| March 07, 2007 | Wednesday | Safar 17, 1428 |
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Institutionalised racism
Protecting women in public office
Tallest buildings
Abolition of governor’s office
Looming US attack on Iran
Postponing elections
Unfair to the fair sex
Old is still gold
Hijacking anniversary
Power & gas tariffs
Garbage disposal
Love all along
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
AT some star-crossed moment Pakistan befriended the American hippo (perhaps it was too afraid of the Russian bear). Since then it has been continuously feeding its pal but the latter’s gargantuan appetite remains insatiable. The more it is fed — Cento, Seato, Badaber, match-making with China, proxy war with the erstwhile Soviet Union and, now, George Bush’s crusade — the more it asks.
In the current war, Pakistan has already sacrificed about 700 of its troops — seven times more than Britain. It has deployed 80,000 troops in the tribal area. It has erected 1,000 checkposts along the Durand Line. It has caught and handed over people wanted by the US, for incarceration and torture or offered them for killing. And Gen Musharraf has even stuck his own neck out, surviving two attempts on his life. Yet, the refrain is “Pakistan is not doing enough.”
New York Times’ reporter Carlotta Gall files a stream of articles alleging that Taliban elements are holed up in Quetta and the ISI and MI recruit suicide bombers and force them to attack American and Nato troops inside Afghanistan.
The paper follows up with editorial after editorial. It recalls the price the US pays to Pakistan for its services and urges the Bush administration to increase the heat on President Musharraf to deliver.
Meanwhile, Washington Times ‘pays tribute’ to Pakistan with a cartoon showing a US soldier patting a dog that holds Abu Faraj Al Libbi (the Libyan al Qaeda member) and saying: “Good boy. Now let’s go find bin Laden.” On the body of the dog is written ‘Pakistan’. The Pakistan government struck a deal last September with tribal elders of North Waziristan, to stop bloodshed between its army and its own citizens, in return for their promise to deny sanctuary to terrorists and aliens, the tribal leaders were assured of immunity from military operations. And it worked satisfactorily so that similar deal in South Waziristan was being contemplated. But the deal has roiled US and Nato generals. They allege that the agreement allowed space to the Taliban, who have been regrouping and have even set up training camps in the tribal areas.
But when Gen Musharraf asks his detractors to match Pakistan’s measures in order to prevent clandestine border crossing into Afghanistan, they simply fidget. When Pakistan points out that it is the Afghan refugee camps inside Pakistan that spawn the suicide bombers and asks that Kabul take its nationals back, it meets blank stares.
Pakistan’s lot is only to receive threats. There is the military threat of direct action inside Pakistan territory to destroy suspected Taliban hideouts. There is the political threat of suspending economic assistance. To further humiliate Pakistan, news is trumpeted worldwide that President Bush has sent Gen Musharraf a ‘tough message’. And Vice-president Cheney underscores it by a personal visit.
Meanwhile, arrest of the Taliban’s number two, Mullah Obaidullah, in Quetta coincides with the Cheney visit and the New York Times gloats: “Pressed by US, Pakistan seizes a Taliban chief.” The message it wants to convey is that pressure works.
Yet if more pressure is blindly applied, such as forays inside Pakistan or suspending economic assistance, it may severely strain US-Pakistan relations. Such temptations should, therefore, be resisted.
True, Pakistan cannot do without US military and economic assistance, but the US too needs Pakistan’s cooperation as never before, whether it is the crusade against terror or an attack on Iran. The most logical step, therefore, would be to increase the number of US-Nato troops in Afghanistan massively, as well as follow Pakistan’s other suggestions on the issue.
SYED JAWAID IQBAL
Karachi
THIS refers to a recent news report about banning of Bollywood film ‘Kabul Express’ in Afghanistan. According to Afghan minister of culture Najib Manalai, the documentary has been banned in Afghanistan because it contains offensive remarks about Hazaras, an ethnic entity of that country.
The documentary in question is not a casual, run-of-the-mill production. Rather, it is the product of a carefully considered conspiracy between the Tajik elements of the Kabul government, with Najib Manalai acting as their leading man, and the Indian lobby represented by movie director Kabir Khan. The said offensive remarks were inserted by him at the express instance of Manalai because of age-old Tajik sectarian and ethnic prejudices against the Hazaras.
The whole concept of producing the documentary was malevolent in intent in the first place, and was aimed at vilifying and belittling the Hazaras. After having done the damage, he further demeans himself by pretending to stop its screening in Afghanistan.
Anyone familiar with the history of Afghanistan and India can see a close parallel between the plight of Indian Muslims and Hazaras of Afghanistan. Both are subjected to religious persecution and systematic massacre from time to time. Under such circumstances, it is but natural that this should evoke mutual sympathy between members of the two communities.
However, due to some moral aberration, this is not the case with Kabir Khan. May I dare him do a documentary depicting the massacre and injustices perpetrated on the Indian Muslims rather than pandering to the prejudices of a Tajik adviser?
It would be in order and worthwhile tracing the genesis of the present collusion between the dominant Tajik faction of the Kabul government and the Indian lobby active in Afghanistan. With the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Tajik refugees, under advice of the Indophile Tajik leadership, headed for India. Under a pre-planned agenda to develop a special relationship with the Indian leaders, most of them settled in and around New Delhi, the hub of Indian politics and bureaucracy.
In a short time, Indian politicians and bureaucrats of import and the alien Tajiks developed contacts. As a well-wisher of the moderate and enlightened section of the Afghan population, I would urge the Afghan president to exert his authority and cut short the leash of his irresponsible Tajik minister of culture.
A HAZARA
Quetta
THIS is with reference to the news (Feb 22) that Maulvi Sarwar confessed that he had already killed four models and injured dozens of ladies.
During police interrogation the culprit also revealed that he once went to kill former prime minister Benazir Bhutto when she was addressing a public meeting, but he didn’t succeed because of tight security and the huge crowd.
It’s very shocking news that even a woman prime minister is under threat from extremists in our country. Even more worrisome is the culprit’s statement that the present government turned deaf ear and did not lodge a case against him.
It’s deplorable that in our Islamic country dozens of women are killed daily on the pretext of karo-kari, gang rapes and domestic violence, etc, but these are all routine incidents for the government.
Before the tragic death of Zille Huma, two active and vocal MNAs from Sindh, namely Sherry Rehman, the PPP’s central information secretary, and Dr Azhra Pechuo, the sister in-law of Ms Bhutto, were targeted during the by-election campaign in February 2007. Fortunately both of them narrowly escaped.
Both Ms Rehman and
Dr Pechuo have repeatedly pointed out in the media that a sitting minister of Sindh and the government machinery were involved in their attempted murder but to date no FIR has been lodged.
Being women parliamentarians, my colleagues and I also feel threatened by these actions and conspiracies.
If women parliamentarians do not feel safe and secure, then how can we expect other women to feel as they travel and work.
What is needed is the implementation of laws protecting women instead of mere legislation such as the Women Protection Bill.
I have requested the apex courts to take suo motu action against the violators of women’s rights and those to threaten the lives of women in public office.
HUMERA ALWANI
MPA, Thatta
THE PNSC building off the Keamari flyover caught fire recently and at least five floors of the building were completely damaged. The building was, at one time, the second tallest building in the country. The fire started on the 11th floor in the morning and by afternoon the fire-fighting authorities had left the building to itself because there was no way of getting to those floors.
About 24 fire-tenders, eight belonging to the KPT and the rest from various parts of the city, were working constantly to put out the flames. The two KPT-operated snorkels did not have enough pressure to propel water even up to the 8th floor, while the city government’s snorkel fared a little better, managing to spray water a little above the 9th floor.
Ironically, shortly afterwards President Musharraf inaugurated a Rs20 billion KPT Tower complex which will be 1,947 feet high (a patriotic gesture), and one of the tallest buildings in the city.
One would hope they use fire-resistant materials in the building and have proper fire-safety procedures in place, but even then the city would need better fire-fighting facilities for the future.
The KPT (which generously spends on fountains and underpasses) should consider spending some of that money on fire-fighting facilities. These tall buildings could become very dangerous otherwise.
IBAAD HAKIM
Karachi
APROPOS of a recent news item concerning the abolition of the governor’s office, it has been demanded that the office of the governor should be abolished constitutionally.
This office is extremely important and cannot be done away with, because it represents the federal government and keeps the federation intact. But the demand of the nationalists also carries some sense because of its interference in the provincial affairs and partisan attitude of the governors.
In this connection, I want to invite your attention towards Indian Union Constitution and we should not feel shy in adopting good practices prevalent in India.
In India, the appointment of governors is based on two things. First, they are not chosen from political parties but from the cadre of retired educationists or from judges of high integrity.
They are free from political affiliations and remain strictly neutral.
Second, they are not posted in the province to which they themselves belong. This practice needs no constitutional amendment in Pakistan. By adopting these two things, the neutrality of this office will be guaranteed and there will be no fear of meddling in the affairs of the province.
DR S. SAEED AHMED
Karachi
UTTERLY bewildered by its status of being the only superpower of the world, the United States of America has gone absolutely berserk. After its bitter failure first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq, the US is now on the verge of making yet another stupid mistake of undertaking an armed adventure in Iran. As always, it has, once again, chosen to march all alone on this ultimate path to self-destruction without the support of the other world powers that matter, except its all-time ally — Great Britain.
It is, however, being speculated that this time the support of its British ally may not perhaps be as strong and without reservations as it has been in the case of Afghanistan and Iraq. This assumption may hold true particularly when seen in the background of the shameless and ruthless battering both the US and British forces have been taking from the civil uprising in Iraq, and the Taliban in the war-torn Afghanistan.
While the entire world community very sensibly seeks resolution of Iran’s nuclear standoff through diplomacy, the US, as usual, seems hell-bent on use of force to deal with this extremely critical world issue.
The national and international media and eminent political analysts report that the US has been busy chalking out plans (since its attack on Iraq four years ago) to attack Iran and annihilate its nuclear and other strategic military installations. One is inclined to go by this hair-raising revelation when looked at from the point of view of the USA’s long and chequered history of dominating the world through brute force.
Opening a new battle front in Iran may prove to be the last nail in the coffin of the US and its sole ally, Great Britain. They must, therefore, stand forewarned that the ramifications of an attack on Iran may prove to be catastrophic not only for them but for the entire world.
Let me caution the US, Great Britain and all the other world powers which matter that an armed adventure in Iran has all the potential to engulf not only the countries of the region but the whole world in an inferno that perhaps has no parallel in world history.
Under the given circumstances, it is expected, particularly from the US, that it would act more sensibly in dealing with this highly precarious issue with a sense of utmost caution and responsibility.
The US must heed the advice of the sane world powers to resolve Iran’s nuclear issue through diplomacy and not through intimidation and vandalism, through a well-defined strategy of engagement and not containment.
M. FAZAL
Islamabad
IN Pakistan general elections are rather infrequent. Fair, impartial and independent elections are a rarity. The voting public is nevertheless always excited, whenever there is a chance that national elections are going to be held. The reason is their belief that the forthcoming elections will bring a change for the better in their lives (particularly of the one-third living below poverty line).
So it is very upsetting, when ‘cogent’ reasons are given for postponing the elections, usually by people who are enjoying power and patronage in the current dispensation. One of the most original reasons has been given by Babur Ghouri, the minister of ports and shipping.
He wants the postponement of one year to enable him to complete some projects started by his ministry. But why not a longer or indefinite postponement, so that other ministers can ensure the completion of their projects like say Basha Dam (by the minister of water and power) or the Chamman Qandhar railway line (by the minister of railways)!
H. N. AKHTAR
Karachi
PROF Shahida Kazi’s ’Unfair to the fair sex” (March 4) is a bold and forthright portrayal of the plight of the poor and helpless Pakistani women. Sixty years of independence have not given them an iota of what the Pakistani male enjoys, celebrates, boasts and brutally enforces in this otherwise unfortunate and unjust society.
Pakistan is already on the sliding scale in many sectors of social and political life. If we do not reform ourselves in a dynamic and vigorous manner and as soon as possible, the day is not far off when civilised nations will shun us.
The irony is that our religious leaders, who otherwise are so vociferous in their shouts of hue and cry and of shutting down businesses and transports to protest against insignificant things like some cartoon or a remark by some ignorant or misinformed foreigner about Islam, become dumb and mute as if what Prof Kazi has described is not un-Islamic. What a shame and disgrace that such are our legislators and leaders at prayers! Let us all solicit Almighty’s forgiveness.
ZAHID KHAN
Karachi
IN view of the recent bad news that Shoaib and Asif are not available for the World Cup, I think Pakistan should recall the old duo Wasim and Waqar. I am very sure that they will be able to perform better than the current crop of bowlers.
TAIMUR SHABIR
Lahore
MARCH 2 marked a full 26 years after the infamous hijacking of PIA’s flight from Karachi to Peshawar to Kabul and then to Damascus when distraught passengers and crew endured days of horrifying stress and squalor.
There was one flight hostess, Naila Nazir, who did her countrymen proud with her composure and dedication to duty in the face of ruthless hijackers. After the ordeal was over, she was awarded a Flight Safety Foundation Heroism award.
That particular aircraft was soon retired and placed for a few years at the Clifton Funland before finally being junked. But can someone from PIA let us know what became of Ms Nazir?
MAZHAR M. CHINOY
Lahore
THIS refers to the government’s decision to lower gas and increase the electricity tariffs (Feb 25). It is not realised by those dealing with the subject in Islamabad that the monthly average gas and electricity bills of a middle class family are Rs150 and Rs3,500, respectively. Saving in the first case comes to Rs11 per month and the additional amount to be paid in the case of the latter comes to Rs350.
The government claiming to be the epitome of sympathy and concern for the masses is as usual mixing donkeys with horses.
KHAN A. SHAMSHAD
Karachi
THERE is a lot of garbage seen in every nook and corner of the F.C. Area, Karachi. Sweepers do not perform their duties on a regular basis. People also throw their garbage outside their flats without least bothering about the havoc it will create for our environment.
There are also a lot of encroachments which disfigure the once beautiful area of the past. Illegal shops spring up at every suitable place, creating hindrance to the free movement of people.
I appeal to the authorities concerned to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
PROF ASHER SAEED ALAM
Karachi
I AM an English Christian, a widow approaching her 69th birthday. I arrived in Karachi about 10 days ago for a much-needed holiday to stay with very dear Pakistani Muslim friends whom I have known for over 40 years.
My family and friends thought I was mad to choose Karachi but I have met with nothing but kindness, love, hospitality and generosity, and — which would surprise my fellow countrymen — a wonderful open-mindedness when discussing both Christianity and Islam.
On returning home, I hope to contact my church, my MP and the press to tell them of my experiences, and also that I have felt totally safe.
VISITOR FROM UK
Karachi
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