| July 22, 2006 | Saturday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 25, 1427 |
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Technical training
Plea for pension to ailing widow
Deaths on roads
Appeal to CBR chairman
If exports must increase
Flawed admission policy
Good governance?
Legislation and religion
Offensive defence
Conspiracy theory
Mind-reading computers
THIS refers to the article, ‘Embracing Israel, ignoring Palestinians’, by Mr Karamatullh K. Ghori (July 15). It is a very good thing that he filled in the readers about the details of news that was briefly reported in Dawn on July 3.
Indeed, it was shocking to read about the eight-member delegation of Pakistani-American doctors’ visit to Israel, whose group claims to have played a key role in arranging a meeting between the Pakistani and Israeli foreign ministers last September. Dr Omar Atiq, a spokesman for this group, which appears to be the unofficial representative of the Pakistan government and carefully avoided meeting anyone from the very democratically elected Hamas government, also gave a statement.
In that, the ground realities have been implicitly distorted, focus has only been on the suicide bombings while completely ignoring the collective punishment and persecution routinely meted out to the Palestinians and, tellingly, a hint has been dropped about the imminent recognition of Israel by Pakistan. He also touted the need for Pakistan and the Arab world to have relations with the Zionist state. As was to be expected, the American Jewish Congress, which had indirectly sponsored the trip, hailed the physicians’ visit, while the Israeli authorities gave them a red carpet welcome.
This should be contrasted with what the western columnist Gwynne Dyer wrote about Israel in his recent article, ‘Disproportionate force’ (Dawn, July 10), while also noting the complicity of large parts of the western media in upholding that country’s terrorism against the Palestinians.
In addition, Mr Dyer has quoted a fair-minded Israeli columnist, Gideon Levy, from the newspaper Ha’aretz, about the government’s actions:
“It is not legitimate to cut off 750,000 people from electricity. It is not legitimate to call on 20,000 people to run from their homes and turn their towns into ghost towns. It is not legitimate to kidnap half a government and a quarter of a parliament. A state that takes such steps is no longer distinguishable from a terror organisation (italics added).”
Anybody could hardly have put it better. Apart from that, even the UN secretary-general, Mr Kofi Annan, has appealed to Tel Aviv not once but four times in recent weeks to relieve the besieged population’s distress.
He said: “I am appealing for urgent action to alleviate the desperate humanitarian situation of the civilian population.” Also, that “the Israeli air strikes on Gaza’s only power plant have had a far-reaching impact on Gaza’s hospitals, flour mills, water and sanitation systems.”
This is still not all. The Reuters’s correspondent Luke Baker has reported from Gaza that its 1.4 million inhabitants are without water (Dawn, July 16), while Patrick Seale, the author of Asad of Syria: The struggle for the Middle East, in his essay in The Guardian titled, “Anything but negotiation,” has said:
“By using disproportionate force against Gaza, Israel has once again demonstrated its contempt for international law and its indifference to human suffering. America’s blind support may give Israel immunity in the short term, but the longer-term consequences of such irresponsible behaviour can only be dire” (Dawn, July 4).
But, here we have some Pakistanis remorselessly supporting the country which even some Jews and westerners have labelled as ‘terrorist’. One wonders what vested interests are driving these people to go against and hurt the sentiments of the great majority of the world’s Muslims? They have shown no honest sensitivity to the sufferings of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children (even after seeing them being carried away with grievous injuries or dying in their parents’ arms). The merciless Israelis keep bulldozing their homes to make room for Jewish settlers, forcing them to live in refugee camps from which they are then bombed out. The brute force used and the killings in Lebanon are yet another tragedy.
A. ALEEM
Karachi
THE government is laying emphasis on producing adequate quantity of technically qualified manpower to keep pace with the growing economic activities. This is great, but we should also focus on the bodies with right skill sets. The infrastructure available to produce such manpower is not ready to take up this challenge.
Moreover, the skills taught are not in line with the country’s growing needs. Therefore, the product of the existing institutions often find no jobs suitable to their qualifications and end up doing generalised stuff which is not technically or monetarily rewarding.
Most of the technical training centres and diploma institutes offer certificates and diplomas in mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, carpentry, auto-technicians, auto-electricians, drafting, refrigeration mechanical skills. The course material is old and outdated and the teachers are not properly trained. They have their own importance but the number and the quality produced do not have adequate opportunities available.
The textile and related industry is the biggest in Pakistan. About 19 per cent of the companies listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange are textile-based. I have not heard of any technical training centre or diploma institute in Pakistan imparting skill training and development for technicians and operators required for this biggest and fastest-growing industry.
There are, however, several universities and colleges producing textile engineers. They cannot operate and maintain a textile mill alone, foot soldiers are also needed.
A similar need exists for specialised technicians and operators for petrochemical, chemical, oil and gas, cement, sugar and pharmaceutical sectors. To overcome this gap, these industries have developed their own two-year apprenticeship programmes which are offered to people who come out of technical training centres and diploma institutes. It is not only time- and cost-consuming but also frustrating for people who join these programmes. If technical training centres and diploma institutes impart the right training and develop appropriate skills, their product can start contributing from day one and earn a decent living.
The education ministry should seek inputs from industry and apply its thrust in the right direction. Growth brings in its own challenges, we are already witnessing a power crisis across the country. If we do not make right decisions now, soon we will experience severe shortages of skilled manpower.
S. NAYYAR IQBAL RAZA
Karachi
A bed-ridden ailing woman, Saeeda Bukhari, widow of Syed Masood Bukhari, residing in a rickety quarter, No. 497, of Pir Illahi Bux Colony, is not getting her family pension on flimsy pretext since the death of her husband in November 2005.
Syed Masood Bukhari, an employee of the law department, Sindh Secretariat, died in November 2005. I have learnt that she must produce heirship certificate to be entitled to get the pension in spite of the fact that she is the sole legitimate claimant of family pension and no heir or relative can claim any share from her family pension.
So far the question of possibility of second wife is concerned, she could be asked to submit a certificate from the chairman union council concerned that her husband had no other wife except her own self. She could also submit an undertaking to the effect that if she gave false undertaking, she would be liable to punishment and penalty.
But in no circumstances should she be allowed to die of hunger and sickness by denying her legitimate dues in the shape of family pension, GP Fund, funeral expenses and her due pension from the welfare fund to be sanctioned by DCO, Karachi.
Her sons are living in foreign countries doing petty jobs and are not in any position either to support her financially or to afford high cost of travel in coming to Pakistan and facing cumbersome procedure of obtaining heirship certificate, etc. Ours being a welfare state, the widow should be delivered her dues at her doorsteps.
The accountant-general of Sindh should depute two officers to check up the veracity of her claim and issue her family pension payment order to enable her to sustain her remaining life free from anxiety.
I would also appeal to women’s welfare NGOs, Edhi Welfare Trust and others to find the way to solve this problem. Although I am brother to the widow concerned but being frail in health, a heart patient and of 82 years old myself, I cannot travel anymore to help her in any way. Hence the appeal for help.
MUHAMMAD AHMED
Hyderabad
RECENTLY, I visited Karachi for a week. The traffic has increased many times. The number of cars, buses and motorcycles is increasing rapidly because of the leasing facilities by banks.
On the Superhighway I saw almost all cars and buses overspeeding and the people in cars, mostly, without safety-belts. The highway police were everywhere but they were just standing or moving for nothing. Who is to enforce safe driving on the Superhighway. None, but the highway police.
In Karachi, too, 98 per cent of motorcyclists were without helmets. In cars, except a few who cared for their own safety, all were found without safety-belts. The police were just standing, I don’t know for what.
The mini-buses, rickshaws and buses were moving with reckless speeds. Ninety-nine per cent of them were leaving behind poisonous gases. The noise-pollution was at its peak. How many motorcyclists die in a year on the roads of Karachi, how many people lose their precious lives on roads daily, who is to ensure the safety on the roads? Those whose duty it is, are, probably, engaged in other important matters.
I request the IG, Sindh, to kindly, look into the matter. The people of Sindh owe a lot to him.
PROF J.N. RAHI
Petaro
THE CBR chairman has done a commendable job of simplification of income-tax returns. But still the tax men have succeeded in retaining some columns for information about non-taxable income and assets to exploit the taxpayers. It scares the prospective taxpayers against filing the IT returns.
I appeal to the CBR chairman to design the IT return for each category of taxpayer, containing columns only for the taxable income or other assets, excluding the income received after deduction of tax at the source.
It is expected to encourage more taxpayers to come into tax net voluntarily, and facilitate the tax authorities to concentrate only on the taxable income or assets, as applicable.
S. AKHTAR
Rawalpindi
APROPOS of your editorial ‘If exports must increase’ (July 17), I would like to add that two basic things are needed to increase exports. One, the government should provide access to the world market and, second, the industry must evolve effective market strategies and adopt aggressive salesmanship. This can be achieved by exploiting existing resources and the local business environ of the foreign market.
There is one country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where we can channel our exports, as well as harvest our economic gains if we can tap its present economic boom. The kingdom was a difficult market because of its stringent business rules but it has now changed under King Abdullah’s dynamic and friendly foreign investment policies. So there is a golden chance to benefit from the new environ.
Indian businessmen are already flocking and getting licences in services, manufacturing and agriculture fields through Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. These three fields they are using as a base for trading and importing of the materials/machinery which a foreigner cannot import. They are choosing those products which are petrol-based and are cheapest in the world. For instance, a recent Indian has established a factory to manufacture plastic soles of shoes. When I asked him about the viability and how he will market his product, he said the raw material is produced in the kingdom and is the cheapest in the world, he fills the containers and ships to Dubai from where these are exported to shoemakers.
The price of land of his factory is about 22 cents per square metre, electricity is charged at 11 cents, water is free and, above all, there are no export taxes.
The textile units being set up are basically stitching units where computerised stitching-cum-embroidery machines are used to tailor burqas, head-scarves, etc. In services fields, Indians have got a sizable portion of the mega projects which have been recently announced by the king, such as the 100 billion Saudi riyals economic city in Rabigh.
There are six million plus overseas workers in the kingdom and Pakistani overseas workers number around a million. These expatriates can prove to be a good source in boosting not only exports but also can be a financial resource for investment in many fields like establishing post-school facilities which do not exist in the kingdom and training institutions, medical colleges, with Pakistani institutions’ affiliation.
The Indians are quick to seek the opportunities. After establishing their off-centre campuses in the Emirates, they are now eying to enter Saudi Arabia. My efforts so far to involve Pakistani institutions has met with a dead-end but have received a tremendous response from the Indian institutions.
There is an elite class of Pakistani overseas workers who have mastered the kingdom’s environ and are successfully trading, importing, running their schools, have established their plastic factories and have immense wealth of expertise and financial resources but all this is due to their solo efforts, without any assistance from any governmental or NGO agencies. If they are involved with the Pakistan government and the Pakistani business community on a Pakistani overseas workers-government partnership basis, then a tremendous boost in the exports of Pakistani products, as well as in other fields like education, health, manufacturing and construction industry, can be achieved.
SAFDAR A.KHAN
Chairman, Pakistani Overseas Workers Group, Riyadh
LAHORE University of Management Sciences (LUMS) recently announced the application results for the BSc (Hons) class of 2010. The results were extremely shocking. Previously, LUMS had announced that students can apply using either SATs or LBAT (LUMS bachelors’ admission test) as the entry test and promised that no preference would be given to students giving LBAT.
It turns out that students who applied using their SATs were at a huge disadvantage. The method of conversion between LBAT and SAT scores is unknown, but definitely misleading. It is a fact that almost all the students who had performed very poorly in SATs were able to secure very good marks in their LBAT examination, gaining up to 350 extra points. Such students were accepted. On the other hand, students who had performed well in their SATs and did not appear for LBAT were rejected.
Such an admission policy can be harmful for LUMS. Several good students have been rejected as a result of this policy of giving preference to LBAT students.
SAMIR ANWAR BUTT
Islamabad
WITH each passing day Pakistan’s situation with respect to good governance is deteriorating fast. Those at the helm of affairs have scant regard of the people’s plight and keep themselves busy in scheming to stay in power. Have they ever thought that they will eventually have to answer to God?
While there is still time to do some good for the people rather than themselves only, they should adopt the right path and let true democracy take root through free and fair elections in 2007.
M. HUSAIN
Oakville, Canada
APROPOS of the letter ‘State legislation and religion’ (July 12), I agree with Mr Baqi’s suggestion that presidential federal governance should be tried in Pakistan. Besides that, it is clear that Mr Baqi desperately needs to learn more about religion and history before any further comments can be made on his deliberations.
FAHAD J. SIDDIQUI
Australia
INDIA is playing up the issue of cross-border terrorism and thus maligning Pakistan internationally. No amount of denial on our part is making any headway with them. I suggest a little proactive approach on our part from here onwards. To start with, let’s protest strongly with India every time a Muslim is killed anywhere in India. A little later we can also include gradually other communities living in India in our protests such as Christians, Sikhs and Dalits whenever any one of them is harmed in any way.
Pakistan could assume the role of the spokesman for all such minority groups in India. The Indian minorities would certainly appreciate this and in time they may look towards Pakistan for moral support in socio-economic matters and for a better deal from the majority. India will naturally raise a hue and cry over interference in its internal affairs, but it can be obliquely conveyed that it has been doing the same to us by maligning Pakistan for imaginary terrorist training camps inside our borders.
COL (r) RIAZ JAFRI
Rawalpindi
ON the morning of July 11, eight tourists were killed in a series of grenade attacks in Srinagar. That same day over 200 people were killed in a series of bomb blasts in India’s financial hub Mumbai. The Indian media, following the American and British example, refers to this incident as 7/11.
Coincidently, the 7/11 incident was preceded by two other setbacks, namely the failure of Agni missile test on 7/9 and the crash of a satellite rocket within 30 seconds of its launch on 7/10. The latter two incidents have shattered India’s dream of being the Asian tiger.
The sequence of these events suggests that the Indian government, as per its past practices, has self-managed the 7/11 to divert the attention of its masses from these failures.
IBNE SHAMSI
Rawalpindi
‘MIND-reading computers coming soon’ (June 27). This is the time for our political parties to offer prayers that this comes after the next year’s election.
Z.A. KAZMI
Karachi
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