| July 26, 2006 | Wednesday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 29, 1427 |
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World leadership failure
Cause for concern
Dental college hardships
Forensic probe
Reclamation of Indus delta
Revisiting Syria’s history
Anarkali will be missed
Appeal to VC
Name game
New CDA by-laws
Kargil war
IN retaliation for the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, Israeli prime minister Olemart has behaved in the manner of Halaku Khan, killing over 250 children, women and men with many billion euros damage to civilian houses and infrastructure in Lebanon and Palestine.
The West is waiting with baited breath the anticipated destruction of Hamas and Hizbollah by Israel, no matter how severe the collateral damage. The West has no qualms about the loss of life. Two million Iraqi children, women and men died during the decade-long US/UK blockade, while over 20,000 more have died — along with an estimated $75 billion worth of damage to infra-structure as a result of the invasion of Iraq.
Many Israeli leaders and intellectuals have openly disagreed with their government’s policy and reportedly some soldiers have refused to fight. The Iraqi government and people have supported Hizbollah and Hamas. However, like the West, most Muslim governments dreading the philosophy of Hizbollah and Hamas are looking for their elimination. The Ummah is seething with anger and helplessness at the actions of the West and their own governments.
The least the Arab League and OIC could have done was issue united and determined condemnation of the demonic and wanton Israeli actions in Palestine and Lebanon.
Moreover, if Israel did not order a ceasefire within 24 to 36 hours, countries like Pakistan could threaten the closure of land and air routes to Afghanistan, while Opec members concerned could reduce crude production by a nominal million or so barrels a day.
Such warnings would have encouraged the West to get Israeli military operations stopped forthwith. With Israel threatening to enlarge the area of military operations, action by the civilized world has become all the more necessary to stop further loss of innocent lives and destruction of their property in Lebanon and Palestine. The OIC and the AL must act now and boldly.
VICE ADMIRAL (r) IQBAL F. QUADIR
Former ambassador
Karachi
IN his address to the nation, President Musharraf remarked that what is happening in Lebanon happens to those who lack power (I will not use the word strength since the Lebanese people are a model of strength in these trying times).
Instead of condemning Israel’s aggression, its disproportionate use of force and the violation of international laws, the president used the occurrences in Lebanon to advance an argument for keeping our own military budget high. This is unacceptable and as a Pakistani and a human being, I am ashamed, as well as disappointed. What is happening in Lebanon needs to be looked at separately, divorced from the arguments about a country’s military might.
The president ought to know that military strength seldom stops aggressors. Pakistan and India have gone to war and Kargil happened when both countries were nuclear powers. Israel itself faces attacks, not because it lacks military might but because even the most powerful are vulnerable because of the myriad ways of attack available today.
I agree that we need to hope that we never face such barbaric aggression, but even with our nuclear strength there is no guarantee that no one will attack us. If that were the case, the world would not be called as vulnerable to destruction as it is today. With apologies to the Lebanese people and a hope that all parties to the conflict sit down and negotiate, I hope that our president (and his speechwriters) will take note of the lack of sensitivity in the president’s speech. Regardless of intention, the president could definitely have done better when making his comments on the present Middle East crisis.
W. MIR
Lahore
IT has been reported that the Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hizbollah targets in Lebanon.
This shipment opens a new debate about the role play of the United States towards the Middle East peace process and the ‘roadmap’. The world should condemn the inhuman acts Israel is playing in Lebanon on the back of United States, which has been proved a peace-killer.
SYED SADAQAT HUSSAIN
Karachi
ALL is not well in the realm of world leadership. It has not been so in contemporary times since the beginning of the 20th century. Power and beneficence are out of synch. Amongst the unsound decisions made were the Balfour Declaration (1917), the Versailles Treaty (1919), America not listening to their own president (Woodrow Wilson) to assume its responsibility and role in the League of Nations, and the rather humiliating outcome of the Munich demarche.
Notable in the second half of the 20th century were the games played by the Big Five with the destiny of the world by refusing to comprehend that with science stacking the stakes ever higher, the future of global societies was implicitly a function of submitting, in letter and in spirit, and respecting the discipline demanded by the UN Charter and the provisions and attendant covenants of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
The present calamitous situation in Lebanon has its aetiology in the chicaned Balfour Declaration. Despite having witnessed so much murky water going under the bridge, our veto-wielding guarantors of peace and security in the world have not been able even to put in place their celebrated ‘roadmap’ for the end of conflicts in this ravaged region. Under these circumstances how do world leaders wish themselves to be viewed by their respective electorates or people, as the case may be, to whom they constantly, if not incessantly, promise a future free from hunger, fear and disease?
Until now, unfortunately, world leadership only gives the impression that it is rather a lucrative industry shuttling round in luxurious jets, savouring all sorts of culinary delights, residing in the opulence of renovated palaces of the czars of Russia duly modernised in fittings and fixtures at the expense of the unending sufferings of deprived masses of the world; but without delivering.
M.J. AS’AD
Karachi
I WAS shocked and embarrassed at the same time upon reading the report “MNA carrying gun creates scene at airport” ( July16). Every now and then incidents like these take away our national pride and make one feels disgusted at the fact that such ‘leaders’ of the nation belong to our country.
Hand-to-hand combat has often taken place inside national and provincial assemblies at various times and ministers and their kin have often considered it their right to insult and assault security personnel or fellow passengers at airports. Now MNAs of the so-called ‘literate’ parliament belonging to the MQM — the so-called ‘common man’s’ party — want to move a privilege motion in the National Assembly, if the official who stopped their colleague from entering Islamabad airport’s VIP lounge with a pistol in a handbag is not dismissed from service.
Could there be a more ridiculous scenario? Why does this otherwise sober government (as compared to the dark past) being run by (comparatively) sober people let this kind of behaviour go un-reprimanded?
The airport security official should be decorated with an award for valour and promoted right away, while the MNAs should be reprimanded for insult to a serving official, disregard for regulations and, above all, bringing ridicule and shame to parliament, the government, their own party, Islamabad airport, and most importantly Pakistan and Pakistanis.
HARIS MASOOD ZUBERI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to a letter published on May 24 in your newspaper on the above subject. I was expecting some measures to be taken by the PMDC or the HEC after the letter was published, but to date nothing has been done.
I am one of the students who are required to submit Rs100,000 extra as more funds are requested by the Fatima Jinnah Dental College (FJDC) management. The rumour that the FJDC management is building a dental college in Dubai and all these funds are being collected for the same purpose is very strong in the college. If the rumour is true and a college is being built overseas, why should we pay extra fees?
Please note that I am a student of final year and like other final year students had submitted my total fees in 2004. But now we are told by the management that if we do not submit the extra amount, we won’t be given a degree and without a degree all our years of study will be wasted. Private medical and dental colleges already charge exorbitant fees from the students.
This extra fee is simply too much to bear. I humbly request the Higher Education Commission and the PMDC to take strict measures against such unfair demands of the management of the FJDC. I also request Dr Atta-ur-Rehman, the chairman of the HEC, to personally look into the matter.
AN AFFECTED STUDENT
Karachi
PRESIDENT Genl Pervez Musharraf has defended his lieutenant, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, publicly on a private television channel. This appears to be an out-of-the-way attempt to influence the outcome of the forensic investigation under way at the moment.
The stature of the office of the president does not allow it to come to the defence of anyone, even a prime minister, on any issue.
Another thing that is not being talked about is where did all that money go? Every effort is being made to identify the person responsible for the stock market crash, making it seem like the sum evaporated in thin air. Thirteen billion US dollars is not a joke. It is almost equal to the amount held by the country as foreign exchange reserves. One thing is sure, the amount would not be part of the country’s financial system.
It should not be difficult for investigators (banking or otherwise) to trace the senders and recipients of large quantities of money on dates close to the stock market crisis. Real culprits behind the stock market crashes should be severely punished to discourage future occurrences but the people should not be duped with the creation of scapegoats.
GHOUSE MOHIUDDIN
Karachi
MR A. Saeed, writing from Islamabad, has informed us how the clever Dutch people back in the 1980s reclaimed the Rhine delta from the ravages of the sea. Sounds familiar, doesn?t it?
What they did was to build dykes along the sea, pump out the sea water using windmills and then flood the delta with fresh river water from storages on the Rhine.
Mr A. Saeed has suggested that the Kalabagh dam can provide both the power to run the pumps, from its 3,600 megawatts, and the fresh Indus river water from its reservoir of 6.1 maf. Not an idea to be scoffed at.
KHUSHID ANWER
Lahore
MR M.J. Akbar while enlightening on various aspects of Syrian past and present in his article ‘Revisiting Syria’s history’ (June 19) has stated that the head of Hazrat Imam Hussein is buried in the premises of Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. The truth is, however, otherwise.
After the tragedy of Karbala that took place on Muharram 10, (Oct 16, 680), the head of the martyr of Karbala was first carried to Kufa, then to Damascus and was produced before Yazid, for confirmation of Imam’s martyrdom. The venerated head of Imam was initially kept in the same place where now a tomb stands in his exalted memory.
Subsequently, in the days of Fatmid’s rule, on the instructions of Caliph Al-Zafir (1149-54), the head was carried off to Cairo during 1153-54 and buried in the cemetery that is now known as Hussaini Mosque.
This fact was confirmed by a contemporary mediaeval scholar and a traveller, an Andalusian Muslim, Abu al-Hussein Muhammad bin- Ahmed Ibn-i-Jubair, secretary to the Muslim governor of Granada, who in the year 1182, while returning home after Haj pilgrimage, had visited the cities of Damascus and Cairo.
In the memoirs The Travels of Ibn al Jubaier, he has confirmed that while in Damascus he had visited the cemetery of Bab-al Saghir and paid respect at the tomb of AI-Saydia Zainab (named by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as Umm Kulsum, because of her resemblance to his daughter Umm Kulsum) Besides, in the same cemetery were buried the sons of Hazrat Imam Hussain and Imam Hasan. Also buried there was Al-Saydia Sakinah, daughter of Hazrat Imam Hussain. He has, however, mentioned burial place of the great Imam’s head at Cairo which he also visited en route.
On the other hand, the first place of burial at Damascus over a period of time has also acquired the same aura of sanctity for the votaries. Since Ibn-i-Jubair visited both the places, almost in the same age, therefore, information provided in his travelogue in this respect, I hope, is sufficed to clear the mist.
MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
THE death of Anarkali, the only female elephant in Karachi Zoo, has come as a great shock to many, especially children. I live very close to Karachi Zoo and often used to take my kids to zoo to see various animals, including the elephant. My kids were scared to ride on Anarkali’s back, but they always wanted to offer five or ten rupees which Anarkali happily accepted and passed to her mahout with her trunk.
For the last four decades Anarkali entertained thousands of children. Whatever day it may be, Anarkali was always on duty to bring smiles to the faces of children. Some newspapers reported that the hide of Anarkali was removed after her death, and her body was cut into pieces to be buried.
If what has been reported in the press is true, then I must say that this was the last cruel thing that was done to this animal by any human. The poor animal should have been buried with honour within the premises of the zoo and a statue of an elephant placed near her burial place so that children visiting the zoo could remember the late Anarkali.
M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA
Karachi
I WOULD like to appeal to the vice-chancellor of the University of Karachi to resolve the difficulties of external post-graduate students of social sciences, especially subjects like philosophy. Missing all the advantages of learning in the classroom, they also have no access to the university’s evening programme which covers market -oriented subjects only.
Devoid of any guidance and counselling, the external students solely depend on their own. Their own interest and effort may help them qualify for the degree but their self-developed understanding betrays the lack of a qualitative higher education.
Any consideration in this matter and any help even by small measures will surely strengthen the credibility of higher education in our society.
AHMED RAZI SIDDIQUI
Karachi
I FAIL to understand why Pakistani newspapers refer to Islamic resistance forces as Islamic militants. And recently with this Israeli attack on Lebanon your newspaper has been constantly referring to Hezbollah as militants. If we ourselves are going to be using these connotative words, then obviously the West is going to label them as terrorists.
FARWA JAVED
Lahore
AFTER last October’s devastating earthquake, everyone sermonised that this tragedy was a punishment from the Almighty, a trial of our faith and forbearance, a warning to reform our society and to root out corruption and greed. At the very least it was a wake-up call for lawmakers and planners to face up to the reality of very significant seismic risk in this country. For years the planning authorities have been downgrading the seismic risk in urban areas, presumably to reduce the cost of real estate development.
It is, therefore, highly disappointing to learn, after reading about the new CDA by-laws, that it is business as usual in our capital. After a brief interruption in October, the party goes on. The new by-laws primarily increase the density of real estate development in Islamabad. The suggestion that the increased density will reduce the unit price would be laughable if this were a frivolous matter.
The requirement for the builder to observe the National Building Code is also premature since the NBC is currently being revised by NESPak with assistance from the International Code Council, and it may very well curtail construction of highrise buildings in Islamabad altogether. Any changes to the by-laws should follow the adoption of the new National Building Code.
After demonstrating its complete inability to undertake search and rescue efforts at the Margalla Towers without foreign assistance, the CDA has no business allowing taller and denser high-rise development. It was embarrassing for Pakistanis to observe the total absence of any civil defence or emergency management structure in the nation’s capital in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. Only after the CDA demonstrates its ability to deal with such emergencies should high-rise construction in Islamabad be contemplated.
ARIF BELGAUMI
Member, National Council, Institute of Architects, Pakistan
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the news item that appeared in your newspaper (July 14) in which Ahsan Iqbal of the PML-N stated that Nawaz Sharif was not given any briefing about the Kargil war.
The Kargil incident took place in the summer of 1999. From 1998 till the ouster of Nawaz regime by Gen Pervez Musharraf, Lt-Gen Khawaja Ziauddin was the head of the ISI. If Mr Sharif was not briefed, as he so claims, it is strange that the ISI gave no information about Kargil to him. For it should be noted that the head of the ISI reports directly to the prime minister.
If the claim of Mr Sharif is true, then the question arises why instead of sacking Lt-Gen Ziauddin for this intelligence failure, Mr Sharif proceeded to appointed him the army chief when he decided to replace Gen Musharraf. Moreover, a prime minister who does not know that what is going on in his country does not deserve to be the prime minister.
AMMAR AZIZ
Rawalpindi
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