| July 10, 2006 | Monday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 13, 1427 |
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Mankind’s destiny
‘Apex court judgment on PS’
Swedish journalist's killing
Points to ponder
How tolerant are we?
Streamlining rental laws
Mental Health Ordinance
Projecting oneself
Empowering traffic cops
BROADLY speaking, universities are supposed to be the highest seats of freedom of inquiry, freedom of discussion and freedom of teaching and research. Without these values, universities are like empty vessels producing empty and robotic minds. According to Professor Robert M. Hutchins: “There is only one justification for universities that they must be centres of criticism”.
In fact, freedom to criticise, in turn, fosters intellectual diversity and productive thought that ultimately brings social, political, and economic change in society and helps in establishing of open and plural society. Prof. Robert Frost has rightly said that education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper. Therefore, tolerance should be the highest result of education in our context.
It is regrettable that freedom of expression is being suppressed in our universities. This has created an intellectual gap between our universities and the universities of other countries where teachers enjoy freedom of expression.
The force behind such suppression of freedom of expression in our universities is said to be the existence of feudal mindset and feudal culture. By nature, it is more intimidating, intolerant and disrespectful to rule of law. It is egoistic and never surrenders. The feudal mindset has greatly influenced the governance in universities.
Now debate is going on that how the policy of universities to crush the freedom of thought is compatible with the policy of the government to bring Pakistani universities at par with other universities of the developed countries in terms of academic standard and social norms and institutional and individual freedom of teachers. Honestly speaking, without ensuring academic freedom, we cannot achieve this goal. We should shun the policy of dictation and treat universities as self-regulating communities.
Although we accuse feudal lords and politician of possessing feudal mindset, our universities too now suffer from this virus. This is because bureaucrats and retired military officers have been appointed as vice-chancellors. Professors who differ with the policies of universities and present their points of view are coerced and intimidated.
The Sindh University, Jamshoro, once known for producing liberal and progressive thought through liberal teaching and free discussion, has now become more of an Orwellian society where Big Brother is bent upon crushing the freedom of thought and haunt and intimidate those who criticise his policies which are largely based on the motto: “Freedom is slavery, war is peace and ignorance is strength.”
The victimisation of Dr Mehtab Ali Shah, a professor of international relations, recipient of best teacher award, Oxford scholar and author of so many international publications is gruesome development for the institution which once prided itself on being the most liberal institution of teaching and learning in the country.
Prof Shah has committed no crime except to oppose the four-year BS programme, implemented recently under the instruction of the HEC, on the ground that mere changing the nomenclature of the degree from BA to BS would not change the fast declining standard of education.
Moreover, Sindh is suffering from acute poverty where 53 per cent of people are living below the poverty line. The introduction of the BS programme, a part of global capitalist agenda being pushed by the World Bank, would prolong the duration of study and hence it would tax poor students with more financial burden. The NWFP Assembly rolled back this programme on the same grounds.
As argued earlier that feudal mindset breeds bad governance that, in turn, creates favouritism, mismanagement, and total disregard for adherence to the rule of law. In feudal societies, like ours, governance is more based on personal whims and caprices. It is unfortunate.
The permeation of feudal mindset into the institution of higher education needs to be checked and for that civil society, especially the media, needs to mobilise itself in order to fight for the rights of teachers, including the right of freedom of thought and expression. In this regard, I also appeal to the Sindh governor, who belongs to the MQM, which is a non-feudal party, to address the issue of academic freedom of universities and their teachers for the creation of more liberal, progressive and open society in Sindh so that different socio-economic issues can be debated in an environment free from fear and intimidation.
MANZOR ALI ISRAN
Shah Abdul Latif University
Khairpur
BOTH India and Pakistan are proud to have acquired the high status of becoming 7th and 8th nuclear states. Perhaps another six to eight have the technology but are not going public. Why are the poorer states looking for such ‘status symbols’, it cannot be inferiority complex/reaction to colonial past? Poverty alleviation should have come first but it did not.
Pakistan and India becoming nuclear states only complicates the matter because this should not have been so high on the priority for India and Pakistan and neither is Kashmir going to run away anywhere. Neither country can let go and still has to remain disciplined in forums like the UN or the Commonwealth headed by England.
After all is said and done, let us remember that the nuclear technology is at least 65 years old and its utility came to a practical end after the 1945 Hiroshima/Nagasaki mistakes. The period that followed that of the Cold War between the US and the USSR (both with their followers like Pakistan and India) moved into a ‘detente’ position largely because of the newer, more lethal development of its dangerous arsenals of biological weapons, germ-warfare capability and, above all, the ability of both nations to create new molecules, to alter them to be able to modify and change the basic structure of the DNA and the ability to create dangerous ‘diseases of mass destruction’ like the Aids virus while the so-called finger-printing through DNAs of various races and tribes of the world goes on.
Is it possible that a new super-human race is perhaps ready somewhere. Will you wait for World War III to find out?
Example to think about:
a.) The USSR was mighty militarily but was otherwise a mismanaged poor country. It lost the long-drawn war of attrition finally in Afghanistan and the country USSR itself was broken up.
b.) The US is mighty militarily, same as the USSR, but is a rich giant, yet it is being chased and haunted by only about a dozen persons who do not have a standing army or air force or navy. Yet if you listen to the daily press briefings, the very foundations are shaking. Unbelievable.
One can go on and on but you are assured that the atom bomb is no longer a new offensive weapon of mass destruction (nor for defence either). The world has become far more dangerous than the ordinary taxpayer anywhere in the world can realise. Only no one is looking in that direction due to daily diversions via the media or work pressures and pleasures.
It’s time for serious people to sit down and ponder on mankind’s destiny, which no amount of diversion will change unless the people of the world fashion it towards peaceful co- existence.
KHANZADA E.H. KHAN
Karachi
Apropos of Mr Anil Khan Luni’s letter ‘Apex court judgment on PS’ (July 7), I would first like to clarify that our reply was edited. When we referred to our minority position, it was in respect of influencing the board of PSM to change their business plan in regard to real estate. At no point did we link this to valuation. I reproduce the original sentence which read as: “If by any stretch of imagination it were to be conceived that AHSL’s interest was in real estate how could we have influenced (Dawn added: ‘valuation’) given our minority position?”
Now to the contents of Mr Luni’s letter: Mr Luni has chosen to ignore the fact that he had made a misstatement with regard to AHSL having any influence on Citibank.
He had in his original letter expressed his opinion that the PSM enterprise value is $1 billion. He has a right to an opinion but when he wrote to this newspaper making such a statement as if it were an established fact, he should have then provided the basis of such an assertion.
Since Mr Luni’s continues to allege impropriety, let me quote some facts about Mittal-Arcelor transaction: capacity 120 million tons, market capitalisation US $46 billion (reported in USA Today, June, 26, 2006, www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2006-6-26-arcelor-mittal x.htm).
Applying per ton market capitalization of Mittal-Arcelor to PSM, the value works out to $422 million; and 75 per cent stake on such a basis works out to $316 million (or Rs19 billion). While doing this calculation, we have not discounted this valuation for the Mittal-Arcelor plants being located on real estate in the developed countries and these not being subject to the risks associated with the developing world.
ARSHAD HASSAN
SVP-Investments, Arif Habib
Securities Ltd Karachi
The Swedish cameraman, Martin Adler, was shot dead In Mogadishu on June 23 while covering a pro-Islamist rally (Dawn, June 24). He was a renowned cameraman and journalist who had covered more than two dozen war zones. The unfortunate gentleman was married and had two daughters.
It seems likely that somebody from among the crowd, in which some angry youths were burning American and Ethiopian flags (due to these countries' alleged interference in Somali affairs) may have mistaken him for an American. Nevertheless, in addition to being indefensible, such acts can, ironically, bring a bad name to the new power wielders, the Islamic Courts Union that mercifully appears to have restored order to many parts of the lawless country after 15 years.
The media persons of any nationality must never be targeted because they are innocent, have families and are only doing their job, which is more often than not thankless and risky. Without being a journalist, one was both very sad and angry to read the news about Mr Adler, just as one was about the killings of some Pakistani reporters in recent weeks. May their souls rest in peace and may their families find the strength to bear the irreparable loss.
KHALID CHAUDHRY
Karachi
THE government has realised billions by selling the family silver. It contends that the per capita income is $840 and intends to buy 80 Mercedes cars for the cabinet.
In the meanwhile, the allocation for health and education is insignificant. A general view of the economy is extremely pathetic as millions skip meals and hundreds commit suicide over financial matters.
In the Zia era luxury cars were banned for government officials, besides other measures of austerity, but at present the cabinet and others are living in the lap of luxury at the cost of the miseries of the unfortunate masses.
The government is again requested to arrest the price spiral of basic necessities instead of increasing the rates of utilities and fuel. They must remember that the exchequer entrusted to them belongs to the people of Pakistan.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
THIS has reference to Mr Hafizur Rahman’s column ‘How tolerant are we? (June 28), in which the writer has questioned government leaders’ visit to a church. However, the same question should also be put to the leader of the opposition because, in parliamentary parlance, he is the shadow prime minister. Put to him a question about equal rights for non-Muslim citizens living in Pakistan, and he would either avoid to give an answer or would wrap it in a number of ahadis.
I do not know of leaders who have ever visited Pakistan’s churches, but about ourselves — the MQM legislators, including myself — I can say that we have not only visited churches but also gurdwaras and mandirs in the country, as and when occasions demanded.
These visits were paid during religious festivals, as well as when some disgraceful acts were committed against these peaceful and marginalised communities. On such occasions nobody from the government or from the opposition or any of their public representatives bothered to visit or tried to provide solace to them.
Two months back I attended a programme in Karachi’s Bahai Hall with my colleague M.P. Bhandara. It was reassuring for this fewer than 5,000 Bahai community that both of us were there with them, listening to their individual and community problems in a small hall which depicted symbols of every religion, including Islam.
The truth is that even those political parties which initially started as liberal and non-violent forces under their founder leaders have now radicalised their philosophy. Examples are the ANP, JI, JUI and the PPP. They were different during the secular leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (and later Mr Wali Khan) and Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Mr Bhutto could never have thought that a religious outfit known as the Taliban would emerge during the regime of his own daughter. When we compare some religious parties’ leaders, we find them to be vastly different from their peace-preaching founding fathers.
A major role in making the majority intolerant was played by certain institutions with the help of the clergy well before Gen Zia. Consider what we were taught through syllabus. Our heroes and role models were not men of peace, but rather those that had swords in their hands. Over the years such things became embedded in the minds of many people.
To make ourselves a tolerant society, we have to do a lot of legislation to undo our various intolerant systems. In other words, the system adopted just after the ‘great divide’, for which the Quaid- i-Azam had the vision, was plagued soon after his demise.
But there is no magic wand to turn our society tolerant overnight. If we start the process today, it would take another two decades to come at par with the tolerant society that is found in Malaysia.
KUNWAR KHALID YUNUS
Islamabad
ACCORDING to a press report (July 1) the Pakistan Law Commission (PLC) has sought comments and suggestions from the State Bank of Pakistan and commercial banks on the 12 proposed changes to rental laws.
The proposed changes, if implemented, will place the house owner at the mercy of the tenant who will have the discretion to vacate or occupy the house as long as he or she wishes. Even the regular rent deed mutually agreed upon will be rendered worthless for the house owner.
The proposed 10 per cent increase in rent after three or so years is totally unrealistic when the cost of living and house maintenance for the owner may increase with inflation rate per year of 10 per cent or more, besides increase in bank interest rate. The proposal for fixing rent by the government is also unrealistic when unprecedented escalation in cost of land, construction and bank interest are governed by free market economy. Other proposals are also in favour of the tenant. In brief, these proposals intended for promoting investment in the housing sector will prove counter-productive.
It is hoped that the PLC will ensure the internationally accepted Islamic justice of compliance with the agreements through free will and let the house owner and tenant protect their respective interests through written agreements. However, the written rent deed for each rented house with a copy to the rent controller may be made mandatory with penalties for violator of the deed. It will increase government revenue and minimise litigation which takes several years for final verdict.
GHULAM MUHAMMAD
Rawalpindi
I APPRECIATE the views expressed by Ms Zubeida Mustafa in her column 'Caring for the mentally ill' (July 5). The Mental Health Ordinance (MHO) was promulgated in 2001 and the archaic Lunacy Act 1912 was repealed but it is most unfortunate that in spite of demands at various forums by all concerned, neither the rules have been framed nor any other concrete step has been taken for implementation of the MHO in letter and in spirit.
The federal and provincial health departments should give due consideration to the plight of mentally ill patients, otherwise the MHO will remain a 'dead statute'.
JUSTICE (R) DR GHOUS MUHAMMAD
Karachi
THIS refers to an advertisement (May 26) stated to be from the citizens of Karachi.
As usual, it contains several photographs (president and prime minister included). Below the photos, a line appears reading as “We owe you so much!”.
It is not understood as to how the Karachi citizens owe to the persons whose photos appear in the advertisement, how much and why? Instead of apologising for the inconvenience being caused due to misgovernance — the worst law and order situation, frequent power breakdowns, water shortage and price hikes, etc. — the citizens are being made to ‘owe’ to the rulers? This is the height of sycophancy.
The advertisement, further states: “The citizens of Karachi are extremely indebted to the Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping for his ‘Generous gift’ in the shape of the university of Engineering, Science and Technology” to be set up in Karachi.
By the way, would the minister be paying Rs5 billion (cost of 140 acres of land) and Rs20 billion for the project from his own pocket, so as to call it a ‘generous gift’ from him? If it is not so, how could it be a gift from the minister? As a matter of fact, anything constructed at the cost of public money cannot be a gift to the public.
For the coalition partners in the Sindh government/city government, it is fashionable to issue such advertisements and advertisement supplements, in self-praise, at exorbitant costs to the public.
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
WITH reference to the letters by Adnan Abbasi and Sana Zubairi (July 5), I totally concur with their comments about the lack of empowerment of traffic cops. People in Karachi hardly obey traffic rules as they jump red lights, change lanes without indication, overspeed, drive rashly , honk, etc., and it is sad to see that no one is bothers to stop when traffic cops asks them to.
This is purely because we all know that there is no power or authority given to cops (not even proper rides and weapons). How can anyone fear a cop in the absence of these things. In developed countries the police are feared by those who do not obey the law. In Karachi there is no fear of the police at all.
I request the authorities concerned to please improve the law and order situation respectable in the city before it is too late. Please give the cops proper authority and let them know how to exercise the same.
SHAIKH SALMAN
Karachi
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