| March 14, 2007 | Wednesday | Safar 24, 1428 |
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Revision of quotas
In defence of Jimmy Carter
Beautiful no more
Thanks to taxpayers
Islam and the West
The rains came.... again
Govt women employees
Whither Gujranwala?
Teachers’ strike
Cause for concern
Hands off
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
I wish to draw your attention to the press conference of the chief minister of Sindh on March 10 at which he had passed many adverse remarks against the chief justice.
Since the SJC has already summoned him for the hearing, these remarks of the chief minister against the CJP qualify as ‘contempt of court’ much more than any other statements made in this concern so far.
ABDUL REHMAN
Islamabad
PEOPLE may wonder why the president has failed to take similar action against the prime minister when the whole nation was up in arms with reference to the latter’s alleged involvement in the affairs concerning the sale of Pakistan Steel Mills and the crash at Karachi Stock Exchange.
HASAN BIN HAMZA
Karachi
HISTORY is unlikely to ever tell us the truth about the current scenario in the highest judicial realm because history has been re-written so frequently we are unable to recognise the truth even when it hits us in the face.
It is hilarious that the law minister, whose own family has more than once been publicly accused of gross misconduct, should be defending the government’s conduct of the legal crisis at hand. Even more hilarious is the PM’s statement that ‘every violator of the law of the land in any other field will face the same treatment’ (Dawn, March 11).
Pakistan’s tragedy is that its Constitution remains a paper. How accurate the statement someone made on TV recently. “Pakistan has three ‘isms.’ Ayub gave us ‘capitalism’, Bhutto gave us ‘socialism’ and Zia came up with ‘munafiqism.’ (hypocrisy).
DR MERVYN HOSEIN
Karachi
THE action taken against the chief justice of Pakistan is a step into the forbidden domain, notwithstanding all justification provided for its being within the constitutional jurisprudence. No country in the world, democratic or dictatorial; representative or autocratic, totalitarian or multi-party has ever extended such humiliating treatment to the supreme head of its judiciary.
It is noticed with grief and sorrow that non-representative governments in our country are becoming more and more insolent towards the already rapidly staggering institutions.
But alas, howsoever unfortunate the act may be, it had to come some day. In the case of very first martial law imposed under Ayub Khan, the words of Justice Kayani come to mind: “Misfortunes come not alone, but in battalions; and in this case it was the whole army”.
S. ABRAR HUSSAIN
Lahore
THE PM claims that the action against the CJP is in line with the Constitution. How nice. Now he should also put every thing else in line with the Constitution, including all parliamentarians and others who have submitted false wealth returns and stand disqualified.
MIANGUL AURANGZEB
Islamabad
THE issue about the likely revision of the existing provincial and regional quotas relating to direct recruitment under the federal government has come up in the press lately as a result of the cabinet’s decision to enhance Balochistan’s quota to six per cent and abolish the 10 per cent merit quota.
As expected, there are already murmurs of protest from Punjab’s vice-regal elite over the proposal to abolish the 10 per cent merit quota which is normally grabbed by the Punjab-domiciled candidates due to their better performance in competitive examinations.
Historically, the quotas were introduced by the federal government in 1949 to remove the disparity of representation in the federal services between East and West Pakistan. According to that formula, 20 per cent posts were reserved for merit. The remaining 80 per cent posts were equally distributed between the two wings of the country.
The current provincial and regional quotas for direct recruitment were introduced on Aug 31, 1973. According to this revised formula, 10 per cent posts are reserved for merit. Out of the remainder, 50 per cent posts are allocated to Punjab and the rest is distributed among other provinces and regions according to the prescribed percentages.
No doubt the system of quotas is fully justified in the backdrop of the existing political milieu based on multi-ethno-lingual differences, unbalanced political and institutional developments, standard of living disparities and, above all, vast developmental gaps obtaining in the provinces and regions.
Given this context, the quota system is the best bet to hold the provinces and regions together and save the federation from the poison of centrifugal tendencies growing out of the socio-economic imbalances.
Needless to say, the decision of the cabinet to enhance Balochistan’s quota to six per cent is timely and commendable. Similarly the quota of Fata (NWFP) should also be increased suitably.
The Northern Areas, which is comparatively developed, may be de-linked from Fata and bracketed with Azad Kashmir for the readjustment of its quota.
As tentatively proposed by the cabinet, 10 per cent quota for merit should be abolished and the respective quotas for the less developed and the marginalised regions should be enhanced proportionately to remove the lingering sense of deprivation and discontent.
SARDAR ALI AMAN
Chitral
FORMER US President Jimmy Carter has come under a firestorm of criticism over his recently-published book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
The condemnation has been fast and furious from the US media and many serving US politicians, and Mr Carter’s stature has been reduced from a Nobel Peace Prize winner to an anti-Semite and a blind advocate of the Palestinian “violence”.
The issue is also making its way to the international stage led by similar reactions in Israel.
No doubt the title of the book is provocative but Mr Carter has simply taken the courage to call a spade a spade. His objective through this book is to highlight the tremendous suffering of the Palestinians, where 70 per cent of the population is living below poverty levels.
In his own words, “the alternative to peace is apartheid, not inside Israel, but in the West Bank and Gaza and East Jerusalem, the Palestinian territory. And, there, apartheid exists in its more despicable forms, that Palestinians are deprived of basic human rights.
Their land has been occupied and then confiscated and then colonised by Israeli settlers. Over a period of years, the Israelis have connected settlements with highways, and those highways….and in most cases the Palestinians are prevented from using the highways at all.”
Mr Carter of course has the luxury of not running for any office and therefore voicing his convictions rather than holding himself ‘accountable’ to special interests or lobbies. Nonetheless, in an era where politicians start worrying about their legacies as they take the oath of office, Mr Carter’s publication is an incredibly bold act.
He may be marginalised in US politics as no aspiring politician would want to be seen with an ‘anti-Semite’ but his stature as an honest broker of peace has increased manifold in the international community.
A.A. Ahmad
Lahore
ABOUT a year and a half ago I relocated from North Carolina in the US to Islamabad. In my time here I have seen the CDA actively carrying out activities that are destroying the beauty of Islamabad. For example, the CDA has been very active in cutting down beautiful trees and building roads on what once were green playgrounds. One repeatedly hears from the CDA that their activities are in line with the Islamabad Master Plan.
One begs to ask, what part of the Master Plan allows the existence of schools, medical offices, NGO offices, guest houses, car showrooms, etc., in Islamabad’s residential areas, including sectors E, F, G? By allowing such activities, the CDA is not only destroying what were once beautiful areas but also causing an increase in traffic which in turn is contributing to increase in air pollution and numerous other problems. Have the CDA and other government officials concerned ever wondered what kind of environment we are creating for our future generations? Will they be leaving behind a city where our children and grandchildren can go to green parks and playgrounds? Not likely as even the Jinnah Park has been slowly converted into blocks of concrete. Ultimately the only activity left for young children in the city will be to go to international fast food outlets and other places of eating. I wish CDA officials would pause for a moment to think about the future of their own children, if not the children of Islamabad’s citizens.
MUNAF AHMED
Islamabad
THIS is apropos of Mr Hussain’s letter titled “Speaker’s house” (March 8) in which he stated that a house is to be constructed for the speaker in the ministers’ colony in sector F-5/2, Islamabad. The cost is estimated to be Rs38.836 million, excluding the price of the 3,000 sq yards of land it is to be built on.
I would like to give suggestion that at least a big board should be affixed outside the house which should read: “Thanks to the taxpayers of Pakistan - from the Speaker”.
Furthermore, government officials, ministers and members of parliament after completion of their frequent lavish visit to the abroad should at least, at their press conferences, acknowledge the help of tax-payers whose money enable them a free and joyful visit. I am afraid that our high-ups’ continuous signalling that the tax net should be increased means that construction of other such houses, foreign visits and other such important expenditure are pending due to lack of funds.
KHALID TIPU
Karachi
THIS has reference to Amin Jan Naim’s letter ‘Islam and the West’ (March 10). It is astonishing that according to him the only bane for the Muslim world is to adopt Hellenic traditions as their adoption is the basis of superiority and splendour of the West over the Muslims.
Islam has never opposed acquisition of scientific or humanities knowledge as witnessed by massive translations of Greek, Indian and Chinese books during the various stages of Muslim history.
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) asks every Muslim to acquire knowledge, even if they may have to travel to China. For seven centuries after the advent of Islam the top most personalities in fields of science, technology and humanities were Muslim scientists.
If you carefully focus the period of Renaissance of Christian Europe, it is evident that it started about 100 years before the end of the Muslim rule in Spain in 1492.
Assimilation of knowledge from Muslim Spain was the one major reason of Renaissance of Europe.
After the military disaster of Christian armies in the Middle East at the hands of Salahuddin in 1187 and then at the hands of Ottoman Turks in Europe before and after the fall of Constantinople to Turks in 1439, the kings of Britain, France, Germany, Italy established hundreds of Arabic schools and hired hundreds of Arabic teachers to teach Arabic and to translate Arabic textbooks on various subjects into European languages.
This was the other reason of emergence of Europe from darkness of ignorance, intolerance and extremism of scores Christian sects in that continent. However, Europe did not adopt Muslim dress or culture.
The Muslim world should do the same as Europe did 800 years ago. Muslims should learn European, Chinese, Italian and Russian languages and assimilate and transfer knowledge to their countries as Christian kings did.
Similarly, we should not adopt their culture as they did not do in the period of Muslim dominance of the world.
Does Mr Naim want that Muslims should legalise gay marriages, sodomy and prostitution as western parliaments have done?
Or should Muslims legalise living of men and women without wedlock as a result of which about 30 per cent population of Europe and America has no trace of their fathers? Or should we legalise abortion, gambling and alcoholism also?
All these above menaces, in which Hellenic civilisation is now encased, have resulted in AIDS and limitless increase in sexually-transmitted diseases in the world and have destroyed their family fabric.
As for violence, it may be said the two World Wars were started and perpetuated by Hellenic societies and even millions of human beings have been killed in Bosnia, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and in Rwanda by heirs of Hellenic civilisation.
Throughout Muslim history, they have never indulged in carnage of this magnitude. There is no need to adopt their way of life.
PROF EICE MUHAMMAD
Rahim Yar Khan
THE downpour today gave Karachi’s under-construction drainage project a trial run and I think it has proved a success. At around 7pm we motoring on our way to Clifton, anticipating the usual waterlogging at Teen Talwar.
But guess what? We were ‘disappointed’ to see that there was no traffic jam and the road up to the Clifton underpass and onwards was only wet.
The still incomplete drainage system has worked. We did notice labourers sweeping water into the drains - good thinking on the part of the authorities concerned. Nazim Mustafa Kamal and his colleagues are to be congratulated.
ALI AKBAR
Karachi
Almost 21 millimetres of sporadic rainfall on Karachi on Sunday, March 11.
The next day the Lord Mayor of Karachi, City Nazim Mustafa Kamal, declares an ‘emergency’. Man the lifeboats!
ARDESHIR COWASJEE
Karachi
THE National Assembly is debating a bill to get rid of discrimination against women in our society.
At this stage I wish to remind our legislators that apart from discriminatory practices of our society against women, government rules and regulations are no less discriminatory against women employees.
A government woman employee loses most of her allowances and privileges as soon as she marries a government employee.
To quote an example, she loses her house rent allowance and servant pay and after retirement allotment of a house (in case of women officers of armed forces).
It is suggested that while the National Assembly is making dedicated efforts to remove discriminatory practices against women from our society, it should also amend government rules and regulations that lead to the same.
AN AWARE MALE
Islamabad
GUJRANWALA is the third biggest city of Punjab with a population of over four million and hundreds of industries.
But these factors hardly matter as the city is in ruins. The sewerage system is completely out of order and roads are in a state of disrepair.
The city government is neglecting the people’s needs since the day it came in office. Only three roads have been built in over six years and that too of the poorest standards.
After seeing all this, we only ask one thing of the city government: whither Gujranwala?
QASIM ZAMAN
Gujranwala
I am a student of OPF Girls College. Our school and teachers are going through a crisis these days. The teachers are on strike and upset. We are unable to study and our final examinations are approaching. This is the final term and we all need our teachers to complete the term.
STUDENT
OPF Girls College, F-8,
Islamabad
THE kidnapping and prolonged disappearance of a number of innocent civilians is a serious cause for concern.
A number of gatherings and protests have been organised by the hapless families of these people but they have fallen on deaf ears.
It is just amazing how the government claims to be an advocate of human rights, yet gives the thumbs up to these sorts of happenings.
The country seems to be turning into a police state -– the kind of a state writer George Orwell feared, in his book 1984, could be a reality.
It seems like it has become a crime to grow a beard, pray or to raise your voice in support of the Muslims being bombed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In fact, the majority of the people being detained have had no links with Al Qaeda or whoever the government is trying to capture.
The gap between the rulers and the ruled has no doubt taken on an altogether new dimension in recent times and only God knows how we are going to rise up from this disgusting mess.
ASAD SULEMAN
Islamabad
PAKISTANIS do not want confrontation but my sincere advice to US senators is to keep their hands/minds off Pakistani territory. Americans have seen earlier how Mujahideen managed to cause the start of the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan.
After being a silent spectator till the obvious had emerged, the US jumped in to reap the harvest and started supplying arms to the Mujahideen (now being called terrorists).
Of course, the US Stinger missiles made a difference, making the Soviet defeat quicker than forecast. But the damaged had already been done, almost empty-handed, by Mujahideen who fought the Soviet air power gallantly, first without missiles and fighter planes, and won many big and important battles.
Our government is well-equipped with self-made and acquired armaments and I am sure it can very well handle the US aircraft carriers and can shoot down B-52 bombers before they reach this country.
Pakistan is no sitting duck to allow the US to attack it. So far the US has enjoyed attacking only poor or weak countries. Pakistan is just opposite to it and hopefully will retaliate with full force as the Soviets did to the Germans in the World War II.
I think the US is not so mindless to open new fronts one after another.
WAQAR H. KHAN
Karachi
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