| August 21, 2006 | Monday | Rajab 25, 1427 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
Roads and development
Tree plantation campaign
Retirement age
Hudood ordinance
Smoke pollution
Soldier left high and dry
Perks versus performance
Karachi, oh Karachi
NSS anomalies
Showing disrespect to Quaid
Phones out of order
Peace talks’ resumption
Blair’s thanks
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
ALTHOUGH we celebrate independence of India and Pakistan from slavery of the British, we continue to be slaves to threats of war, secessionist movements, terrorist acts, and communal violence.
It does not take much to move us from the edge of peace to the brink of war, from celebrations of harmony to declaration of hostility.
This state of affairs continues to divert resources away from the real problems of our peoples, like the poor state of educational and health facilities, continued abuse of women and children, and massive poverty. It is time we face reality.
Whatever role the western imperialists, international conspirators, our own political leaders, bureaucrats, military establishments, vested interests, and terrorists are playing, just blaming them is not productive.
Let’s be truthful and admit that the real culprits include us. We the peace activists of and from the region have not done enough to change the status quo.
For the money and other resources consumed, we do not have much to show for. If we were employees of a private corporation, we would have been fired a long time ago.
Doing just something is not enough. We need to do more than occasional protests, petitions, conventions, marches and vigils. It is not sufficient to measure success in the number of posters put up, handbills distributed, emails sent, events held, or resolutions passed. Whatever we do, it must be effective.
It must make measurable progress towards our goal of durable peace between India and Pakistan, and harmony among our various religious, ethnic, and regional communities. What we need is an organised, coordinated, and sustained mass movement.
We need to enlist active support of people who stand to benefit from peace and harmony — families divided by borders; businessmen who are forced to trade through third countries; artists, writers and sportsmen who are humiliated by visa and registration formalities.
We need to convince men and women on our streets and in our neighbourhoods, why peace and harmony are in their interest.
We need to mobilise people. We need to get them out on every street and in every public square demanding peace and harmony from our government, political, religious and social leaders.
We cannot afford to wait for someone else to do something, some time, somehow, somewhere. Each one of us must be willing to commit everything one has to help achieve our goal. What are you going to do about it? When will you be ready?
PRITAM K. ROHILA
Association for Communal Harmony in Asia
Keizer, Oregon, USA
I REMEMBER your paper has exhorted on umpteenth occasions the need for vital link between roads and economic development. It is unfortunate that the highways department and the government of Sindh are not sufficiently alive to their responsibility to keep roads in pliable condition.
I particularly wish to draw their attention to the most deplorable condition of Hyderabad-Tando Muhammad Khan Road starting from Fateh Chowk right up to Badin. This road caters to the transport needs of a very vast area stretching from Hyderabad to the border of Sindh, including entire Tharparkar and Badin districts, involving commutation of over 15 million people.
As this road runs through the SITE area of Hyderabad, it harbours some key industries like Zeal Pak and some textile units. Most of these industries are export-oriented. This entails heavy container traffic. The vital importance of this road dictates that it should be maintained round the year in high serviceability condition. Yet the authorities do not seem to be aware of the pitiable condition, particularly from Fateh Chowk to the Zeal Pak Cement Factory.
Traffic passes there at a snail’s space and yet there is risk of vehicles turning turtle. Deep potholes litter the road which cause damage to the vehicles. Cases of engines stopping right in the middle of the road or tyres getting punctured or spring leafs breaking into two are matters of common occurrence. Although the road is double, the weariness is such that vehicle drivers have totally abandoned one side and use the other side for two-way traffic, this condition has been persisting for the two years.
Such is the miserableness of the road that factory owners dare not invite foreign buyers to visit their establishments lest they form a bad image of our country.
The most pathetic aspect of the situation is that the people. whose responsibility it is to rebuild or repair the road do not seem to be ready to perform their duty.
SYED MAHARYAR SHAFI
Chief Executive, Bawaney Weaving Mills
Hyderabad
IT is August and time when the government encourages people to plant trees. All around we read posters and banners either praising trees or highlighting the value of a tree. While at the same time the government is encouraging the plantation of trees, we have other government officials who are busy hacking off trees. The more trees are planted, five times as many trees will be cut off in the name of development.
I can give many examples. I still remember the Ravi Park completely levelled out of its trees in the name of development. Thousands of trees have already been cut while thousands have been crossed to be cut along the canal.
The once-upon-a-time Dungi Ground in Gulberg, Lahore, had a lot of trees. Today the trees are gone, the ground is gone and an ugly structure is coming up.
The same we see in the Lawrence Gardens (Bagh-i-Jinnah). We have already heard about the coming up of New Murree. The government claims that very few trees will be cut but the fact of the matter is that concrete structures will take the place of the beautiful pine view.
If the government means this, it would have protected all the green places of the country. For the past 40 years I have been hearing about tree plantation weeks being celebrated during the spring and the monsoons. Every year we hear and read that thousands of trees have been planted. If it were true, we would have indeed seen the difference. But in reality what do we see? More concrete structures and fewer trees. Therefore, when I see the two contrary positions of the government, I say that this tree plantation campaign is all rubbish.
The government is, therefore, advised that it should not only encourage us to plant trees but also see to it that no trees are cut and that every tree should be protected. Also, with each tree cut, it should see to it that 20 more are planted in its place. All the deforestation done in the hills should be immediately stopped and steps taken to re-forest the hills. Had there been the trees the disaster caused by the floods and earthquakes would have been far less.
With each settlement the government must also see that, along with the concrete structure plans, there should be a lot of confirmed plans to plant trees and other kind of vegetations.
ABID HABIB
Lahore
THIS is with reference to letters recently published in Dawn suggesting increase in the age of retirement (‘Retirement age’, July 1 and June 29). Retirement age in developed countries ranges between 55 and 70 years. It is determined by many factors, for instance, longevity, social security benefits and flows in and out of the job market.
In countries where retirement age is 65 job search and job creation rates are high. Effective market forces allow healthy flow in and out of the job market. That is not the case in Pakistan where the rate of job entrants in the market is far in excess of the rate of job creation and market forces are handicapped.
The burgeoning number of unemployed is not a hidden secret in our society. In the face of these facts if we set the retirement age at 65 then it would only add to the misery of our educated youth as vacancies remain occupied for long. In such circumstances what else can they do but to take refuge in illegal businesses?
Today the world is a changing place where new business methodologies and technologies are introduced with each passing day. If we stick with the old talents, it is more likely that we will increase inefficiency and discourage new ideas and innovations.
The benefit of raising the retirement age is that we can further harness the experience of our employees. However, we must not ignore the trade-off between experience and energetic innovative mindset.
Experience generally carries with it the habit of looking things from the spectacles of the past. In such circumstances enhancing the retirement age has more disadvantages than benefits, and, therefore, must not be implemented.
UMAD MAZHAR
Islamabad
SELF-preservation is instinctive and up to a point all actions are justified. However to obstruct the well-being and safety of the female population in Pakistan in order to avoid the ire of obscurantists cannot be justified on any count.
The ruling party should remember that it will be held accountable in the forthcoming election, provided it is conducted freely, for much of the misery that is being heaped on the helpless and less privileged class.
Since our last military dictator imposed Hudood laws, women particularly have been subjected to cruelty and injustice with no recourse to salvation. This is a matter of national shame and anybody obstructing relief in this regard deserves to be disgraced publicly.
President Gen Pervez Musharraf has time and again vowed to protect the rights and dignity of our womenfolk. He should keep his promise.
JAVED KHAN
Haripur Hazara
I WITNESSED a shabby railway engine at Malir Halt trying to drag a few bogies occupied by a few bored passengers. The engine was throttled to maximum which emitted a thick black cloud of smoke equivalent to a thousand two-stroke auto-rickshaws.
Will it not be wise to stop such an engine and let the poor rickshaw drivers earn their livelihood?
RAEES AHMAD KHAN
Karachi
AN officer of our armed forces lives a nomadic, physically and mentally strenuous life, performs duty 24 hours, and is paid a very meagre salary. He has to abide by the oath that he has taken at the time of commission after undergoing training successfully at the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, that says: “I will go wherever I am ordered by land, air or sea.”
His official engagements gives him neither the time nor an opportunity to take care of his post-retirement settlement that comes at a much younger age when compared to his ease-loving counterpart in the civil sector.
Fortunately, the adjutant-general (AG) of the army takes care of his post-retirement worries, i.e., provides him a plot of land or a constructed house in a cantonment. Also, to look after the soldier are organisations like the Defence Housing Authority (DHA). Whereas, in the early 1960s the first DHA was established by the navy in Karachi, an armed forces officer would pay a registration fee of Rs100 and a total of Rs25,000 in easily payable instalments that would spread over several years, for a 1,000 yards residential plot in the Karachi DHA. A large number of armed forces officers thus got settled in Karachi’s DHA area.
The DHA, today, has lost its mandate and it has been devoured by the monster of commercialism. In the DHA, schemes are being floated that waters the mouths of super-rich private investors but leaves the soldier aghast after considering the high price and terms of payment. Take the case of the recently-floated schemes of the DHA.
The DHA, Islamabad, announced construction of shops that costs Rs2 million. In Lahore the DHA announced plots in Phase VIII that costs several hundred thousand. In Karachi the DHA announced the Creek City where a pent-house costs Rs18 million, a three-bed room flat Rs13 million and a four-bedroom flat is available for Rs14 million. Even if a soldier, rank-wise subaltern to a major (the bulk of officers’ cadre), commutes his career’s entire salary, he cannot pay for any of these schemes which are otherwise floated for his welfare.
In the recently announced result of draw for Lahore’s DHA Phase VIII, only one retired officer could make it while the successful applicants for the remaining 64 plots were civilians. The only course left for a soldier to get benefit from DHA schemes is to apply for the initial down payment, an amount that is obtained as loans from a bank. If lucky enough to get a plot/flat out of millions of applications, the successful soldier looks for a property dealer to dispose of the result for a paltry profit.
Thus the real beneficiary is the property dealer or another civilian investor. Whereas the retired soldiers who are employed in the DHA setup receive heavy perks and a mandatory plot in the newly-created goldmine, but the soldier for whom the Authority is made is left high and dry as far as his welfare is concerned.
Could the AG turn the direction of the DHA from commercialism to undertaking welfare of the soldier?
SYED GB SHAH BOKHARI
Peshawar
ON Aug 7 two members of the National Assembly M.P. Bhindara and Khwaja Asif had a verbal duel in the house during which the former averred that the huge perks given to members were a waste of money. Khwaja Asif asked that their earnings also be compared to those doled out to the judiciary and generals. The debate spilled over into the assembly cafeteria where it was recorded by a private TV channel. But so far the argument has not been telecast; at least not to my knowledge.
There would be no harm in giving the public a comparative list of what is spent on generals, judges and parliamentarians and let them decide if the money is well spent. As a starter, we know that parliamentarians spent a lot of their time thumping their desks asking a certain person (s) to leave or dress differently. As for their struggle for democracy, it is all talk and no action.
As far as the judiciary is concerned, whatever perks and privileges it enjoys, the trust of the people is not among them. The proof is that bar associations across the country have unanimously decided not to take any constitutional petitions to the apex courts as they no longer have any faith in the justice system.
Now to the generals: the people have a right to know what good have they done so far for the country. Have they successfully defended the country? Did they earn their epaulets by their feats in the battle grounds? Have they served their civilian bosses professionally? Is our country the same in size as when it was created in 1947?
If the answer to all the above questions is in ‘yes’, they earn their keep; if the answer is in ‘no’, they do not.
ASLAM MINHAS
Karachi
AFTER the power crisis, the traffic mess, the miraculous birth of ‘Lake Schon’, etc., etc., many self-righteously indignant citizens will appear out of the woodwork to rant and rave and shout and scream blue murder ... knee-jerk reactions at their very best.
Those at the helm of affairs will continue to respond by more and more suicidal efforts, signing away the birthright of our children to the worshippers of Mammon.
IT Tower, WaterJet, Port Tower Complex, Elevated Expressway, Clifton Beach Park, underpasses, overpasses, and on and on, ad nauseum. Then, an immediate crisis will cool down a little, and all the self-styled custodians of civic pride will scurry to their respective holes.
But the Roland deSouzas, and the Ardeshir Cowasjees, and the Arif Hasans, and the Sattar Edhis of this city will continue to fight and strive and press on, doing what little they can, saving a bit here and a pittance there, desperately trying to make the voices of justice, reason and sanity heard above the din.
So much better than the rest of us who will continue to turn blind eyes and deaf ears to them until the next crisis hits us smack in the face.
HUSNAIN LOTIA
Karachi
THIS has reference to letters by Haji Ashfaq (June 28), Dr Zainab Rizvi, Mr S.A. Kazmi and Prof. S. Ahmed (July 8) on anomalies in NSS. We, the senior citizens/pensioners, are waiting for a clarification.
Is the increase in the rate of profit applicable to all account holders? If not, the procedure for instant transfer of the amount to new account be kindly made easier without sustaining any monetary loss, once for all. We will feel grateful.
AFFECTED
Muscat
WE are a nation that expresses itself no holds barred, no matter whatever the occasion or place. It is a matter of shame for us as a nation to see the damage done to the Quaid-i-Azam’s Mazar on Aug 14 during a mob fight ensuing between two groups.
Windowpanes of the doors leading to the main hall were shattered. Several of the benches alongside the walkways were also destroyed. Broken bottles and glass could be seen littered across the marble terrace and steps leading to the Mazar.
I think we are the only country in the world where the founding father of the country has been disrespected in such a manner. Shame on us.
S. OMER
Karachi
TELEPHONE numbers 5057702, 5057704, 5057696, 5068669, 5065776 and 5065754 of our export-based Guar gum and towel units in the Korangi Industrial Area have been out of order for the last one- and-a-half months.
Verbal and written solicitations and a personal meeting with the PTCL officials concerned have had no response whatsoever from the department.
Through these columns I seek the governor’s intervention for a prompt restoration of communication.
FAROUK H. DOSSA
Karachi
SUCCINCTLY you have bounced the goal into the Indian net by concluding the editorial (Aug 2) in the following words:
“Let India prove Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz wrong when he told an Indian magazine that he believed that India did not have ‘a passion for peace’.” Sir, indeed a clever check-mate.
GHEEWALA AGM
Karachi
MR Tony Blair had the courtesy to thank Pakistan for unearthing the air flight bombing plot. Could not President George Bush win over Pakistani hearts by emulating the example of the British prime minister?
Unhappy with us, Mr President, because your incompetent man in Kabul every now and then talks nonsense against Pakistan? Ask him to ‘do more’ before doling out similar advice to Pakistan.
ZAHEER MANZOOR
Karachi
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address: letters@dawn.com
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.