| October 02, 2006 | Monday | Ramazan 8, 1427 |
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Parha likha Punjab
Substandard sewerage installation
Subsidy for price reduction
President’s autobiography
Gojra’s longstanding problems
Ideas to ease Sindh’s water woes
Parking on Club Road
Sky over Pakistan
After-sale car service
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
THE former Spanish prime minister, Mr Jose Maria Aznar, while defending Pope Benedict XVI’s comments about Islam, said that instead of the pontiff apologising to the Muslims, the latter must say sorry for conquering and ruling over Spain for eight centuries (Dawn, Sept 24).
It is ironic that Mr Aznar, as Spain’s right-wing prime minister from 1996 to 2004, was quick to take his country into the US-led invasion of Iraq, despite overwhelming public opposition. He should not only apologise for this patently undemocratic and illegal action but also for aiding the occupation of a Muslim country on the basis of lies about its having WMDs and Al Qaeda connection.
As far as the Muslim’s conquest of Spain is concerned, there was a genuine justification for it, as shown in a recent article, ‘The conquest of Spain’ (Magazine, Sept. 3). According to it, Spain was ruled by the Visigoth dynasty for many centuries but towards the end, around the eighth century, the rulers had indulged in luxury, corruption and immoralities, while ignoring the masses and oppressing them.
Local Jews were treated like animals. The last ruler of the dynasty, Witiza, did make some improvements and gave concessions to the Jews. This enraged the Christian priests who, as part of the ruling elite, managed an intrigue to replace him with a military officer named Roderic.
King Roderic’s behaviour towards the masses was far worse, being a corrupt and worldly person. He also laid his hands on a female courtier who was the daughter of Count Julian, the governor of Ceuta. This infuriated the count so much that he decided to overthrow Roderic and approached Musa bin Nusayr, the governor of Muslim North Africa, for help.
Musa got the caliph’s approval, after which he sent Tariq bin Ziad in 711 to assist the Spanish and the rest is history. Tariq showed compassion for the locals and the Jews and resettled them there with full rights and protection. He even returned the property of the royal family and treated them well.
As a result, the Spanish people began embracing Islam without any compulsion. Within one century of conquest, the Muslims caused remarkable progress in every field, translated Greek literature, developed scientific knowledge and established universities. They brought enlightenment not only to that country but also to all of Europe.
French academician Dr Maurice Bucaille has acknowledged this fact, as had historian Stanley Lane-Pool before him, in his book, The Moors in Spain.
Therefore, instead of seeking the Muslims’ regrets for occupying Spain, Mr Aznar should shed his prejudices and actually thank them for having liberated his ancestors from the tyranny of King Roderic and bringing in exemplary development and enlightenment. The unbiased British expert of comparative religion, Karen Armstrong, while commenting on the conquest of Spain, had made a very telling observation. She wrote:
The Arabs felt no compulsion — religious or otherwise — to conquer western Christendom in the name of Islam. Indeed, Europe seemed remarkably unattractive to them: there were few opportunities for trade in that primitive backwater, little booty to be had, and the climate was terrible (Islam: A Short History).
KHALID CHAUDHRY
Karachi
THIS is with regard to the letters titled ‘Parha likha Punjab’ (Sept 26). It is a shame for all of us Punjabis that an elected representative of the Punjab provincial assembly Chaudhry Parvaiz Nakai supervised the torture of a lady doctor, and it is a bigger shame for all the educated health officials of the Jinnah Hospital who were unable to arrest him or provide security for the poor lady doctor.
But the worst part is that there is no remorse left in our politicians to at least apologise for their mistakes. Under pressure due to the doctors’ strike, the MPA said that he condemns the incident but he was still adamant that it was not his fault. As Dr Kanwal Ejaz rightly pointed out, such are the joys of living in a ‘Parha likha Punjab’.
DR RASHID GHAFFAR
Lahore
I have been working at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital for the last six months. I have worked really hard to get the MBBS degree. I spent days and nights studying and learning to understand one of the best sciences ever known to man just like all the doctors do.
Our government is doing a remarkable job for the fight against terror, but what bigger terror could be than what a lady doctor faced recently during her duty at Jinnah Hospital. The doctor had to lock herself in the washroom for fear of being molested at the hands of a patient’s attendants, who later brought her out and physically tortured her. The attendants claimed that their patient was killed due to the doctor’s negligence but it was actually brain haemorrhage, a disease with the poorest of prognosis that killed the patient. The attendants have a direct link with an MPA Chaudhry Parvaiz Nakai who himself ordered the doctor’s abuse.
I appeal to the higher authorities to bring the culprits to account. It’s for the sake of the dignity of doctors in Pakistan.
DR HASAN RASUL
Lahore
NOTHING could be more appalling than maltreating a lady doctor. I was furious and ashamed at the same time at the impotence of the authorities concerned and the blatant hegemony of the MPA and his ‘men’. Apparently no case has been registered against the MPA.
Doctors who are training aboard want to return to the homeland to serve their people but horrible examples make this seem a futile effort. Why should someone in their sane mind being offered a great working and respectful environment, decide to return to serve humanity in a country like Pakistan where the law custodians are the perpetrators of such crimes?
This story will die down soon but people will remember specially the ones who want to return and seriously think twice before returning. At least I am. S. MUBASHIR A. SHAH, MD Miami,
USA
THE Sept 21 issue of Dawn carried the important news of South Asian conference on sanitation and the prime minister’s commitment to provide safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in the country.
However, a letter on the above subject in the same issue confirms that all the expenses and plans for “safe drinking water” are of no use if the sewerage installation is not according to the minimum standards of leak-tightness. How can we be talking of spending billions in safe drinking water supply installations and not ensuring minimum standards and code requirement in sewerage installation in the same vicinity? It is really not possible to ensure safe drinking water supply from piping buried in sub-soil choked with sewage.
Unfortunately even today the KWSB is not ensuring sewerage installations in the city to follow minimum requirements, and safe drinking water supply will only be a dream. If one wants to see what is actually happening on the ground, a visit to Block-D of KDA Scheme No. 1 (a ‘privileged’ area) will show the poor standards being followed, with no concern for quality of life (‘improvement’ as suggested by the PM in the conference referred to does not mean much to the authorities).
It is really a poor show indeed. When are we going to change our ‘illiterate’ ways? We did not follow the building codes and suffered enormous losses in lives and property in the recent earthquake. We have now woken up and seem to be serious about developing safety codes which will ensure properly designed and constructed buildings. But when are we getting out of our callousness to ensure proper codes for sanitation facilities even though we hear of serious cases of gastro-enteritis in the hundreds all over the country, invariably connected to ‘mixing’ of drinking water supply and sub-soil water full of sewage?
We need the changes now since tomorrow may really be too late. Delay in formulation and approval of sanitation policy should not stop the authorities from ensuring minimum international code requirements in the sanitation projects being executed at this time.
AAZA
Karachi
ACCORDING to news item (Dawn, Sept 21), the prime minister has announced a Rs650 million subsidy to bring down the prices of 38 items during the holy month of Ramazan.
The one-time subsidy is not an appropriate solution to the problem in the prevailing situation. Because of excessive corruption, the subsidised items are not likely to reach the beneficiaries and the funds would be misused or rather embezzled. Even if the funds are correctly utilised, its share per person amounts to Rs4.5, spread over 38 items, which is too negligible to be effective.
In fact, due to corruption in government institutions responsible for monitoring and controlling the prices, Pakistan has virtually become a retailers’ market. A retailer mafia has emerged in collusion with the government functionaries.
Instead of throwing out subsidies, the government should tackle price hike with the force of law. This should have been done to meat sellers by the city government instead of surrendering to their pressure and allowing a price increase of Rs20/kg for meat (Dawn, Sept 20). The profiteers and hoarders should be awarded prison terms instead of a paltry fine of Rs15 etc which amount they pay willingly since they earn more.
Unfortunately, there is no ‘consumer resistance’ as developed countries have. Corrupt segment of society having plenty of easy money to buy at any cost. People should develop consumer resistance to overcome the menace of hoarders and profiteers.
A sum of Rs650 million is a substantial amount of tax-payers’ money which should not go into wrong pockets.
Abdul SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
Your editorial titled ‘President’s autobiography’ (Sept 26) was totally confusing. It appears that the writer is ignorant of recent world events and has criticised the president and his party purely for the sake of criticism.
The president has had a very busy agenda while in the US, making speeches and participating in panel discussions. Perceive the immense benefit that Pakistan has derived from this visit of the president and his staff. It is not a trip for the promotion of his book as the writer is inclined to believe.
The president and his staff have been working very hard to portray Pakistan as a moderate country. We should support their efforts rather than criticise them.
AMAN U. KHAN
Lahore
MY intention by publish the longstanding problems of Gojra tehsil is to draw the attention of those who are sitting to remedy them. I have long been trying to resolve as many problems as possible but there is a long, long list.
The most important problem of Gojra residents is non-provision of clean drinking water. Rusty pipes are unable to provide clean water. Sewerage water is getting mixed as the old pipes have worn out, causing fatal diseases like hepatitis and diarrhoea. Despite promises from political corners, no filtration plant has ever been installed.
We have seen the pound-like condition of the city in the recent monsoon season. No proper sewerage system exists in the city and in the event of rain for a little longer, most of the streets and roads become unpassable even for traffic. The filthy water of gutters start overflowing, spreading foul smell and dangerous germs.
The fruit and vegetable mandi right in the centre of the city has doubled the problem not only for road traffic but also in the shape of air/atmospheric pollution resulting from the rusty fruit being thrown on roads by merchants.
This situation is a question on the role of our local/tehsil government always busy in making high promises but with nil practical work on the ground. God knows better as to where is the army of sanitary workers of the city being used but they are rarely in work for which they are paid. The tumultuous transportation is another painful problem for the citizens.
Misuse of horns is a great nuisance. It seems there is no administration to order the unruly traffic of rickshaws, motorcycles and other such vehicles that stop and stay wherever they wish. The tehsil municipal administration library has no facility of a working library. Furniture and book shelves/almirahs are broken. No ventilation system is there for the readers to sit and study a book. The condition of books is also the same as that of the furniture.
There is no proper lighting system in the streets. Either there are no streelights or where they are, they do not work properly. The condition of railway station is not different for the roads of the city. The platform is completely broken and there is no lighting arrangement for the passengers to wait for train.
The passengers could not get water for drinking as there is no such arrangement. Waiting-rooms though there exist, mostly they are closed. Patients coming to the city have no facility of an ambulance to reach their towns/villages in emergencies. An ambulance at the union council level should be urgently provided to transport patients and bodies.
To impart training to our women in household skills, women’s industrial homes and computer training centres should be provided.
In a nutshell, the city has numerous problems which require urgent attention of the administration of the city, the district coordination officer, the district nazim of Toba Tek Singh, tehsil nazim of Gojra and divisional superintendent of Railways, Lahore.
SHAHIN CHAUDHRY
Member, Tehsil Council, Gojra
AS usual, during this year also more than 22 MAF of water, including 19.8 MAF of flood water of the Indus River system, flowed to the sea unutilised and thus lost forever.
To Pakistan this is a huge loss. Sindh had a share in this water, which has been lost. To Sindh, the water of the River Indus is like gold and no person of the province would be happy for this loss.
Since Sindh has strong reservations about storage in the upper reaches of the Indus, effort should be made to store Sindh’s share of water in the Sindh province itself.
Sindh is a flat country, hence it does not have places for creating storages in the river valley. However, it has several lakes and depressions, like the Manchhar and Chottari, which can be developed as off-channel pumped storage reservoirs.
These reservoirs can be created by enclosing these lakes by constructing high embankments and filling them by pumping of water by high-capacity low-head pumps.
There are examples of such pumped storages. In this way Sindh will be able to store its share of the Indus water going to the sea. Aslo barrages should be designed as storage barrages by Wapda.
IQTIDAR H. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
I AM in my 70s and diabetic with symptoms of arthritis. In my circumstances, I rely on well-wishers and for my day-to-day shopping and medical requirement I turn to my good friend, nicknamed Tom Cruise, owner of the Sani’s Chemist and super market in the PC Hotel.
However, to reach his store has become very difficult for me. Parking is barred on Club Road with TV cameras positioned for violation or any leniency shown by the traffic cops. Parking is impossible to find in the PC Hotel. Front and backyard are chock-a-block with vehicles, given the functions that are a daily affair. Nearest parking place I can find is in the Gymkhana premises. Night time I have to walk across the cobble-filled and dimly-lit pavement and watch every step that I take, lest I stumble.
Again, I have to lug the shopping bags from the store to Gymkhana. In appreciation of the fact that I am a senior citizen, could not the administration give me and others concession of 15 minutes for making our routine purchases, by parking cars, adjacent to the department store. Ever helpful Tom Cruise is willing to cooperate by appointing chowkidars to ensure cars parked leave in an optimum of 15 minutes, if the administration gives its consent, renders cognizance to such an arrangement allowance.
MOHAMMAD AZIZ HAJI DOSSA
Karachi
I WAS shocked to hear a recent discussion on Sky News. The moderator had invited four people to discuss the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. Two were ex-British service men and two were so-called “analysts” of the Afghan war.
I was baffled to hear one of the analysts say that the crux of the problem is Pakistan. He said there are ISI training camps in Pakistan, training the Taliban to carry out strikes in Afghanistan who then cross the border back to Pakistan for their safety.
The moderator should have corrected him by saying that he should provide proof for his claims or his source for this piece of intelligence. The claim was as absurd as a claim made by a Pakistani analyst on a local news channel that British and American intelligence is fuelling sectarian violence in Iraq by blowing up innocent Iraqis of different sects and blaming it on insurgents.
In this instance the Pakistani moderator stopped the expert, asked him for proof, then told him to abstain from conspiracy theories.
General John Abizaid and US ambassador to Pakistan William Crocker have said that people who say Pakistan should do more should come over to Pakistan and meet the widows and orphans of Pakistani soldiers who sacrificed their lives for a war that they were not a part of.
People at Sky News who are making such remarks are in fact arguing that our soldiers died in vain. Please make a public apology so that the next generation of Pakistani soldiers who are fighting ‘your’ war don’t lose hope due to the dwindling attitude of their colonial masters.
FAISAL JAN
Peshawar
SOME time back I bought a locally-made car and not later than a month I started experiencing a drift, which was so severe that it often made me think of driving below 60kmh. Some of my friends and colleagues also had a similar experience.
I generally drive myself in the morning to drop my children at their school and often it becomes horrific when the car suddenly drifts left or right. I complained to the local car manufacturer hoping that like my own company they would care about the customer. After wasting time and money to get rid of this drift, the problem was not solved.
It has become a nightmare for us as my car frequently visits the designated workshops.
Moreover, the government should establish a regulatory authority for the auto sector to protect consumers.
Amna Khan
Karachi
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