport of nutrient element take place and in doing so make an efficient use of water and thus improve water relationship.
This symbiotic phenomenon discovered in the developed countries 30 years ago has been found to be more useful in West Asia and South Asia because of the impoverished condition of soil in arid, semi-arid and tropical countries. We should therefore try to adopt mycorrhizal biotechnology for increasing the efficient use of water. The World Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) could be approached for advice to alleviate our plight caused by the vagaries of nature in the form of droughts.
Dr M. JALALUDDIN
Karachi
WITH reference to the hype created regarding the meeting of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhuttto, I have two simple questions to put to them: Why don’t the PML -N and the PPP hold party elections to elect party leaders and members of the executive committee as is the common practice in all democratic parties in the world? People cannot trust those who don’t tolerate opposition inside the party that they will be sincere in implementing democracy in the country
Secondly, when the PPP came to power in 1988, the country’s total external debt was $12 billion. By the time Nawaz Sharif was removed from the government in 1999 the debt had increased to $37 billion.
Could the respectable leaders explain where these $25 billion were spent in the 11 years of so-called democratic period? There was no major development in this period, rather it was declared as the worst financial period in the nation’s history.
FAISAL KHATTAB
Peshawar
THIS has reference to Shahzeb Abbasi’s letter ‘Role of the army’ (April 23). Hurling allegations like “Thank you for propping up the AK-47 culture and filling the country with sectarian feelings” is unrealistic.
Every reasonable person knows that the Kalashnikov culture in this country resulted due to the Afghan war. Certain ethnic and religious groups have also been responsible for all the unrest in certain areas of the country, especially in Karachi. Having lived in Karachi, the writer of the letter should have had courage to admit this fact.
It may be stated that from January 1989 to October 1998, it was not the army but a civilian government which was in power in the country. Many other misconceptions also need to be cleared.
First, jobs. Please look at the structure of federal and provincial governments. How many ministers, secretaries and joint secretaries are from the army? Very few. Not even one per cent. Most army officers are commissioned at the age of 20 to 22 years and retire as major/lieutenant-colonel after 23 to 25 years of service. This means they leave service at the age of 43 to 47 years. Do they have no right to live subsequently?
If some of them acquire a job on their own merit or, rarely, the provincial or federal government find a slot for some of them, why so much hue and cry? It should be noted that the army does not have only fighting soldiers but also doctors, engineers and many other highly skilled individuals. Some of us have competed at multinational levels and attained the highest possible qualifications from England and the US. Please allow us a right to live and do not be so jealous about us.
Second, lands. It seems from the letter that everyone who retires from the army is given a piece of paradise. Take the DHA in Karachi. It was a low-lying area having poor communication with the rest of the city 40 years ago. Over a period of time things changed. So anybody who thinks that somebody gifted away a piece of land at
a throwaway price is not aware of market trends. Similarly, most of the officers and other ranks who got agriculture land found it to be barren, with sand dunes around. One had to sink one’s entire pension and all other assets to make it productive.
Third, support to sardars and landlords. To be a sardar and landlord is not a crime. Sardars who are indulging in unwanted activities are already being dealt with by the provincial and federal governments. There has been a positive attitude among our landlords towards their tenants for the past many years. There is no provision in the law of the land that if somebody is a landlord, he should be liquidated.
Brig (r) KHALID HASSAN MAHMOOD
Karachi
AS the political parties of the country start to organise for the upcoming polls, it is a time to review their performance in the legislative bodies where they were meant to represent the electorate. Unfortunately, the performance has not been up to the mark. They have been more interested in desk thumping and boycotting the legislative process rather than playing their due role in making better laws for a poorly-governed country like ours.
The MMA recently announced it was going to lay siege on Islamabad to fulfil one or other of its political objectives. Similarly, the leading ARD parties (PPP-P and PML-N) are going to sign a charter of democracy giving the impression that it is only they who have the capability to show the nation the right path. These so-called liberal parties of the country, when given a chance in the past, have pulled each others’ legs, inflicting irreparable loss on the very democracy they are crying for now.
The fact of the matter is that democracy does not suit the leadership of most of the political parties in Pakistan. They are averse to any idea of holding party elections and have a long tradition of denying their own workers their democratic rights.
Dr SHAISTA GUL
Karachi
THE State Bank of Pakistan can draw satisfaction from its record of taking care of the interest of the weaker sections of society insofar as their dealings with banks are concerned. One such example is the announcement last December of what the State Bank termed as the basic banking account. The main features are opening an account with as low an amount as Rs1,000 without fear of closure by banks for six months at zero balance and no service deduction. The only inconvenience is restricting withdrawals and deposits to twice a month.
There was an announcement by the National Bank of Pakistan in compliance with the scheme but nothing has been done so far in actual practice. No other bank has had even the courtesy to express their intention of implementing the scheme. Equally surprising is the lukewarm manner in which the State Bank is taking follow-up action on this highly beneficial and innovative move.
NOMAN FARID
Karachi
REFERENCE your editorial ‘Blight of bonded labour’(April 19). According to the news item (April 26), 29 workers were recovered by a bailiff from a brick kiln located on the outskirts of Multan city. They were recovered after a kiln worker had filed a habeas corpus petition.
The news item is too brief. However it gives the names of those recovered (19 men and 10 women), but conveniently omits the name of kiln owner. Moreover, the news was printed on an inner page, though this should have been a front-page headline, when the lives of 29 people were involved.
Further, the report is silent about the legal process initiated against the kiln owner and relief given to the victims.
While bonded labour has been abolished by law and the national committee for bonded labour and a vigilant committee exist, many poor people are languishing in several bonded labour camps of feudal lords, and the government is unable to rescue them. Is there anybody else to rescue them?
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
THE social sciences department of Karachi University has recently conducted a study of the Lyari Expressway project. The study results showed that the resettlement process lacked transparency and it was full of corruption. The study further identified that this was not more than a land grabbing exercise.
The issue which demands immediate consideration is that of the small colony called Rehmatiya Colony which was demolished by the city government on Jan 5. The government wanted this land for the Lyari Expressway. So far thousands of families have been made homeless. Among them some were given compensation but all others were deprived of it. In Rehmatiya Colony a majority of the residents belonged to the Hindu community. The city government demolished their 250 houses, but officials refused to give them alternative plots and cash compensation.
These people are still living among the rubble of their houses. For the last four months they have been running from one office to another to get their compensation.
I hope the high-ups will take serious action on this.
SHAZIA ROSHAN
University of Karachi
MR Aziz Akhmad (letter, May 7) is right —- the word in Shina (the local language) is “Basha”. The spoken lilt in the vowel following the ‘B’ has been misconstrued as “Bhasha” by lowlanders. This is unfortunate because the spelling is correct in the original Survey of Pakistan maps. I was hesitant to bring this up this earlier for fear of appearing overly pedantic, but Mr Akhmad’s letter gives us hope that our planners may yet correct this mistake.
DR ADAM NAYYAR
Islamabad
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