| July 02, 2006 | Sunday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 5, 1427 |
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‘Why make people homeless?’
What economic growth?
Police and crime prevention
Hepatitis patients in Sindh
Nagaland compared to Kashmir?
Congo, dengue virus in Karachi
Public money
State of roads
Street vendors
THIS refers to the article “How tolerant are we?” (June 29) by Hafizur Rahman. He compares the Pakistani treatment of its religious minorities with that of a committed Islamic government in Malaysia. I would like to draw a similar comparison. Nobody is unaware of the strained relationship between Iran and Israel. Israel was a close ally of Iran. But that changed when Iran was declared an Islamic Republic in 1979. There were 80,000 Jews residing in Iran at the time. Iran withdrew its recognition of the state of Israel and cut off all official relations. But the leaders of the Islamic regime did not forget the stress Islam places on religious tolerance.
Khomeini met the Jewish community upon his return from exile in Paris and issued a ‘fatwa’ decreeing that the Jews were to be protected.
Judaism is the second oldest religion in Iran after Zoroastrianism. They are allocated one seat in the Iranian parliament like other religious minorities. They have their very own newspaper called Ofogh-i-Bina. Jewish scholars are allowed to perform Judaic research at Tehran’s Central Library of Jewish Association. Besides that, the ‘Dr Sapir Jewish Hospital, is Iran’s largest charity hospital of any religious minority community in the country.
Tehran has 11 functioning synagogues, many of them with Hebrew schools. It has two kosher restaurants, and a Jewish hospital, an old-age home and a cemetery. There is a Jewish library with 20,000 titles, its reading room decorated with a photograph of the Ayatollah Khomeini.
An Iranian Jew, Eliyason, said in an interview: “Sometimes I think they are kinder to the Jews than they are to themselves. If we are gathered in a house, and the family is having a ceremony with wine or the music is playing too loud, if they find out we are Jews, they don’t bother us so much.” Now let us compare this to how we have treated our Jews. According to the research of Prof. Adil Najam of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, 2000 Jews remained in Pakistan at the time of partition. He writes that after the creation of Israel “most Pakistanis viewed all Jews through the lens of Arab-Israel politics and the wars of 1956 and 1967 only made life more difficult for Jews in Pakistan.
The Karachi synagogue became the site of anti-Israel demonstrations, and the Pakistani Jews the subject of the wrath of mobs. Ayub Khan’s era saw the near disappearance of the Pakistani Jewry”.
He further writes: “A couple of hundred Jews remained in Karachi but out of concern for their safety and as a reaction to increasing religious intolerance in society many went ‘underground’, sometimes passing off as Parsees.” Pakistani Jews now live in hiding. They cannot practise their religion freely for the fear of being targeted. Are Muslims not going through the same situation after 9/11? We know how it feels like to be punished because of your religious beliefs. We may not recognise Israel, but we should definitely recognise our Jews. We should learn a lesson from the Islamic Republic of Iran, which protects its Jews in spite of its hostility with Israel.
KHUSHBAKHT VAKA
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the article ‘Why make people homeless?’ by Zubeida Mustafa, (June 21).
Ms Mustafa’s article presented some shocking facts about forced evictions in Karachi. Forced eviction is the removal of someone from his/her home or land against his /her will and without the appropriate protections being given.
The United Nations Human Rights Commission has said that “.... the practice of forced evictions constitutes a gross violation of human rights, in particular the right to adequate housing’. The local government must ensure that its officials, as well as other actors in the municipality, do not carry out forced evictions. Even if a Pakistani law permits an eviction, this does not mean that it is consistent with the Constitution, international human rights treaties or Pakistan’s other legal obligations.
The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has said that evictions “can only be justified in the most exceptional circumstances, and in accordance with the relevant principles of international law.”
Even in such ‘exceptional circumstances’, certain procedural requirements must still be fulfilled.
First, local governments (including city district governments, towns and union councils) must ensure, prior to any evictions, and particularly those involving large groups, that all feasible alternatives are explored in consultation with the affected persons, with a view to avoiding, or at least minimising, the need to use force.
Second, evictions should not result in rendering individuals homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights. The governments must, therefore, ensure that adequate alternative housing is available to affected persons and compensations of damage of property and land must be awarded as per market value.
Finally, in those rare cases where eviction is considered justified, it must be carried out in strict compliance with additional relevant provisions of international human rights law and in accordance with general principles of reasonableness and proportionality. These include:
1. Adequate and reasonable notice to be given to all affected persons prior to the scheduled date of eviction.
2. Information on the proposed evictions and, where applicable, on the alternative purpose for which the land or housing is to be used, to be made available in reasonable time to all those affected.
3. Government officials or their representatives to be present during any eviction, especially where groups of people are involved.
4. All persons carrying out the eviction to be properly identified and evolving a transparent way of compensations.
5. Evictions not to take place in particularly bad weather or at night, unless the affected persons consent otherwise.
6. Provision of legal remedies.
7. Provision, where possible, of legal aid to persons who are in need of it to seek redress from courts.
The recent evictions in Karachi showed the government has ignored or violated all these basic principles, and settlements were raided like an enemy’s land in a brutal way.
I hope the government will restrain demolishing any further settlements. Along with this, there is a need to introduce a proper housing policy which will resolve the issue of illegal land-grabbing forever.
KHURAM MUNIR
Karachi
THE article by Aftab Ahmad (‘Doubling per capita income in six years’, June 26) conveys the impression that Pakistan’s per capita income has doubled in the last six years. The author is talking about nominal per capita GNP and not real GNP. Nominal GNP can double or increase by any proportion if there is inflation and it is no measure of the well-being of the masses. In fact, high and quickly rising nominal GNP is a reflection of rising prices and poor inflation management by the government. The GNP and GDP should, accordingly, be measured in real terms by eliminating the effect of inflation. Such a measurement is the standard methodology followed all over the world.
Mr Ahmed also quotes the government’s claim that the population growth rate has been reduced from three to 1.9 per cent, and which is a factor in increasing per capita GNP. This claim is dubious as we have not seen any concerted push by the government in arresting the dangerous population bomb that ticks away each passing minute. Population growth has been high in Pakistan due to general illiteracy and lack of the government’s commitment to address this extremely important national issue.
The much-talked-about economic growth is being overly exaggerated for what it isn’t. First, it is externally driven and not so much the result of great governance by the government. Remittances improved because after 9/11 official channels were largely used to send money. Second, Pakistan’s debt-servicing payments reduced when some debts were written off by the lenders and other debts were rescheduled. Rescheduling does not eliminate debts, it simply postpones the payment of the principal. In fact, long-term rescheduling transfers the debt burden to future generations and can reduce their opportunities.
I would consider it a feather in the cap of this government if they succeed in improving the savings GDP ratio to internally finance growth. I would also commend them if they attract FDI in other sectors of the economy and not only through sale of assets through privatisation. Finally, the government would surely deserve a pat on the back if they succeed in genuinely increasing direct taxes rather than indirect taxes which they have again increased in the new budget. Let’s not be fooled by grandiose claims of economic growth. The best indicator of economic growth is the infrastructure, amenities and social services offered by our towns and cities which translate into the standard of living of the masses at large. Once we look at that, do we see any reflection of the eight per cent economic growth? And if there is such sustained economic growth taking place, why are the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank observing that poverty has increased?
Dr ANJUM SIDDIQUI
Oshawa, Canada
IT is common knowledge that our police force does little to prevent a crime from taking place. Instead they wait on the sidelines or look the other way till the crime has actually happened. The most glaring example of this is what happens daily on our roads and highways.
While commuting to Peshawar from Rawalpindi and back, one comes across different speed limit zones on the highway. Whereas the speed limit is 100km per hour for the LTVs at most places, it is 70km per hour when passing through small towns and certain difficult terrains. Though speed limit signs are planted at these places, most of them are either inconspicuous or are likely to be missed by the drivers in the rush or due to the dark.
The Highway Police Patrol lies in wait at the far end of these speed limit zones to pounce upon the hapless driver, rather than station itself at the start of such zone to warn the speeding drivers to slow down. The very purpose of reducing the speed in such places is to prevent accidents with the pedestrians crossing the road, as well as the tongas, rickshaws, carts, etc., that abound in these places. But rather than work to prevent the loss of life, the police allow the vehicle to drive at high speed through such accident-prone places and only book the driver for overspeeding on the other end of the speed limit zone.
This is tantamount to allowing the accident to happen. Why not warn the driver at the start of the danger zone and prevent any potential accident which could even be fatal? The police seem to be more interested in fining the violators rather than preventing the crime. Is such a modus operandi of the police not akin to lying in ambush for the drivers rather than preventing the loss of life?
COL (r) RIAZ JAFRI
Rawalpindi
THIS refers to the letter by Altaf Hussain Qureshi (June 25) on a recent statement made by the health minister of Sindh. Although I have not seen the report personally, “5,348 hepatitis patients in the province” is an extremely gross underestimation of size of the problem. I personally know that the minister is a very sincere, honest and competent politician and, therefore, suspect that he may have been misquoted. However, it is the duty of his staff to clarify his position and correct any mistakes of the media in this respect.
It is obvious that one needs to have a very good idea of the size of the problem and also know some basic facts regarding it before one is making any viable plans to combat it. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver, and viral infection is perhaps the commonest cause for it. There are various types of viruses that can cause it and they are named after English alphabets. Among them the common five are A, B, C, D and E.
Viruses A and E are spread mostly by faeco-oral route and as such contaminated water supply is an important source for their spread. For this and for various other reasons, Mr Qureshi has very rightly pointed out the importance of providing clean and safe water to the public. Virus D only causes illness when it occurs with virus B.
Viruses B and C (but not A or E) are responsible for vast majority of chronic liver disease leading often to cirrhosis of liver, and sometimes to primary liver cancer after several years of acquiring the infection. They both are spread by blood and by bodily secretions. In a study conducted recently at our teaching hospital, we found that 69 per cent of all patients who tested positive for having the exposure to hepatitis C virus reported having received injections with used syringes at some stage, and this remains a major cause of this deadly disease at least in rural Sindh.
Other sources of disease included unscreened blood and blood products transfusions, use of contaminated surgical instruments in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, re-use of razor blades at barbers (this is especially prevalent in rural Pakistan), unprotected and promiscuous sexual practice, etc. This is of course completely preventable. It is the duty of all sectors of society, including media, medical professionals and their bodies, government and also the public to take measures to stop such practices. Mass awareness via all sources of the media is urgently needed.
The Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology’s (PSG) guidelines on “Management of Hepatitis B and C” suggest that the prevalence of hepatitis B in Pakistan is 3-4 per cent and that of hepatitis C is 6 per cent. So nearly 10 per cent of Pakistani population is exposed to either of these two viruses. However, this varies widely from region to region. A study conducted of apparently healthy blood donors found that over 17 per cent of them had evidence of exposure to hepatitis C alone. Every fourth patient admitted to our medical wards has this problem which is also responsible for the death of every third patient in our medical ICU.
So the scale of the problem seems to be much higher than what has been suggested by the PSG —- at least in rural Sindh. However, even accepting these figures of PSG, the 31,746,503 population of Sindh (quoted from Pakistan Demographic Survey 2001) may include an alarming 3,174,650 patients of hepatitis caused by either hepatitis B or C – this is well over the entire population of Hyderabad city. The problem of course would be even bigger if we also take other causes of hepatitis into account
Treating patients with hepatitis B and C present serious problems. Only about half of our patients can afford the cost of tests. The government should provide a subsidy for these tests. The treatment is even more expensive and less than 10 per cent of patients can bear the cost.
Beyond certain stage of the illness, the drug treatment is no more an effective option. For such patients, liver transplant is the only hope – but this is not available in Pakistan.
Prevention is, therefore, a preferred option. And for this the government, NGOs, medical professional bodies and the public must work together.
DR S. ZAFAR ABBAS
Mirpurkhas
SOMETHING quite intriguing is happening in India’s northeast that may have great relevance to Kashmir. Nagaland has been an integral part of India without any constitutional or legal doubts. Now India has agreed to give it a peace settlement that “will resemble that of a special Kashmir-type status within the Indian union.”
India always claimed that Kashmir was its ‘integral part’, even though its constitution gave the state a special status. Now, India is taking a somersault to allow an integral part to become semi-independent. Why is it going in the reverse direction?
The independence movement started in Nagaland even while India was a British colony. India used force for decades to suppress it and suffered huge losses but in vain. With its armed forces exhausted and demoralised, it now seems to have resigned itself to the inevitable. Agreeing to give a ‘special status’ is not more than a face-saving.
Kashmir has been another quagmire for India. Why not get out of it also by giving more than the special status that is already there? There is a tantalising hint that it may well happen. According to a report, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s brief to the negotiators was that “the Constitution is flexible, it can accommodate them. As long as they are part of India... .”
MUHAMMAD ABD AL-HAMEED
Lahore
APROPOS of news item in (June 22), more cases of congo and dengue virus were reported in Karachi. The city is already over 80 per cent polluted with smoke and noise. Any additional deadly health hazard is unaffordable. The result is sure death if not detected and treated in time. Moreover, the medical facilities in hospitals is a shambles (as is evident from press reports).
Last December, when I was in Karachi, also some cases of the above disease were reported which, as we all know, are caused by filth and mosquitoes which are breeding in abundance in the overflowing gutters all over. I approached and requested the area nazim to take notice and arrange DDT spray in the area. He assured me, out of some respect (as a senior citizen). The next week I noticed a Suzuki spraying DDT — around the office area of the Nazim and that was the end.
HAJI ASHFAQ
Muscat
“THE speaker of our National Assembly desires new official residence built on 19,000 square feet costing Rs84.706 million. This is over and above the 11-million-rupee Mercedes Benz that he appropriated for himself” (June 26).
He appears to be the best student of ‘real democracy’ lessons as he knows that he would be re-elected as the speaker next year to occupy the palace.
Mrs Margaret Thatcher once said in an interview with a London paper: “I waited for about 10 years before I felt I could spend public money in decorating No. 10, Downing Street. The main state rooms were getting shabby” (letter, Sept 11, 1991).
Z.A. KAZMI
Karachi
GEN Tyre gave a full-page ad in Dawn (June 28), taking credit for selling 1.5 million tyres in one year. They should have sold twice as many in Malakand division alone, considering the state of roads here. Other countries having such roads are called ‘failed’ states.
MIANGUL AURANGZEB
Saidu Sharif
IT is a daily practice by street vendors on bicycle or donkey carts using battery-operated loudspeakers and amplifiers to shout for their stuff on sale. These normally include vegetables and oils. This creates the worst kind of noise pollution. The authorities concerned are requested to immediately get stopped.
NISAR HYDER ABBAS
Lahore
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