| January 23, 2007 | Tuesday | Muharram 03, 1428 |
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Of primary education
50 years of cotton research
Valuing our firefighters
Taxing self-defence
National Commission for Govt Reforms
Enigma of exit
Candle in the wind
Builders’ mafia
Encroachment
Road repairs
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
IN her article ‘Spirit of Islamic polity’ (Jan 19), Sidrah Unis has rightly stated that Islamic political order is based on three main principles of Tauhid, Risalat and Khilafat, meaning thereby that sovereignty belongs to God and, transmitted through the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) by means of Quran and Sunnah, it is exercised by the caliph.
But then, instead of taking the caliph or the ruler as symbol of the state, her emphasis is centered on the person of the ruler rather than the Islamic political system.
We should bear in mind that no Islamic model of government has been developed in 1,400 years.
The Holy Quran does not specify any form of government but gives the concept of a just society, which should be based on values of justice, equality, compassion, and human dignity.
It emphasises adl and ihsan (justice and benevolence) and strongly condemns zulm and udwan (oppression and injustice).
It accepts the rights of other religious communities to follow their own religions (5:47). It forbids defiling the worship places of other religions (22:40).
It accepts plurality as the will of God (5:48). It accords equal status to men and women (33:35 and 2:228) and it refers to democratic system of governance through mutual consultation (42:38).
Therefore, it is important that we should uphold the principles that Islam stands for and strive to work within the broad framework of these norms.
The Quran prescribes the essentials of a state in verse 22:41, which reads: “Those who, when given power in the land, establish regular prayers and give regular charity and enjoin what is right and prohibit what is wrong.”
Quranic laws are addressed to the entire mankind. Consequently read in the total context, the state, as a sine qua non, is responsible for (a) establishing peaceful conditions and ensuring freedom of worship for all its citizens according to their faith; (b) allocating adequate funds for poverty alleviation, healthcare, and education; (c) legislating and enforcing laws that protect the rights of its citizens, irrespective of their colour, creed, and faith and the rights of the weaker elements of society, and (d) making and enforcing laws that discourage crime, discrimination, nepotism, favoritism, etc.
FAQIR AMHAD PARACHA
Peshawar
PRIMARY education is a basic requirement for development of a country. Feudals and jagirdars in Sindh, constituting five to six per cent of the provincial population, provide only lip-service to the local people.
During their long rule in Sindh they ensured it that the entire local population of Sindh’s interior remained illiterate. For they were actively supported and continue to be supported by religio-political parties of the country.
The illiterate masses directly strengthen the electoral power of the feudals and the religious fanatics. Feudals and the so-called Islamic political parties oppose primary education because they will stand exposed and lose their grip over the now illiterate population if the masses start reading and writing.
The pathetic condition of the local illiterate people living in more than 35,000 villages in Sindh for centuries without hereditary bona fide ownership right was pointed out by Agha Shahabuddin (April 23) according to which “Sindh Goth-abad Act No. VII of 1987 was notified in the Gazette dated August 16, 1987 but even after a lapse of 19 years the same has not been implemented”.
The writer’s suggestion that the Sindh High Court should take suo motu notice of this and ask the Sindh government to complete the process of hereditary ownership right as provided in the Act is timely and well-wishers of the Sindhi masses residing in kutchi abadis and goths of the province will support the suggestion.
Under the new electoral law, local government representatives have been elected at grassroots’ level to enable fast development of the region under their administrative jurisdiction.
The local government in Karachi too has taken upon itself the responsibility of carrying out development of the city which needs to attain the status due to it.
In the past 60 years all development of this city took place only on an ad hoc basis and in a haphazard manner.
If for attaining the status due to it, some kutchi abadis and goths in the city and its neighbourhood had to the demolished, it was in the interest of development of Sindh’s capital city.
There is no doubt that the residents of the uprooted kutchi abadis will be given better accommodation or multi-storeyed flats in an area where basic civic facilities like electricity, water, sewerage and Sui gas, which they do not enjoy now, will be available.
After its proper development, which may take a little longer than anticipated, Karachi will not be lost but will continue to be the ‘capital’ of Sindh province under occupation and control of Sindhis.
It is the responsibility of nazims of other areas of the province to exercise greater power and undertake similar developments in their respective areas so that Sindh develops as a whole and, in future, all Sindhis living in Sindh should feel proud of being Sindhis.
S.A.A. KAZMI
Karachi
THIS refers to K. B. Khaskheli’s letter ’50 years of research’ (Jan 8). The Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), since its unceremonious ejection from its own spacious building on M.T. Khan Road, Karachi, has very truly been described by you as “gasping now like a fish out of water for its existence.”
It is most ironical that the PCCC has still not been able to get an alternative plot for relocation of its headquarters and the various cotton fibre testing laboratories, although it is functioning under the aegis of the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal).
The cotton production target for the current year has been discussed and finally approved by the Minfal at the PCCC’s general body meeting held recently, but none of the members showed any concern for the present and the future of the PCCC. Such is the importance attached to an official organisation charged with cotton research and development work in the country. The following questions still remain unanswered:
a. Why, in the first instance, of all the private and official buildings on M.T. Khan Road, was the Minfal so generous as to offer the PCCC’s plot of land on which it stood for more than five decades?
b. Why has the PCCC not been able to get an alternative location to rehabilitate its research laboratories properly, which is hard to do in a commercial plaza not designed for housing a research organisation?
Some time back in 2006 there was a news item in the national papers of Karachi that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had directed the Minfal to raise the structure of the Cotton Research Institute of Multan to an international institute of cotton and restructure the PCCC for better output.
The news was most encouraging, but the process of restructuring the PCCC is going at a snail’s speed. The well-wishers of the PCCC are eager to hear about the PCCC’s contemplated relocation and restructuring.
M. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
ON Jan 16 all the country’s leading newspapers covered the news of the loss of eight precious lives, including six of firefighters, in a SITE garment factory inferno.
This was followed by the saddening news that those unfortunate firefighters didn’t even have proper insurance coverage which is considered mandatory in the developed world for all jobs that involves any kind of risk or hazard to that person.
These unsung heroes of our nation who risk their lives for saving ours never get the recognition they deserve as compared to their counterparts in the western world, where apart from being highly paid they are comprehensively insured against all kinds of risks.
The way 9/11 firefighters were recognised is a testament to their value to the nation where the family of each firefighter got anything from $875,000 to $ 4.1 million from the compensation fund, thus making them millionaires overnight.
Compared to our valiant soldiers who have different commercial organisations like AWT, Fauji Foundation at their back in case of any accident, these firefighters have to daily fight deadly fires in most testing conditions with least sophisticated equipment and hardly any specialised training.
The accident should be an eye-opener for people at the helm to take radical steps for saving this public service department by equipping them with the latest technology, training them on specialised fire-fighting particularly oil-and gas-related fires, adequate insurance coverage for them and their families and, most importantly, a professional and permanent fire chief.
SYED WAJID ALI
Karachi
ANNUAL renewal fee for NPB arms licences granted for self-defence has been increased from Rs150 to Rs500 by the federal government and to Rs400 by the Punjab government, without any justification except to squeeze law-abiding citizens for more money. Besides import restrictions, heavy duty and taxes are levied on NPB arms as personal baggage, some of which are sold at exorbitant prices. Consequently, most NPB licence-holders are denied access to quality arms and ammunition at affordable prices.
Furthermore, the law-abiding licence-holders are prohibited to carry arms for self-defence and policemen misinterpret it to harass those who carry on person or in a vehicle without displaying. In comparison, outlaws have an easy access to much cheaper sophisticated prohibited-bore arms available in the illegal market. They do not pay exorbitant initial and annual renewal arms licence fees and they are free to carry arms because they do not care for the laws even in Islamabad and Lahore as evident from daily crimes committed with firearms.
In brief, self-defence by law-abiding citizens is discouraged through heavy taxing and other laws, unwittingly in the interest of safety of outlaws.
SHAKEEL AKHTAR
Rawalpindi
THE chairman of the National Commission for Government Reforms had spoken very soft and sweet words about the aims of the commission to restore the falling moral of government employees, as well as of solving the problems of people regarding government departments (Dawn, Jan 10).
Sir, easier said than done. The people have witnessed a number of such reforming commissions with a big agenda and ultimately scrapped after spending millions of tax-payers’ money to meet expenses of such glass-housed commissions.
Maybe corruption at the highest level might have been reduced to some extent during the period of President Pervez Musharraf as it had been one of the seven-point programme when he took over the reins of the country.
But white collar as well as blue collar corruption is rampant like the proverbial gin of the bottle which could not be put back into the bottle.
Corruption has been institutionalised in our culture and to weed it out could only be possible if our high-ups come down to start living a simple life, without exhibition of affluence and to that level nobody shall be ready to come down.
In the same issue of Dawn (Jan 10) there had been a report that the CBR had unearthed a tax refund scam worth more than Rs370 million. This is not the first case. The amusing part of this report was that the official had been made an OSD and deputed for a staff college course for upgradation. The usual action against corruption case is suspension, charge-sheets and, finally, acquittal in the scam.
The chairman had been the governor of the central bank which had recently asked the banks that they should increase the rate of returns to the depositors but the banks had lent a deaf ear to that pleading. What the central bank can do to overcome the banks’ cussedness?
Dawn (Jan 13) reports that Nepra slams government for forcing higher tariff, and giving a go-ahead regarding the installation of new plants and hiring of decades-old, second-hand plants on rent. Dawn editorial, ‘Power: lack of planning’ (Jan 15), is most pertinent.
Also, one sizzles while passing through Pakistan National Shipping Corporation’s palatial building which had been built essentially for the expansion of shipping business but later on converted into a pompous palace, with penthouses built therein, and the shareholders of the company are still holding the scrap-like shares in the hope that some day a good person like the chairman of the National Commission would come to their rescue and salvage their hard-earned money.
GHEEWALA
Karachi
IT so happened that my flight landed in Pakistan on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr at 4.30am. As I arrived, I was directed towards a counter where I could receive an exit stamp on my passport.
As I was waiting in that long line, I realised that there were only four counters open to deal with three completely full incoming flights that had all arrived at the same time and the separate ladies counter that’s normally open was also closed due to the fact that it was too early in the morning.
Anyhow, after 50 minutes of waiting and creeping in that long line I finally reached a point where the customs officer on duty was visible.
A few minutes later, I noticed that a non-uniformed man came up to the counter with 10-12 passports and handed them to the officer.
The officer instead of attending to the passengers patiently waiting in the queue started stamping this stack of passports.
This man after getting his work done then disappeared and shortly after the people to whom these passports belonged swiftly left the customs area towards baggage claim while the rest of us still waited despairingly in the line for our turn to reach the counter.
My wonder what it will take for us as a nation to realise that the practice of offering bribes in order to get your work quickly done is just as bad as the act of accepting one.
It is always easier to shift the blame and point out the shortcomings of the system but do we ever wonder about our own role as individuals, in making the system better.
I am sure that if airport authorities had anticipated the incoming traffic and ensured that sufficient number of counters were available, then the wait time per passenger could’ve possibly been half of what it was.
Let’s reflect over our own behaviour and figure out why we do not act the same as we do abroad, where standing in lines for your turn is the right and the only way to go.
If we complain about the system, then let’s ponder who is corrupting the system.
FAZLEEN SOHANI
Atlanta, USA
READING the beautiful message (Dawn, Dec 24) from a loving wife to her departed husband took me back many years ago when I had known Naseer Haider, not only a prominent name in the field of advertising, but a wonderful soul who always wore a kind smile on his handsome face with a special twinkle in his eye.
Overwhelmed with nostalgia difficult to describe in words: with moistened eyes I recall when Naseer had coincidentally met me on a flight during the days of my turmoil.
Since he had known me well in my heyday when I was in a coveted position with the government, I thought he might turn a blind eye which is the usual practice.
On the contrary he met me with the same warmth. During the brief encounter he heard me out and compassionately offered his whole-hearted assistance. When we departed he gave me his card with the words “I am always there”.
I never saw him after that but on his 68th birthday I read his wife’s message to him. I did not even know that he was not with us anymore.
You are a lucky man, Naseer, and I am sure that somewhere up there you are smiling down at all those who are remembering that same twinkle in your eye.
Especially your loving wife, who misses you so much, which is a rare thing in this selfish and conceited society of today. May you rest in eternal peace. Amen.
MAJ (r) ZAHIRUDDIN BABAR
Karachi
I am a low-paid working woman who got a flat (C-215) booked in the Iqra City project, main Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, Karachi, and paid all instalments and charges from my meagre income regularly, living half-hungry.
When everything was fully paid and it was time for handing over the possession by the builder, he refused to give the possession and sold it out to another party.
After overcoming this shock, I started going from pillar to post, requesting in writing and in person the high authorities (uniformed as well as plain-dressed) down to the level of union council nazim.
During the ordeal of the last 10 months I have developed a firm faith that my country is the land of the rich, influential grabbers and the mighty. People like me have no right to live here.
Thanks to these authorities/organisations who replied to my letters. But I am sorry to say that their replies are just lip-service, transferring the responsibility from one to the other. Ironically, all are asking the ‘main accused’(KBCA) to take action. Can one take action against one’s accomplice?
I see the only ray of hope (the last ray) in the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Would his honour take suo motu notice of the builder mafia in Karachi? Considering his earlier steps/ orders I hope he would.
MRS MUMTAZ BEGUM SOOMRO
Hyderabad
THIS is about encroachments upon the whole of Mansfield Street, Saddar, Karachi. There is a tandoor whose owner has extended his shop on the footpath. He has also extended gas stoves on the road through plastic pipes for making ‘chapatis’ and kababs. Complaints have been made to the nazim, Saddar, but to no avail.
Further, on the whole of Mansfield Street shopkeepers have encroached upon the footpaths. Hotels have extended gas stoves through plastic pipes on roads for making ‘parathas’, ‘chapatis’ and ‘halwa puri’. Such extensions of gas may cause a serious accident.
These extensions are causing great hardships to women, children and senior citizens.
Once again I request the nazim, Saddar, to take immediate action.
A RESIDENT
Karachi
SHAHDADPUR is noted for cotton ginning and pesticide business. It also boasts the largest police academy of Pakistan. What is bad about it is that the 25km-long road that leads to Shahdadpur from Hala is in a shambles.
This track is not only narrow, it also has pot-holes. The last time it was carpeted was some three decades back. A two-way traffic, with heavy trailers, trucks and fast vehicles, makes driving on it very difficult.
The authorities concerned are requested to order carpeting, as well as broadening, of the road.
QAZI NAZIM NAEEM
Shahdadpur
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