| December 09, 2006 | Saturday | Ziqa'ad 17, 1427 |
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Legislation of divine laws
DHA residents’ plight
Smoking zones
Resigning on principle
Textile exporters’ rejoinder
Law minister flouting the law
Comedy of errors
Paying bills
Learning new languages
Ship’s captain
PTCL clarifies
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
APROPOS of an article titled ‘Afghanistan urged to accept Durand Line’ (Dawn, Dec 6), The correspondent who wrote the article says that this urging of Afghanistan was done by Denis Kux and Karl Inderfurth. In an article originally published in the Baltimore Sun that urged the government at Kabul to override the decision of the Loya Jirga of 1949.
It is proposed to touch on the territorial integrity of Afghanistan and Pakistan in this letter. The present shape and size of both countries was accepted by both Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Geneva Accord of April 14, 1989. Article II (1) of this Accord reads and I quote:
“To respect the sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity, national unity, security and non-alignment of the other High Contracting Party as well as the national identity and cultural heritage of the people”.
This has been reaffirmed by both the US and the now defunct Soviet Union whose successor state is the Russian government at Kremlin and that guarantee reads:
“Wishing to turn to contribute to the achievement of the objectives that the Republic of Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan have set themselves, and with a view to ensuring respect for their sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and non-alignment.”
The texts of the documents that go to make the Geneva Accord are to be had in “Out of Afghanistan” by Diego Corovez and Selig Harrison (Oxford University Press), pages389-397.
Reading of the above quoted articles indicates that the issue of territory and boundaries are resolved and as such the Loya Jirga’s decision of 1949 has been overruled or has ceased to exist.
The Durand Line is a non-issue as can be seen because the territorial integrity of both countries in their shape as at 1989 has been guaranteed.
Perhaps Mr Kux and Mr Inderfurth overlooked this point or interpretation or the Geneva Accord in its entirety.
FAZAL HABIB CURMALLY
Karachi
ONE wonders why the government is attempting to legislate Divine laws the compliance of which will be obligatory on all Muslims, and probably non-Muslims, with varying degrees of faiths and various fiqhs. As per the Supreme Court judgement pertaining to the Frontier province’s legislation of Shariat laws: “State cannot enforce any religious obligations stipulated in Islam, that interfered with private life, personal thoughts, individual beliefs, freedom of assembly, liberty, dignity and privacy of a citizen”.
It is common knowledge that all Islamic laws legislated under ill-conceived religious fervour tend to flagrantly abuse human rights, and as such are rendered ultra vires and void in their application as per the Supreme Court judgment. Let us take Divine guidance of establishing, proving and punishing the crime and punishment for sex offences of Muslim male and female as covered in the following Quranic verses:
Verse 4.15: If any of your women are guilty of ‘lewdness’, take the evidence of four (reliable) witnesses from amongst you, against them, and if they testify, confine them to the house, until death claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way.
Verse 4.16: If two men among you are guilty of ‘lewdness’, punish them both. If they repent and amend, leave them alone, for Allah is Most Merciful. Note: Does ‘lewdness’ mean and imply the same, as in Verse 4.15?
Verse 24.2: The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication — flog each of them with 100 stripes; let not compassion move you in their case in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the last day; and let a party of believer witness their punishment.
Verse 24.3: Let no man guilty of adultery or fornication marry any but a woman, similarly guilty or an unbeliever, nor let any but such a man or an unbeliever marry such women:
This, in brief, is the Islamic law legislated into ‘state law’ as Hudood Ordinance. Its foremost feature being the ‘punishment’ — stripes, lashes or imprisonment for life of a woman in her own house.
A minor issue: proof of the crime of ‘lewdness’ has to be based on the evidence of ‘four’ (reliable) witnesses which appears virtually impossible. However, with the victim begging for the elusive justice by having to admit her ordeal in the FIR — witnesses are needed no more.
M.A. BAQI
Karachi
YOUR staff reporter has very well drawn attention (Dec 5) to the miserable plight of residents of Phase I of the DHA, not only during the rains but at all times for the last about three years. It is true, and I suffer daily as a resident of Phase I, that the entire area has been dug up with excavated roads and lanes and very little of it has been carpeted and repaired.
It is untrue that 50 per cent of the work has been completed. Most of the Phase I is filled with dust which makes every home dusty and health-hazard. The rains only add to the troubles faced by the residents. That is why a number of letters have appeared in this newspaper and others but their redressel seems to be a far cry.
The last administrator of the DHA, at a press conference held on March 6, 2004 (Dawn, March 7, 2004) had announced, in good faith, that “Phase I would be refurbished within 10 months” and that consultants had been engaged to carry out the works. Obviously, the project was intended to be presented as a model of refurbishment in this ‘unique’ housing complex.
A Rs900 million budget was also approved at the outset for the uplift work. Unfortunately, the first contractor, M/s Shamsi Builders, could not come up to the expectation after a year and a half of work. In fact, the surveys conducted by the said company and the DHA initially did not help and the ground reality of this oldest phase revealed a different story.
Now, for a year the new contractor has been struggling to pull on at a speed of his own choice and leaving the repair work unfinished where he deems fit. The supervisory officers of the DHA tell us that this is the way to do the engineering work.
In the meanwhile, vehicles of the residents have been damaged due to broken roads, which means extra financial burden on them. The genuinely aggrieved residents have, therefore, been asking for reasonable relief in taxes for the refurbishment period. It is not known whether the executive board /governing body of the DHA has considered the request of the residents.
MOHAMMAD ALEEM SHAIKH
Karachi
THE other day I attended a presentation during my MBA class about smoking zones. The presentation carried five marks that were given to all students by our teacher to improve our communication skills. It was very informative and gave us some ideas and lessons about how we can individually stop smoking.
The presenter surprised us when he said there was a smoking zone in every private university, including ours, for a regular smoker. Moreover, there is a smoking zone at Heathrow Airport, London, for regular smokers meant to stop people from smoking. Owing to the special glass erected at the area, the outsiders can see the inside but insiders (smokers) cannot see the outside. Therefore, the smokers feel embarrassed and hesitate to smoke when they come to know of this.
One can understand that a place like an airport may be a smoking zone in view of the arrival and departure of hundreds of passengers as smoking is generally prohibited during flights. But we do not understand why should there be any smoking zones in private universities? Do we encourage our young generation to smoke?
It is unfortunate that instead of stopping young people from smoking, we encourage them to smoke by providing them separate smoking zones in universities. If we cannot do away with this, we should better set up smoking zones on the pattern of Heathrow Airport at our public places, including airports and universities. Maybe some of the smokers may feel embarrassment and may not smoke.
It would be a wonderful option if we all put an individual effort to stop people from smoking at public places by doing presentations at universities and also at public places to promote awareness among the common people. Holding of seminars, workshops, publications of booklets, pamphlets and other related material and advertising campaigns on TV channels would be fruitful.
I would also request the authorities to implement laws in this regard and to the HEC I would say it must do away with the existing smoking zones system in private educational institutions.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
THIS has reference to Hafizur Rahman’s excellent article ‘Resigning on principle’ (Dec 6). I would like to share an episode from our foreign service that was related to me in the mid-60s by the late Dr Umar Hayat Malik when he was residing at Peshawar University as a professor emeritus and I was an engineering student.
After a lifelong service as an educationist — he was the first vice-chancellor of Punjab University after independence — Dr Malik had a distinguished diplomatic career. He served as Pakistan’s ambassador to Germany, Indonesia, Japan and finally India.
In 1962 president Ayub Khan offered ‘joint defence’ against China to India. Dr Malik differed with the president. He argued that we must solve or shelve our great strategic issue with India (i.e, Kashmir) before we can have shared regional security with them. His view did not prevail and he resigned on principle, but was respectful enough not to air it in public.
NAEEM AHMAD
New York, USA
THIS refers to the report, ‘Textile exporters playing nasty game for subsidies’ (Dawn, Dec 1), in which Mr Saqib Shirani, chief economist of ABN Amro Bank, has come out with a cock-and–bull story about textile exports.
Agreed that textile exporters were fool to set up and modernise the textile industry by investing more than $5 billion in the last six years but not to such an extent that they would even lose and sacrifice the 5-6 per cent R&D support by receiving the value of the goods in advance or through hundi to invest this amount in non-productive investment.
According to him, exporters were showing losses to pressure the government to devalue the currency. No exporter in his right senses will ever do this devilish act. The bank’s economist has also criticised expatriates for remitting their money through hundi and non-banking channels, but a man having some grey matter in his skull would do the same when there are two exchange rates in the country. Mr Shirani should blame the government.
This hulla-gulla about black and unaccounted money is a gift from the West. All developed countries have illegally held up unaccounted money of Idi Amin of Uganda, Emelda of the Philippines, Shah of Iran and others. These billions of dollars that have been usurped not only belonged to the public but many rich governments which are in turmoil or trouble. Iran, Libya, Afghanistan have been used by rich countries for their self-aggrandisement, with remittance playing a major role. These bankers and economists have flourished at the cost of developing countries whose money has been laundered by them through the Middle East and duty-free states. Till such time this money remains in the hands of developed countries, they do not make any hue and cry but as soon as it is remitted out, it is called laundered and black money.
On account of restriction by our government, which has developed a paranoia against black money, Pakistani investor has been forced to drain out all surplus money to the Middle East and other countries which have given blanket permission to everybody to invest in landed property in the hope of higher return. Mr Shirani has a peculiar perception that the accounted money is being invested in real property whereas the prices have gone down to such an extent that it is now a losing business to go for real estate.
Coming back to textiles, can Mr Shirani tell us what subsidies the textile sector is at present receiving from the government? Wages have gone up. Electricty and gas energy is fantastically high. POL prices instead of being lowered are maintained at old level, and revenue collection institutions are fleecing the industry and now, on the top of it, water and property taxes have been raised.
Foreign banks are exploiting industrialists by charging heavy interest rates, giving fractional profit to account-holders and not providing even one bank account statement to their clients, in spite of strict order by the central bank, without taking hefty service charges.
Mr Shirani owes an apology to the textile sector and their clients. I wonder at those Pakistanis, and more so at our central bank, how they allow these banks permission to operate in Pakistan — only for the sake that they dole out, grant some money to the government. The central bank should take notice.
S.M.A. RIZVI
Karachi
THE textile industry has taken serious note of the news item quoting Saqib Shirani as attributing fall in textile exports to under-invoicing by the textile exporters. The news item quotes a “detailed study by ABN Amro Bank” that has reached this conclusion.
The industry takes the observation seriously and advises the bank to make the study public.
The news item has projected the entire textile industry extremely poorly since the alleged attempt to distort the export figures would not only involve majority of the industry but would also require that this be done in an organised manner and with the involvement of foreign buyers also.
Any such attempt would have dire consequences like tax fraud allegations for our buyers and possible anti-dumping proceedings against our exporters.
JOINT COMMITTEE OF TEXTILE ASSOCIATIONS
Karachi
THE federal law minister appeared in a current affairs programme on a private channel on Nov 28.
The honourable minister could be seen smoking a cigarette throughout the programme.
This was despite the fact that according to section 5 of the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smokers Health Ordinance 2002, smoking is prohibited in public places such as hotels and restaurants.
Moreover, the chief justice of Pakistan has recently issued instructions to the chief commissioner of Islamabad, as well as to chief secretaries of all provinces, that they should ensure implementation of anti-smoking laws strictly.
Now if a person no less than the federal law minister is openly seen flouting the law of the country, what attitude is to be expected from other Pakistanis?
Would the chief justice take notice of this act of the minister and seek an explanation from him?
ALI HASSAN
Islamabad
THE news article entitled ‘Job seekers beaten up by police’ (Dec 3) has to be the most amusing anecdote I have read in a while.
After reading the article I sat in complete bewilderment as I struggled to comprehend the episode that occurred in Hyderabad.
The agricultural ministry might consider advertising for an HR manager.
What happened to the conventional method of requesting resumes and cover letters from prospective candidates, thereby selecting the top 20 and inviting them to a proper interview?
If the office of the director-general was adamant about interviewing 3,700 candidates, they could have allocated specific time slots for each candidate, as opposed to having 3,700 people in an area that obviously was not capable of accommodating such figures, at the same time.
Simple calculation reveals that total number of hours required to conduct a minimum 10-minute interview for that many people exceeds 600 hours.
Having to invite the police during the interview process, compounded by the series of hot words exchanged by the police and the director-coordinator, Abdul Khaliq Soomro, sounds nothing less than a comedy of errors.
I urge the government to acquire coherent management techniques and conduct organised interviews in the public sector to prevent further embarrassment to the nation.
FATIMA KAKAL
Toronto, Canada
Throughout the month everyone receives the monthly bills for water, electricity, Sui gas and the telephone on different days.
This means that citizens have to stand in queue at the bank at least three times.
This is a complete waste of time; isn’t there anything the government can do to synchronise the delivery of these bills?
SYED WASIQ ABBAS
Karachi
I CAN’T help but respond to Syed Wasiq Abbas’s letter (Dec 5) entitled ‘Linguistic future’. Mr Abbas is unnecessarily fretting over children watching cartoons dubbed in Hindi because there’s no harm in learning a language. I tell my children to watch Pakistani serials, not just for their entertainment value, but also to learn Urdu.
Children pick up languages more quickly than adults and this should be encouraged instead of putting unfounded fears in their minds.
When I lived in Malaysia my children, who were aged four and five at the time, could speak Malay fluently while I couldn’t utter more than a couple of sentences.
Now we have been living in Dubai for seven years and my children are fluent Arabic speakers while I, again, can’t speak the language.
The statement, “I think one can easily understand where this will lead our children”, is a bit too alarmist. Rivalries and enmity should not come in the way of children learning new languages. In any case, it won’t do one any harm if one can speak the language of the enemy.
A.C. JOHN
Dubai, UAE
WITH reference to Mr Ayaz Amir’s column (Dec 1), one seminal fact was missing there, most likely an intended omission designed to achieve some political objectives by the writer.
This obvious reality must not go without a mention with regard to our nation’s political landscape.
As known to all and sundry, the PPP means accepting Benazir Bhutto as captain of the ship.
We know Ms Bhutto will never accept any other person meddling in her business of governance and that includes Gen Musharraf for sure.
This has been proven before — if one remembers how she dealt with the late GIK after making an attractive deal with him in 1993.
That was done purely for the sake of ‘democracy’ and solely in our ‘national interest’.
ZAHEER ALI GHAMMAN
Jhelum
THIS refers to the letter titled “Phone out of order” (Nov 3) regarding telephone number 4945935.
The PTCL would like to clarify that the telephone line was rectified by diverting the Diversion Pair (DP), as the previous one had been damaged by the City District Government, Karachi, during development work in the city. The telephone number is now in working order.
SALEEM KHAN
PRO STR-III
Karachi
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