| December 11, 2006 | Monday | Ziqa'ad 19, 1427 |
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Living in a banana republic
CSS and FPSC
Haji Camp dilemma
Unification of TU federation
President’s decision-making
Need to grow up
Devaluation of rupee
US exposes itself
Military intervention in academia
Simple questions
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
PLEASE refer to the above titled column by Mr Nawaf Obaid in Dawn (Nov 29).
The present situation in Iraq is very complex. The country is victim of a grand Zionist conspiracy, on the one hand, and of apathy and hypocracy of the leaders of the Islamic World, on the other hand. Three-and-a-half years ago, only a few might have imagined the chaotic condition as it prevails today in Iraq.
Slaughter of Iraqis goes on without any let-up. Lately, the course of an Arab-Islamic national resistance to foreign occupation has systematically and successfully been changed into a sectarian civil war. Mysterious gangs of armed militias are killing dozens of innocent people every day.
The contention of Mr Nawaf Obaid that Iran is supporting Shia militia to kill Sunnis, if true, would be shocking and a great mistake on the part of Tehran. Simultaneously, the suggestion that Saudi Arabia should intervene, in case the US forces leave Iraq, and support Sunni militias on a tit-for-tat basis would be a blunder on the part of Riyadh.
Any country supporting either of the sectarian militias would be doing no good to Iraq and Iraqis. Rather, it will be considered a party to the conspirators of the ‘Great Game’. Obviously, the planners of Iraq invasion would be glad to watch their work being done by Muslims themselves. Their desire to divide Iraq on sectarian lines would be fulfilled.
Sanity must prevail over rashness. Integrity and sovereignty of Iraq must be restored and retained. The presence of American and British forces in Iraq is multiplying the agonies of Iraqis instead of stabilising the situation. Although, an independent, democratic, united and strong Iraq does not fit in the agenda of the conspirators, it is the responsibility of neighbouring Muslim countries, in general, and the Iraqi leadership, in particular, to restore peace to Iraq. A special and huge responsibility lies on the shoulders of the leadership of Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two most influential Muslim countries of the region, to take initiative to bring peace and harmony among the various ethnic groups and religious sects of Iraq. Any misadventure on the part of any country or group to foment Shia-Sunni sectarian violence would be disastrous not only for Iraq and the Middle East but also for the whole Muslim world.
NOORUDDIN HINGORJO
Karachi
WHERE are we headed for in this country? A woman member of a sitting federal minister’s family kills a minor child while driving a large SUV in Islamabad. The incident is widely reported in Pakistan, yet nothing is done to punish the person responsible. The son of a Lahore-based halwai kills a two-month-old child while driving his Porsche recklessly. He then goes to the hospital, where he beats up the injured father of the dead child, and then manages to get pre-arrest bail.
A self-acclaimed corporate top gun, who enjoys the patronage of the PM, has played havoc with the national airline and jeopardised the livelihood of thousands of Pakistanis, yet nothing happens. Dengue virus has killed over 100 persons in Karachi alone, but the health minister and city nazim are not bothered.
Hundreds of thousands of our compatriots who were rendered homeless in the last year’s earthquake continue to live in tents and temporary homes, while state functionaries proudly inaugurate yet another expensive venture of the DHA.
The police continue to provide protection to robbers, rapists and thugs, while they torment law-abiding citizens. The credibility of judiciary is at its lowest. The wedge between citizens and members of armed forces continues to widen. Railway traffic remains disrupted due frequent collapsing of bridges and tracks, while VVIPS spend billions on purchase of expensive new aircraft, bullet-proof limousines, etc. The federal government allocates Rs17 per citizen per annum for health services, while the VVIPS go abroad for all expenses-paid medical treatment. The list of injustices goes on and on and on.
Our policies are being framed by those who do not consider this country a worthwhile place for their own children to live in, nor do they invest their money here. If we are not a banana republic already, we are certainly on the verge of becoming one thanks to a corrupt establishment. Our rulers continue to hire foreign consultants to improve our soft image abroad, even as they safeguard the status quo within.
IRFAN BUTT
London, UK
IT is a matter of great concern for all of us that there was only 6.67 per cent passing ratio in the CSS written examinations 2006. It is plain that becoming a CSS officer has now not remained the first choice if the young generation, that is why the most highly educated either go abroad or join private firms or banks. The rest of the young students have no choice but opt for CSS examinations.
The policies of the FPSC are also responsible for low ratio of passing. The reduction in maximum age from 30 to 28 by the FPSC is also a leading cause of shortage of a competent pool of candidates. As most candidates belong to the poor families, they do jobs in order to support their families. When they get rid of socio-economic issues and devote their full energies to the preparation of examinations, their age crosses 28 years, depriving them of even one opportunity to sit in the examination in their lifetime.
Let us take another example of the unwise decision of the FPSC. An announcement was recently made by the FPSC that the next CSS examinations would be held in March 2007. Since it has been following an old formula of closing the age count on July 1, if the examinations are held in March, the last closing date for submission of application forms should be the closing age as per rule. It is not understandable why the FPSC has not taken the anomaly into account which would deprive the candidates born in March 1979 from appearing in the examinations being held in 2007.
The FPSC should raise the maximum age from 28 to 30 years for the unemployed and that of 30 to 32 years for government employees, in the interest of the country. Otherwise, there will be shortage of a competent pool of candidates as the recent low results show.
SHAHID MEMON
Pir-jo-Goth Khairpur
I WANT to bring the attention of government officials to the unorganised and chaotic handling of matters at the Karachi Haji Camp. Vaccination of meningitis and flu is one of the many requirements for Haj. The timings for vaccination are 8am to 1pm, and then after a lunch break of one hour, the vaccinations resume at 2pm. On Dec 3 my husband and I went to get our vaccinations and fulfil other formalities like getting medicines attested and packed. After waiting for half an hour we found out that no more vaccinations would take place that day as the doctor had decided not to return for the second half of the day for no apparent reason.
Considering the fact that there were a lot of people who could not come on weekdays and had come from distant areas of Karachi, this unannounced sudden change of schedule was very frustrating. As is usual in our prevailing culture, people started getting panicky and paranoid .The poor volunteers there were unable to satisfy the queries of the impatient crowd. After a long session of screaming and shouting, the staff managed to produce a (makeshift) doctor. Many people, especially those with young children, had already left in the meanwhile with the intention of returning the following week.
The situation inside the vaccination office was even worse. People were required to get their medicines checked and stamped the vaccination. I wondered why the queue was moving at a snail’s pace, only to learn to my great dismay that there was only one doctor for so many people. Keeping in mind the fact that I had young children waiting at home for lunch, the day was a horrifying experience.
I wonder how much more time we need to rectify undue impediments in such mundane tasks. Neither rocket scientists nor loads of money are needed to improve the current pathetic situation.
RUBINA BILAL
Karachi
UNDER Section 18 of IRO 2002, the formation of federations and confederations are defined. Unification of federations into a single national centre does not find favour with IRO 2002.
The current trend all over the world, especially in the corporate sector, is merger. Similarly, many worldwide federations have unified into a single national centre such as in Japan.
Pakistan’s three national centres having affiliation with International Confederation of Free Trade Unions have formed a single federation, Pakistan Workers Federation. But the task of registration became cumbersome in the absence of any law for unification. It had to seek registration as a new federation when the three affiliates were already registered with the NIRC. The ministry of labour should consider simplification of laws for unification, such as a resolution from the unified federation to the NIRC as a consequence of change of the name. Multiplicity should be eliminated to strengthen TU/federation.
A.G. BALOCH
Pakistan Workers Federation, Karachi
BEFORE penning his memoirs, President Musharraf used to express a good opinion of the Indian prime minister. But, he changed his views in the meantime and wrote therein, “the initial signs of sincerity and flexibility that I sensed in Manmohan Singh seem to be withering away. I think the Indian establishment … has gotten the better of him” (p 302).
When his book was subsequently criticised, he asserted, “this book is the truth, nothing but the truth and the whole truth. I have documentary evidence of all I have said” (Dawn, Oct. 13). However, in the recent interview with NDTV he did a U-turn again and said this about Dr Singh: “I rate him high. I respect him. He is a good man. He is a sincere man. He wants peace and I rate him high.” (Dawn, Dec 7).
Which of his statements should one believe? It should be remembered that the same Indian premier had thoroughly exposed himself during his visit to America in 2005 by trying to malign Pakistan. He had referred unnecessarily to its “reckless nuclear proliferation,” which had already been well taken care of by us to the satisfaction of the IAEA and the international community. He also talked darkly of our creation of the Taliban -– another old story -– and the “thousands and thousands of madressahs . . . set up to preach jihad based on hatred of other religions” (Dawn, July 22, 2005).
As we all know, this is a gross exaggeration of facts and the peaceful orientation of almost all of our seminaries has been acknowledged even by some western diplomats, including an American one, after visiting many of these from Karachi to Peshawar.
Anyway, it was clear that Dr Singh was saying all this maliciously and with the objective of pre-empting the possibility of Pakistan getting a nuclear deal from the US similar to that for India. So much for his sincerity. Nevertheless, the Indian leader has apparently managed to hoodwink our president once again, with the latter appearing to greatly overestimate his own wisdom and ability to assess others.
All our leaders, especially the president, are reminded of what president Nixon had observed in 1971: “Pakistanis are straightforward and sometimes extremely stupid. Indians are more devious, sometimes so smart that we fall for their line” (Dawn, June 30, 2005). He had also pointed out that the Indians manage to fool the American ambassadors to New Delhi and referred specially to their envoy at the time, Mr Keating. He revealed that the gentleman had wanted the US to “help India push the Pakistanis out (of East Pakistan)” and that, “Keating, like every ambassador who goes over there, goes over there and gets sucked in.”
These facts are common knowledge but unfortunately our president continues indulging in the reckless habit of deciding all the important matters just by himself. The danger of this is too evident from his unreliable assessment of Manmohan Singh. Based on this ill-founded conclusion, he could make concessions regarding Pakistan or Kashmir leading to a deal that would cause irreparable damage. That is why democracies discourage one-man decision-making.
MEEM SHEEN
Karachi
THE presentation ceremony for the second ODI between Pakistan and the West Indies was worth watching. After a tremendous effort on the ground, it was an enjoyable ceremony for Pakistani players and spectators. But a disgraceful episode came to pass after Inzamam, who was also the man of the match, stepped towards the host Rameez Raja.
It is a general perception that Inzamam cannot speak English fluently and many of us enjoy his conversations for this reason. Rameez started the dialogue in English and Inzamam answered his first question quite confidently and modestly. When Inzamam was asked about the performance of newcomer, Abdur Rehman, he uttered ‘Youngster’ in a way that was rather strange and ambiguous.
But it was not strange enough to compel someone to giggle at it. And it was what Rameez did. It was rather embarrassing for Inzamam and he had to recapitulate his confidence to pursue the discussion. But Rameez could not hold his snigger till the end of the ceremony.
It was shameful for both of them. Inzamam should realise that he is the captain of Pakistan and should learn to exhibit in a meticulous and confirmative style in order to shun these absurd situations. On the other hand, Rameez Raja should try to avoid these official ceremonies from becoming a laughing-stock.
Rameez is an excellent commentator but after watching his amateur behaviour it looks as if he lacks maturity. The presentation ceremony was being broadcast all over the world and Rameez was propelling Inzamam, perhaps unintentionally, towards an embarrassing posture. As representatives of our country both the players should think about the image of Pakistan.
FARAZ BIN AHMAD
Faisalabad
THE report, ‘Moratorium on taxes sought’ (Economic and Business Review , Dec 2) contained a paragraph stating that sources privy to the meetings told Dawn that those demanding a moratorium were of the opinion that devaluation of the rupee would trigger fresh inflation and would not benefit export trade as it would be directly taken away by foreign buyers. Verily this is the wise opinion.
Dawn, through its editorial, ‘Cause for serious concern’ (Dec 2), had pointedly said: “This year perhaps they have done it with a vengeance to force the government to devalue the rupee and give them more concessions so that they can make another killing without making any real effort at increasing their value-added exports. All this bodes ill for exports.”
During the ZAB government’s starting days, the then finance minister, holding an engineering degree, recklessly devalued rupee to please the vested interest, which had resulted in devastation of the economy.
A simple example had been that of grey cloth which used to be sold at Rs3 a yard and overnight its price went up to Rs7 a yard. Foreign buyers of cotton yarn rushed to Pakistan to place their orders in advance for multiple of years because the quantity they used to get for single dollar had been increased to one-and-a-half times more.
Devaluation is a purely selfish exercise devoid of national or people’s emancipation. It is a manifestation of clear failure of the entrepreneurs in discharging their obligation in an honest way.
GHEEWALA
Karachi
THIS has reference to the letter (Nov 23) by Meem Sheen captioned “US exposes itself”. Hats off to the writer for this brave letter. I fully endorse his views.
Our dictators get nothing from Uncle Sam except a handshake and a photo session.
They are used by Uncle Sam and when the job is accomplished, a C-130 crashes.
All dictators must keep their destiny in mind.
SULTAN DURRANI
Mississauga, Canada
THIS is in reference to the article by Dr Tariq Rahman (Dec 5) regarding the appointment of non-academic persons as university VCs. He rightly points out that a VC is the intellectual leader of an academic institution and his primary job is to inspire the faculty and the students to perform well academically. Whereas a non-academic person represents a bad omen for the university and mars the image of the university.
The debilitating situation of our universities is due to the fact that not only the VC but most of the administration and academia are from the military. University campuses resemble military cantonments where army personals and armed soldiers wander around in departments and classrooms. Civilian research scholars are frequently interrogated at the gates of institutes about their identity, which is quite contrary to my personal experience at QAU and Punjab University.
Such instances shatter the confidence of a scholar when he gets a sense of mistrust from the institution in which he is working.
The research atmosphere has continuously been marred by the army personnel by their non-academic activities at the university. Research can only be conducted in an open and free environment which allows creative thinking and unbiased investigation. Only the demilitarisation of academic institutes can improve the level of research and build the confidence of the academia.
MUBASHER JAMIL
Rawalpindi
THERE is so much hullabaloo about the amendments to the Hudood Ordinance. Will any of the holy fathers who are so vociferously opposing the amendments answer these simple questions:
1. Shouldn’t Islamic punishments have followed establishment of an Islamic system of governance and social justice in Pakistan?
2. In which of the 55-odd Muslim countries, authentic Islamic system of governance and social justice is prevalent at present?
3. Is it correct that punishments like cutting of hand, lashing and stoning, a quick way of inflicting punishments, suited in those days because there existed no system of jails or penitentiaries?
4. Has there been a single case in the entire Muslim world in the last 1400 years when the Hadd punishment was awarded for zina based not on confession but on the testimony of four respectable male witnesses who all witnessed the actual penetration - an essential requirement of proof in such cases?
S. M. ANWAR
Karachi
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