| March 22, 2007 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1428 |
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Conspiracy theory
Déjà vu?
Vexation and disillusionment
Wise men
A plea for the rule of law
Looking for a way out
Renaming NWFP
Matchsticks
Onslaught on the judiciary
Pride goeth before a fall
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 HAVE been reading conflicting reports about who will be accompanying Bob Woolmer’s body back to his home town. Actually only Dawn has suggested that Inzamam is accompanying the casket while both Cricinfo and the BBC have reported that Murray Stevenson will be accompanying the body.
I hope that the PCB and the government of Pakistan will do the right thing and ask Inzamamul Haq to accompany the body and hand it over officially to the Woolmer family. That will be the highest form of respect that we can offer them along with any other kind of support that we can lend to his family.
Remember, the world is watching us and we need to act with courtesy, respect and understanding. Let us do the right thing and give this man the right send-off.
ADNAN KHALID
Richmond, USA
WHILE we must offer our deepest condolences to Bob Woolmer’s family and be thankful to his contribution to Pakistan cricket, we should not jump to conclusions about the cause of his death until the autopsy report is out. Assuming that he died taking Pakistan’s defeat to his heart may or may not be true. If this is true, it would show his unwavering passion for and commitment to his profession.
Regardless, his death is a most tragic event. One must realise that he was never the best person to coach a team like Pakistan. Unlike South Africa, we have an unprofessional and ad hoc cricket board; an undisciplined team that is devoid of team spirit, professionalism and commitment; and a cricket structure that is less spoken about the better. Yet he did the best for Pakistan cricket that he could and he deserves our appreciation and gratitude for sticking out with our team. May his soul rest in peace.
SIRAJ NARSI
Calgary, Canada
A FEW of us were at Sabina Park to witness the new lows reached by Pakistan cricket at the hands of the Windies and the bowlers from Ireland. Wearing your religion on your sleeve and constantly invoking God’s name is no substitute to playing tough 100 overs of international One-day cricket.
What stood out at Sabina Park was the chemistry enjoyed by Bob, his giving all with his arm around his mercurial players. This is further exemplified by the Jamaican PM holding in her arms a tearful Mohammad Yousuf mourning Bob’s passing.
I do not for one moment believe that Bob wanted anything less than Pakistan holding its head up high once again in international cricket, so let us work to make this his legacy. It won’t be easy but nothing good ever is.
I urge the powers that run Pakistan cricket to return it to a democratic and constitutional system and away from the ad hocism of the recent past. This is a tall order indeed and some cynics among us will not hold their collective breath, as it needs a drastic change of mindset which also implies moving away from authoritarian rule in Pakistan.
SAAD HAFIZ
Cayman Islands
BOB Woolmer should be given the highest civilian award by the government of Pakistan. He deserves this award as he was the general who tried his best in turning around a bunch of undisciplined and physically unfit cricketers who believed that they were larger than life but could not stand up to the minnows.
It was not Woolmer’s fault that the stalwarts of the team batted irresponsibly in both matches of the World Cup and were rightfully eliminated.
Usually generals get high military awards at the expense of the death of their soldiers; in this case the general died in shock and sorrow while his troops are still alive. We owe it to this great teacher and coach to recognise his meritorious services and dedication to the game.
A PAKISTANI
Kuwait
THIS is apropos of President Musharraf’s Pakpattan address. It is very convenient for him to fall into the trap of the conspiracy theory.
We use it all the time to explain away our internal and external issues. But the general is not the same person who, though not elected by popular vote, came to the helm of affairs eight years ago and the common man was ready to wear his heart on his sleeve for him.
For years the educated middle class argued that Pakistani politicians originated either from the feudal elite or the neo-feudal industrialist class. They, therefore, by definition, were out of touch with real life and human values.
In President Musharraf I and many others like me had great hopes. He came from a decent educated background and had exhibited personal courage and leadership ability. Many likened him to Ataturk. So what happened in the years to follow? The only conspiracy against the president is of those who incorrectly advise him to test the limits of his power.
SANIYA KHAN
Lahore
ZUBEIDA Mustafa (‘With a sense of déjà vu’, March 21) recollects fondly the way in which the price of sugar became the spark that lit the fire that eventually consumed Ayub Khan.
In her piece and in many other recent ones there is a strong element of wishful thinking. Until the public at large can be stirred out of their stupor — brought on by massive overdoses of that numbing concoction of cheap films, overeating and incessant streams of religious trivia broadcast from what are seemingly the most watched TV channels — all that will happen will be a few split foreheads amongst media personnel and the legal fraternity, and the occasional instance of protestors losing their trousers courtesy of perverted police officials.
When the dragging of naked daughters and sisters through our streets, or the bombing of co-ed schools, or blowing up of barbers’ shops or the constant chaos caused by movement of over-dyed, sartorially excellent and unrepresentative VIPs, or the relentless stream of lies emanating from the mouths of our appointed leaders, has not lead to a general uprising, why should reshuffling at the top order of the elite judiciary, or the breaking of a few windows at a TV station which also, judging from the statements of its staff on the day of the incident, thrives seemingly on a personality cult, move any of us to the sort of action that would replace one bunch of incompetents by another? Déjà vu is the feeling that we have every time there is a change at the helm.
SAQUIB YUSUF
Lahore
I AM a doctor by profession and a totally non-political person who has never written to a paper in 40 years of existence. Yet, the ignominious and illogical measures taken by the ‘moderately enlightened’ government of Gen Musharraf in regard to the chief justice, Mr Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, has forced me to register my vexation and disillusionment as a Pakistani.
The way lowly police employees manhandled him on his first court appearance, the way he and his family are being kept under house arrest with no access to the outside world and the way his children are denied education and medical aid is not only a slur on the basic human rights but also on the image of our country. The attack on Geo TV planted another big feather in the government’s jungle-law crown.
We live here in a multi-cultural society and try our best to keep our flag high amongst so many other nationalities. These steps by the government are defeating our efforts and making us hang our heads in shame. Also, none of us is blessed with the unabashed attitude of the government ministers who brazenly deny what the whole world is viewing the images from this episode being broadcast all over the world.
I don’t know whose calamitous advice the general is heeding to, taking decisions verging on such insanity but please stop this madness now. Don’t make us the laughing stock of the world. And please don’t make us lose all pride associated with being a Pakistani.
DR S. MAJID
Dubai, UAE
THEY say a wise man learns from his and a wiser one from other people’s mistakes. We all saw in the last decade how Nawaz Sharif got power and with his infamous two-thirds majority became the lord of the jungle, devastating everyone and everything that came his way.
This list included the president, the chief justice, the then army chief, the naval chief and when he was about to dismiss the second army chief, the tables were turned on him.
The whole nation welcomed Gen Musharraf whole-heartedly as they were not amused at the intended disgrace which was planned by Nawaz Sharif against the Pakistan army and its chief of staff.
It has been almost eight years since then and the general has grown stronger and mightier. Now the chief justice of the highest judicial body in Pakistan has been ‘dismissed’ in a familiar unceremonial way. Fortunately, or unfortunately, history repeats itself and pride does come before a fall.
ALTAMASH JAVED LONE
Karachi
AS a citizen of Pakistan who was active in the Pakistan Movement, I feel utterly shocked by the unconstitutional suspension of the chief justice of Pakistan by the president.
The humiliations inflicted on him in Islamabad will shock every conscientious citizen who might remember Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s constant plea for the rule of law in Pakistan. Having assigned to the Supreme Judicial Council the task of investigating the alleged complaints against the chief justice, the president should have waited for its verdict before himself acting like a petty Cromwell against the chief justice of Pakistan.
The lawyers have done well in protesting against the illegality of the president’s action. The protest would have been more effective if all the judges of the superior courts had resigned and paralysed the entire judicial apparatus of the state. I hope the spirit of Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan who defied an equally callous dictator inspires our lawyers and judges to safeguard the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan.
QUTUBUDDIN AZIZ
Karachi
IN his column, ‘Looking for a way out’, Prof Anwar Syed has given a number of possible explanations for the increasing religious fundamentalism and extremism in Pakistan (March 4).
I believe that only one of these hypotheses doesn’t fully explain the phenomenon but a combination of these would yield a better answer. It is true that we have a small minority of fanatics, but his analysis missed the very important common denominator that is promoting fundamentalism and extremism in all the major religions.
What differentiates the Muslims is that they are militarily weaker than the followers of some of the other faiths, such as the Christians., Jews and the Hindus. For this reason, they have been subjected to injustice, occupation and genocide by these three. The events of Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Iraq, Kashmir, Kosovo, Palestine and Somalia underline this.
Karen Armstrong has dealt with the causes of the rise of fundamentalism, especially in the Abrahamic religions, in her various books. Her basic premise is that attempts by the secularists of the West as also the local ones to impose their own values and beliefs on the religious people has made them feel threatened, pushing them towards increased religiosity or violence.
Talking of the United States, she says in The Battle for God that a new clash of the value systems of secular humanism and Christianity, after the previous one of the early 20th century was seen in the late-60s and early-70s, triggered by the permissive youth culture, sexual revolution and equal rights for homosexuals, etc.
The conservative Christians felt ‘colonised’ by the world of Manhattan, Washington and Harvard. Their experience was not entirely dissimilar to that of the Middle Eastern countries that had bitterly resented being taken over by an alien power.
The conservatives decided to fight back. During the 1970s more parents than ever before transferred their children from public schools to Christian institutions. Between 1965 and 1983, enrollment in these evangelical schools increased six-fold and nearly 100,000 fundamentalist children were also taught at home.
The schools formed associations, which continued to grow. By the 1990s, one of these associations had 1,360 member-schools while another one had 1,930. It was a ‘hothouse’ atmosphere to form committed and, if need be, militant Christians prepared to fight the secularisation of life in the US.
(One may add here that president Clinton had initially held the Muslims responsible, causing a considerable reaction against them, including death threats and physical assaults). The opposition to the enforcement of a ban on guns is a part of the picture, while a section of such Americans see the federal government as ‘Zionist occupation government’.
The case of fundamentalist Jews is similar and is exemplified by the Israeli group known as the Kookists. The Hindu fundamentalists also are gaining strength, as noted by Kuldip Nayar in a recent column.
So, if the Muslims are feeling threatened by the onslaught against them by the West, Israel and India, there is a greater justification for that. Instead of failing for hostile foreign propaganda and viewing ourselves as the worst people who are responsible for everything that is wrong on Earth, we should exert to counter it. These forces ignore their own role in repressing the Muslims, whereas the victims’ struggle to secure or protect their freedom and human rights is labelled as ‘Islamic terrorism’.
A READER
Karachi
THERE cannot be two opinions that the nomenclature of the North-West Frontier Province needs to be changed. With the demise of the Raj in the subcontinent, this term has become meaningless. Such other names given by the British to various regions in their vast Indian empire stood replaced after independence with native names. The examples are the United Province which is now Uttar Pradesh and the Central Province which is now called Madhya Pradesh of the Indian Union.
The right of the people of the Frontier to change the name of their province should be recognised by the federal government and other federating units. This should not be considered an anti-Pakistan or unpatriotic move.
The crucial task is the choice of the name based on consensus from all regions of the province. The best course should be that the federal government, in consultation with the provincial government, set up a committee comprising university teachers, historians, intellectuals and sociologists from all the regions of the province and headed by the chief justice of the high court or the Supreme Court who should after dealing with all sensitive matters come up with a name acceptable to all regions and ethnic groups of the province.
If people at the helm of affairs are serious about this, it should not be made a political issue. It should rather be dealt with as a socio-cultural rather than political issue to avoid opposition.
PROF MOHAMMAD ISHAQ
Karachi
I WOULD like to draw the attention of the relevant government authorities towards the substandard and poor quality of matches produced in Pakistan. It appears that the lust for profiteering of our industrialist class has no limits. Sticks of matches produced are so thin and weak that they break when one wants to light them. Some sticks are found to be without chemical topping and on many of them the chemical is inadequately applied. At lease two or three sticks are wasted when one wants to light a matchstick.
The Standards and Quality Control Authority is urged to check the poor quality of the matches and prescribe some reasonable standard for them. It should also ensure its enforcement. Import of match-boxes on a limited scale may also be allowed to keep the quality of indigenous ones.
R.R. ALVI
Lahore
THE current constitutional crisis that stormed out of the president’s reference against the chief justice, Mr Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, reminds me of a case of adultery against a woman brought by the Jews before Prophet Jesus.
I quote: “The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?’...And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’...But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus looked up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again (The New Testament, St. John).’”
It is not the chief justice on trial, but it is the entire judiciary in the line of fire. With a heavy heart, though not yet disappointed, I hope that the judiciary would not lose this last opportunity and would bring back its due reputation at par with democratic countries of the world.
K.B. BHUTTO
Former vice-chairman,
Pakistan Bar Council,
Karachi
WHEN all the dust raised by the present controversy surrounding the suspension of the chief justice of Pakistan has settled, some questions will remain to be answered. Agreed that no head of state in the C-in-C’s uniform would tolerate a judge prone to asking very awkward questions, particularly at a time when general elections are around the corner. But what will always stand out as a stigmatic question mark is the total lack of finesse.
Why take off the velvet glove? Why expose the mailed fist?
Why did the general raise a hornet’s nest about his ears when the desired results could well have been achieved in a much smoother manner?
Beware, pride always goeth before…?
S. ASIF MAJEED
Karachi
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