| February 18, 2007 | Sunday | Muharram 29, 1428 |
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Voters’ enrolment
Reviving the film industry
Rising cement prices
‘Chiraghon mein roshni na rahi’
Pakistan vis-à-vis Geneva Accord
Organ trade
Textile package
Why torment students?
Police officer in the dock
Mir Jafar Inc.
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
FOR once was John Bolton, the former (aggressive and abrasive) US ambassador to the UN, right when he described the recent accord with North Korea over its nuclear programme as inconsistent with President Bush’s six-year-old policy of linking any deal or substantive negotiations with North Korea with the prior closure of the latter’s nuclear programme.
Although unlike North Korea, Iran is several years away from developing or testing a nuclear device (if at all, that is the Iranian intention), the US, nevertheless, applies with full force its demand for the prior suspension of Iran’s enrichment activity before negotiations could be held by the US, unlike its volte-face in the case of North Korea.
While the accord with North Korea is a welcome step in the service of non-proliferation, a cause which most rational people support, much more has to be done before the objectives of the accord could be fully achieved.
However, in the face of mounting western pressure on Iran, in the wake of the North Korean accord, it should be pointed out that Iran’s situation is very different from North Korea’s. Iran at present has no nuclear weapon capability and is a long way off from having a capability to explode a nuclear device.
If the accord with North Korea, involving a renunciation by the latter of the nuclear weapon capability, has any lesson, it is in respect of Israel which is known to have a couple of hundred undeclared nuclear warheads and which could justifiably be asked by the international community to dismantle its secret arsenal as South Africa and Ukraine did some years back.
In Iran’s case it has allowed access to UN inspectors and, at its present rudimentary stage of uranium enrichment, is legally exercising its right under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty of developing nuclear energy for civilian purposes.
A glaring contrast is provided between the civilised non-threatening multi-power discourse with North Korea and the spectacle of the US aircraft carrier battle groups roaming the Gulf with vivid threats of hell-fire and destruction, showered on the Iranians.
It is encouraging however that President Ahmadinejad, at the rally marking the 28th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, struck a conciliatory note, again offering negotiations with the US. Former foreign minister Akbar Vilayeti, now adviser to Supreme Leader Ayottollah Khamenei, has also made hopeful noises recently of breaking the diplomatic deadlock with the western powers.
In the interests of regional (and Iranian) security and stability, and in the interests of US relations with the wider Islamic world, it is important that the parties involved give urgent consideration to the various compromise formulas which have been floated in the past.
President Putin has very recently refloated a proposal for enriching Iranian uranium on Russian territory to obviate any western misgivings about the Iranian programme. Another alternative, attributed to Iran, involves the setting up of an international consortium on Iranian territory, for handling the enrichment of uranium for Iran.
At the same time it should not be beyond the bounds of diplomatic ingenuity to find through back channel negotiations, with the help of intermediaries, a formula which would reconcile Iranian refusal to suspend uranium enrichment as a pre-requisite for negotiations with the US hard line in this regard.
It is hoped that the neocons in the US administrations would not allow the interests of regional peace, of US standing in the Islamic world and of a possible peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear question to go by default as a result of a temptation to promote Irano-phobia amongst Gulf Arab regimes in the hope of increasing US influence in economic, energy and security fields and in the interests of the arms bazaar.
MAHDI MASUD
Karachi
I AM amazed to read the news (Jan 8) that the Election Commission of Pakistan has asked people who have attained the age of 18 years on or before Jan 1 to enrol themselves as voters in the computerised electoral rolls, being prepared afresh for the forthcoming general election and future local government elections.
Systems in Pakistan are badly managed by government departments and this is one of the reasons that people have to suffer much. To enrol as voters, people have to run from pillar to post.
The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) was created with a vision to set up a technologically-advanced national database of our citizens for having a transparent and easily accessible system. Nadra’s mission is to support development and communicate with stakeholders in an efficient and productive manner, keeping in view the following points:
a. To build strong analytical skills plus good relationships with governments and other partners around the world.
b. To manage assets safely with maximum capital and operating efficiency.
c. To gain wider investment choice and new opportunities for growth.
d. To hold market leadership.
e. To deliver benefits to customers through technology and support.
While every effort is being made by the Election Commission to include the names of left-over citizens in the electoral rolls, it is observed that large numbers of people turn at the last moment filing various complaints that their names are not included in the electoral rolls.
The best way to compile electoral rolls is that instead of requesting the citizens to enrol their names in the electoral lists, the Election Commission should request Nadra to provide to the Election Commission lists of all those citizens who have attained the age of 18 and obtained CNICs and, in turn, the Election Commission should directly enrol the names without waiting for the people to get enrolled. This will not only save time and money of the people, it will also provide relief to them.
Meanwhile, Nadra should send the Election Commission the lists of the people who have attained the age of 18 and maximize its efforts to issue CNICs to the remaining people who have not as yet been able to obtain these.
This way Nadra will be able to help the Election Commission to prepare comprehensive electoral rolls before the due date of the next general elections.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
APROPOS of your editorial ‘Reviving the film industry’ (Feb 14), I would like to highlight the fact that National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) has nothing to do with films as such. The chairman of NAPA, in his own wisdom, is of the firm opinion that films do not fall in the genre of performing arts. Hence, subjects taught at NAPA are history of theatre, stage writing, acting, diction, dance, rendering of musical instruments, stage direction, etc.
At present there are only two private-sector institutions in Pakistan, namely SZABIST and IQRA University, where a fully-fledged four-year bachelor’s degree course is offered through their faculty of Media Sciences consisting of eight semesters and up to 40 courses. These courses cover all relevant fields from concept to production falling in the arena of film, television, computers and print industry.
While talking about financial support through government and commercial banks, your editorial has missed out one major reason for the poor quality of Pakistan cinema. In this context the most damaging role has been played by our censor codes. These codes were formulated during the era of the British Raj.
Those were the times when raising fingers at law-enforcement agencies or criticising the civil bureaucracy was a punishable offence. Times have changed but not these laws made by the British for their own protection. Rather after they left, these have been enforced in a greater degree in Pakistan.
The onus of these outdated codes has forced our filmmakers to hover around the morbid triangle of two girls and a boy, or vice versa. Our filmmakers should be allowed, rather encouraged, to deal with sensitive subjects and address contemporary day-to-day socio-economic, political, cultural and religious problems, etc, faced by common people of this country.
Corruption and nepotism should be brought to light and must not be given a free hand to destroy the social fabrics of our society (or whatever is left of it). It is time the ministry of culture came out of the slumber and revised the irrelevant codes. We cannot afford to behave like ostriches anymore.
NAQI MUSTAFA
Karachi
CEMENT retail prices have once again increased from Rs200 to Rs275 for a 50-kg bag. It is shocking as to how the consumer is being fleeced, time and again, by cement companies, in collaboration with dealers and retailers, while the government remains unconcerned and insensitive to the situation.
Cement producers continue to create plant capacity expansions on a year-over-year basis, at the cost of consumers. Installed production capacity rose from 18 million tons in 2005 to 21 million tons in 2006 to the current level of 38 million tons.
Due to economies of scale, employing latest technology and other factors, cement production cost has now reduced considerably, the benefit of which should have been passed on to the consumer also. Instead, cement price continues to rise. Ironically, the recent price increase has come at a time when production is much higher than the present demand for cement domestically. Indeed, the price hike is unrealistic and uncalled-for.
Look at the huge profits the cement industry is making these days. As on June 30, 2006 D.G. Khan Cement and Lucky Cement, which are termed key players in the industry, have earned annual net profit, after tax, to the tune of Rs2,418 million and Rs1,936 million, respectively.
Other cement companies are not too far behind as far as the net profit is concerned. Fauji Cement has earned Rs1,204 million, Maple Leaf Cement Rs1,059 million, Pioneer Cement Rs676 million and Fecto Cement Rs417 million, to quote only a few, during the last financial year.
Cement producers make gross profit amounting to almost 50 per cent of the sale price, as reflected in the fact that D.G. Khan Cement posted sales at about Rs8 billion and earned a gross profit of nearly Rs4 billion during the year 2005-2006.
Is there no limit to such profits?
HUSSAIN SIDDIQUI
Islamabad
MR Ayaz Amir has called Islamabad a ‘be maqsad city’ built by the late Ayub Khan. As Ayub Khan also built the city of Korangi within Karachi to provide respectable homes to millions of jhuggi-dwellers and shifted them to their new homes at one go, I think the crime of building Islamabad should be condoned. He also built the KKH (the old Silk Route) and Mangla and Tarbela dams for which I don’t know if he should be criticised or praised. I leave it to knowledgeable people to decide.
After Ayub Khan, Chiraghon mein roshni na rahi.
No ruler ever thought of building another city like Korangi for the many, many disadvantaged people in the country who also deserved such homes, though political slogans were raised by each political party.
MRS AKHTAR NASIMI
Karachi
APROPOS of Mr A.R. Siddiqi’s two articles: ‘What lies ahead for the fateful triangle’ (Jan 28) and ‘Time for Islamabad to correct its stance’ (Jan 29), as an avid reader of his columns I would like to seek a plausible answer from him as to why a four-party (out of four, two guarantors, i.e. USSR and US) Geneva Accord, signed in April 1988, could not help the matter there and then.
How could the conquered Soviets get the most benefits from an accord when the guarantee of its full implementation was given by the US alone? Why did Pakistan and Afghanistan being the two really affected parties not get out of harm’s way?
Immediately after the signing of the accord, the Soviets left Afghanistan unhindered (miraculous escape!), but the two major catastrophies took place in Pakistan which shattered all the hopes. The twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi were devastated by the mysterious Ojhri Camp explosion, followed by the tragic crash of C-130 killing Gen Ziaul Haq, the head of state, and other high-ranking officers responsible for upholding the cause of the relentless fighting struggle of Afghan people against the Soviet marauders.
The last event, viz, C-130 crash, took place on Aug 17, 1988. There was a decade-long vacuum in the governance of war-torn Afghanistan filled in by various kinds of warlords till 9/11 and the ensuing global war against the terrorists.
Had the aforementioned vacuum been filled by the treaty-bound benevolent Americans promptly in the late 1980s, there would not have been a plethora of great many pre-emptions and problems now.
MOHAMMAD AHMAD
Karachi
APROPOS of a news item: ‘US rejects Kabul tirade against Pakistan’ (Feb 13 ), I felt relieved as an ordinary citizen while getting to know that US Secretary of State for Defence Robert Gates admitted a ‘mistake’ made in Afghanistan once the Soviets left the place: “We neglected Afghanistan and extremism took control of the country.”
The dignitary also confessed that the US paid a big price in the shape of the 9/11 incident. As a remedy, the VVIP quipped: “We won’t make that mistake again, we are here for a long haul;”
I was flabbergasted not to be able to decipher the ‘strange’ logic of Mr Gates being here for a ‘long haul’.
As we are not aware of the full text of the Geneva Accord signed in April 1988, would it not serve the purpose better if the accord is publicised for people’s awareness and an open media discussion?
A FORLORN PAKISTANI
Karachi
I WAS very much shocked when I came to know through Dawn (Jan 24) that the proposed Human Organ and Tissues Transplant Bill has been once again deferred by the federal cabinet. Regarding this issue, only some paperwork is done by the health ministry. Due to this negligence of the government the lucrative trade of organs, especially of kidneys, has gone up in our country so much that its annual turnover in Rawalpindi and Lahore alone is close to Rs980 million.
In the absence of any ban, the people, specially the poor ones, do not hesitate to sell their kidneys to the clinics for as little as $1,000 and those who buy these sell for as high as $4,000 to the recipients, specially to foreigners because organ trade in foreign countries such as the US, Australia and the Middle East is banned.
The poor people who sell their kidneys do not know about the long-term implications of their decision which can push them to death two or three years later.
Another alarming matter regarding this is that unfortunately our doctors are also involved in this trade because they are responsible for removal of kidneys from donors and then transplanting the same on the recipients. Although they know about the hazardous effects that donors will be facing, they do not discourage them from doing so, which is their duty.
The authorities concerned should take necessary action to stop this illegal trade.
GHULAM MUJTABA MEMON
Khairpur
THE bureaucracy has been successful in breaking the unity of the textile associations. After the grant of research and development support, it was found that the textile industry could not come out to the level where it could withstand the global competition.
Since the government found out that it could not do anything to help, it adopted the policy of ‘divide and rule.’ Now, there are about four or five platforms from where the leaders are presenting their agendas for the emancipation of their industry.
Quite tactfully, APTMA has emerged as the chief spokesman. Everybody knows that the spinning industry had no problem at any time, therefore they are only presenting before the government fat reports and formulating committees and sub-committees which might be good for academic purpose but do not provide any practical services.
Perhaps the government is gaining time to prolong this matter up to the budget time. The value-added textile will become more sick during this period.
S.M.A. RIZVI
Karachi
IS it a crime to be an SSC student? Why can’t a policy on the SSC examination be formulated for another decade or so? Or has the government adopted a policy of making the students confused every year and then announcing its decision merely to be congratulated on TV channels?
We need to stop ad hocism on our educational front to save the younger generation from getting bitter and bitter during the formative period of their career. They would have nervous breakdown and would not be able to contribute their best to society.
Dr Hamida Khuhro and Lt-Gen Qazi should do some exercise to tackle the issue. We also need to get rid of the Lord Macaulay policy formed during the colonial period to prepare a ‘Yes Sir’ mentality. Our educational policy should also not be dictated by the ‘whims and caprices’ of any superpower or any particular class of society.
AZIZ AKHTAR
Karachi
THE National Accountability Bureau has an impressive record and has done well in trying to stem the rising tide of corruption in government services. But it can at times go off the rails.
A senior police officer is now being accused of possessing assets beyond his means.
Just at a time when this officer was in line for a senior assignment, someone has thrown a spanner into the works. This officer has commanded the Karachi police continuously for an unprecedented period of five years during which he served under two governors, two chief ministers and four corps commanders and there was never a whisper of corruption.
That there is something more than meets the eye becomes obvious from the fact that when the case was brought before the high court recently, NAB asked for time, pleading that all the records had suddenly and quite unaccountably been lost.
One cannot help thinking of the adage about giving a dog a bad name and then hanging him too.
S. ASIF MAJEED
Karachi
THE recent suicide bombing in Iran heralds the implementation of a covert plan of the superman to foment unrest.
The arch adversary of Iran has hired a group thugs who, on the one hand, will identify themselves as Iranian agents and, on the other, serve as proxy suicide bombers in Iran.
The Mir Jafar syndrome may have worked well for the Company Bhadur in India, but the sycophants in Iraq are likely to stab them in the back.
RAFI ADMJEE
Karachi
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