| October 05, 2006 | Thursday | Ramazan 11, 1427 |
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An appeal for justice
Giant leap forward for police
Bravado and incompetence
100 per cent profit
Remembering Tabish Dehlavi
Price hike
Backhoes and gondolas
Indo-Pakistan relations
Linguistic division of provinces
Loss of an academic year
Enemies within
A worthy adversary
Memoirs
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
IT is not too often that a sitting head of state pens his memoirs while still in office. Both Indian and Pakistani readers should keep this in mind. It is extremely naive of Indian readers to expect a Pakistani president and incumbent army chief to actually criticise the Pakistani misdadventure of Kargil or be completely honest about it.
Isn’t it also equally naive of Pakistani readers to expect anything but a flummoxed reaction from Indians given the fact that the Pakistani leader is pushing for peace with India? Coming to the book itself — is it engaging? Yes, it is. Is it honest? Depends on your definition of ‘honest’.
In the Line of Fire is obviously ghost-written with a fair bit of input from Musharraf. If ‘honesty’ means facts, then the book is a bit lacking — because Musharraf comes across as an extremely opinionated man. He castigates everyone from Z.A. Bhutto, his daughter Benazir to Nawaz Sharif, his brothers and even his old father and portrays himself as the saviour of Pakistan — on opinions, not facts.
He also credits himself with the alleged turnaround of the Pakistani economy. I would have been more impressed if the book had stated facts and let the reader decide what he or she thinks of the general. What I can say is that Musharraf comes across as intensely patriotic and definitely not as a religious zealot. He sure has a tendency to make rather sensationalist remarks; even insinuating (he does not say it flat out) that India may have actually stolen centrifuge designs from — ahem — discarded Pakistani ones.
Does he provide proof of that? No — but then it is an insinuation and not an assertion. Nor do I think many Pakistani readers would be happy with his portrayal of disgraced scientist A.Q. Khan.
Positively, I like the general’s ‘out of box’ Kashmir solution. He makes it clear that it is his ‘personal suggestion’ and not the official line. Will the people of India and Pakistan accept his suggestion given that it is progressive? I don’t think it would be acceptable in the immediate future — it is way too much, way too soon and requires the kind of trust between foes that can’t be built overnight.
But due credit to the general for trying. From the US point of view, there is nothing new to add. Perhaps the only damp squib is the Armitage message — it does ring eerie and one hopes it is an exception and not a message which set a precedent on how to win allies. Armitage, of course, has denied making those remarks.
The book gives you an insight into the mind of a leader who thinks he is great. I have reservations about that but I do believe he is in a unique position in the world. How is that? Well, he is the current Islamic poster-boy of Bush — a moderate, liberal-minded leader of a nation whose population (major part of) is not necessarily moderate in its views toward the US.
What’s more — he is fighting for the American line of thought at personal risk to life and limb. 9/11 gave him the chance to reverse the trend of him being treated as an international pariah who overthrew a democratically-elected government.
Remember Clinton refusing to shake hands with him? He reversed the trend by supporting the US and abandoning support of the Taliban. It was a smart move — he did not have much of a choice in the matter.
ABDUL HANNAN
Karachi
WE are writing to express our concern that President Pervez Musharraf has yet to exercise his presidential powers to prevent the imminent execution of British citizen Mirza Tahir Hussain, who has been on death row in Pakistan for 18 years and was due to be executed on October 1. His execution has been rescheduled by default since it has fallen during the month of Ramazan.
When he arrived in Pakistan for the first time in December 1988, Mirza was just 18. Just one day in Pakistan ruined the young man’s life. Eighteen subsequent years of unjust treatment at the hands of a corrupt system, receiving no reprieve from successive governments, Mirza is now 36.
Evidently, Mirza Tahir’s real crime was voluntarily surrendering to the police in the hope of finding justice for an act of self-defence. The evidence against him is “mutually annihilating”, as was established by Justice Abdul Waheed Siddiqui in a 59-page review of the FSC’s judgment in 1998.
President Musharraf reportedly told the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee: “I have to adhere to the legal norms of Pakistan. I am looking into that and I cannot promise anything but let me assure you I will abide by the legalities of Pakistan.” But the law is quite clear in such matters.
The president can indeed commute Mirza’s case by simply exercising the presidential powers granted under Article 45 of the Constitution, which states that “the president shall have power to grant pardon, reprieve and respite, and to remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal or other authority”.
None of us is innocent if we stand by and watch injustice being carried out in our midst. A hadith states: “None of you should remain in a place where a man is being killed unjustly, for the curse (of Allah) descends on anyone who was present and did not defend him” (reported by al-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi)
RAIYAN KHAN AND FRIENDS
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the news item (Oct 1) about a minister’s car being challaned for jumping a red light.
Since the inception of Pakistan, our law-enforcement officers have followed an incorrigible set of double standards. While they obligingly allow the wealthy and powerful to violate the laws of the land, they shamelessly extort money from the poor and vulnerable.
However, the blame cannot be placed in its entirety upon the shoulders of the under-paid police officers who often don’t get support from their superiors for implementing the law.
It is against this backdrop that a most refreshing event occurred in Islamabad a few days ago.
On Sept 30 the minister of state for communications and engineering, Shahid Jamal, jumped a red light. For a change, and much to the delight of law-abiding citizens, the Islamabad traffic police (ITP) chased the VIP car, followed it into the federal secretariat and fork-lifted the car away when the minister refused to pay the fine.
Eventually the minister was forced to accept the Rs1,300 ticket. What is also encouraging is the fact that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz made a public statement commending the performance of the Islamabad traffic police.
In a nation where everyone is assumed to be equal under the law, it is a shame that those who are supposed to be the guardians of the law are the ones who violate it the most. Therefore, this small step taken by the traffic police may prove to be the proverbial giant leap forward for the traffic police, not only in Islamabad but all of Pakistan.
NAADIR AHMAD MUSTAFA
Karachi
DR Bengali analyses Pakistan’s response to American ultimatum for abandoning support of the Taliban in the same naive and simplistic manner as your columnist Ayaz Amir has done so many times in the past.
These gentleman have no idea how uncompromising the attitude of the wounded sole superpower was in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy.
It is highly unlikely that it would have accepted any action short of complete reversal of Pakistan’s policy regarding the Taliban. Furthermore, notwithstanding the unfortunate fact that the Taliban owed their very existence to Pakistan, any call for reason or compromise on their part would have fallen on deaf ears given their inflexibility as a consequence of their extremism and fanaticism. The rout of the Taliban was most definitely in the national interest of Pakistan. One hopes that the government remains vigilant about their possible return to power through the support of unsavoury and anti-national forces in the country.
No respectable country in the world should ever tolerate a state within a state.
The writ of the state must be established be it in Balochistan or Waziristan.
Any so-called negotiations tend to perpetuate the archaic and backward-looking hold of the sardari and tribal systems, which cannot be good for the advancement of the country as a progressive modern land of the Muslims.
MASOOD HAIDER
New Jersey, USA
AS a citizen of an independent country, I felt mortified reading Sultan Ahmed’s ‘World Bank’s focus on youth’ (Sept 21) that many Pakistani companies listed in Karachi are making up to 100 per cent profit in a year.
This fabulous amount of profit in a year is only a pointer towards vulnerability of the hapless consumer and unethical means adopted by the business community.
This also explains defencelessness of the government agencies before the big business mafia.
The claims of ministers and high government functionaries appearing almost at every forum, as well as in the media, about keeping check on the prices of essential commodities have always proved hollow and superficial, as if to only to placate the public.
Not that they are unable to provide relief to the people but the fact is that it is they who let loose these predators to make hay while the sun shines.
The complicity of the guardians of public interest is quite evident from the grand events sermonised at the sprawling lawns of magnificent villas of the business tycoons, regularly attended by them.
The photographs of such lavish festivities are given special space in the print media where both the parties are seen celebrating the ‘success’ of the business community.
Until and unless consumer societies are strengthened, these companies will continue to make ‘hefty profits’ by plundering the innocent public at will and earn trophies of ‘great achievements’ from the government.
DR ALI AKBAR M. DHAKAN
Karachi
I AGREE with S.M.R. Hassan’s views expressed in his letter ‘Remembering Tabish Dehlavi’ (Sept 24). He is right in stating:
“He is counted amongst the poetic personalities who have infused a sense of devotion to literature among the newcomers.” There is no doubt about it. Tabish Bhai (as he was known to us) was a ‘Dabistan’ in traditional Urdu poetry. As a person he was very decent, un-biased and helping. It is very true that he devoted himself heart and soul to promoting literary activities in the Urdu-speaking world.
I personally know Tabish Dehlavi as he was my senior colleague in Radio Pakistan. He never told us that it was he who managed to raise the slogan of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, just after the speech of the Quaid-i-Azam on June 3, 1947.
In fact it was Syed Ansar Nasri — radio producer, playwright and the pioneer of direct broadcast with commentary of Pakistan Day armed forces parade and other ceremonies — who first raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ at the end of the broadcast of the speech’s Urdu translation.
Syed Ansar Nasri narrated this event (nostalgically) to us a number of times when we worked under him. After his retirement, he talked about it in public speeches in various cities. He also mentioned it in a long interview recorded by Radio Pakistan as well as in his book Pakistan Zindabad. All this happened during the life time of Tabish Dehlavi and he never contradicted Syed Nasri’s claim.
It is very sad to note that the marvellous achievements of Syed Ansar Nasri in the field of broadcasting and culture have been ignored. Mr Tabish Dehlavi was his cousin and a junior in the profession. I think this caused the confusion.
So while we should remember the great services of Tabish Bhai, we must pay our tribute to Syed Ansar Nasri and to Shahid Ahmed Dehlavi (yet another cousin and editor of Saqi as well.
I wonder if the arts councils in Karachi, Islamabad and other provincial capitals could include these three outstanding personalities in their calendar of activities. The new generation must know how selflessly they worked for the country.
MEESAQ HUSAIN
Karachi
THE menace of price hike has hit the common man with more ruthlessness in the month of Ramazan. The government says it has made all arrangement to keep prices of essential commodities at reasonable level but it seems that the government has failed in doing so.
In the first place it is not clear who should control the prices? The district government has fixed prices of different commodities but these are sold at 30 per cent higher prices. For instance, egg, meat, chicken, flour, vegetable and pulses are being sold at prices higher than the ones fixed.
Wholesalers and retailers are of the view that price control should be based on holistic approach. Rent of shops and transportation costs should also be regulated through a well-thought-out mechanism.
The maximum punitive action taken against hoarders and violators of price control is a nominal fine of a few hundred rupees, which encourages hoarders and violators of price control law. The situation cannot be brought under control unless those found guilty are put behind bars for at least 10 days, with a heavy fine.
BASHIR HUSSAIN
Chitral
IN the posh areas along the heart of Clifton there are backhoes busy ripping out the sewerage pipes from their graves. The resultant canals are brimming with raw sewage.
The affected residents have wasted long enough for the work to be completed. But the apathy is raising fears of who will finance this colossal project.
In the meantime, further degradation of the sewerage lines should be stopped as the backhoes are stripping off streets with sewage.
The departments concerned should operate gondolas on the flooded streets as a tourist attraction until they finally decide to restore the sewage network.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
APROPOS of Ghulam Mohammad’s letter (Sept 23), I should like to state that it is both incorrect and callous to say that “there has been hardly any outcome of talks spread over the last two-and-a-half years.
Whatever the progress or lack of it on Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek, the nuclear CBMs, led by the foreign office’s extremely able and hard-working negotiators, are surely as important and have led to landmark agreements on (1) emergency hotlines, (2) pre-notification of missile-testing and hopefully next (3) avoidance of nuclear accidents.
REHANA AZIZ
Islamabad
I AGREE with Dr Tariq Rehman with reference to his column entitled ‘Lingustic division of provinces’ (Sept 26) that division of provinces on the basis of language and culture will neither solve the problem nor bring peace, rather it will increase the tension among different linguistic groups.
On the other hand, authorities could mark divisions for managing the area concerned. This might be in the form of sub-provinces or increase in the number of district or tehsils which will lead to better management as power will be in the hands of local personages.
A linguistic division, however, will increase the gap among different sects and instead of promoting the soft national image of Pakistan in the world, our nation will face a crisis of national identity. Finally, Urdu as the national language will suffer even more than it is already facing.
NASREEN FATIMA
Khushab
I APPEARED in Technical School Certificate (Matric technical) Part-II annual examinations 2005, having registration No. TSC/0064/2003-2004 and roll No.5268.
On receipt of mark-sheet No. 218, dated Aug 6, 2005, I noticed that I was marked ‘absent’ in Urdu normal paper though I had appeared in all the papers.
I approached the SBTE about the matter several times but to no avail.
As a result, I lost my academic year. I request the education minister to hold an inquiry in the matter.
MUHAMMED TARIQ Karachi
THE Pope said whatever he had to say about Islam and our Prophet (peace be upon him). Did that reduce the status and stature of our beloved Prophet? Did it change history? How we Muslims react to such provocation is up to us. We can control our behaviour.
By showing anger and violence, we have proved the Pope’s and other western critics’ point about Muslims and Islam being violent. We have proved that we are an intolerant and uncivilised bunch. We must learn to deal with such matters with reason, dialogue and peace.
Showing anger and useless muscle will only hurt us, as it always had in the past. And such behaviour is completely against Islamic ethics and principles.
The people of Pakistan must understand that such unruly behaviour earns us, our faith and our dear country a bad reputation and nothing else.
SIRAJ NARSI
Calgary, Canada
INDIANS like me love to hate President Musharraf. He’s needled and out-smarted Indians like no other before him.
Considering that he’s badly cornered, both inside and outside his country, he has still cleverly balanced Americans and Taliban by playing one against the other.
It is probably his training as a commando that enables him to be so sharp and cunning. He’s negated his enemy by trying to spoil the image of Dr A.Q. Khan and made him look greedy.
The general has even suggested that Dr Khan could have given designs to Indians inadvertently while operating out of Dubai. The bottom line is I prefer a cunning like Musharraf to a hot-headed religious zealot who prefers pulling us all into the Stone Age (who needs America?).
MANOJ BASU
Kolkata, India
COLLECTION of mistakes, blunders, excesses and atrocities committed by monarchs and dictators are sold as memoirs.
MOHAMMAD IQBAL
Karachi
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