| December 19, 2006 | Tuesday | Ziqa'ad 27, 1427 |
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Smoking zones in universities
Do only senators have rights?
Un-neighbourly remarks
Crutches of concessions
Kofi Annan’s farewell speech
PIA clarifies
Nawaz’s accusations
Unjust to women
Changes in Sindh
If doctors are exhausted
‘Pieceful’ strike
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
GOING through the current scenario it was only natural that 35 years on, Dawn gave corollaries to 1971 by two back-to-back articles (I.A. Rehman’s “A wrong path again”, Dec 14, and Masud Mufti’s “Before and after 1971”, Dec 15). Both pieces are well written. But to make decision-makers to read the writing on the wall is well-nigh impossible, especially when they take themselves to be a ‘chosen few’, ‘anointed from above’ (in reality from North) and “guardians of the supreme national interests.”
Mr Rehman is right that freedom is better smelling than the pie in the sky ‘packages’. Similar parcels promised to Karachi by one PM disappeared with her. About the 1951 conspiracy from where the rot started, may I add that according to the main conspirator, Maj-Gen Akbar Khan, and an accused, Brig Siddique Khan ((Hasan Zaheer, The Rawalpindi Conspiracy 1951,OUP-1998 p175, pp5-6), Ayub Khan, along with Brig Habibullah (later lieutenant-general), was involved and Ayub was to be the president in case they succeeded. It was a coup d’essai (dry run) for the man who bid his time till 1958 and became the architect of the 1971’s, Yahya only gave it the coup de grace.
An institution that can throw up the likes of Ayub, Yahya and Zia (the list is not complete) needs some introspection and a grand-scale editing. The swagger with which the 1971 ‘ceasefire’ was taken and the resurgence of arrogance is indeed remarkable. Learning no lesson from 1971, within six years the plotters were at it again.
The 1971 lot today enjoys the perks and privileges of a happily retired contended life. Some advise their in-service brethren and others deliver sermons on the TV about this and that and no wonder.
Today sanctity of state institutions is eroded: the civil service, the only one deemed superior and capable of taking care of the country, has been taken care of. Law and order is atrocious and no one is safe. Education is suffering from abject neglect. Child mortality is on the increase; diseases are rampant. Judiciary is fixing the menu of marriages; it no more deals in constitutionalism. Corruption chart is up. Political parties are fragmented into regional entities as Awami League was rendered prior to 1971.
Regionalism gets extreme under a forced rule and can explode anytime. Result: we have boots or nothing. Run out of steam, the boat is adrift and the captain has lost the compass. People of Pakistan are the only one that can save the nation but the binding glue, the political force, is missing.
Out of the two writers, Mr Rehman ends on a promising note assuming that forthcoming elections are fair and the caretakers play just.
Well, according to the defender of our all supreme national interests, the coming exercise will be “mother of all elections”.
The term is borrowed from Sadam Hussein, whose “mother of all battles” (“Ummul harab”) became the joke of the world. Need anything be said more? I will go with the gloom of Mr Mufti. There is no silver lining in the dark clouds over the horizon, not by a long shot.
ASLAM MINHAS
Karachi
PLEASE refer to a letter by Asif Saeed Memon (Dec 15) in support of allowing smoking within the Pakistani universities. I strongly disagree with the views expressed in his letter. First, we have a law in Pakistan which bans smoking at public places, which include all schools, colleges and universities.
Second, universities are supposed to play an important role in promoting a healthy lifestyle in society. Most reputable universities in the developed world do not allow smoking within their premises. We should also strictly enforce a no-smoking policy within our universities in order to discourage our youth from becoming tobacco-addicts.
Mr Memon’s argument that all students in universities are adults and are aware of risks involved in smoking and, therefore, should be allowed to smoke is also incorrect. Research carried out in Pakistan and abroad has clearly shown that most people who choose to smoke are not aware of the serious risks involved in smoking. Most start smoking in their teenage but later find it difficult to give up because of the powerfully addictive nature of tobacco.
As a specialist in chest disease working in a major hospital of Karachi, I have yet to come across a smoker who does not regret his or her smoking habit. Almost all patients that I have seen suffering from serious tobacco-related illnesses in the past 20 years had the view that if they had known that smoking could cause such serious illnesses, they would never have smoked.
Finally, what can I say about him comparing biryani with tobacco. One is the favourite dish of South Asia and other a powerful addictive substance, which kills five million people every year across the globe. I can provide over 70,000 research articles confirming the link of tobacco with serious illnesses like cancer. There is no such evidence against biryani.
DR JAVAID KHAN
Karachi
LEGISLATORS questioning the performance of state-run organisations is a welcome trend, and one hopes that this exercise will increasingly become more professional and demanding. In doing so, one expects them to be fair and factual, and not make statements that may reflect unfavourably on an individual or an organisation.
After all, the concept of ‘breach of privilege’ is not restricted to honourable senators only. Ordinary citizens have the same right to it, however small.
I wish to clarify that Dawn’s report quoting an honourable senator (member of senate standing committee) that I have been awarded a contract by PIA for Rs7 million for three months is absolutely false. Such wild statements can only diminish the leftover faith and respect that the naïve amongst us still carry for our elected or nominated representatives.
In a more justice-friendly society, one would have sought a judicial recourse against such defamation.
For now I prefer to let the courts give priority to the more important thousands of cases of rape victims (including Mukhtaran Mai) who have been awaiting justice for the past many years. While I do not expect an apology, the least one expects from the honourable senator is to make a public statement of his inaccurate facts.
NAEEM SADIQ
Karachi
TO put it mildly, President Karzai’s continuous undiplomatic and un-neighbourly remarks about the president and people of Pakistan is a display of ignorance and inaptness. He is proving that like in Iraq the West has again placed a twit to rule Afghanistan who will lead them astray instead of solving Afghanistan’s problems.
I am more disturbed by impotency of Pakistan’s diplomatic corps which should have been more blunt and gruff with an undiplomatic head of a runaway state. Pakistan’s foreign office should remind Mr Karzai that he had taken refuge in Pakistan when his country was invaded by the Russians. Now that he has been made president of a disheveled, disoriented and a demoralised nation, he thinks he has the freedom to say whatever he likes.
But Mr Karzai is not a simple man. Pakistan should read his mind and his intentions in the hostile and ravenous slogans he utters against Pakistan.
He is doing so because of the presence of American and allied forces in his country; and emotively making them feel that Pakistan is not doing enough to curb terrorism.
‘He has not been able to take hold of his country; and lacks any authority outside Kabul, except with the force provided to him by foreign forces.
The little government he runs has hardly been able to better the lot of Afghan people. It is regrettable that Pakistan’s diplomatic corps has not been able to put a mirror to his face.
NASEER AHMAD
Mississauga, Canada
THE current discussion on devaluation of the rupee depicts contradictions and confusion. It is being emphasised that devaluation will accelerate the falling exports and thus reduce trade deficit.
However, it is on record that performance of exports has not been up to the mark despite a number of concessions granted.
The solo exercise of devaluation would not remedy the gloomy current account deficit. It has to be blended with other ingredients to achieve the objective of increasing the exports.
Although the State Bank has denied the rumours and has warned the speculators against currency rates manipulations, the IMF was firm in believing that the rupee was overvalued.
Whether exports would increase or not but it is certain that the cost of production will increase as duties and taxes are levied on landed cost/factory prices.
The overall economic situation would further deteriorate amidst galloping inflation and tremendous rise in the payments of loans and liabilities. The common man will be worse off with the adverse effect of devaluation/adjustment in the parity rates.
It is an irony that no lessons are learnt from past mistakes. No doubt, measures are taken off and on to reduce trade deficit but at production level the required efforts are not made to compete in the quota-free international markets, which is a major deficiency in our case. After all, crutches of concessions will not be available forever.
ZAKARIA KARIM
Karachi
LISTENING ‘live’ to Mr Kofi Annan’s farewell speech on a worldwide American news channel (Dawn Dec 11), one was astonished that Mr Annan should base his five postulates for future peace on quotations from the late President Truman. Mr Truman was hardly a Woodrow Wilson or Wendel Wilkie, much less an oracle.
One of the issues Mr Annan so distressfully lamented was of Palestine. Here is a first-hand graphic account of the not-so-visionary role Mr Truman played in the partitioning of Palestine in 1948 at the UN given by former Pakistan foreign minister Sir Zafrulla Khan in his memoirs (Servant of God (pp 143-144).
“The factor that played the decisive role was that President Truman, who as vice-president, had taken over the presidency on the death of President Roosevelt, in the spring of 1945, was looking forward to being elected president in the 1948 election. His own party was not united in his support. The Jews had a strong position in New York City, and the state was expected to go the way the City went. The Jewish vote in the City might prove crucial. President Truman was, therefore, a strong supporter of the partition of Palestine. The US delegation in the UN was not too happy about it. The legal adviser to the delegation had conveyed to the president his doubts about the competence of the assembly to carry out partition of a country. But the president remained firm in his support for the Jews.
“The debate in the plenary session started in an atmosphere of great tension. It reached its closing stage on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. A careful checking up confirmed the impression that had been gained from the speeches delivered in the plenary session that the Resolution did not have the support of a two-thirds majority. That morning, before proceeding to the Assembly, I, as leader of the Pakistan delegation, called on Mr Dennis, the leader of the Liberian delegation, and was assured by him that his instruction from his government was to vote against partition, and added: But we are under great pressure from the United States. Try that the vote should be taken today, for I do not know what might happen tomorrow.
“General Romulo, foreign minister of the Philippines, had gone to the rostrum and roundly condemned partition in a speech of burning eloquence. The representative of Haiti had declared he would vote against partition.
“At about lunch time a rumour was heard that the president [of the Assembly] did not intend to proceed to the vote that day. Dr Fadhil Jamali, foreign minister of Iraq, and the Pakistan leader called on the president and discovered that he was determined to postpone the vote till Friday.
“His excuses were flimsy, but he was adamant. At the end of the afternoon sitting he adjourned the session to Friday morning. On Thursday President Truman put through personal telephone calls to certain heads of state and persuaded them to shift their position on the question of the partition of Palestine from opposition to support. Among others, the Philippines, Liberia and Haiti made the shift.
“The resolution was carried, the die was cast, and the Arabs and Jews were set by the ears for generations. President Truman will go down in history as the statesman whose decision released the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and whose determination pushed the partition of Palestine through the United Nations.”
M.J. AS’AD
Karachi
APROPOS of Mr Shahzad Khalil’s letter (Dec 13), the factual data concerning PIA’a domestic and foreign operations plus revenue and development indicators is listed below:
a. From 2004 to 2006, the airlines expenditure on fuel has touched Rs34 billion (from Rs18 billion) in view of spiraling fuel prices in international market. Fuel cost as a percentage of revenue has gone up from 31 per cent to 49 per cent in two years which is the highest percentage in the industry. PIA’s aircraft fleet, excluding the recently-inducted eight ones, has an average age of 20-25 years and is highly fuel-inefficient.
b. PIA as a state-controlled corporation was used to provide employment to Pakistani nationals irrespective of its actual human resource requirement. Currently, it has 18,000 employees. The employees vs plane ratio comes to 430 per aircraft. In other carriers it is 130 per aircraft. HR efficiency has to be viewed against the said compelling reasons.
c. PIA in 2005 increased its revenue by 11 per cent by attaining an overall revenue receipt at Rs64.07 billion up from Rs57.77 billion in 2004. The overall operating expenses (except fuel) were restricted to 5.7 per cent notwithstanding new destinations’ additions during 2005. PIA did have an overall market share of 48.5 per cent on international routes. On domestic routes, it did have a market share of 65 per cent. The seat factor was up in 2005 to 73.1 per cent from 69.1 per cent in 2004. Both domestic and international seat factors showed an increase.
d. The single factor that impeded PIA’s profitability graph during the current year is the unheard of level of oil prices reaching $70/barrel in 2005. The existing financial restructuring plan to be approved by government addresses this vital factor satisfactorily.
e. There is no unbridled abuse of discretionary powers since PIA is run according to Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Act, 1956 and the policies framed by the board of directors.
The above facts must have been looked into though self-conducted research by Mr Shahzad Khalil before pointing fingers at PIA.
NASIR JAMAL
General Manager Public Affairs, PIA
Karachi
THIS refers to the news report (Dec 15) that Nawaz Sharif has castigated the generals for destroying Pakistan’s institutions. Has he forgotten his own raid on the highest institution of the country, the Supreme Court, on the ignominious day of Nov 28, 1997. Surely he should not expect our memories to be that short.
RAFI AHMED
Karachi
COMMENTING on Irfan Husain’s column (Dec 9), letter-writer Khwaja Khusro Tariq states (Dec 13) that Islam was the first religion to give rights to woman.
True, however, as Mr Husain has argued, the world has moved on and now women rightfully expect equal rights in society so that they are equal partners to society’s development.
Why cannot we accept the fact that Islamic laws and values need to be modernised through ‘ijtehad’? Cultures that do not change and grow tend to wither away as is currently evidenced by most Muslim countries.
M. RAJA
USA
THIS refers to the news item “Jalal seeks people’s mandate to bring changes in Sindh” (Dec18). Nationalist formations within Sindh are an interesting study of opportunism of the oppressed. Mr Shah “seeks people’s mandate to bring changes in Sindh”, with a steering committee which comprises three Syeds and two feudals with practically non-existent political activism.
Nationalists in Sindh have failed to understand that the persecution of the people of Sindh is the outcome of dictatorship in Pakistan and, therefore, a nationalist movement ought to associate itself with all those elements which seek to restore democracy to Pakistan. If the people’s mandate and ‘change’ are what Mr Shah is seeking, a party led by a handful of feudals is never a forum for that.
LIAQUAT THAHEEM
Karachi
WITH reference to your editorial on medical negligence (Dec 17), I want to say that in addition to private practice, the long duty hours of the doctors are also contributing to negligence that is why in European Union states maximum duty hours per day are fixed at 13 hours.
In Pakistan 24 to 30 hours for medical officers and senior registrars are the norm. Many international studies have shown that if doctors are exhausted they are more susceptible to errors, and tired doctors are not safe and productive doctors.
DR MUHAMMAD AQUIB
Lahore
ON Dec 15 a strike was called by the Pakhtoon Action Committee. Shahi Syed, the chairman of the committee, claimed that the strike would be peaceful as it was only related to the problems of rights of the Pakhtoon community. The strike in the end was more ‘pieceful’ than peaceful. A police kiosk, five motorbikes and three vehicles were set on fire.
Bonfire was lit by protesters on the Superhighway and traffic flow till Sabzi Mandi was blocked. Four policemen were wounded and taken to hospital.
“They (protesters) had fired straight shots and the police opened fire in the air to disperse the violent protesters. As a result, four policemen were wounded and taken to hospital.” These were the words of Mushtaq Shah (DIG operations). It was a pieceful strike, very pieceful indeed.
FARHAN HUDA
Karachi
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