| December 18, 2006 | Monday | Ziqa'ad 26, 1427 |
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The truth about smoking
Equal but different
Anti-corruption day
Korangi waste water project
Revival of Karachi Circular Railway
Tale of lodging FIR
Marrying a Jewish lady
Before and after 1971
War against terror
How govt loses credibility
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
HAMID Karzai has been accusing Pakistan of making slaves out of the Afghan people. I think he has forgotten that in time of need it was Pakistan that opened its borders to them.
It was us who stood by them and helped them in every possible manner.
Even today, Pakistan is home to over three million Afghan refugees who, to be honest, are a burden on us. If Pakistan is such a bad place for them to live, then Mr Karzai should ask his people to return and live in Afghanistan. It is always easy to blame others for our own miseries.
FAWAD SULTAN KHWAJA
Peshawar
NOT long after the memorable tears episode, Mr Karzai has displayed his stronger side by using harsh and, dare I say, very undiplomatic language against Pakistan. He thinks Pakistan wants to annex Afghanistan.
Many would argue that in this day and age physical borders pale in comparison to influence. By those standards, along with the fact that a huge portion of Afghan population resides in Pakistan, there is no question of annexation -– the two countries are closer than that. One can also argue that if Pakistan wanted to annex Afghanistan, it could have done so while the country was, forgive me for saying, at our mercy for more than two decades.
However, the fact of the matter is that Mr Karzai is but a puppet. His complete failure in bringing any semblance of governance to Afghanistan is just a reflection of his paymasters’ failure to control the situation in any country they invade. Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq . . . the story remains the same. So instead of making childish jibes at Pakistan, Mr Karzai should consider his sheer incompetence for his post as well as for his lack of gratitude, and step down while he can still do it with delusions of respectability. Otherwise, either his people or his paymasters might do it for him.
TALHA BIN HAMID
Karachi
IT is not Pakhtoon-like to cry in public, particularly in front of the children. President Karzai must be the most desperate man on the planet.
SAYED JEHAN
Wichita, USA
THIS is in response to Mr Asif Saeed Memon’s letter (Dec 15) in which he has made statements about smoking that are not only incorrect but are also irresponsible.
He asserts that “most smokers today are aware of the health risks”. This is not true. Even in western countries where literacy levels are so high, the general perception about smoking-related risks are restricted to lung diseases, including cancer. In Pakistan, where education and awareness are extremely poor, public awareness is even less.
The truth is that smoking is a silent killer as what it does to blood vessels and heart is a quiet unrelenting destruction and the common man in Pakistan does not know anything about it.
Mr Memon also argues that “most people are also polite enough to accept being relegated to smoking zones”. Are we talking about Pakistan or some other country?
I have had the good fortune to wait in the departure lounge of various Pakistani airports, and the so-called ‘smoker zones’ are just an area with a big banner saying ‘smoking zone’. It is not a separate room, so everyone can enjoy the cigarette fumes. And one dares not request the smoker to stop puffing in your face unless they want to be abused.
Finally, he states that “non-smokers are not bothered by second-hand smoke”. This is really the icing on the cake. Everyone is bothered by cigarette smoke except the smoker. More importantly, a simple search on the Internet for research papers on the health risks of passive smoking will clarify that second-hand smoke is quite detrimental to everyone’s health.
I agree about his view on the unhealthy diet people consume in Pakistan but the combination of smoking and fat-laden diet is simply suicide. In Ireland where smoking is banned in all public spaces, including bars and pubs, and there are no ‘smoking zones’, we have already seen a decline in both lung and heart diseases. If you talk to smokers, they thank the government for banning smoking as it made it easier for them to give up the habit.
I know it is the huge revenue that stops the Pakistan government in implementing tougher laws regarding smoking. Mr Memon would like a law against fatty food but the fact is that the aroma from fat-laden ‘nihari’ is only dangerous to the person who eats it but the puffs of a smoker can seriously affect an innocent bystander.
DR AZRA MAHMUD
Dublin, Ireland
THIS is with reference to the ongoing debate on the women’s protection bill. For a long time I was unhappy with Islam because I thought that it prescribed a lowly status to women. However, after studying it, I feel that it is not so. The laws given in the Holy Quran are of the very basic nature that can be applied easily everywhere and anytime. For instance, the act of marriage requires but two witnesses, however, in a civilised society registration etc is not at all prohibited. The same is true of ‘diyat’: the minimum requirement was 10 camels then but it can be transplanted in today’s terms easily. As for women, the basic terms are given which can be improved upon by consensus.
Now imagine that due to some calamity (a massive earthquake, a nuclear war) the civilised world we know of ceased to exist — no governments, no courts — what would happen to society as a whole except utter chaos. In such a scenario the laws given to us can easily be applied, and prevent an utter breakdown of life. Then with time they can be improved upon according to norms and customs. This is why the Quranic laws are so worded that cultural interpretations can be accordingly adjusted.
I have finally come to the conclusion that Islam treats men and women equally (though differently) and except for a woman having two husbands simultaneously, there is no other thing which is allowed for a man and restricted to a woman.
SABA SHEIKH
Lahore
NAB commemorated anti-corruption day on Dec 9. The intent was to create public awareness against corruption. Several high-profile cases which surfaced during the last seven years are among those that NAB has overlooked, perhaps because they don’t fall under its definition of corruption. They include:
a. The dubious sale of Pakistan Steel Mills at a throwaway price. The key players of this scandal were cabinet committee for privatization headed by the prime minister and high-ups of the privatisation commission. The Supreme Court is to be congratulated for annulling this deal.
b. The clandestine sale of expensive railway land, especially the Railway Golf Club in Lahore, using under-the-table means during the tenure of Lt-Gen (r ) Qazi Jawad Ashraf, the then railways minister. The purchase of substandard railway engines by him is yet another sad chapter of the corruption book. Siddique-ul-Farooq of the PML-N had lodged a formal complaint with NAB a long time ago with documentary evidence.
c. Grave misuse of funds meant for victims of human rights abuse by the law minister, Wasi Zafar. An additional secretary was made to suffer for not obeying these illegal orders of her minister.
d. Proof of corruption cases against Islam Shiekh, a PML-Q stalwart and ex-minister of Sindh, and the involvement of the Chaudhry brothers in the land mafias of Lahore.
One would also like to know what circumstances compelled NAB to halt the inquiry halfway they started against the sugar mill owners who happened to be cabinet members and bigwigs belonging to the king’s party. This scandal had directly affected 150 million of Pakistan.
Unless the guilty in the above high-profile cases are not brought to justice, NAB has no justification for holding any so-called anti-corruption day events and seminars in posh hotels.
MAQBOOL KHAN
Canada
APROPOS of a news item on the Korangi waste water project (Dec 9), I would like to say that KWSB's Korangi Sewerage Project was a part of the Asian Development Bank-financed the KWSB's Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan. When this plan was presented, the resource persons from civil society, community-based organisations, research organisations, journalists and government institutions reviewed the project. The review of the Korangi waste water project showed that the plan negated the ground realities and its cost was unreasonably high.
Since mid-1997 the civil society lobbied against this ADB-funded project. Its point was that the ADB had violated its own rules and procedure in approving the project. By December 1997 the civil society presented an alternative sewage disposal plan for Korangi. The alternative plan was cost-effective, and corresponds to the ground realities. This alternative sewage disposal plan for Korangi can be built at an estimated cost of $2025 million as against the ADB's project costing $100 million.
At two meetings, dated March 3, 1999 and April 2, 1999, the alternative plan was presented to the Sindh governor, who rejected the ADB plan and accepted the alternative proposal, in principle, and gave directives for its implementation. Now the KWSB is already way ahead for implementing this plan.
Recent newspaper reports have said that again there is pressure from the the ADB to revive the loan for the Korangi waste water project. I think we should respect the governor's decision to reject this loan and make efforts to get the alternative low-cost plan implemented. This can be completed through local resources and there is no need for the ADB's loan.
MUHAMMAD YOUNUS
Karachi
KARACHI was served by the main line local rail services from Landhi to the Karachi City even before 1947. Diesel trams from the steps of he Karachi Cantonment Station served as the most convenient interface for the commuters, coming to work in Karachi's downtown areas, to easily reach almost all the inner-city destinations at a very economical fare, saving time in commuting.
The KCR was proposed by 1952 MRVP Master Plan when Karachi was the capital of Pakistan. This started from the Malir cantonment branch and passed through Sohrab Goth, Nagin Chowrangi, Sher Shah, rejoining the main railway line at Tower.
The Pakistan Railways built the KCR in 1964 from the Drigh Road station, apparently aimed at creating the central rail terminal at Gilani, to serve the Federal Capital area, then planned in the present Federal B and C area.
This plan suffered a setback after the federal capital was shifted to Islamabad. Thus the KCR failed in its designed purpose and was finally closed down in 1999 after heavy financial losses.
These losses were also primarily due to the fact that most of the city's major travel corridors were at right angles to its alignment, e.g., University Road, Super Highway, North Karachi, Orangi and Saddar.
The 1987-91 World Bank consultants study under KSDP also recommended to discontinue KCR services as the rider ship anticipated through the computer-generated model was found to be negligible to justify any investment. However, small portions of the KCR were utilised by their plan of exclusive busway network.
Their Priority Corridor #4 from Karachi Cantonment to Landhi was the same which was already served through PR main line local train services, while Corridor # 2 from Cantonment to Orangi was partly to replace the diesel trams since dismantled.
In view of the above position, it is doubtful if any BOT company will ever think of offering any investment on the revival of the KCR.
In view of this position, the loan of $800m offered by Japan may be utilised for making part of the basement level subway from Tower, along M.A. Jinnah Road, to Jahangir Quarters, where metro and central bus terminal may be built, to be further extended later, as proposed by the RTC in 1975 and approved by the CCI, for study by foreign experts. A feasibility study for this may be initiated before any investment.
S.M.H. RIZVI
Karachi
IT was shocking to read that one can judge our performance on the basis of one particular case, negating all the valuable services that the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee has been providing to society. The CPLC has been active in getting FIRs registered, assistance against police excesses, illegal detention, domestic violence cases and handling kidnapping for ransom cases where it plays a major role in solving these cases.
With reference to that case, I think it is unfair to say that the CRC acted irresponsibly in the above-mentioned incident. The CPLC never acts as an institution parallel to the police. It always first refers the complainant to the police station to lodge an FIR. If refused, then it proceeds with the registration of FIR at its offices. In this very case, the delay on the part of the police station at the second instance was not reported to our zonal office or the main office.
The CPLC is an organisation working on a voluntary basis. It has proved its worth and credibility in the past and in the present as well and is known nationally and internationally for its quick response to the call of duty at all times. One should support, encourage, motivate and appreciate the contribution made by CPLC members to the community and not merely criticise this institution on a case-to-case basis.
SHARFUDDIN MEMON
Chief of CPLC — CRC
Karachi
MR Shams Zaheer Abbas (letter, Dec 12) expresses his surprise over Mr Imran Khan’s meeting with Mr Nawaz Sharif, a politician he lost no opportunity to condemn. Mr Abbas should remember that in politics there are no permanent friends or foes, only one’s interests are permanent. Why else would Ms Benazir Bhutto and Mr Sharif fraternise and exchange smiles in front of cameras?
However, what is shocking is that while criticising Mr Khan, Mr Abbas includes his marrying a Jewish lady in his list of wrongdoings. That’s entirely one’s personal matter, who one marries.
Also Mr Abbas must remember that marrying a Jewish or a Christian woman is allowed in Islam. With this kind of objection, the writer is sending wrong signals to the outside world. What one may object to is Mr Khan’s joining hands with the MMA in criticising the adoption of women’s bill by parliament. With his educational and family background, it was least expected of Mr Khan.
One must realise that had Mr Khan not entered politics, he would have made at least one more cancer hospital in Pakistan. Politics is not his cup of tea. He will not be remembered for his forays into politics, he will be remembered for his achievements in cricket and cancer treatment.
ASIF NOORANI
Karachi
MASUD Mufti (letter, Dec 15) has presented an excellent analysis of our troubled history right from the death of the Father of the Nation to date. He has rightly described the triple axis “mullah-military-wadera” being responsible for the chaos in our country’s politics during the last 58 years.
A fourth element of high-level bureaucracy is equally responsible. The only community being faithful to Pakistan and which has suffered a lot are the people of Pakistan. Unfortunately the current government under Gen Musharraf is blaming this singular faithful community.
The best example is the labelling of the people of Fata as terrorists. Unlike Balochistan where sardars are being accused, and rightly so, the general has no sardar or wadera to blame in Fata, and hence the only community left to be used as a scapegoat is the people of Fata.
Let me remind the president that Fata has been governed directly by the federal government for the last 59 years and hence it is the federal government which is responsible for all this chaos, not the people who showed their loyalty to Pakistan in the 1948 war.
ABDUL MALIK
Institut National des Télécommunications
Paris, France
IT is clear that in their enthusiasm for ‘war against terror’ Mr George Bush and his collaborators have forgotten Newton’s’ second law of motion: “To every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction”.
This has been proved millions of times in hundreds of thousands of situations and is being proved again in Iraq and Afghanistan. October was the bloodiest month in Iraq but the US is planning to send 15,000 to 30,000 more troops to Iraq (Dawn, Dec 10). The above law will apply again.
Afghanistan is even in a worse condition. Historically no foreign power has been able to rule Afghanistan during the last 400 years. The most recent case being of Soviet invasion of the country and its retreat after receiving severe bashing from Afghans for 10 years.
Now Nato forces have taken upon themselves the responsibility to bring law and order to the country. On the one hand, Nato commander in eastern Afghanistan has said that the Taliban cannot be defeated by force of arms and, on the other hand, recent Nato conference in Riga decided to send more troops to Afghanistan.
Nato also needs to be reminded of the above law. Three-fourths of eastern Afghanistan is already under the Taliban and with time they will control even greater areas.
However, if Mr Bush and his allies reverse their course of action, the above law will apply again and things will improve dramatically. The invaders can achieve peace by negotiations with Iraqis and Afghans who too are fed up with mounting casualties. They will surely welcome negotiations. May the invaders have courage to make an about-turn for achieving by peaceful means what cannot be achieved by force of arms.
S.A. BILGRAMI
Karachi
THERE was a half-page colour advertisement in this paper inviting people on Nov 9 for a ‘walk’ against corruption. The sponsors of this advertisement were the CDGK and NAB (Sindh).
After going through this advertisement, one feels that both NAB and the CDGK are against corruption.
My experience is just the opposite of it. The district officer (local taxes) in the CDGK is at present under investigation for misappropriation amounting to Rs30 million. If the CDGK is against corruption, why has it appointed an officer under investigation by NAB?
At present this officer has deputed a subordinate to issue registration certificates to advertisers who have paid Rs25,000 each as the registration fee. This subordinate does not issue the certificate unless he is paid Rs5,000. As a result, many advertisers have not been issued their certificates.
No matter what the advertisement is meant to covey, false propaganda is spoiling the government’s credibility.
ABDUL SAMI
Karachi
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