| November 27, 2006 | Monday | Ziqa'ad 5, 1427 |
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Free and fair elections
Bank charges
Half-hearted effort
The price of loyalty
JI’s role
Musharraf’s bias
Bad IDEAS 2006
Thank you, Mr Hu
Growing indignation
Town nazim’s reply
Solid waste management
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
WHILE endorsing Dr K.M. Larik's letter 'Ranking of universities' (Nov 20), I compliment the HEC authorities for having taken up an arduous task of evaluating/ranking the universities in Pakistan in the wake of the fact that even in the western world there isn't any agency except the newspapers and magazines which venture to place universities in order of priority on the basis of their academic excellence.
Keeping in view the intricacies involved in ranking an institution, I am apprehensive that some institutions of repute and the students and teachers associated and emotionally attached with these may be hurt if the ranking is not done fairly objectively.
The HEC shall do well to verify information/data provided by various institutions, if possible, by physically visiting the institutions or through some other surer means at their command so that the institutions, which are shy of giving an exaggerated data, may not be the worst sufferers. The institutions should surely get a wake-up call by the HEC, but they may not be made to surmise at the balloon of ranking process going up in thin air.
I am fully aware of the calibre and capability of the person heading the HEC who shall do his utmost to make the entire process of ranking objective and transparent to a very great extent.
ARSALAN KHAIR
Karachi
MY letter 'University ranking' (Oct 29) about Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, bagging 20th position out of 23 in the HEC-conducted national ranking of universities has irked the university administration.
In this connection, I have been served with a letter asking me to explain why action should not be taken against "you as you have defamed the university". The letter further says that for articles, etc., to be published in any journal, newspaper or in any other written form, "it is necessary that sanction of the authority is first obtained."
This is sheer attack on the academic freedom and is tantamount to gagging the voice of teachers criticising the illadvised policies of the university administration, which have put the university just one point above the Malakand University and two points above the Kohat University since these universities have been established recently whereas Shah Abdul Latif University was established in 1976 as campus and upgraded to the full-fledged university in 1986.
My criticism for the sluggish performance of the university was not personal but rather sprang out of my desire that this university should improve. And without criticism it cannot get better as Malcom, an American black leader, put it rightly: "If you have no critics, you'll likely have no success".
But unfortunately the university administration is not ready to listen to criticism with receptive ears. The words of Winston Churchill may sound true when he says: "We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure frank criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticise us perform a remarkable act of friendship ....".
But this is not the case in our society where criticism is taken as a hostile act, instead of an act of friendship, and critics are subjected to every form of torture. Again, Churchill rightly says: "Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things."
"I criticise by creation, not by finding fault", Marcus Tullius Cicero.
MANZOOR ALI ISRAN
Shah Abdul Latif University
Khairpur
THIS letter is with reference to your editorial (Nov 23) titled ‘Free and fair elections’. The Free and Fair Elections Network formed in Islamabad is a welcome step indeed. But I feel that during their discussion they have missed the primary issue without which the election process will be a farce. It relates to the return of exiled leadership to Pakistan before the commencement of the polls. Mian Nawaz Sharif, Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto provide the nucleus of political leadership in Pakistan. Two of them are twice-elected prime ministers while the other is the most dynamic chief minister Punjab has ever witnessed.
They are the leaders of two major parties of Pakistan who bagged the highest votes in 2002 polls, despite all sorts of rigging. The elections 2007 could only be termed fair if all the stakeholders, including PML-N, can be provided a level playing field which could only be ensured through the return of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif. All other aspects of electioneering as discussed by FAFEN are of secondary nature.
In fact, the return of the exiled leaders is also a first test of Gen Musharaf’s enlightened moderation. If the general actually thinks that he is a moderate, he should allow the moderate leaders to return as the Sharif brothers represent right of the centre while Benazir leads left of the centre.
Gen Musharraf has also urged the people to exercise their right to vote in the “mother of all elections”. My impression is that after the bogus referendum and rigged polls in 2002, the people’s faith can only be restored if the true leaders are back in political arena, otherwise the polls will be the “mother of all ills”.
KHAWAJA AAMER RAZA
Vice President, PML-N,
Lahore
THIS is with reference to the above-captioned letter from Mr Muhammad Shahid Dayo (Nov 22), in which the writer alluded to certain bank charges which in his opinion were "overtly exploitive". While everyone is entitled to have a point of view, using UBL Cashline as "a case in point" and subsequent statements regarding high interest rates and counter-charges unduly points a finger at UBL, which is neither fair nor warranted.
The Rs200 charge mentioned by Mr Dayo is essentially an over-the-counter cash handling fee, levied by all major banks on cash repayments against consumer products. It is primarily intended to discourage customers from making repayments of their installments and such other dues in cash. It is common knowledge that carrying large amounts of cash on one's person is unsafe practice.
That is why UBL offers other safe modes of payment to customers by accepting cheques over the counter or in drop-boxes placed in most branches, as well as the 24-hour Internet banking facility, all of which are free of cost.
On the matter of the customer having to open a secondary repayment account against a loan facility, such as UBL Cashline, we would like to clarify that such accounts are opened automatically when the customer avails himself of a loan facility, and are totally free.
It is standard industry practice and is done to facilitate proper repayment of loans and efficient processing at the bank.
EJAZ WASAY
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications UBL, Karachi
THE photograph captioned ‘Half- hearted effort’ (Metropolitan, Nov 24) reflects the exact state of affairs prevailing in Bath Island. This once peaceful posh locality has been suffering all sorts of miseries since the heavy rains, earlier on account of blockage of sewerage and rain drains by the influential people and now at the hands of those who after reclaiming the drains have left the work half way and provided breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects.
The entire strip right behind HBL branch to Aga Khan Jamaitkhana now depicts a sorry picture of the area and its hapless resident. So much so that Aga Khan Park which was recently re-energised after years of neglect at the cost of millions of rupees, the only recreational facility for locals, has been destroyed by the heavy bulldozers and cranes employed for cleansing operation.
The mounds of entire rubbish pulled out from the drain have been left as it is in the park for the last many months with no visible sign of its removing. Even the heavy salvaging machines which were parked inside the recreational area are no more there and clearly suggest that the operation has been abandoned.
I request the authorities to look into the matter personally and take appropriate measures at the earliest so that people living in the area can be saved from mental and physical torture.
ALTAMASH M. KURESHI
Karachi
PAKISTAN claims to be a strong US ally in the war against terror. This so-called ‘war against terror’ has already taken its toll from our nation in general and the army in particular. The blind obedience of the US has severely amplified extremism all over the country in all its forms and manifestations. Violence is far more widespread today than it was seven years earlier.
The Pakistan army was playing a graceful role in the nation’s rebuilding until the military takeover.
Now we find the military regime playing the pathetic role of protecting US interests even at the cost of the lives of our own soldiers. It is really reprehensible for military rulers to take responsibility of atrocious acts (Bajaur bombing) which, in fact, were committed by the US army.
The killings of 43 recruits were likely a response to the fake claims of military government. The basic reason for such a large number of deaths was that the Pakistan army is not accustomed to the attacks from their own citizens. However, if our military rulers keep following US policies, the army should then be well prepared for quite a number of much stronger blows. It is time Gen Musharraf stepped down to save what’s left of the army’s prestige and let democracy rule.
M. AAMER AKRAM
Lahore
THIS is with reference to Saeed Siddiqui’s letter ‘The ideology question’ (Nov 19).
Mr Siddiqui’s contention that the Jamaat-i-Islami had nothing to do with the Pakistan Movement can be termed a historically wrong assertion.
Those who have studied Maulana Maudoodi’s book Musalman Aur Maujoda Siyasi Kashmakash (Vol. III) cannot forget the Maulana’s views about the Muslim League and the Quaid-i-Azam. Moreover, the annual conference of the Jamaat-i-Islami held in Tonk in 1946 had passed a resolution asking Muslims of India not to vote for the AIML. Can this antagonistic role of Maulana Maudoodi be ignored while discussing the Jamaat-i-Islami’s role in the Pakistan Movement?
PROF (DR) MOHAMMAD ALI SIDDIQUI
Karachi
IN his book President Gen Pervez Musharraf has criticised Taliban leader Mulla Omar for his claim that God wanted him to blow up the statues of Buddha in Bamiyan because "over the years God had caused rain to create huge holes at their bases where dynamite could be planted. This was a sign from the Almighty that the statues were to be destroyed."
While one can differ with Omar's opinion, but what about the claims made by Bush and Blair that God had wanted them to invade Afghanistan and Iraq? President Musharraf has never censured them for it nor for being responsible for the loss of hundreds of thousands of Muslims' lives in the two countries as well as those of nearly 3,000 allied troops, which even as a Muslim one finds equally valuable and can empathise with the sentiments of their families in the West.
One strongly disagrees with the harsh version of Islam foisted by the Afghan leader upon his nation. However, one must also consider the relative benefits of his regime. He had brought peace to Afghanistan, totally eradicated poppy cultivation and heroin production and rendered Pakistan's western border safe.
There was no need to deploy 80,000 troops to protect it; there was no issue about the Durand Line and there was no support for the insurgency in Balochistan about which we are now blaming Kabul and New Delhi.
In contrast, Bush lied to the world about Iraq's WMDs, while Blair scared his compatriots by citing a 45minute timeframe for these to hit Britain. It is understandable for the Christian fundamentalist and pro-Israel Blair, known for good reasons as Bush's 'poodle', to support the American crusader president unjustifiably, but why must our president do that?
The president has also quoted Mulla Omar's belief that the Americans would be defeated. This has nearly come true in Iraq while in Afghanistan the US army has saved itself by shifting the burden onto Nato forces, which, too, are finding the going very difficult. On his part, Gen Musharraf had been extremely anxious to send Pakistani troops to bail out the American forces in Iraq a couple of years back, but it was only the pressure of the Pakistani public, spearheaded by the MMA, that had prevented him from doing so.
If he had succeeded in his ambition, God only knows how many of our soldiers would have lost their lives, just as they have in Waziristan and now in Dargai, for America's sake.
A PAKISTANI
Karachi
MORE accustomed to be derided as merchants of death in the civilised world, the arms dealers attending IDEAS 2006 have been moved by the hospitality offered by the host city. The fact that schools needed to be shut for a day, local businesses suffered, and the city government was brought to a halt for a week is surely worth the cause of the arms industry. After all, the country’s arms exports bring in a whopping $200 million. So what that just the export of footballs last year exceeded the $231 million figure.
A week-long arms exhibition in Karachi, a city already awash in illegal arms, makes eminent sense. The Kalashnikovs and pistols fashioned by Karachi’s dacoits is quite passé. Therefore, it is quite appropriate that they get an exhibition to see what latest killing machine is available in town.
Karachi has no arms industry in its environs. No one from the province derives employment from this industry. No taxes are received in the provincial exchequer. Yet, the city and provincial government laid out the red carpet and spent millions of rupees for Ideas 2006.
ZAHID F. EBRAHIM
Karachi
I HAVE been commuting on Raiwind Road for the last over 12 years and I do it every day. For the last three years I have been requesting the chief minister, the nazim and NHA authorities through letters in newspapers to see the dilapidated condition of this road and repair it as soon as possible.
About a week ago, when all of a sudden, the construction work started on this road, I felt very happy and proud that my letters have perhaps moved the relevant authorities. I was overjoyed to see the pace of work because about 20 kilometres of road was recarpeted in just seven days. However, when I saw the divider being painted after sunset the other day, it raised some suspicion.
On inquiry I came to know that Mr Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, will be visiting a factory in Raiwind. It left a bitter taste in mouth, yet I am thankful to Mr Hu for making possible what was otherwise a big and impossible task.
Thank you, Mr Hu. And please visit this area often.
AMER FAROOQI
Lahore
THIS is in response to the letter entitled ‘Growing indignation’ from Rani S (Nov 21). I am simply bewildered by the allegations against Rameez Raja’s commentary.
I, along with a few others, watched the same game and thought the commentators like Sanjay, Jeff Dujon and Rameez were spot on when discussing the helter-skelter innings played by Imran Farhat.
The fact that he scored 74 runs is no short of a miracle. Farhat’s shot selection and the complete lack of footwork was like watching a kid playing with dynamite. West Indian bowlers were indeed unlucky not to have him packing earlier than they did. He played an absolutely atrocious innings.
Farhat has had several stints with the national team as an opener. It is way about time he exuded confidence from his play and technique. On the contrary, his counterpart Mohammad Hafeez played a much better (not perfect) innings of 36.
WACAR RIZVI
Gaithersburg, USA
APROPOS of the letter ‘Water supply’ (Nov 21), I would like to inform the complainant and the residents of the area that the water line in that area was installed about 40 years ago. Over these years, the line had become perforated and drinking water was severely contaminated. Not only this but the population in this vicinity had grown on an alarming rate during the years, thus hindering the flow of water to each household on the previous connection. The old water supply line was made of cast iron and had crossed the design period and is being replaced with polyethylene pipes with a life of about 100 years.
The water supply was stopped for two to three days in order to rectify the above. However, now it has been restored.
All the services department, i.e., PTCL, SSGCL, etc., were informed prior to starting work and they are required to repair any damage that occur while work is in progress by their respective organisations.
It may not be out of place to mention that the said locality is considered affluent and we request the residents to show some civic sense, tolerance and spirit while development work is in progress. The costly step to replace the smaller damaged pipes with new ones was taken by the town to protect the residents and their children from any health calamities in future.
WASAY JALIL,
Town Nazim, Gulshan-i-Iqbal
Town, Karachi
NAZEEHA Khan has commented (Dawn, Nov 16) on the solid waste found on the beaches of Karachi. I have been reading about solid waste management in Karachi, and I would like to say that about 7,000 tons of waste is collected every day in the city, out of which 2,000 tons is collected by the government and another 2,000 tons is used for recycling of other goods.
I would like to know if the other 3,000 tons is not being collected or taken care of, what will happen to the once-upon-a-time clean city of Karachi?
There are a few NGOs that have raised the topic of solid waste but nothing seems to be done about it. Why is the government not taking responsibilities for using open plots to generate the trash that is being built every day? And why as citizens of this country are we not trying to make a difference ourselves? As 3,000 tons is not taken care of, then daily it keeps multiplying, in a matter of time there will only be trash and garbage around us, which multiplies in disease and hygiene. If solid waste management is not taken seriously soon, our city will eventually become a big dumpster.
AMBREEN EJAZ
Karachi
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