| February 11, 2007 | Sunday | Muharram 22, 1428 |
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HEC response to research output
Islamabad airport
The ‘soft image’ project
Sewage-mixed water
The three-language formula
Delhi Jamia Masjid
Nobel prize for nonsense
Admission test date
Behbood certificate
Locally-made cars
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 Dr Dushka H. Saiyid’s article, ‘Pakistan and Afghan War’ (Feb 2).
Pakistan’s engagement in Afghanistan is natural for a number of self-evident factors, it is, however, imperative that the objectives and interests of the global powers that matter must not be lost sight of for, in the long run, it would be the interests of the powerful that we would have to reconcile with.
Everything that is of concern to the world at large in the prevailing environment, one way or another, leads to the area comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Be it nuclear proliferation, extremism or menace of terrorism, either state itself or non-state actors in these countries are seen abetting and harbouring the perpetrators of these insidious tendencies.
This war has to be won by the US and its allies for achieving greater political objectives of ensuring continuous perpetuation of the strategic power imbalance that exists between the Muslim and the non-Muslin worlds and also of achieving unhindered access to the resources in the Caspian and Central Asia for their efficient exploitation. A credible nuclear weapon in the Middle East would give that region incalculable leverage in the formulation and control of its policies.
Similarly, a region considered a potential conduit for resources from Central Asia, the Caspian and the Gulf cannot be imagined having a capability that would put the flow of entire resources in jeopardy in times of crisis. Americans have learnt their lessons in the Gulf. This calls for a long-term engagement and presence of the US and Nato forces for continuous monitoring, control and elimination of any such state or non-state enterprise.
Since the engagement is assumed to be long-term, almost permanent from my reckoning, the presence of so-called militants, non-progressive and extremists would be a nuisance and a constant source of threat. In this context, existence of pliable, pro-western regimes are seen as a necessity in this region as they would help create values that are conducive to influx of western norms and culture and would help prevent spread of extremism and, by consequence, terrorism. Therefore, the instability matrix in Afghanistan cannot discount Iranian interest in perpetuation of the status quo in Afghanistan.
Extermination of whatever is left of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan is more a matter of superpower ego and less, if any, of strategic significance. On the pretext of pursuing the terrorist elements, the main focus, however, now is on suppressing the Taliban resistance against foreign occupation.
As the US/Nato long-term (read permanent) presence is a foregone conclusion, the resistance has to be stifled permanently too. From military perspective, delays would only stiffen the resistance and that is why constant pressure on Pakistan to do more and the frequency at which it is being told also means to do it quickly.
Pakistan’s dilemma is in considering the extent of internal disruption it can afford to help expedite the achievement of the Superpower goals. Military option has many pitfalls and adverse consequences. Not applying military option implies giving free hands to the militants and, as a consequence, keeping Afghanistan embroiled in a long conflict much to the dislike of the US.
Pakistan has calculated its options by getting into peace agreement. History is replete with such type of low-intensity conflicts (Latin America, Africa) for which the only possible solution is through a political dialogue and removal of grievances. US policy of wooing the strong and suppressing or eliminating the weak would only sow the seeds for future discontent. US confidence in its use of technology to eliminate opposition is also a bit overrated.
Technology has limitations whereas resistance is boundless and relies on innovation, resilience and adaptability to counter the technological asymmetry.
To this end, instead of relying on force, initiation of dialogue with the Taliban would help to pave way for cessation of violence and for further political structuring of Afghanistan acceptable to all.
Further, the instability matrix in Afghanistan should not discount Iranian interest in perpetuation of the status quo.
In commencement of this dialogue, the only hurdle appears to be Osama bin laden as the Taliban are seen as protector of OBL. Apprehending him would satiate the US ego. The day he is apprehended, the Americans would in all probability start the dialogue process.
MUHAMMAD DANIYAL
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Ms Azra Maqsood’s letter ‘HEC varsities output’ (Feb 6). Ms Maqsood disagrees with the Higher Education Commission’s criterion to judge research output by considering only publications in reputable international journals which have an international rating in the form of impact factors.
The HEC wants to encourage researchers to publish their work only in reputable international journals with high impact factor, which is why publications indexed by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI), Web of Knowledge, have been considered. Future research rankings will be based on both impact factors and citations, instead of simply the number of papers published.
Professors at SZABIST should also endeavour to have their work published in quality international journals instead of becoming part of the past unfortunate trend prevalent in our universities to publish researches in low-quality journals irrespective of their international reputation and standing.
The status of our engineering universities is so poor that all the engineering universities in Pakistan have together produced fewer than 20 PhDs in the last 50 years. In comparison, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, has produced over 3,000 PhDs in the last 25 years.
It is time we woke up to international realities and realised how far behind we have fallen. Things are now beginning to change dramatically, with the HEC’S emphasis on research and quality, but there is a long, long way to go before we start comparing ourselves with universities in even some South Asian countries.
AAYESHA IKRAM
Higher Education Commission,
Islamabad
THE recent terrorist bomb explosion at Islamabad airport exposes the weak infrastructure of the federal capital’s airport. It is a victim of politics of vested interests, which has led to a deliberate and orchestrated delay in construction of a new airport for more than two decades. The powerful lobby responsible for putting spanners in this project is today more powerful than ever before.
Islamabad airport not only has amongst the highest component of potential air travellers in the country, it also offers direct routes overflying former Russian airspace to Europe, the US and Canada, which are not only shorter, but more economical in terms of navigation overflying charges.
The national airline alone stands to save more than $30 million annually, in terms of fuel savings and overflying charges, if a proper airport capable of handling ever increasing air traffic were to be constructed at Islamabad. It is because of pure commercial benefits that British Airways today operates only out of and into Islamabad airport.
Yet petty parochial-minded lobbies that dominate Islamabad’s bureaucracy, CAA and national aviation industry continue to create hurdles in providing the travelling public of Pakistan proper facilities and a suitable airport in Islamabad. Islamabad airport is so congested and cramped that it is very difficult to prevent terrorists from hampering vital air traffic links. There is only one entry for vehicles carrying passengers, staff and VIPs, which makes the task of checking very cumbersome.
In spite of all these shortcomings, it still is the ideal choice of expatriate Pakistanis hailing from Azad Kashmir, Jhelum, the NWFP, northern areas and the Potohar belt for starting their journeys to the UK, Europe, Gulf, Middle East and America. These inadequate facilities will also hamper any chances of revival of tourism in Pakistan.
SHAHZAD KHALIL
Sialkot
The Musharraf government does not seem to tire from its campaign to project Pakistan’s ‘soft image’ abroad. Billions of rupees are being spent to hold seminars and conduct foreign tours by VIPS to achieve this declared objective of the regime.
However, the ground realities have not changed. Almost over 50,000 cars and more than 54,000 mobiles have been reported snatched and stolen in Karachi alone during 2006, without even five per cent convictions. This staggering statistic relates only to reported incidents of theft.
In Lahore a prospective immigrant to Canada, named Asma, made the cardinal mistake of seeking assistance from the Cantonment police station, only to be molested and threatened by so-called protectors of the law.
Nobody except the Canadian embassy came to her aid and assistance. In Islamabad a citizen was stripped off his clothes and beaten for protesting the disappearance of his father, who was allegedly kidnapped by security agencies.
Even the Supreme Court has failed to assist relatives of hundreds of people missing for months, with no clue as to their safety or whereabouts. Yet it is the same Supreme Court which gave powers to the president to amend the Constitution, a power which it itself does not enjoy.
Today the ruling of the nation’s supreme judiciary is being arrogantly ignored by powerful security agencies with backing of the government. A 16-year-old girl was raped in interior Sindh but the perpetrators of the crime against her have still not been apprehended. A bomb exploded at Islamabad airport, all while the country is officially celebrating 2007 as Visit Pakistan year.
Soft images are not projected by holding seminars or charity balls, but by allowing civil society to function and rule of law. A civil society develops when the state invests in promotion of education, health and provision of independent judiciary.
In Pakistan, the state is no longer involved in delivering on its primary responsibilities. Instead of rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution, the stress is on “unity of command” as if this was a state under occupation.
RASHID ORAKZAI
Oslo, Norway
BLACKISH in colour, with gutter smell, is the condition of water being supplied to the Bath Island – Gulshan-i-Faisal portion — Karachi. Here are three instances:
One, a resident brought me such water in a glass one early morning and advised me not to drink it.
Two, as the water had overflowed last night, upon moving out in the compound at first I got the impression from the stench that the gutter had overflowed.
Three, finding the water in the commode dirty, it was flushed several times under the wrong impression that someone had left it unflushed after use but the result was the same.
It has been seen that the city nazim, Mr Mustafa Kamal, has nothing to do with specific problems of the citizens as he seems to have no time because of working as a publicity officer and Mrs Nasreen Jalil can do nothing being the deputy.
Whenever the city nazim speaks on TV, I take a ball-pen and paper in hand ready to jot down anything of substance which might be stated by him but to date my notebook for the purpose is blank.
It is obvious that some gutter line is getting mixed with the water supply line of the KWSB.
Will someone concerned please stand up? That is, take notice kindly for rectification which will be appreciated.
AGHA
Karachi
THIS is in response to the letters being exchanged on ‘’Teaching in mother tongue’. In almost all countries of the world, education is being perused on the basis of a ‘three language’ formula. Mother tongue or the predominant regional language plays predominant role at the nursery level, which helps in firming up the ‘mental model of learning’ in the formative stage of a child.
At the middle school level — the national language — or the most common official language gets introduced. At the high school and college levels it is generally three-language learning with students having a choice to pick up a ‘classic (Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, etc.) or the regional language or the national language, the dominant business and official language (English, Spanish, French, Dutch, etc) and if interest be — a foreign language of choice.
Learning language is not for just communicating or doing official work but it is to be treated as a ‘vehicle’ for facilitating learning of other subjects (science, mathematics, literature, engineering, fine arts, etc.). It is also a very important and powerful mode of creating a national identity and emotionally integrating the nation. In India the three-language formula was taken up in the early 1950s and was based upon the Russian experiment of the 1920s. It was realised a long time back that the ‘western’ model of one- or two-language formula as medium of instruction would not be suitable for it.
It is also to be noted that at the time of revolution of 1918, Russia was an impoverished country and was highly fragmented on the basis of language, religion and provincialism. On the strength of a common ‘Russian’ language, the whole country was knit into a ‘unit’ and a sound scientific human resource was created.
However, the regional or mother tongue languages continue to be taught in every school and German, English and French (and even Hindi and Urdu) are taught in most schools. As a result, in India, as was in Russia, the richness of regional languages has been preserved, a strong national language has emerged and English has become the ‘core competency’ of the ‘global’ Indian. Like China, India no longer treats its huge population and diversity of language and culture as a liability but has started using it as core strength to gain economically on a global basis. In short, the three language formula has worked well for us and there is no reason it would not do so in Pakistan.
B.S.PANI
Orissa, India
DURING a recent visit to the Indian capital, I had a chance to visit the Jamia Masjid. I was surprised to see that this wonderful piece of architecture was turning into ruins and area around it was really filthy and its walls littered with posters. If looked after properly, it could be one of the major tourist attractions of Delhi like the Red Fort opposite the Masjid which, by contrast, is well-maintained.
I am not sure whether the Masjid is neglected by the Indian authorities because of it being a Muslim heritage or it shows the apathy of Muslims living around the mosque who have failed to maintain it. Anyhow, there are many Muslim embassies in the Indian capital and they should all join hands to support for restoring the glamour of this historical masterpiece.
NAVEED SHEIKH
Karachi
MR Gwynne Dyer must be the only human being on earth to have come to the kind of conclusion he did in his ‘analysis’ of ‘Chirac’s gaffe’ (Dawn, Feb 8). Commenting on the French President’s views, Mr Dyer says it is Pakistani nuclear weapons and not Israeli ones that Iran is really worried about. My Nobel prize for nonsense to Mr Dyer!
Granting that the British allergy toward the French is exceeded only by British allergy toward Muslims, especially Arabs and Pakistanis, must Mr Dyer make laughable comments?
He wrote as if he had not read or heard about a thing called Pakistan-India rivalry or the Pakistani blasts following within days of the Indian nuclear tests.
He might as well say that the Iranian nuclear weapons were meant against South Wales.
RIZWAN YASSIN
Karachi
ALL major universities in Pakistan conduct entry tests for admissions. Incidentally Aga Khan Medical University and NUST (Army Medical College) have both announced the test date of April 8.
Due to this clash of dates medical students are under great tension. The affected students wish to bring this matter to the notice of the authorities concerned. For the convenience of the students it is requested that one of these institutions change the test date.
SHAHEER AHMED
Islamabad
OFF and on, rates of profit are increased on savings schemes of the government, including the Behbood certificate, specially introduced to provide relief to the old and widows.
But to avail the increase, one has to surrender the certificate purchased earlier, get it encashed, pay penalty for encashment and reapply for purchase of similar certificate under a new date.
Why can’t repetition of unnecessary paperwork, unproductive administrative expenditure, waste of time and energy involved in superfluous exercises at all levels be avoided by allowing automatic increase on the certificate already held by the purchaser?
We have not yet learnt
to give up bureaucratic habits of making simple things complicated, confusing and difficult.
Instead of providing relief to the needy, problems are created by fixing ifs, buts, obstacles and hurdles here and there. Let us be simple, short and straightforward.
Help yourself by helping others who should realistically feel being helped.
A.R. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
THERE have been many complaints by consumers regarding poor quality of locally-made brand new cars. Some have to go through terrible ordeals trying to rectify faults in their cars. Coupled with that is the miserable after-sale service being provided by car manufacturers to their customers.
I request the government to stick to its decision to allow imported cars. Local car assemblers have fleeced consumers long enough with high premiums and bad quality. I’m sure many will agree that imported cars, though they are used ones, have much better quality in respect of durability, safety, etc.
They can be compared to locally-made brand new cars in terms of drive and comfortableness.
In the meantime, the government should ensure easy availability of spare parts for imported cars in order to make them more viable and appealing to the public.
The consumer has the right to choose, so let us have a decent variety to choose from.
TYRONE MASCARENHAS
Karachi
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