| March 13, 2007 | Tuesday | Safar 23, 1428 |
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Qualms of the elderly and disabled
Hope for the best
Civil Hospital in tatters
Expensive vehicles
Industries should fuel higher education
Sexual harassment
Blessing in disguise
What deadline?
Picnic points
Karachi & its parks
Teachers’ posting
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
YOUR editorial (‘A big blow to judiciary’, March 11) made an important point. I would say it was not only blow to the judiciary but also a blow to the country and its people, and this dictatorial action made us nothing but a laughing stock in the eyes of the world. Such despotic action has put the very survival of the country in jeopardy.
Why should other nations take us seriously when our rulers show an immature and narrow-minded attitude?
You spoke on behalf of many law-respecting citizens whose hearts bleed at this open assault on justice.
SHAKEEL NIZAMANI
Newfoundland, Canada
AS a Pakistani I was feeling much elated for some time that the two pillars of our country, i.e., the executive and the judiciary, were on the right track.
Their heads were trying very hard to bring back some dignity and people’s confidence back into these branches of government.
I often thought that at last we have dedicated persons like President Musharraf and Chief Justice Chaudhry who will, God willing, steer us out of the present state of uncertainty.
Unfortunately, the latest development has rocked the boat. I only hope the situation is short-lived and will be resolved in the best interest of Pakistan as soon as possible.
The country needs both these gentlemen as they are loyal, dedicated and sincere in keeping the interest of Pakistan uppermost.
And that is a rare combination we have not witnessed in our leaders for a long time.
WAHEED IQBAL BHATTY
Lahore
THE president’s action was unexpected of him and clearly shows his weakness and shows to what extent he can go to remove even a tiny hurdle in his deeds, no matter good or bad.
Also I must give tribute to the nation for expressing their disliking over this act.
MUHAMMAD MUNEEB
Lahore
APROPOS of the action against the CJP, the information minister said at a press conference: “This action clearly shows that no one is above the law.” To me what it clearly showed is that no one is above the Chief of the Army Staff.
SAGHEER AHMED
Hyderabad
I AM a Pakistani student in London training to become a barrister. I hope the Supreme Judicial Council, while discussing the reference against the top judge of the country, will decide the matter independently, devoid of any biases, pressures or coercion.
As regards the president, I would like to say: Mr President, you might argue that you have strengthened an institution. But, looking at the reactions of your people, Mr President, you have weakened a nation.
IBAAD HAKIM
London UK
VERY few places in Pakistan have a separate parking space, or an entrance, or any other facilities for the disabled and the elderly. Some of the model institutions of our country also fail to deliver these facilities.
In rare instances where these facilities do exist, they are often found in use by individuals who classify neither as the elderly nor as the disabled.
The grand sum of such instances emanates the sentiment that the elderly and disabled are second grade citizens.
I believe their citizenship bestows upon them the right to question why they have not been granted certain facilities that ought to have been provided to them by way of social contract, if not merely on humanitarian grounds.
However, contrary to popular sentiment, the government cannot be pinned to be the sole or most significant perpetrator.
This problem is one that arises from an inadequate civic sense in the citizens of Pakistan at large, who include those individuals who possess the mandate to change this worsening scenario.
The men and women who are responsible for the functioning of our hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, etc., are none other than the citizens of Pakistan, and it is their responsibility to inculcate a culture whereby their counterparts and others in their sphere of influence gain a greater affection of the qualms of the elderly and disabled.
There are several instances in the course of a regular working day where one is forced to wonder how one would cope with the situation in case one did not possess the physical ability to.
The apathy that our institutions demonstrate towards the needs of the elderly and the disabled is one such factor, and it is yet another example of how their policies and practices have marginalised the existence of the elderly and special citizens.
Disabled citizens are not a liability to society, and it would be most undesirable to have such a sentiment delivered to them.
The non-availability of facilities that enhance the function of disabled individuals at several work environments does exactly so, and is an issue that the officials of such institutions should address with utmost care.
Regular people if infused with a spirit to help such citizens can act as useful catalysts in a process that would render each and every citizen of this country a valuable asset.
There already exist several factors in our society (such as those of ethnicity, sect, and political allegiance) that set factions of our population at odds with each other.
For there to be yet more, albeit sociological in nature, that would render injustice to a certain faction of the population and would be adding to the several divisions that befall our country.
DUR-E-SHAHWAR SOOMRO
Lahore
THIS letter is with reference to the despondency and dejection associated with the recent debacle in Pakistani cricket when three of our star players were ruled out from the World Cup due to injury.
The nation must understand that showing dejection and hurling unreasonable comments at the national team will only make things worse. After all, what’s done cannot be undone.
At the same time we must realise that this situation is not new for Pakistan. In 1992 we had a struggling side with a weak top and lower middle batting order and a bowling attack that was propelled by young inexperienced bowlers.
Even then Waqar Younis, the world’s fastest bowler at that time, was ruled out of the World Cup due to an injury. But the Pakistanis did not surrender; they fought and played till they achieved what was rightfully ours.
So why can’t we for once remember, follow and become those people that were passionate, confident and relied more on the team than on individuals. I think we have a stronger side now than what we had in 1992, with players like Inzamam, Younis and Yousuf (who scored the most runs in Test matches last year).
Apart from that, we have some decent bowlers such as Sámi, Naveed, Gul and Kaneria and great all-rounders, including Malik and Afridi.
To quote Paulo Coelho: “If you aspire to achieve something, the stars and the universe conspire to help you achieve it”. Thus we must be optimistic and hope for the best as only then can we achieve it.
HUSSAIN GULRAZE MIR
Coventry, UK
AFTER the recent incident of fire in the PNC building, which frightened the entire population of Karachi for having no adequate fire-fighting system, the Civil Hospital of Karachi’s board of governors, headed by a retired bureaucrat, also finally woke up from the slumber as reported in Dawn (Feb 23).
The BoG has decided to provide safety services, i.e., fire escapes and fire extinguishers/equipment hitherto not available to the hospital.
Although realisation of such a basic prerequisite is much belated, yet, as the saying goes, ‘it is better late than never’.
I, however, want to draw the attention of the hospital’s BoG to other problems this institution is facing, i.e., lack of maintenance of the infrastructure, sanitation, service to patients and their attendants and discipline.
Moreover, many unscrupulous traders have illegally established permanent shops along the walls of the hospital.
All kinds vehicles, some emitting poisonous gas, are allowed near the hospital, posing danger to the lives of pedestrians. Roads around the hospital are broken, littered with waste and sending clouds of dust whenever some vehicle passes.
Besides, the entire walls and staircases of the hospital building were red with spits of betel nut and ‘paan’.
The hospital gives an impression more of a mediaeval bazaar than a 21st century medical centre catering for the well-being of millions of extremely poor segment. I hope the BoG will rise to the occasion.
MANSOORUL HAQ SOLANGI
Karachi
SADLY, at a time when impoverished people are facing very serious problems, such as rampant poverty, unemployment, escalating fuel prices and soaring prices of the basic necessities of life, the rulers of this country are falling over each other to have the latest Land Cruisers, Pajeros and expensive cars at the cost of the public exchequer.
Expensive vehicles are purchased for federal and provincial ministers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, nazims and other notables in the corridors of power by circumventing financial rules and discipline. This unique ‘craze’ for the use of expensive vehicles is on the rise.
The latest casualty of this ‘craze’ is the district nazim of Chitral, who is now in possession of a very expensive official Land Cruiser, probably purchased out of the scarce finances of the poorest district. Given the mountainous terrain and the narrow shingled roads in the neglected district, the costly Land Cruiser might become a junk in a couple of years.
Considering the prevailing abject poverty and desperation in the district, the nazim should have at the most purchased a functional Suzuki jeep and a healthy horse for official tours, if necessary. The cost of the expensive Land Cruiser could have been saved and spent on a public welfare project. Maybe, power always corrupts our leaders and it burns away their frail moral sense.
SARDAR ALI AMAN
Chitral
FURTHER to current discussion about the Higher education Commission’s plan to create nine mega universities for engineering and technology, I would like to add the following.
The success of mega universities can be assured if the ministry of industry and production and the planning commission develop mega visions for their industrial development plans and co-ordinate their efforts with the ministry of science and technology.
Unfortunately, Pakistan has not been able to develop any major industry of world standards because of its too much dependence on the World Bank and the IMF advice for its development strategies.
The strategic framework adopted by the ministry of industry, production and special initiatives is based on the report titled ‘Towards a prosperous Pakistan: a strategy for rapid industrial growth’ by Dr Ijaz Nabi of the World Bank.
The report focuses on removing all hurdles to create opportunities for multinationals to gain greater control over Pakistan’s economy.
It recommends creation of more vigorous small and medium-scale industries within the country. The SME Policy 2007 paper defines medium-scale industry as those that have annual sales of Rs100 to 300 million.
Translated into US dollars, it equals approximately $2 to 5 million in annual sales, a micro scale based on the world standard. No country has ever progressed solely depending on mini- and micro-scale industries.
Even mini-countries like Holland and Denmark developed through creating mega-industrial and trading companies like Royal Dutch Shell, ING Group, Philips, EADS in Holland and AP Moller Maersk, Aarhus, Danisco, Borealis, Kruger, Danfoss in Denmark.
The quality of education in natural sciences cannot be improved in an economic environment that totally depends on technology transfer (imports) from foreign countries.
Scientific efforts to create newer technologies within the economy are the bedrock upon which the foundation for advanced knowledge can be laid. MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Caltech and Cornell could not have achieved their educational standards without active co-operation in applied research with Nasa, General Electric, IBM, Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Pfizer, Boeing, Raytheon, GM, Ford and Chrysler. Chaebols of South Korea, like Daewoo, Hyundai, Lucky Goldstar, Samsung, Ssangyong and others, were empowered by their government during the military regime of Gen Park Chung Hee to create and implement a global vision in order to successfully compete with larger multinationals from the US, Europe and Japan in the international markets.
The government’s emphasis on expanding higher education is most welcome. Equally important is the creation of high calibre jobs in Pakistan.
We can reverse the brain drain, i.e., attract highly qualified overseas Pakistanis by creating opportunities for them to engage in more challenging research and development work in Pakistan that offer attractive rewards for their effort.
The HEC budget needs to be linked with greater incentives for industry to engage in applied research and development to produce higher quality self-designed products and services that command higher value in domestic, as well as in international markets.
This approach will enable the economy to expand faster, bringing overall prosperity and raising the common man’s standard of living.
HUMAYUN ZAFAR
Toronto, Canada
THIS is in reply to the letter ‘Sexual harassment’ (March 3). The incident is indeed very unfortunate as Nadra lays the highest emphasis on customer facilitation.
Respect and dignity of customers, therefore, receive the highest importance. Any employee of Nadra, who is found guilty of any such act, is punished strictly.
However, Nadra looks forward to the public to bring to its notice specifics of such incidents so that the matter can be redressed at the earliest.
Any such information will be treated as highly confidential and can be reported to arshad.raja@nadra.gov.pk or 021-4398368, 4387458 Ext: 117.
INCHARGE
Operations, Nadra, Islamabad
THIS is with reference to the news regarding the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. It is better to live and die with honour, rather than ask for help from those who are biased and open in showing their antagonistic motives.
If the sale of the F-16s was blocked in the past, it was a blessing in disguise.
Had they been delivered, we would never have been able to initiate our own programme for the JF-17 Thunder which has already materialised and will be inducted on the coming Republic Day as per media reports.
It’s better to scrap this F-16 deal ourselves before its blockage by the US Congress.
SHIRAZ MEHMUD
Karlskrona, Sweden
ON March 6, I was watching television when a compere was discussing some issues with Mr Imran Khan (former skipper), who was all praise for India, its democracy and allocation of five per cent of budget for education, without considering the level of poverty and unemployment in that country. In his opinion, no positive work has so far been done by the present regime.
At the end, he said President Pervez Musharraf should retire and play golf.
However, before retirement he wants him to restore constitutional authority, set up impartial judiciary and provide an impartial and free election commission.
These assignments cannot be accomplished in one day or two, but will require years which all these politicians in the past had not been able to do. How much time does Mr Imran Khan want to give to the president to complete all these jobs?
M.A. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
IT is often said that there are no better picnic points in Karachi, even sea sites such as Hawkes Bay, Paradise Point, Cape Mounts are in poor state.
First, there is no maintenance: we see the unhygienic condition for which the visitors are responsible.
Next, there is no proper bench or shelter, no protective boundaries, no greenery, not a single public toilet or dustbin. There is no maintenance of these spots.
For this both the authorities and the visitors are responsible. All these problems should be resolved at the earliest.
Meanwhile, I request the visitors to show civilised behaviour even when they are on a picnic.
SAMREEN JABBAR
Karachi
APROPOS of Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee’s article ‘Karachi and its parks’(March 4) with reference to my letter ( March 3), I should like to say that the title captain is not exclusive to the army, the navy and the merchant navy; there are other careers also that confer this title.
As regards the Kidney Hill issue, we are already pursuing the case in the Sindh High Court and have been doing so for over two decades. It is only he who opted to drag this issue in the papers.
We have full confidence in all the courts and hope justice will prevail.
CAPT AIJAZ HAROON
Hon secretary,
Overseas Co-op Housing Society,
Karachi
IMPOSING a ban on the transfers of government servants for various administrative reasons is a routine matter. It is lifted sooner or later. But the case of those lecturers who were appointed in 2002 on the recommendations of SPSC is different.
They were made to accept the appointment on the condition that they will have to work at the place of first posting for 10 years. This condition would not have caused much trouble if they had bean given postings in their home districts. But they were given a list of colleges to opt for their posting.
Now almost all lecturers from that unlucky batch are languishing in colleges very far off from their homes. They either commute between their colleges and residences or have acquired rented accommodations.
They also find it very difficult to pursue higher studies or engage in any other productive activity. They are going to complete five years in these troubled circumstances.
The Sindh chief minister should ban the arrangement or at least reduce it to five years.
SAIFULLAH ABBASI
Shikarpur
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