| February 10, 2007 | Saturday | Muharram 21, 1428 |
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Indeed a great leader
Criticism for the sake of criticism
TV fee
Year of the tourist
Dedication to good governance
NBP clarifies
New name of NWFP
Security solution long overdue
Passionate, not extremist
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
THE policies of the US and its allies over the last few years in Iraq have ruined it economically, politically, socially and culturally. US policymakers and others, however, state that the ruining of Iraq was not the purpose of the said policies rather it was the bad implementation of the policies.
Similarly in Afghanistan, all other factors being equal, the country was at least peaceful under the Taliban and the lives and property of its citizens were to a degree safer than they are now. The prevailing anarchy in Afghanistan is again explained as the effect and not the purpose of the US and its allies’ policies and involvement there.
Meanwhile, Somalia is moving in the same direction as Iraq and Afghanistan but, lo and behold, the intentions of the aggressors and their backers are pure and good we are made to believe. We step back to Lebanon, once a hub of economic and cultural activities with a progressive outlook, which has been reduced to dust by the US surrogate, Israel.
And Iran, once the third mightiest army in the world and a relatively progressive and enlightened outlook, has been made cultural irrelevant by a regime half of whose members have been alleged to be on the payroll of Israel by none other than US Senator Charlie Wilson.
Finally, we come to Pakistan. No need to dwell on the implications of the policies of the US in the past. Currently, with their pure and good intentions, the US regime and its allies have made the regime of President Musharraf to act against its own people militarily. It is easy to see that such a policy can lead to anarchy in Pakistan.
The signs of the coming trouble for Pakistan are emerging. The ties between the Baloch, the Pakhtuns, the Punjabis and Sindhis are tense. The mistrust is high. The national leaders are being kept in exile. No leader of national stature is there to bring reconciliation. People’s fundamental rights are being violated while the armed forces are losing their esteem within the public. What more does one need to predict a catastrophe?
The US and its allies must relent. They must change their high handed approach if they want to avoid anarchy in Pakistan. President Musharraf and his government were intelligent enough to realise this danger and they took some corrective measures insofar as they engaged the embattled tribes in Waziristan politically with partial success. That process was abruptly halted by the incident at Bajaur. It must be re-ignited.
ADIL SALEEM KHAN
Lahore
A BRONZE statue of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was recently unveiled at the York University campus in Toronto with the blessings (and probably funding) of the Pakistan consulate in Canada’s largest city.
There is some discussion among Pakistani Canadians whether there should have been a statue of an Islamic leader in the first place but I am not a part of this discussion, rather my comments pertain to the Quaid’s message on the form of government in Pakistan.
The Quaid-i-Azam was indeed a great leader, without whom there would have been no Pakistan. It is pathetic though that Pakistan has fallen short of the vision and ideals that Jinnah had for this country. The succeeding civilian and military leaders, in concert with narrow-minded monopolists of Islam, have short-changed what the founding father had stood for.
To capture what the Quaid-i-Azam had in mind about the pattern of government in the Muslim-majority nation of Pakistan would have, only one quotation would suffice. As president of the Constutent Assembly on Aug 11, 1947, he said:
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state. In the course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the state”.
In the present-day Pakistan the ground reality is different. There are reports of various human rights groups that deplore the situation of minorities in Pakistan. A report by a three-member British Parliamentary Human Rights Commission, led by Lord Avebury, has noted violations of fundamental human rights that are taking place under President Gen Musharraf’s nose, though not at his behest but despite his ‘enlightened moderation’. Gen Musharraf should have abrogated the constitutional changes made by the Bhutto regime and the notorious ordinance promulgated by Gen Ziaul Haq, as well as other discriminatory clauses, which have been incorporated in the Pakistan Penal Code. Fair-minded people are looking up to Gen Musharraf and have still some hope in his leadership.
DR IJAZ QAMAR
Mississauga, Canada
IN his column entitled ‘Fixing world problems’ (Feb 3), Ayaz Amir is suggesting that Pakistan’s soldier-president should concentrate on problems at home instead of taking on the conflict resolution of Palestine and Israel.
The US president has asked a number of times why the moderate leaders of Arab and Islamic nations have not taken action to solve many of the problems facing the Islamic nations.
Where is the leadership one wonders? The leaders of these countries need to get together and come up with practical solutions and cooperate with the West instead of criticising it.
They must organise a peaceful strategy to resolve conflicts facing many Islamic nations. Unresolved conflicts in these countries threaten regional and world stability.
President Musharraf is the one leader who understands and has taken upon the challenges to address very difficult issues, such as Kashmir and Palestine, Iran’s nuclear weapons development programme, not to mention the eradication of the root causes of terrorism and extremism at home, and, finally, keeping the Taliban and their sympathisers from crossing into and from Afghanistan through a long and porous border.
Pakistan has contributed to international peace troops, so what’s wrong with giving a helping hand to bring peace to other troubled Islamic nations: it’s a worthy cause after all.
These are all interconnected regional issues that require input from anyone who has an idea that is worth pursuing. Let’s not forget that we are all sailing on the same ship.
BASHIR M AHMED
Windham, USA
I HAVE two electricity meters installed in my house, one each for the ground and first floors. The house is occupied by my family only and the TV set is only on the ground floor.
When the government decided to charge the TV fee along with electricity bills a couple of years ago, I indicated to the LESCO authorities that I had a TV set only on the ground floor and should be charged the fee with the bill of only one meter. This was duly done.
However, since March 2006 for some reason unknown to me the fee was charged to the second meter as well. When I approached LESCO, I was told that it was to be handled by PTV now. I approached them and was asked to make a written complaint which I did. A couple of weeks later someone from PTV visited my house and I explained to him the whole situation and he seemed to be convinced. However, the fee continued to be charged on both the bills.
I then sent a complaint to the GM of PTV, Lahore, along with a copy of my original complaint in December last year and still there was no change and I continue to be charged Rs25 per month fee on each bill, i.e., a total of Rs50. I would request the PTV authorities to relieve me of this ‘overcharging’.
M. Y. QURESHI
Lahore
WHEN the word ‘tourist’ is mentioned in the context of visitors from abroad, our fixation is only with Anglo-Saxons who, in any case, are giving a wide berth to the land of the pure. They have good reasons and none of this is going to change anytime soon. The dragon’s teeth that we sowed during the long Zia years have brought home some horrific chickens to roost.
If the government is really serious about increasing revenues from the tourist trade, then they should aim at what is doable. The Japanese are flush with money and the many Buddhist relics that dote the NWFP are a great attraction for them.
Our religious fringe who sadly are passing for government in the Frontier should be tasked for making it easy and safe for the Japanese to move about freely. Facilities at these sites need to be improved and our embassies in the Far East should make the process of getting a Pakistani visa inexpensive and convenient.
This is not happening and potential visitors are put off. Similarly, Indians from across the border long to visit the places that form part of their heritage: Sikhs particularly have a religious bond as well. Airport authorities and border checkposts need to be made more tourist-friendly and this can only be done if a younger and better-educated lot man such places.
Our rulers wax eloquent about the mountains and the rivers, but some flow are loathe to challenge the status quo when it comes to dismantling bureaucratic hurdles or ending religious dogmas which are the very bane of the tourist industry.
JAVED KHAN TARIN
Haripur, Hazara
PAKISTANI politicians’ dedication to good governance is triggered only when they are booted out of power, especially when their ouster also results in their exile, which, by the way, provides them a convenient opportunity to hatch conspiracies to regain power. The letter by the ousted and exiled chief minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif (Feb 2) validates this theory.
In this letter he tries to create an impression that he and his brother, the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, have become believers in democracy and its appurtenances since they cut a deal with the army to flee Pakistan in the thick of night, almost seven years ago.
Like them, Benazir Bhutto also fled Pakistan instead of showing fortitude against adversity. Her tormentors, of course, were these two brothers who at the time were in power that they abused by manipulating a judge of the Lahore High court to make her life miserable.
And how can one forget the incident in which the goons sent by then chief minister Shehbaz Sharif attacked judges of the Supreme Court as they heard a case against his brother, the prime minister at the time? Of course, these are not the only incidents of their wanton disregard of “the rule of law and justice”. One could write a book on this topic. Today Shehbaz Sharif talks about the importance of “a fearless, free and independent judiciary”. Great point, indeed. But for judges to be fearless they should not be required to put up with the government-dispatched marauders. A country’s law minister should not have to take a message from the prime minister to the judge of a provincial high court asking the judge to opine against the Opposition leader.
I am sure that the eloquent arguments in favour of a strong and ‘independent judiciary’ contained in Mr Sharif’s letter are just window-dressing, and a smoke-screen to make the people vote for his party in the next elections. How can an assaulter of judges become a believer in ‘the rule of law’ and a protector and upholder of the judiciary? If the Sharif brothers want to atone for their misdeeds they should apologise to the people and make it look genuine by quitting politics. They and their other ‘exiled’ comrades have lost the moral authority to contest yet another election. The great people of Pakistan deserve an opportunity to move beyond the miseries of the past.
SIDDIQUE MALIK
Kentucky, USA
THIS is with reference to some views by some readers in these columns in response to Shehbaz Sharif’s letter titled “The meaning of ‘to serve’” (Feb 2). No doubt democratic culture thrives where there is a freedom of speech. However, it also necessitates the need to separate disparaging rhetoric from plain facts, otherwise it will be tantamount to disservice to history.
I am a lawyer by profession and wholly condemn the storming of the Supreme Court incident. Indeed, it was a dark day of our history and a lesson to be learnt for all the stakeholders of power because if one of them is held responsible, an endless blame game will start.
The ‘storm’ outside the apex court wasn’t an orchestrated agitation. It wasn’t clinical at all. Actually, it was an exhibition of mob rule — a clamour for the attention for all those who usurped people’s rights. So it is unfair to fix any blame on the Sharif government for this attack on the apex court.
This point of view is further substantiated by two inquiries conducted on this issue. One was held during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure and the second was done in a more exhaustive manner during President Musharraf’s stint, when the atmosphere for the Sharifs’ is far from congenial.
In both these inquiries both Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif were completely absolved from any charges whatsoever whereas those held responsible for the ‘disturbance’ are now part of the PML-Q’s elite.
Therefore, in this context, any criticism against the Sharifs is not only incomprehensible but also unjust. Being politicians they must have committed some mistakes like others have done in plenty but an attempt to denigrate them through propaganda is wrong.
ARSALAN AHMED KHAN
Lahore
APROPOS of the letter, ‘Plight of pensioners’ (Feb 7), the National Bank of Pakistan would like to clarify that being the agent of the State Bank of Pakistan, it is handling salaries and pensions of all government departments, as well as collection of utility bills. Since all transactions relating to salaries and pensions fall concurrently during the first week of each month, it is but natural that all branches of the bank are overcrowded.
Still, the bank takes pride in serving senior citizens without commercial consideration and our staff puts in allout efforts to serve all the pensioners and others with utmost dedication, as is evident from the fact that the bank has been paying salaries and pensions to millions of government servants for decades with a complaint percentage in fractions.
However, we are constantly trying to improve on weak areas and all field functionaries are regularly advised to augment their efforts in customer facilitation to guard against such future complaints.
Instructions are also being issued to field offices to improve arrangements, particularly for the pensioners. In the meanwhile, exhaustive plans have been chalked out to identify and designate some ideally located branches exclusively for pension payments, besides automating pension payments as far as possible. Once these arrangements are in place, we hope, the problem would be overcome.
Moreover, we have noted the problems being faced by pensioners at our Nazimabad (Chowrangi) branch, Karachi, and are taking all steps to ease the situation and facilitate pensioners at the branch.
KHALID MEHMOOD
Senior Vice President, NBP,
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Mr Khalid Chaudhry’s letter ‘New name for NWFP’ (Feb 5) suggesting a few names for the consideration of adoption as against the present one: North-West Frontier Province. For substantiating his arguments further, he has dilated on the backdrop history of the names of remaining provinces of the country.
Without going into the polemics of viability with regard to getting any change in the name of the NWFP, I would like to add here that it is not in Hindi but Sanskrit that Sindhu means ‘the sea’. On the contrary, the word Hindu is derived from Sindhu. When the Greeks invaded the subcontinent (326 BC), they pronounced Sindho as Sinthus or Indos and then Indus, which was subsequently transformed to Hindo by the Persian-speaking people when they entered the arena. Thus the root word for Hindo and Hindustan is also Indus.
MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
THE spate of horrific bombings in Pakistan — the latest one occurring right under the nose of the government — clearly shows that a resolute and determined effort to deal with the Taliban problem is long overdue.
No considerations of ‘strategic depth’ or laments that Pakistan’s involvement in ‘America’s so-called war on terror’ is contributing to this situation are valid and the government ought to abandon its ambivalent, half-hearted and tepid response which threatens to undermine the very security of the country.
The Afghans have shown their duplicity, deceit and lack of gratitude in return for the enormous sacrifices that Pakistan has paid for helping them time and again. The government ought to not only fence the entire Pakistan-Afghan border, but also pass a law to declare support of the Taliban a federal crime and severely punish the assorted partisans of the Taliban like members of the the MMA, present and retired officers of the ISI, as well as the leadership of the Taliban assembled in Quetta.
President Musharraf would be imperilling nothing short of the survival of the country if he does not act soon to crush the Taliban now that the Waziristan accord is a pitiful failure.
MASOOD HAIDER
New Jersey, USA
I WOULDN’T have commented on Mr Naif Sultan’s letter ‘Passionate, not extremist’ (Feb 7) regarding perceived extremism of Pakhtuns were it not for the last line where he implies that those belonging to Karachi and Lahore have been arrested in the wake of 7/7 and 9/11. Certain facts have apparently escaped Mr Sultan’s attention, such as:
a. Everyone knows the dubious nature of 9/11- and 7/7-related arrests. Using these as a yardstick to judge violent inclinations of certain ethnic group is farcical beyond comprehension.
b. Do Pakhtuns not live in Lahore and Karachi? Can Mr Sultan say for sure that none of those arrested were Pakhtuns?
c. With all due respect, Gen Zia passed away almost two decades ago. Why has extremism planted by him survived?
d. Who lives in Afghanistan? I do not intend to call any ethnic entity as violent. I merely intend to point out the flawed arguments raised by Mr Sultan, the crowning glory of which is terming Bacha Khan as one of the world’s four great personalities.
Planet Earth must be a total waste for siring just four great personalities, don’t you think?
TALHA BIN HAMID
Karachi
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