| February 04, 2007 | Sunday | Muharram 15, 1428 |
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Higher Education Financing Scheme
Sniffer dogs smell a rat
Lodging an FIR
The meaning of ‘to serve’
Enforced disappearances
Sales tax audit
Saudi-Iranian initiative
Condition of Pakistani women
Old buses
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
SIR Syed Ahmed Khan was the first to kindle the awareness of nationhood in the hearts of the Muslims of British India. The Muslim Anglo-Oriental College, later the Aligarh Muslim University, produced most of the stalwarts of the Pakistan Movement, including its first two prime ministers and the one and only field martial. Indian Muslims gave their all for the creation of Pakistan selflessly, knowing very well that their own home would never fall within Pakistan.
The very significant minority of almost 30 per cent non-Muslims living in Pakistan (the whole of Punjab and Bengal stipulated to be Pakistan territory) was supposed to serve as insurance for the safety and well-being of the Muslims left behind in India after partition.
Alas! This insurance also disappeared just two months before the creation of Pakistan when we conceded the division of Punjab and Bengal and in the Quaid-i-Azam’s own words accepted a ‘moth-eaten’ Pakistan.
Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children were slaughtered; women raped and abducted. It is said that vultures became scarce at the towers of silence because they preferred fresh tender human flesh from the trainloads of bodies. Bodies of Muslims littered the streets from Amritsar and Delhi to Meerut, Bihar and Calcutta.
Hundreds of anti-Muslim riots have taken place since partition. Mosques have been desecrated and demolished. When the Babri mosque was being demolished, the Indian prime minister blatantly looked the other way as 2,000 Muslims were killed in the aftermath for good measure. Recently, 3,000 Muslims were slaughtered in Gujarat in the matter of a few days; their women raped and their graveyards dug up while the chief minister and his administration applauded.
The Muslims in India made relentless sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan and continue to do so even today so that we on this side of the border can tread the earth with our heads up as proud Pakistanis. Comparatively, we on this side of the border got Pakistan on a platter. We owe a lot to these beleaguered Muslims.
The least we can do is not to stoke the fire of hatred between Hindus and Muslims because we do exactly that when we send commandos into Kashmir (1965) or beat the drums of our moral and political support or occupy the Kargil heights, etc. It is easy to keep up the jargon of undying support for the Kashmiris from the safety of our drawing-rooms.
We cannot get Kashmir by force: we have tried that. We cannot get it by UN intervention: we have tried that as well. Those who think that India will hand over Kashmir to us on the negotiating table are living in a pipedream. This is the ground reality. We can keep harping on the tune that we will not let 80,000 Kashmiri lives go in vain. If this bombast from our vested interests persists, we will lose another 80,000 Kashmiris and then the slogan will be: “we will not let 160,000 Kashmiri lives go in vain” and so on. It is time to let go.
Conceding a Muslim majority province, preferably an autonomous one, on the Indian side of the ceasefire line in Kashmir would be a blessing for the Kashmiris and all the Indian Muslims as a whole. Their miseries might then start ebbing slowly. It would bring the killings and oppression of Kashmiris by the Indian army to an end and for the benefit of our strategists this would also provide us a foothold on Indian soil. It would definitely not be a sellout.
CAPT. S. AFAQ RIZVI
Karachi
The agonising ground reality in the implementation of the Higher Education Financing Scheme (HEFS) without interest since 1999 can be visualised from the experience I am passing through these days. The objective of the scheme is to provide financing facility to the needy and meritorious students to meet the higher education expenses with or without interest. I have been studying in the Foundation University Medical College, Rawalpindi, since 2004.
My parents are supposed to deposit Rs360,000 lump-sum at the beginning of each academic year. My father is a retired officer drawing a meagre monthly pension. I approached the PICIC Commercial Bank Ltd, Gujranwala, which claims to have all financial solutions with them for availing HEFS facility, and submitted to the bank all the required documents. Despite my long hectic pursuit, the bank did not entertain my request because my parents had not developed sufficient business relationship with the bank officials.
Then, I tried my best to obtain the relevant application form from the Habib Bank Ltd for the HEFS facility, but that was in vain as the HBL ultimately directed me and my father to visit the National Bank of Pakistan. The NBP regretted to finance the students of the Foundation University Medical College, saying that the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has not yet approved the medical college for its enlistment with the NBP. In the meantime, my father managed to meet President Gen Musharraf in person. The latter advised him to approach the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan for expediting the pending matter. But that is still an elephantine task to do.
The Bank of Punjab, Chaklala Scheme, Rawalpindi, invited applications for financial assistance at 14 per cent mark-up rate from the needy students of the FUMC. I was asked by the bank to submit about a dozen documents for approval of my case by the executive credit committee. I submitted all the available documents, guarantees and certificates in June 2006 to the BoP manager concerned. As a matter of follow-up, I approached all the bank officials concerned. But one has not yet seen any progress worth the name so far.
As last resort for justice to me and like members of public, I sought justice from the chief Justice of the country by requesting him to take judicial notice of all such demands laid down by the Bank of Punjab as deprive a Pakistani citizen of lower middle class of the basic right to avail of the HEFS facility. If justice is delayed, shall we say HEFS has been designed to serve the elite class?
SHEHAR BANO
Rawalpindi
THIS has reference to the news report 'Sniffer dogs smell a rat' (Jan 21). This is not for the first time that the dogs led the police to the house of a noted figure. Previously also army sniffers had led the police to locate the hiding-place of the criminals - again a house of an influential. There . . . . stops the buck. Sometimes, the police are reluctant to proceed, further due to one type of pressure or the other.
The crime rate in Punjab (and other provinces) has increased to an exploding level. High-level postings and transfers have taken place as a result. The public-friendly chief justice of Pakistan and the Punjab chief minister have also taken serious notice. This has become an open secret that a majority of crimes are committed with high-level patronage, specially the police.
The DIG, Khadim Hussain Bhatti, has taken a daring step by suspending the SHO and other official - admitting that they (the police) were the patrons of the criminals. He has also mentioned that shortage of constables is responsible for the increase of crime and that 800 more constables are likely to join the force.
Here, his notion is not logical. It is not the number of policemen that controls the crime because whatever the number, they are all like 'kharboozas' . Why can the canine do what the human fails to? Simple, it is not the quantity, it is the quality. The animal does not belong to any political party or sponsor of the criminals. So, spend money to train the canine, rather than recruits, which is neutral and can, for sure, produce better results.
May I invite some high-ups from the force to come to Muscat and see for themselves that there are no police on the streets and still the crime rate is almost zero, compared to Pakistan.
Recently two DIGs were attacked and injured and a deputy attorney-general and others were killed and an SP of the force is involved. Despite serious warnings from the chief justice and the chief minister, the situation has not improved, it has rather deteriorated. Let us pray to God to help us - the hapless public.
HAJI ASHFAQ
Muscat
THIS is to bring to the attention of the higher judiciary and the Sindh home secretary the deplorable attitude of various police stations in Sindh.
When a person goes to a police station to lodge an FIR for any alleged crime, he is welcomed without any tentative evidence. It should be made mandatory that the police officer concerned should ask for documentary evidence and/or circumstantial evidence against the alleged accused to justify the FIR.
At the outset a complaint in writing should be taken and investigated into. Then the so-called accused should be called to record his statement and establish his innocence. If he falters, then an FIR should be registered.
Without doing so, if the police arrest the person and drag him to court, it would tantamount to a grievous crime. Influence, pressure tactics or illicit gratification plays a vital role in tormenting a person. A person should not be incriminated on a sheer hypothesis.
If the police official is determined to punish the so-called accused despite evidences produced by him in his favour, then the remedy should be with the superior judiciary.
When a petition for quashment is placed before a high court, it is said that it generally dismisses the petition asking the plaintiff to go to the relevant court for relief. Although the person can get relief from a criminal court also, it entails huge expenses which he may not be able to bear.
I would, therefore, request the higher judiciary to invoke its suo motu jurisdiction to issue directions to relevant quarters, which would also include all crime branches, to ensure that there is no unwarranted hardship. Besides, the home secretary in his individual capacity can play a contributory role in this regard by ensuring compliance of his directives.
SAIFUDDIN E. CONTRACTOR
Karachi
IT was quite amusing to read Mian Shehbaz Sharif’s letter (Feb 2) which appeared to be a rude joke on Pakistan and its people. Apparently the letter opens the Sharifs’ election campaign; an obvious reason why Mr Sharif should appear in a righteous disguise and talk of what the Quaid-i-Azam believed in, and in an artful manner cunningly admitting past mistakes, preach and submit to the virtues of free and independent judiciary. But look who’s talking; one of the very commanders of the only brigade in history to have trampled over whatever had been left of judiciary in Pakistan, upon breaking into the Supreme Court one fine day thereby reducing everything ‘supreme’ about judiciary to mere words.
In his proposals for the future of our judiciary he hopes to win the hearts (read votes) of many judges and lawyers who are apparently being lured towards supporting PML-N and the Sharifs in hopes of prized appointments and heavy salaries — Rs70,000 salary he admits wasn’t enough. Unfortunately even Rs700,000 aren’t enough against the appeal of feudals, industrialists, sardars or politicians’ wealth.
HARIS ZUBERI
Karachi
MY only question to Shehbaz Sharif is, why does he forget what his brother and his cronies did with the Supreme Court of Pakistan? Please don’t force us to even think that there could be a day when anyone from your family could return to power. Twice is enough, I hope.
DR FAHIM QURESHI
Lahore
IN cooperating in the US-led 'war on terror', the Pakistan government has systematically committed human rights abuses against hundreds of Pakistanis and foreign nationals. As the practice of enforced disappearance has spread, people have been arrested and held incommunicado in secret locations, with their detention officially denied.
The routine practice of offering rewards running to thousands of dollars for unidentified terror suspects facilitated illegal detention and enforced disappearance. Bounty hunters, including police officers, have captured individuals of different nationalities, often apparently at random, and sold them into US custody.
More than 85 per cent of detainees at Guantanamo Bay were arrested, not by US forces, but by the Afghan Northern Alliance and in Pakistan at a time when rewards of up to $5,000 were paid for every 'terrorist' handed over to the US.
Often the only grounds for holding them were the allegations of their captors, who stood to gain from their arrest. Some 300 people, previously labelled as 'terrorists' and 'killers' by the US, have since been released from Guantanamo Bay without charge, the majority to Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Many detainees' fate and whereabouts are unknown. Three women and five children were arrested alongside Tanzanian terror suspect Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani in Punjab in July 2004. They included a baby and a 13-year-old Saudi boy called Talha, according to reports. More than two years later, nothing is known about the fate and whereabouts of Talha and the other children and women. Ahmed Ghailani was one of 14 individuals transferred from secret CIA custody to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.
I ask the authorities concerned to end this practice, clarify the fate and whereabouts of all victims. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has noted a new tolerance to abuses and suggested it might be attributable to the "impact of the war on terrorism on the public psyche". Terror suspects held in secret are especially vulnerable to torture in Pakistan. Victims have been hung upside down and beaten and deprived of sleep and food. Agents from other countries, including the US, appear to have known of, or been present during interrogations of, people held in arbitrary and secret detention.
I urge the Pakistan government to set up a central register of detainees and publish regular lists of all recognised places of detention so that in future nobody can be secretly imprisoned and face the risks of torture and other abuses that secret detention involves. Foreign governments, including the US, must investigate all allegations of torture in which their agents may be accomplice.
ISMAIL HAJJAT
Amnesty International
Hagen, Germany
THE Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has started charging, in addition to normal sales tax, value addition at 10 per cent of the assessed value of customs from all commercial importers following an agreement between the CBR and the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) from July 1, 2005.
Pursuant to this agreement, all commercial importers were allowed exemption from sales audit, which was simply a source of harassment to the assessees without any increase in revenue to the government.
Commercial importers accepted 10 per cent value addition sales tax (just to avoid harassment and waste of time and energy due to audit), though it is illogical to expect that all importers earn 10 per cent profit on every imported item, without any exception.
In the 2006 budget, the audit exemption was withdrawn while the CBR continues charging 10 per cent value addition on sales tax at customs in contravention of the agreement between the CBR and commercial importers. Suddenly several commercial importers have started receiving audit notices from the sales tax office, causing a lot of resentment in trade circles.
The CBR is thus requested to compare revenue figures generated as a result of audit before July 2005 and those following imposition of 10 per cent value addition sales tax from July 2005. Since commercial importers are bound to agitate against 10 per cent value addition sales tax if audit exemption continues to be withdrawn and audit notices are not withdrawn immediately.
Hope the CBR will accept the justified request by restoring sales tax audit exemption with effect from July 2006 as per past practice from July 1, 2005.
DISTURBED ASSESSEE
Karachi
THIS is with reference to your editorial titled ‘Saudi-Iranian initiative’ (Feb 1). The Saudi-Iranian initiative to resolve the Lebanese crisis must be welcomed by all the peace-loving people of the world. There is no doubt that the two countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are rich in petroleum resources and are also in an advantageous position to exert their political and economic influence on the current Lebanese government which, though pro-western, cannot effectively function without Hezbollah’s support. Your editorial is right in emphasising the importance of national unity at this critical juncture of Lebanon’s political life. Let the Lebanese put their house in order first to use the $7.6 billion, pledged for the reconstruction of Lebanon at the recent Paris donors‘ meeting. JALALUDDIN S. HUSSAIN
Quebec, Canada
REGARDLESS of the approval of the Women’s Protection Bill, women in rural areas are still unsafe. The most recent rape incident in a village near Ubaro was a matter of shame for our leaders and government. They are still too handicapped to save these young girls from this injustice. It seems they have passed the bill only for the sake of their own image.
UMAMA SOHAIL
Karachi
AFTER hearing the president’s never-ending soliloquy about ‘enlightened moderation’ and ‘the writ of the state’, one might be forgiven for feeling a wee bit angry upon hearing of incidents such as the one that occurred in a village near Ubaro, Sindh.
Such incidents, that are occurring and being reported in increasing frequency, go a long way in establishing just how frightfully enlightened and moderate Pakistan is becoming under the immaculate stewardship of Gen Musharraf and his parliament of horrors. Of course, our aristocracy and our cultured class will not have the president blamed for any of this. Perish the thought. Their coffers have choked while he has sat at the throne. Their Pakistan is the one safely ensconced in their urban sepulchers and their V8 coffins. It is people like the unfortunate girl in that village, all of 16 years of age, raped and paraded half-naked before her entire community, that have learnt the reality of Musharraf’s Pakistan.
KHWAJA KHUSRO TARIQ
New York, USA
BUSES plying Karachi roads are 30 to 40 years old. They are all junk and appear to have been coming from the NWFP and Punjab where these are not allowed.
Owing to such old buses, much smoke/pollution is created, as well as traffic jams. The authorities concerned should look into the matter.
MUHAMMAD IQBAL
Karachi
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