| January 27, 2007 | Saturday | Muharram 07, 1428 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
The misunderstood war
An unfriendly posture
Mother of all jokes
Dealing with facts
Discrepancies in Haj passports
Do we really need foreign expertise?
Defence equipment
Illegal construction
The best and the worst
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
THIS is in response to articles published in this newspaper, following the newly-created issue of implementing English language in classrooms, in general, and the letter of Mr Manzoor Ali Isran (Jan 21), in particular.
Mr Isran, having supported the idea, has laid down the case of Rayan who happens to be in a situation where he finds difficulty in being taught in Urdu in Pakistan after living in the UK.
This is a genuine case but what if a child returns from Germany, Saudi Arabia or a non-English speaking country? Then, what course will you suggest to Pakistani policymakers?
Reiterating the reason that English will open the closed doors of development for Pakistan and will put a full stop to miserable lives of Pakistanis is rather preposterous because it is not the language that will make the difference but it is only a commitment in the shape of elimination of corruption, favouritism, incompetence and many other known factors from the education sector.
If English is a guarantee for development, then Japan, Germany and France are the exceptions. Either these countries have got a magic wand that did the trick or something secret to hide or not let developing countries like Pakistan get to know about their cause of development.
Neither these countries have tried to implement English as the first language, nor have they abandoned their languages to be pushed backward. Granted that English has assumed the importance of being the international language and is the need of the hour, it does not mean that it should be given preference at the cost of our mother-tongues like Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto, Balochi and Urdu.
Already these rich languages have been denied their due place in Pakistan except Urdu which enjoys the status of the national language despite the fact that it is an alien language for the natives.
One wonders what is the real motive of our policymakers behind implementing English? Before stirring up any issue, why don’t they examine its subsequent repercussions? Have they ever given thought that how many students from Pakistani children have exposure or knowledge of English? I think they hardly constitute a substantial number to be reckoned with.
Would it be wise to overburden the innocent minds when they are already grappling with education being imparted in their mother-tongue? Certainly not but it is confirmed that it will spoil the residual abilities of a child to learn. Would it not be wise to teach a child in a language which he has been hearing since perceiving the world around him, remaining in the cosy lap of his/her mother who keeps on talking to her child in a hope that some day her child will try to spell the word ‘amaan’ (mother).
In the end, I would only appeal to higher authorities that please don’t play with such a sensitive department that has already witnessed apathy and negligence on the part of bureaucrats and illiterate politicians. It needs only your serious attention and intention, not the tricks that you have played since the inception of Pakistan.
MUJEEB ABRO
Shah Abdul Latif University,
Khairpur
THE articles by M.P. Bhandara (Jan 14) and Mikhail Gorbachev (Jan 19) actually refer to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, claiming millions of human lives, besides loss of property and miseries of the innocent Muslims, without any tangible proof, produced in any international court, thus denying “basic natural justice”, before being punished.
No doubt, it is nothing less than the 21st century’s Jewish crusade against the Christians and Muslims, in the fulfilment of their imaginary “dream to establish their own Kingdom of God, to rule over the world”. Are they not virtually ruling over the world powers to launch their crusade against Muslims and Christians?
Did they not plan and execute 9/11 themselves, as evident from the secret code, left behind by one of them, in Windows 95 software, utilising all the hi-tech know-how and capability, brought by them from the West, not known to the poor Muslims of Afghanistan, to embroil the Christian powers against innocent Muslims, leading to the loss of innocent Christian and Muslim lives.
This has now reached almost the climax requiring the last emergent, face-saving reinforcements, on both the fronts, despite the uproar all over the world and even in US and the UK political fronts, threatening their establishments, moaning over their mistakes, which can no more be mitigated, under the lame excuses of intelligence failures, as tried by the 9/11 Commission?
It is high time for the wise people of the powers-that-be to seriously ponder over the fact that they are being used as ‘cat’s paw’, by the guile power, from behind the scene, to play havoc in the world, through them, on the excuse of some debatable atrocities, committed long ago in European pogroms or Holocaust. Do they not realise that such atrocities on innocent people can attract Divine wrath and retribution?
It is time to cry a halt to such wars and to amend their mistakes by compensating all the losses, bringing to justice the real culprit who planned and enacted 9/11 as, according to their own experts, this required very hi-tech ground and satellite support, jamming the entire surveillance systems, installed in the heart of the sole superpower, which was far beyond the capabilities of the half-educated Muslim youths, purported to be guided by people from the stone age mountain caves in Afghanistan.
MOHSIN RIZVI
Karachi
RECENT statements by the top American officials and hostile articles in the media are clearly unfolding an unfriendly posture towards Pakistan. This is in spite of the fact that Pakistan is a frontline state and an ally of the allies. Pakistan has been enlisted to do the American dirty work and in the process has lost more than six hundred soldiers and a large number of innocent civilians.
Conditions in Afghanistan are deteriorating fast and the administration supported by America and Nato has miserably failed to control the situation. The Afghan government and its patrons continue to point accusing finger at us, for allowing attacks from across the border and not doing enough; finger pointing by the impotent government is done at the instigation of its masters, besides by the masters themselves who have been unable to achieve their mission.
The sacrifices rendered by Pakistan have not been recognised and appreciated by our ‘friends’ who continue to accuse and threaten us. Secretary of State Rice and the Deputy Secretary of State-designate keep on harping that Pakistan is not doing enough and that tribal and settled areas bordering Afghanistan are a major source of ‘Islamic extremism’ and a safe haven for the Taliban and their top leaders. Mr Negroponte asserts that their elimination is necessary. He, however, did not clarify as to who would do this eliminating – possibly our ‘friend’.
‘Our friend’ has revived the Pressler amendment though a legislation which requires a presidential waiver regarding certain conditionalities pertaining to Pakistan, i.e., whether or not Pakistan was preventing the Taliban from crossing the border and curbing the proliferation of nuclear weapon technology, etc. America wants us to suppress our Islamic identity and deal firmly and effectively with the ‘Islamic extremism’ besides changing the school curriculum.
Attempts are covertly being made to weaken the integrity of Pakistan, a Muslim nuclear state. Articles proposing break-up of strong Pakistan continue to appear in professional journals.
Pakistan appears to be so overawed and overcome that we are hesitant to exploit the situation to our advantage. We should do it now before it is too late and the accusing statements become a reality.
KHAN A. SHAMSHAD
Karachi
IN an article (Jan 12) titled ‘Mother of all jokes’, Mr Ayaz Amir has posed a question: “Whether Pakistan has a democratic future or it is destined to live under variation of military rule.”
The question is answered by the federal cabinet decision on Jan 17 that the present assemblies would re-elect President Pervez Musharraf for a new term (Jan 18). Therefore, election–2007 under the general shall be the ‘mother of all jokes’ because the general and his followers cannot afford a fair and free election. The general or for that matter the military junta would rule Pakistan till 2012 with pocket assemblies providing facade of democracy.
The 620,000-man strong army (seventh largest in the world) with inflated rank structure (example – three serving (four-star) generals instead of one), has directly ruled Pakistan for about 32 years, for the remaining period GHQ has been closely monitoring the civil governments, in fact breathing on their necks.
The army’s performance on battlefields may not be glorious but they have done well in other areas. The army’s interest in real estate is amazing. There are Defence Housing Authorities in all major cities. In Karachi, the DHA owns five per cent of prime land, as against this the Karachi district government has 30.9 per cent (Metropolitan, Dec 30).
Similarly, the army has strong corporate interest. It owns 3.5 per cent assets in listed companies (Aug 13, 2005). The Fauji Foundation and the Army Welfare Trust run 55 industrial and commercial enterprises. The National Logistics Cell commands a near monopoly in bulk road transport cargo movement (Mr Kaiser Bengali’s article in Dawn, Aug 3, 2006).
Further, the army has also interest in banking, education and health sectors, etc. Hundreds of serving and retired officers have been inducted into civil administration. Twenty-seven per cent of the federal budget is being spent on defence. The army has evolved itself into a state within a state. It is not likely to abandon power. Pakistan is, therefore, destined to live under military rule unless patriotism prevails and the army realises that only a true civil government can be accepted as a democratic government in the comity of nations.
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
THE governor’s recent remarks about how peaceful Karachi is would be hilarious if they were not so frightfully delusional.
If the daily carjackings and cellphone snatchings by gun-totting bandits, the wanton murders by drug-filled bus drivers, the rapes, etc, are his idea of normality, I shudder to think how he defines abnormality.
I think that the Canadian government’s recent inclusion of Karachi on its travel advisory list due to enormous increase of street crimes should remind the governor of the necessity of dealing with facts, not fiction.
J.E. SEQUEIRA
Oakville, Canada
MY family and I have recently returned from Haj. Our group had more than 40 people. At an immigration counter, the Haj passports of a family with seven people with ‘Memon’ surname were being scrutinised. The officer suddenly quipped that since when so many Memons have started being born in D.G. Khan? He, however, let them in.
We were also allowed to pass through the immigration. I went through the passports of my family — Nos. 720344*5, 720345*4, and 720346*3 — and was flabbergasted to learn that these were documented that we were all born in D.G. Khan and that the DHA, Karachi, was in D.G. Khan district. All the passports were duly signed by the joint secretary to the government of Pakistan and were issued at Islamabad.
After reaching Jeddah, I checked the Haj passports of at least 87 pilgrims. Some of them were born at Okara, Mirpur, Quetta, Umer Kot, Tharparker and many other smaller cities of Pakistan. This cannot be given the benefit of doubt of typographical error but a well-calculated plan.
The joint secretary of the government of Pakistan, Islamabad, is responsible for such documentation. He must be having at least the general knowledge that house No. 4, Zamzama, Phase-V, DHA, Karachi, cannot be in D.G. Khan district. These are cases of gross misconduct and I request the ministry of religious affairs to investigate the matter, otherwise these blatant documented lies will cast doubts on our Haj, and we reserve the rights to a full refund with damages.
Moreover, the Haj application forms were not filled and signed by us, and all information submitted in the Haj applications under the Nadra ID card number of the heir is false. We paid Rs520,000 per person and, according to the document submitted, the amount stated and received by the government is Rs355,000. When inquired from the staff of the travel agency, we were told verbally that it is a means to save income-tax.
The managing director of a mechanical corporation, an MBA from Stanford, who was also in our batch with his wife, commented: “These people are not only cheating us but they are also challenging our intelligence.”
As stated earlier, it is the sole responsibility of the joint secretary who has signed the Haj passports, and since Haj is a matter concerned with the federal government, we request the chief justice of Pakistan to take sou motu action in this regard.
DR IRSHAD AHMED SETHI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Mr Arif Hasan’s letter ‘Do we really need foreign expertise?’ (Jan 25). What he has failed to mention is the cost of internationally-funded development. According to research, the government develops infrastructure at four to five times the cost of labour and material involved. When loans are taken from IFIs, the cost goes up by 25 to 45 per cent due to foreign consultants and related purchase conditionalities.
Where an international tender is also a condititionality, the cost can go up by an additional 200 to 300 per cent. Thus something whose cost is $1 in material and labour terms is delivered at a cost of $20 to $30. This is not only for Pakistan but for many other countries as well.
According to a paper by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute titled ‘Technical Assistance and Capacity Development in an Aid-Dependent Economy, Working Paper 15, Year 2000’, in 1992, 19 per cent of all aid money was spent on technical assistance. In 1998, it had increased to 57 per cent.
Foreign consultants and international tenders also adversely affect the development of local expertise and entrepreneurship. Unless a more equitable relationship is established between so-called aid and local realities, conditions in the engineering sector will continue to deteriorate.
MEHMOOD ALI
Karachi
ON Jan 17 Dawn brought the news that Pakistan has purchased 700 missiles at a cost of $284 million.
Indeed a defence deterrent is very important but to me a more lasting, effective and robust deterrent is the quality of life of a nation. To me a very strong, healthy, educated and enlightened nation can fight much more than 70,000 missiles. Gone are the days when nations could be subjugated by military strength. Examples are plenty but recently in our region Afghanistan and Iraq are good examples.
Let us, therefore, invest to build a healthy and happy nation who can withstand the enemy much more effectively. Today the majority population of Pakistan live in poverty, are uneducated and, therefore, gullible to mulla preaching which does not reflect the true spirit of Islam. Iqbal had said “Din-i-Mulla Fisabililla Fasad”.
Do we as a nation wish to live like true practising Muslims? I am sure we all wish to do so, that we can reduce the hold of the uneducated mulla. Let us, therefore, pledge to provide the majority people of Pakistan with a decent life and not with missiles. I love Pakistan more than my life. The people of Pakistan are good, it is the leadership which lacks and does not take us out of the slumber. So help us God.
MAHAR ALAVI
Karachi
RECENTLY the Supreme Court ordered action against a number of builders involved in unlawful activities in blocks II and III of Karachi’s PECHS.
Through these columns I want to draw the attention of the apex court that nowadays the enclave of Bath Island, an area not very long ago a posh and peaceful abode of middle class community, mostly government employees and the Parsi community, has also become haven for the builder mafias’ insatiable lust for making stupendous profit, be that at the cost of destroying age-old civic amenities.
The recent rise in real estate prices has attracted many unscrupulous builders to this locality. They are offering hefty prices for the old bungalows owned by the Parsi community and converting it into multistoreyed flats.
Initially, they obtain permission from the Karachi Building Control Authority for constructing ground plus three floors but later on raise the same up to nine stories. They subsequently get the illegal construction regularised by paying a nominal penalty fixed by the KBCA and make millions of extra profit as the cost of a three-bedroom flat in this area ranges from Rs12 million to Rs15 million.
Now the emergence of flat complexes has caused serious damage not only to civic amenities such as electricity, water, sewerage, gas and roads, mostly maintained at the level of 1947, meant for much less population, but will now become a source of creating serious problem, i.e., law and order.
It is for the reason that the builders are constructing huge structures of steel and iron illegally, giving scant regard to privacy, aesthetics and passage of air and sunlight of the old residents living in the vicinity. Besides, even now the traffic congestion has reached its peak and with extra vehicles after developing more complexes the lives of residents will become extremely perilous.
I request the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the grave situation and save the residents of the Bath Island from mental and physical torture by ordering immediate action against illegal construction as has been done in the case of the PECHS. The KBCA may also be directed not to circumvent the provisions of building laws to legalise illegal constructions beyond the limit allowed, as the discretion of the authority is given to them to use sparingly, in exceptional circumstances.
A BATH ISLAND RESIDENT
Karachi
DURING the second Test match against South Africa there were signs of ‘unpredictable’ character of the Pakistan cricket team. Inzamam scored his best under-century in the Test match but then played the worst cross-shot so early in his second innings that almost cost us the match. Shoaib produced one of the best bowling spells after his return to Test matches and was then forced to stay out in the second innings completely due to injury.
Kamran Akmal played his best winning Test match innings and was worst while keeping wicket which could have been a sole reason of defeat. Amazing, we are really unpredictable.
AMYN LAKHANI
Karachi
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address: letters@dawn.com
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.